My Time, My World

MY TIME , MY W O R L D

PRATHEEK PRAV EEN

KU M AR

MY TIME , MY W O R L D

PRATHEEK PRAV EEN

KUMAR

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© 2009 by Pratheek Praveen Kumar.

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L o vi n g l y d e d i c a t e d To m y m o t h e r S m t. Ja y a sh re e .

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PREFACE Time and wor ld in th e cu r r ent g lob al v illag e concer n ev er y b ody and ev er y one,

wh eth er y ou ng

or old mu st p ay

at least some attention to cor r ectly

g au g e th e

‘ p r ev ailing winds’ b lowing in and ar ou nd th e wor ld at th at time. Th e comp lex natu r e of th e time and th e wor ld is v er y dif f icu lt to u ntang le and h op elessly mir ed in dep th s we may not know or th ing s of wh ich we h av e g ot no comp r eh ension.

In th is b ook, I h av e tr ied to su mmar iz e ev ents, situ ations, p er sonalities, and at

occasions, a f ew stor ies th at b r ing deep er comp r eh ension of th e wor ld and its af f air s in th e lar g er canv as of th e p olitical and cu ltu r al dy namics of th e time and th eir

inter p lay s as I see th em in mov ing th e wor ld f or war d. Th e top ics on wh ich I wr ote wer e all top ics on wh ich I f elt r ath er str ong ly ab ou t or top ics th at I f elt imp or tant. I h op e th ey ar e enj oy ed and ap p r eciated b y all th ose wh o r ead th em.

Wh ile wr iting th e b ook, I was of ten temp ted to add my own comments ab ou t

wh at I f elt ab ou t th e issu e at h and, b u t in th e end I su ccessf u lly

r esisted su ch

temp tations and r estr icted my self to th e tr u th as I saw it. S o th is b ook is a p u b lication on wor ld af f air s with j u st occasional comments of u niv er sal natu r e h er e and th er e.

Anoth er p r ob lem I encou nter ed wh ile wr iting th is b ook was th e ab u ndance of

mater ials to select f r om. S ev er al ev ents of r ecent or ig in r aced th r ou g h my mind f or

sp ace, b u t I h ad to b e ch oosy to limit my self to th e p lanned f or mat of my b ook.

F u r th er , r ecent dev elop ments ar e too r ecent and h ot to g au g e disp assionately and ear n sp ace f or ob j ectiv e analy ses. Th er ef or e, I av oided su ch mater ials as mu ch as p ossib le in th is v olu me. Th is h olds tr u e ab ou t India also. Th ou g h th is b ook is India-

centr ic in wor ld af f air s, I av oided all op inions and comments on India r elated matter s f or th e f ear of b eing

p ar tisan. Th is v olu me is not p lanned as a p latf or m f or su ch

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contents. Nec Dextrorsum, Nec Sinistrorsum is th e th eme h er e and I tr ied my b est to maintain it.

O f ten, I h ad b een temp ted to str ay into top ics q u ite u nr elated to th e th eme of

th e b ook. M anag ing it and keep ing my cou r se on th e tr ack was th e tou g h est p ar t of my

wor k. “ M y

Time, M y

Wor ld” op ened u p

limitless v ista f or entr y . Ag ain, I

su cceeded in conf ining my self to my L a k sh ma na R ek h a .

M any u nsaid th anks th r eaten to ov er -f lood my senses. I wou ld like to th ank

my p ar ents f or all th e su p p or t th ey h av e g iv en me wh ile I was wr iting th is b ook. Th ey

h av e b een p illar s of str eng th on wh ich I cou ld r est my wear ied b ack wh enev er I was tir ed or down.

I also th ank P u b lish Amer ica and its staf f f or all th eir u nstinting su p p or t and

clock-like p r ecision th at h as b een th e h allmar k of th eir wor k f r om th e b eg inning f or th eir h elp , su p p or t and p atience. Th is task th at th ey

h av e b een doing

p u b lish ing and sp r ead of knowledg e is tr u ly a nob le j ob . I wish th em b est.

in b ook

PPK

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CONTENTS 1 .

IN D IA -U N IT Y IN D IV E R S IT Y … … … … … .1 0

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IN D IA N E C O N O M Y … … … … … 2 5

3 .

IN D IA IN W O R L D A F F A IR S … … … … … 3 2

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U S A A N D T H E W O R L D A R O U N D … … … … … 4 3

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T H E R O L E O F R U S S IA IN T H E P R E S E N T W O R L D … … … … … 4 8

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C H IN A –T H E R IS IN G

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N O R T H K O R E A A N D I T S N U C L E A R A M B I T I O N S … … … … … 57

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I R A N A N D T H E W O R L D … … … … … 60

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IR A Q

P O W E R … … … … … 52

W A R S … … … … … 64

1 0 . J A P A N A F T E R T H E S E C O N D W O R L D W A R … … … … … 67 1 1 . T H E T H IR D R E IC H A N D

I T S P L A C E I N T H E W O R L D H I S T O R Y … … … … … . 69

1 2 . W O R L D P O L I T I C A L D Y N A M I C S … … … … … 71 1 3 . S C IE N C E F R O N T IE R S … … … … … 8 3 1 4 . E N V I R O N M E N T A N D H E A L T H … … … … … 93 1 5. I N D I A N V A L U E S … … … … … 1 1 2 1 6. I S S U E S O F M O D E R N L I F E … … … … … 1 1 9 1 7. M E N A N D W O M E N W H O

M A D E H IS T O R Y … … … … … 1 3 3

1 8 . T H E W O R L D IN T H E 2 1 S T C E N T U R Y … … … … … 1 4 6 1 9. W O R L D L I T E R A T U R E … … … … … 1 53 2 0 . S T O R IE S F R O M

I N D I A A N D A R O U N D T H E W O R L D … … … … … 1 57

2 1 . L I F E A N D P O E T R Y … … … … … 1 71

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INDIA - UNITY IN DIVERSITY India is a maj or cou ntr y of S ou th Asia and g eog r ap h ically th e sev enth lar g est

in th e wor ld with th e du b iou s distinction of b eing th e most p op u lated cou ntr y in th e wor ld af ter Ch ina with a p op u lation of mor e th an 1 .1 b illion b y th e end of 2 0 1 0 . It is also a nu clear p ower .

India is a v er y lar g e cou ntr y with

div er se h istor y , cu ltu r e, r elig ions, castes,

lang u ag es, p r actices and eth nicities. It is said th at India is th e h ome to ab ou t eig h t h u ndr ed lang u ag es. It also h as dif f er ent castes and r elig ions, some h ome g r own wh ile some oth er s assimilated f r om ou tside and dif f er ent lif e sty les and g eog r ap h ical f eatu r es th r ou g h th e leng th and b r eadth of th e cou ntr y .

S tates and U nion Ter r itor ies as p r ov ided in th e Indian Constitu tion ar e

r eg ional administr ativ e tools f or th e g ov er nance of th e cou ntr y . Div ision of th e cou ntr y in to S tates and U nion Ter r itor ies makes g ov er nance of th e cou ntr y v iab le th r ou g h comp act administr ativ e r eg ions.

Th e lar g est state of India is R aj asth an and th e most p op u lated one is U ttar

P r adesh . Goa is th e smallest state of India as well as th e least p op u lated. Among th e U nion ter r itor ies, th e lar g est is Andaman and Nicob ar Islands wh ile th e most

p op u lated one is Delh i. Th e smallest U nion Ter r itor y is Daman and Diu and it is also th e least p op u lated U nion Ter r itor y of India.

In sp ite of th e div er sities, cer tain b asic similar ities mostly

der iv ed f r om

Dr av idian and Ar y an eth nic g r ou p s f r om th e p r e-h istor ic ag e ar e b asic to th e Indian sou l and b r ing a kind of inex p licab le sense of oneness among th e p eop le of India.

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INDIAN CONSTITUTION

Indian Constitu tion is th e lar g est, most b u lky constitu tion in th e wh ole wor ld.

No oth er cou ntr y h as g ot a constitu tion as lar g e as India’ s. It h as g ot 3 9 6 Ar ticles and 7 sch edu les.

Th e Constitu tion of India p r ov ides F u ndamental R ig h ts to its citiz ens and

imp oses sp ecif ic r esp onsib ilities as th e citiz ens of th e cou ntr y . It p r ov ides th at F u ndamental R ig h ts cannot b e taken away f r om th e citiz ens ex cep t in a cr isis.

Th er e ar e also Dir ectiv e P r incip les p r ov ided in th e Indian Constitu tion, wh ich

su g g ests to th e Gov er nment ab ou t its ob lig ations to th e p eop le and h ow to disch ar g e

th em. It h as b ecome a f ar ce in India th at p oliticians and p olitical p ar ties du r ing th e election p r op ag anda u se th e p r ov isions of th e Dir ectiv e P r incip les to lu r e v otes as p r omises and th eir ag enda f or th e g ov er nance if th ey win th e election and f or g et th e p r omises all tog eth er once th ey

ar e secu r e in th e saddle of p ower . Dir ectiv e

P r incip les ar e not imp er ativ es of th e constitu tion to f ollow u nlike th e F u ndamental R ig h ts and th u s ar e f ollowed only at th e conv enience and b enef its to th e p olitical p ar ty and its leading lig h ts h olding th e r eig ns of th e p ower .

Th e Constitu tion p r ov ides f or a Centr al Gov er nment f or th e cou ntr y

and

p r ov incial g ov er nments in ch ar g e of r eg ions f or med on th e b asis of h istor ic, ling u istic, cu ltu r al, eth nic or administr ativ e div isions called as S tates or U nion Ter r itor ies. Th e P r ime M inister with

h is cou ncil of minister s leads th e Centr al

Gov er nment wh er e as S tates and U nion Ter r itor ies b y th e r esp ectiv e Ch ief M inister s with th eir cou ncils of minister s.

INDIA AND SECULARISM

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S ecu lar ism means ex clu sion of r elig ion in p olicy and g ov er nance. S ecu lar ism

r esp ects all r elig ions as eq u al ou tside th e scop e of th e g ov er nance. It is not anti-

r elig iou s b y any str etch of imag ination.

Th e Constitu tion of India declar es th at India is a secu lar cou ntr y . Th ou g h India

is h istor ically , cu ltu r ally and b y maj or ity of th e p op u lation is a H indu cou ntr y , it is also

th e r oot and b ir th p lace of many oth er r elig ions like B u ddh ism, J ainism, S ikh ism, and mor e th an 2 0 %

of its p eop le ar e M u slims. H istor ically

also, India was r u led b y

B u ddh ist, J ain, S ikh , M u slim and Ch r istian r u ler s as mu ch as b y H indu r u ler s.

H indu ism is of ten called as a way of lif e f ar b ey ond th e concep t of r elig ion and

alway s ch amp ioned sp ir itu ality as th e cor e of h u man lif e. V edic h y mns and scr ip tu r es

declar e God as b ey ond all r elig ions. H indu ism as a r elig ion is a new p h enomenon or ig inated as a r eaction to th e th r eats of alien elements th at attacked India and its way of lif e f r om th e tenth

centu r y . R elig ion ev en now is not th e main stay of th e

Indian lif e sav e f or a f ew dev iant elements f or p olitical and oth er r elated r easons. If th er e is any

g enu ine concer n in th is dir ection among

th ou g h tf u l p eop le, it is

concer ning th e identity and p r otection of th e Indian way of lif e. Th is is tr u er r eg ar ding

moder nisation and g lob alisation tr ends th an th e th r eat f r om oth er r elig ions. M ost of

th e cou ntr ies in th e wor ld ar e secu lar sav e f or a f ew ex cep tions in West Asia and su r r ou nding

r eg ions wh er e cou ntr ies p r ou d th emselv es to declar e th emselv es as

Islamic R ep u b lics.

India alway s liv ed u p

to its ex p ectations of b eing

a secu lar cou ntr y

in

accor dance with th e sp ir it of its Constitu tion. S ecu lar ism is a v er y h onou r ab le p olicy th at sees all h u man kind as one and ab j u r es th e ev il of div ision and g r ou p s among p eop le.

POLITICAL PARTIES IN INDIA

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India as def ined in th e Constitu tion is a socialist, secu lar , sov er eig n

democr atic r ep u b lic. It is a cou ntr y th at was u nder B r itish r u le u p to th e end of 1 9 4 0 s

and g ained indep endence af ter centu r ies of alien h eg emony th at b eg an f r om th e tenth centu r y . It h as r isen to g r eater h eig h ts since indep endence and asp ir ing to b e a g lob al p ower . B eing a democr acy , and th e lar g est democr acy at th at, India natu r ally

elects its leader s b y th e p r ocess of election th r ou g h p olitical r ep r esentations. India’ s is a mu lti-p ar ty p olitical sy stem th at natu r ally led to alliances coming

to p ower in

r ecent day s and r ender ing f or mation of th e g ov er nment a v er y comp lex and u nclean

p olitical manoeu v r es, th er eb y r u b b ing of f th e sh een f r om its oth er wise ser iou s and nob le p r ocess. Th e adag e th at p olitics is th e last r esor t of a scou ndr el comes to p lay

in th is contex t and p olitical p ower s ar e of ten f ou nd cor ner ed b y p r ov en cr iminals and oth er anti-social elements b y th eir sh eer mu scle and money p ower th at can b u y v otes.

Indian p olitical p ar ties can b e div ided into two main g r ou p s: national p ar ties

and r eg ional p ar ties. National p ar ties ar e th ose th at h av e an all-India b ase and p r esence in most of th e S tates and U nion Ter r itor ies. R eg ional p ar ties ar e th ose th at

h av e th eir b ase and p r esence limited only to a f ew S tates and U nion Ter r itor ies and g ener ally h as local or r eg ional inter ests in th eir ag enda. Th e two national p ar ties

th at r eally cou nt in elections at p r esent ar e th e Cong r ess P ar ty and th e B h ar atiy a J anata P ar ty . O th er p olitical p ar ties th at can b e cou nted in national ar ena in sp ite of th eir r eg ional slants in ter ms of elector al p r esence or inter ests ar e Commu nist P ar ty

of India ( M ar x ist) , S amaj wadi P ar ty , B ah u j an S amaj P ar ty , Dr av ida M u nnetr a K az ag am, Anna Dr av ida M u nnetr a K az ag am, Tr inamool Cong r ess and a h ost of oth er smaller p olitical p ar ties.

Th e Cong r ess P ar ty is an of f -sh oot of th e f or mer Indian National Cong r ess

th at f ou g h t f or th e indep endence of th e cou ntr y u nder stalwar ts like B al Gang adh ar

Tilak, M .K . Gandh i and J awah ar lal Neh r u and h as its or ig in in f ig h t f or th e national

indep endence with a h istor y of mor e th an a centu r y wh ile B h ar atiy a J anata P ar ty as a new av atar of B h ar atiy a J ana S ang h a is steep ed in th e ideolog y of th e national identity with

a h istor y of mor e th an f iv e decades. Th e Commu nist P ar ty of India 13

( M ar x ist) as an of f sh oot of th e Commu nist M ov ement of India h as consider ab le b ase in S tates like West B eng al and K er ala and in U nion Ter r itor y of Tr ip u r a with a h istor y

of mor e th an sev en decades in th e Indian p olitical scene. M ost of th e oth er p olitical p ar ties of India ar e of f sh oots of th e g ood old Cong r ess P ar ty . B oth AIADM K India.

DM K

and

ar e th e p olitical of f sh oots of th e eth nic Dr av idian mov ement in sou th er n

Th e U nited P r og r essiv e Alliance or U P A led b y Cong r ess P ar ty is an alliance

of p olitical p ar ties th at assu med p ower and f or med g ov er nment f or th e nex t f iv e y ear s in India in th e g ener al election h eld in 2 0 0 9 . It is th e second su ccessiv e win f or th e alliance af ter it came to p ower in th e g ener al election of 2 0 0 4

b y edg ing

ou t

anoth er alliance called National Democr atic Alliance or NDA led b y th e r ig h t-wing

nationalist B h ar atiy a J anata P ar ty . 2 0 0 9 g ener al election was a tense b attle f or b oth

th e alliances as th e election was to decide th e f u tu r e of b oth th e Cong r ess and th e B h ar atiy a J anata P ar ty in th e national p olitical scene and th e p olitical lif e of th eir

P r ime M inister ial contender s, Dr . M anmoh an S ing h and M r . L al K r ish na Adv ani. Th e wor ld watch ed th e g ener al election and its ou tcome with

inter est as th e g ener al

election ser v ed as a p leb iscite on U P A’ s decision and mov es to g o with th e Nu clear

Coop er ation Ag r eement with th e U S A and oth er memb er cou ntr ies of th e Nu clear S u p p lier s Gr ou p , wh ich was op p osed b y b oth th e r ig h t-wing B J P th e Commu nist P ar ty

of India ( M ar x ist) , and its lef t-wing

and its allies and

allies th at with dr ew its

su p p or t to th e U P A a f ew month s b ef or e th e g ener al election f or g oing with th e deal.

DECLINE OF BJP

O v er th e last f ew y ear s in th e f ir st decade of th e 2 1

s t

centu r y , B J P

h as

declined in p ower and p op u lar ity f r om a p osition it h ad steadily g ained f r om a long time. Th e 2 0 0 9 Gener al E lection sh owed th e dep th s to wh ich it h as f allen.

R easons ar e many . L eader wh o led th e p ar ty along th e ladder of r ise ar e now

eith er tir ed or r etir ed. Atal B eh ar i V aj p ay ee is now r etir ed and distant f r om th e p olitical scene. Ag e is taking th e toll of leader s like L .K

Adv ani and M u r li M anoh ar

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J osh i. Down th e line in th e second wr u ng , th er e is sh or tag e of th e r eal talents of p olitical g eniu s, and a f ew av ailab le ar e b u sy su p r emacy

in th e p ar ty

wh ich

p u lling

th e leg s of each

oth er f or

once car v ed a nich e f or discip line, p atr iotism and

ser v ice. Its leader s in th eir f or ties and f if ties want to lead th e p ar ty b y b y p assing

th ose of th e older g ener ation wh o f or med th e second-r u ng du r ing th e p r emier sh ip of Atal B eh ar i V aj p ay ee. Th e latter ar e f ig h ting b ack or r esig ning . Th is is h ow inf ig h ting is g r owing in B J P .

Th e demolition of B ab r i M asj id in 1 9 9 2 is also h au nting it. B J P ’ s p u b lic imag e

as a p ar ty of wealth y b u sinessmen and its closeness to r ich indu str ialists is doing

tr emendou s damag e to its r ep u tation. Th e tr u e r elief p r ov ided to th e p ar ty in th e p u b lic imag ination b y its p atr iotism and discip line is incr easing ly eclip sed b y th e ch ar acter and condu ct of its cadr es and leader s th ese day s. It is now u neq u iv ocal th at B J P

and its cadr es and leader s no way stand ou t f r om oth er p olitical p ar ties of

India in p atr iotism and discip line sav e f or lip

ser v ice f or p olitical adv antag e. Th is

r emov ed th e g r eatest adv antag e of th e B J P in th e p u b lic imag ination. Its leader sh ip ’ s imp atience to adop t moder n lif e-sty les and lib er aliz ation r aised dou b ts ab ou t th eir

lov e f or Indian v alu es and cu ltu r e. Actu ally Cong r ess sh owed b etter cir cu msp ection

wh en cir cu mstances war r anted su ch adop tions and sh owed b etter r esp ect to Indian v alu es. Th ou g h

Indians do not ex p r ess th ese th ing s in so many

wor ds, th ey

intu itiv ely u nder stand it. B J P ’ s natu r al h u man concer ns, as p r ov ed in th eir neg lect of

p oor and minor ities, ar e also in dou b t. L ov e and p r ide f or India and H indu ism and

th eir v alu es ar e p r aisewor th y . B u t, h ate to any b ody is not. It is ag ainst Indian and H indu tenets also. Cong r ess in contr ast h as done well b y its Aam Admi slog an u nlike

B J P ’ s 2 0 0 4 slog an of India S h ining meant f or r ich and wealth y . B J P b asically needs

str ong leader sh ip of th e kind of S mt. S onia Gandh i to steer it ah ead with conf idence and matu r ity to r each its f or mer g lor y .

JUDICIAL ACTIVISM

In India, th e j u diciar y p lay s a v er y imp or tant r ole as to decide all contr ov er sial

matter s and disp u tes. Th e j u diciar y h as b een in th e f or ef r ont of p r ob lem solv ing in

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India as p r ov ided b y th e Indian Constitu tion since it b ecame a R ep u b lic ar ou nd six ty

y ear s b ack in1 9 5 0 . O v er th is time, th e j u diciar y h as u su ally conf ined itself to g iv e decisions on matter s th at wer e b r ou g h t to its attention as th e r elev ant p r ov isions of th e Indian Constitu tion wer e inter p r eted th en.

J u dicial Activ ism was not some th ing

th at h ad b een v er y

common th en.

H owev er , of late th is h as ch ang ed. In India like in S ou th Af r ica, J u dicial Activ ism of

late is p lay ing a v er y imp or tant r ole in th e day -to-day af f air s of th e j u diciar y . Th is is a ch ang e to b e seen and noticed. Th is is b ecau se it h as b een seen th at j u dicial

activ ism wh en tr u mp eted alou d and h ar d is h av ing an ef f ect on th e society and th u s it h as b ecome a p ar t of th e j u dicial sy stem of India f r om th e middle of 1 9 9 0 s.

It h as b een mor e and mor e ap p ar ent ov er th e last f ew y ear s. Th e j u diciar y is

now inter f er ing in matter s of p u b lic inter ests ev en wh ile th ey ar e not b r ou g h t to its

adj u dication b y th e inter ested p ar ties u nlike th e p r actice and p r ecedence of th e f ir st f or ty y ear s of th e Indian Constitu tion. Cou r ts th ese day s ar e taking

u p matter s of

p u b lic inter ests on th e b asis of letter s or teleg r ams r eceiv ed b y th em, many a time anony mou s letter s, on th e b asis of newsp ap er r ep or ts or

ev en suo moto. It

tr emendou sly h elp ed th e p u b lic inter ests and th e cau se of j u stice in most cases. B u t, th er e is r ag ing contr ov er sy now r eg ar ding th is j u dicial activ ism or p r o-activ e j u dicial mov es of th e Indian j u dicial sy stem, some p assionately su p p or ting

it wh ile oth er s

inclu ding g ov er nment b odies op enly ex p r essing dissent on su ch j u dicial initiativ es b y

th e Indian Cou r ts. O p p onents say th at th ose p r o-activ e measu r es amou nt to j u diciar y ov er -step p ing J u diciar y

on th e E x ecu tiv e r esp onsib ilities. An ex amp le th ey

dir ecting

g iv e is of th e

th e Centr al Gov er nment to take measu r es to p r otect Indian

stu dents in Au str alia in th e cir cu mstance of th e latter ’ s p er secu tion th er e.

issu ing

E v en th ou g h su ch

J u diciar y h as no p ower s and j u r isdiction ov er f or eig n af f air s,

dir ections is seen as Cou r ts ov er -step p ing

th eir limits. Also, th e

j u diciar y ’ s dir ection to p u ll down all statu es of h er and oth er s’ r aised b y P r adesh

Ch ief M inister , M ay awati is seen with

U ttar

concer n. H er e, th e issu e is not

wh eth er th e dir ections ar e j u st and in p u b lic inter ests, b u t h ow j u diciar y can ou t-step

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its limits and ov er -step on ex ecu tiv e p ower s and r esp onsib ilities and cr u sh th e f ine

b alance p r ov ided in th e Indian Constitu tion b etween th e P ar liament, E x ecu tiv e and th e J u diciar y , to th e detr iment of th e p eace and b alance of th e p u b lic lif e of th e cou ntr y . J u diciar y cannot v iolate th e Constitu tion. H er e, p r o-activ e mov e in p u b lic

inter est and in th e inter est of j u stice p er se is not to b lame. Wh at is r eq u ir ed is discr eetness and matu r ity to r emain with in one’ s limits r ath er th an tr esp assing oth er ’ s f ields.

to

CASTE SYSTEM

Caste sy stem is p r ev alent in Indian society

f r om a v er y

long

time. It still

p r ev ails th ou g h inv isib ly f or th e f ear of law. Th e caste sy stem classif ies p eop le as h ig h and low and some h ig h est and some oth er s lowest on th e b asis of th eir b ir th

and p ar entag e f or lif e with ou t r ef er ence to th eir mer its or demer its. Th is is a g r ossly

u nj u st sy stem, mor e so in a cou ntr y of India’ s sp ir itu al h er itag e. Th is is a case of

h ig h est sp ir itu al v alu es b eing misconceiv ed and misinter p r eted b y th e second r ate sociolog ists of th e ancient India wh ile codif y ing social laws. F aith b eing th e h ear t of Indian ep istemolog y , ancient Indian mass f ollowed th e codes with

v eng eance

with ou t a second th ou g h t and b r ou g h t India to th e p r esent state if g u ilt. P eop le of th e

lower castes in India ar e cr u elly tr eated f or centu r ies and f or ced to liv e in inh u man conditions as u ntou ch ab les. Th ey ar e tr eated, distanced and ex p loited like dir t all

th eir lif e g ener ation af ter g ener ation f or centu r ies. In sp ite of all th e calls f or h u man

r ig h ts and eq u ality , India cannot b e called as comp letely wip ed ou t th e cu r se of caste sy stem and u ntou ch ab ility f r om its f ace.

DIGNITY OF THE BISEXUALS

Th e b isex u als h av e b een discr iminated ag ainst f or a v er y long time. P eop le

h av e looked down u p on th em in disg u st f or a v er y

long

time. Th ey

h av e b een

discr iminated ag ainst ev en in th e Constitu tion of India. Th is is b ecau se ev en th e f ou nder s of th e Constitu tion of India did not f eel th at th ey mu st b e g iv en eq u al r ig h ts as if th at th ese kinds of p eop le ar e not f it f or b asic r ig h ts.

17

Th ey

h av e liv ed so f or a v er y

long

time till now. Th e f ou nder s of ou r

Constitu tion f elt th at th ese p eop le wer e disg u sting encou r ag ed to liv e th is kind of lif e. L eading ‘ v er b oten’ .

and th at th ey

mu st not b e

a lif e like th is was consider ed to b e

Indian j u diciar y h as f inally decided in f av ou r of th e b isex u als. It decided th at

th ese p eop le mu st not b e discr iminated ag ainst in f u tu r e. P eop le all ov er India h av e all celeb r ated th is and h av e f elt th at th is law was long celeb r ating th is new ch ang e.

H owev er , th e f ig h t h as b een a v er y long

ov er du e. P eop le ar e

and wear y one and many p eop le

h av e f ou g h t v er y long and h ar d f or th is. Demonstr ations wer e h eld ov er th e last f ew day s in or der to p u t th e last f ew nails in th e cof f in of th e ear lier discr imination. O v er

th e last f ew day s, many p eop le of th is kind wer e v er y v ocal and sh owed a lar g e amou nt of ener g y in th eir actions and also wor ked v er y h ar d f or th is j u dg ment and it looks as if th is is a v er y b ig v ictor y f or th em.

EDUCATION SYSTEM

India was u nder th e B r itish R aj f or near ly a centu r y in wh ich India lear nt and

acq u ir ed endless moder n cu stoms and sy stems f r om th e B r itish and th eir th ou g h ts, meth ods and p r actices. S olid administr ativ e sy stem, p ower f u l militar y ex cellent r ailway p u b lic h ealth

networ k, ex p or t and imp or t r eg imen, dip lomacy

set-u p ,

niceties, sou nd

sy stem, f lawless p u b lic distr ib u tion sy stem and ef f ectiv e edu cation

sy stem ar e only a f ew to name su ch

adop tions. M ost imp or tant of th em is th e

E du cation S y stem f or th e r eason th at it laid f ou ndation f or th e f u tu r e of th e cou ntr y . B r itish

inf u sed b est edu cation sy stem to th e cou ntr y

r elev ant to th e time and

cir cu mstances th at u ltimately led to ov er th r ow of th e B r itish R aj f r om India u nder th e leader sh ip

of th e enlig h tened p r odu cts of th e E du cation S y stem like M ah atma

Gandh i, J awah ar lal Neh r u and S u b h as Ch andr a B ose to name only a f ew.

18

It is mor e th an a centu r y since India adop ted th e g ood old B r itish E du cation

S y stem and mor e th an six decades since India b ecame an indep endent cou ntr y and a r ep u b lic. Y et, we h av e not ch ang ed th e E du cation S y stem f r om th at time to meet th e f ast ch ang ing needs of th e time and r eq u ir ements of th e cou ntr y . It is in a v er y

p ath etic state of af f air s indeed. Indian E du cation S y stem is not keep ing p ace with th e p r og r esses in oth er f ields in th e cou ntr y and th e conseq u ence is f elt in th e f ields of

oth er dev elop ments. It is like r otten ap p le sp oiling oth er sweet ap p les in a b asket.

E du cation S y stem in India is a neg lected ar ea. Th e nu mb er of new U niv er sities and

Centr es of H ig h er E du cation in India is not on p ar with th e incr ease in th e p op u lation of th e cou ntr y . J ap an, a cou ntr y with almost one-tenth of th e p op u lation of India, h as

almost th r ee times th e nu mb er of U niv er sities as India. Also, th e p er centag e of th e p eop le wh o g o to U niv er sities and Centr es of H ig h er E du cation at r ig h t ag e is less

th an sev en p er cent in India ev en af ter six decades of th e self -r u le. In th e U nited S tates of Amer ica, th e p er centag e is close to eig h ty p er cent wh ile in F inland, it is close to sev enty six p er cent.

Th e stor y is similar in oth er p ar ts of th e Indian su b continent namely P akistan

and B ang ladesh wh er e ou tdated edu cation is th e stap le f or th e h oi p ol l oi. E ng land

f r om wh ich India b or r owed th e E du cation S y stem knew th e imp or tance of th e r ig h t E du cation S y stem and dilig ently

u p dated it f r om time to time. In India, b asic

edu cation th at f or ms th e h ear t of any E du cation S y stem is th e most neg lected ar ea

with classes of ten h eld in dilap idated sing le r ooms or ev en u nder tr ees and teach er s u nder -p aid or ir r eg u lar ly

p aid. Th e p r of ession of teach er s at all lev els is least

accomp lish ed in ter ms of r etu r ns and social standing and th er ef or e attr acts only th e mediocr e and lef tov er s f r om oth er

f ields. Th is deep ly

edu cating and mou lding th e f u tu r e g ener ation of th e cou ntr y .

af f ects th e p r ocess of

Th e edu cational sy stem in India is f ar f r om satisf actor y . M ain p r ob lem is th e

standar d of teach er s in sch ools and colleg es b eing not u p to th e mar k. Th ou g h IITs and IIM s h av e ex cep tional stu dents and teach er s, situ ation is v er y b leak in oth er

institu tions. India mu st h av e many mor e center s of h ig h er edu cation to make its mar k in th e wor ld stag e. Th e f ir st P r ime M inister of India, J awah ar lal Neh r u , said th at it 19

wou ld b e p r imar y

in h is manif esto to imp r ov e th e edu cational sy stem in India.

U nf or tu nately , th is sacr ed g oal ended with institu tions of ex cellence.

IITs and IIM s and a h andf u l of oth er

F or a cou ntr y to imp r ov e, it h as to h av e a g ood edu cation sy stem. Th e g r adu al

decline noticed in th e standar ds of ex cellence in ex isting

institu tions of h ig h er

edu cation in India like IITs of late is dep r essing . Th e f all is mainly b ecau se of th e p ay

sy stem of th e p r of essor s th er e in contr ast to th ose in Ch ina, K or ea and

S ing ap or e and in wester n cou ntr ies wh er e a th r ee-tier p ay sy stem is f ollowed to attr act th e b est to th e f old. Th e p ay sy stem in most of th ese cou ntr ies inclu de a p ay p ackag e cov er ing

th e p ay p ack f r om th e g ov er nment b ased on th e p ay scale to

cov er b asic needs, and oth er p ay

p acks dep endent on th e tr ack r ecor d of th e

indiv idu al and th e institu te concer ned in th e stip u lated y ear . Indiv idu al p er f or mance f or ms th e p illar s in all th ese p ay sch emes, th u s p r omoting ex cellence and r ewar ding p er f or mance.

S ing ap or e mov ed to th e p er f or mance b ased p ay scale of th r ee comp onents

ab ou t two decades b ack, cov er ing b asic p ay b ased on th e p ay scale, anoth er b ased on th e r ep u tation and mar ket demand of th e indiv idu al teach er , and th e th ir d b ased

on h is or h er p er f or mances f or th e stip u lated p er iod. Ch ina f ollowed th e p er f or mance

b ased sch eme f r om 1 9 9 0 s wh er ein th e p ay p acket b ased on th e p ay scale f r om th e g ov er nment is f ollowed b y one g iv en b y th e u niv er sity allowing b etter institu tes to

comp ensate b etter , and th e th ir d b ased on th e p er f or mance of th e indiv idu al in p r oj ects and r esear ch wor ks. Ch ina saw tr emendou s b oost in its r esear ch p r oj ects and r esear ch p ap er s in inter national j ou r nals since th en. P akistan is ah ead of India

in th is p r og r essiv e step b y linking th e p ay scale to th e nu mb er of r esear ch p ap er s

p u b lish ed in inter national j ou r nals. P ay scales and annu al incr ements in U S A f r om many

y ear s ar e b ased on indiv idu al p er f or mances. B r itain and oth er E u r op ean

cou ntr ies like Ger many and Italy f r om wh ich India b or r owed its f ix ed p ay p ackag e h av e also mov ed f or war d in adop ting th e p er f or mance b ased p ackag e of p ay scales f or its U niv er sity f acu lties. Au str alia h as also mov ed in th is dir ection.

20

Not th at p er f or mance b ased p ay

p ackag e is new to India. All cor p or ate

h ou ses and p r iv ate comp anies f ollow th is model b y instinct as th e f ou ndations of

th eir su r v iv al. Indian Gov er nment u nf or tu nately is y et to awaken to th is car dinal need to p r omote ex cellence and r ewar d p er f or mance to take India ah ead to its dr eam of th e wor ld leader sh ip . It still adh er es to th e ag e-old f ix ed p ay scales in th e name of j ob

secu r ity , f or g etting

th at th e b asic comp onent of th e p ay

cov er s th is asp ect, and continu ing ig nor ing

with

p ackag e adeq u ately

th e old sy stem is tantamou nt to u tter ly

mer it, ex cellence and p er f or mance, and p r omoting mediocr ity and casu al

attitu de. Th is is th e b ane of academic g ov er nance, g iv ing ab solu tely no elb owr oom to p r omote ex cellence or r ewar d p er f or mance. Added to th is, th e inter f er ence of

th e Gov er nment in th e academic

g ov er nance and selection and ap p ointment of th e f acu lty ar e cau sing tr emendou s damag e to th e institu tions of h ig h er edu cation of ex cellence in India. If institu tes like

IITs, wh ich ar e th e p innacles of h ig h er edu cation in India, ar e in th is situ ation, th en

one can imag ine wh at condition th e oth er center s of edu cation in India ar e in. Th is mu st b e ch ang ed as soon as p ossib le.

INDIA’S NUCLEAR AMBITIONS

India h as not sig ned th e nu clear non-p r olif er ation tr eaty ( NP T) . All nu clear

cou ntr ies ex cep t Isr ael, India, P akistan and Nor th K or ea ar e sig nator ies to th is tr eaty . India f eels th at NP T is discr iminator y and conf ir ms th at it is alr eady comp ly ing with all th e p r ov isions of th e NP T with ou t sig ning it.

It is b eliev ed th at India h as b een p u t u nder sev er e p r essu r e f r om oth er

cou ntr ies ( r ead ‘ Th e U nited S tates of Amer ica’ ) to sig n th is tr eaty . B u t, India h eld on

stu b b or n f or q u ite some time now. Th e U nited S tates of Amer ica and India sig ned a nu clear deal b y wh ich India is p r ov ided an ex cep tion f r om th e nu clear sanctions of

th e Nu clear S u p p lier s Gr ou p ( NS G) f or acq u ir ing nu clear r eactor s, comp onents and f u el f r om th e U S A and b y

cor ollar y

f r om oth er Nu clear S u p p lier s Gr ou p

( NS G)

cou ntr ies in sp ite of it b eing not a sig nator y to th e Non-P r olif er ation Tr eaty ( NP T) in 21

ex ch ang e to allowing its ear mar ked civ il nu clear f acilities f or inter national scr u tiny

and oth er saf eg u ar ds. B u t, India’ s amb ition was stop p ed at its tr ack in th e su mmit of

G8 and G5 cou ntr ies h eld at L ’ Aq u ila in Italy in 2 0 0 9 . Amer ican P r esident B ar ack

O b ama’ s administr ation does not seem to b e keen ab ou t th is ag r eement with India and its lob b y ing f or p r essu r e on G8 cou ntr ies to with h old r ep r ocessed f u el f r om any cou ntr y th at h as not sig ned th e Non-P r olif er ation Tr eaty , meaning p r ov ing an ir r itant to India. Th is is q u ite a b low to India.

India alone, is

THE POSTAL SYSTEM

India is one of th e lar g est cou ntr ies in th e wor ld. Def ence ser v ice is th e lar g est

g ov er nment or g aniz ation of India. R ailway s come nex t. Th e th ir d lar g est p osition

g oes to th e p ostal ser v ice. India’ s p ostal ser v ice is th e lar g est p ostal ser v ice in th e wor ld, b eing r esp ects.

lar g er th an th at of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica and Ch ina in many

P eop le inter act with oth er p eop le in one way or th e oth er and dev elop ed many

means to do so. O ne of th e most common way s of inter acting with each oth er is b y

sending mails or messag es and th is in sh or t is th e b eg inning of th e p ostal sy stem. A comp etent p ostal sy stem is one of th e str ong p oints of India’ s cap ab le g ov er nance.

NORTHEASTERN INDIA

Th er e ar e th ir ty tr ib es in Nor th E ast India and th ey all want to h av e th e sp ecial

statu s of a state and ar e th u s cau sing u nnecessar y b loodsh ed and destr u ction b y r esor ting

to ag itations. Th e tr ib es ar e also f ig h ting

weap ons illeg ally and killing each oth er and th e p olice.

with

each

oth er and b u y ing

Th is h as r each ed to a p oint th at ev en th e centr al g ov er nment is h av ing

ser iou s p r ob lem tackling th e situ ation. Th e tr ib es in b ig g r ou p s f ig h t f or th eir cau se of

a new and indep endent state. Th ey ar e b eing dr awn into f ig h ting each oth er b ecau se of th e sev er e tensions th at u su ally

p er v ade each

tr ib e and its u neasiness with

22

r esp ect to th e oth er tr ib es th at liv e near it. Th e tr ib e memb er s ar e indu lg ing destr oy ing commu nication and tr ansp or t sy stems and b r ing ing down h ou ses.

in

Th e states in Nor th E ast India ar e taking ser iou s step s to b r ing p eace to th e

r eg ion. Th e p olice and ar my ar e kep t ev er aler t in th e r eg ion. Th ey h av e r esor ted to incr easing th e nu mb er of th e p olicemen and ar e u sing tig h ter and tou g h er measu r es in or der to comb at and win ag ainst th is ev er ch ang ing and v er satile enemy , th at is,

th e tr ib es and th eir ou tf its. H owev er , wh eth er th ey will b e ab le to do someth ing to tackle th is h omeg r own p r ob lem su ccessf u lly is any b ody ’ s g u ess.

LAW AND ORDER

B M P

r ef er s to th e B ang alor e M ah anag ar a P alike. It is th e local g ov er nment

or g anisation in ch ar g e of th e B ang alor e City , th e S ilicon V alley of India, and a h u b of India’ s comp u ter indu str ies. B M P

looks af ter and manag es th e city of B ang alor e

th r ou g h elected r ep r esentativ es of th e p eop le and b u r eau cr acy . B u t, of ten r u les and p r ocedu r es p r omu lg ated b y th e B M P

f or th e administr ation of th e city ar e ig nor ed

and v iolated cr eating administr ativ e p r ob lems and p u b lic inconv enience. Th is entails

enf or cing str ict measu r es ag ainst th e law-b r eaker s. B ang alor e M ah anag ar a P alike

r esor ted to su ch enf or cements concer ning constr u ction of b u ilding s in B ang alor e in v iolation of r u les laid f or th e p u r p ose.

R u les r eg ar ding sp ecif ic h eig h ts and distances f r om th e r oad in constr u ction

of b u ilding s ar e b eing v iolated. Th is is a common f eatu r e in B ang alor e as in all oth er

cities of India. Th e v iolations ar e so wide sp r ead and th e inv olv ement of th eir own of f icer s is so deep

th at B ang alor e M ah anag ar a P alike as a r u le ig nor ed th e

v iolations. It added to th e p r ob lem. B u ilder s as a r u le b ou g h t saf ety f r om th e B M P b y

b r ib ing th e B M P of f icials. H owev er , p u b lic ou tcr y ag ainst su ch comp licities in p ar t of th e B M P

f or ced th e latter to act. Th is led to demolition dr iv es b y th e B ang alor e

M ah anag ar a P alike ag ainst illeg al constr u ctions and th eir ex tensions wh er ein all

b u ilding s and constr u ctions th at did not f ollow r eq u ir ed sp ecif ications wer e demolish ed and str icter

v ig il is f ollowed in licensing

new constr u ctions and

23

comp liance of th e sp ecif ications in doing so. Th is is g r eat news f or th e p eop le of B ang alor e.

B elg au m, a b or der city and also a distr ict in Nor th K ar nataka and f amou s f or

its h istor y , is dip p ed in contr ov er sy b ecau se of its M ar ath i maj or ity p op u lation in a

K annada maj or ity S tate. Th e neig h b or ing S tate of M ah ar ash tr a wants B elg au m to b e inclu ded in th at S tate on th e b asis of its M ar ath i-sp eaking p op u lation. Th er e is an ong oing conf lict and enmity b etween th e two S tates f or B elg au m.

India’ s r esp onses to emer g encies need a lot to b e desir ed. Wh eth er it is

natu r al disaster s like Tsu nami and ear th q u akes or ter r or ist attacks in M u mb ai, th e

r esp onses ar e mar r ed b y slowness and u ncer tainties of th e r eaction b y th ose in

au th or ities and in ch ar g e of th e r escu e op er ations and su itab le r esp onses. O f ten th e Gov er nment of India was f ou nd u np r ep ar ed f or su itab le r esp onses and p ath etically

cau g h t on th e wr ong f oot. India mu st imp r ov e its r esp onse time and th e q u ality of th e

r esp onse b y p r op er p lanning , tr aining , intellig ence collection, and institu tion of r ig h t

or g anisations with r ig h t p eop le at th e h elm to minimiz e th e losses and imp act of th e disaster in issu e. It is a p ar amou nt need of India to b ecome a g r eat wor ld p ower .

24

INDIAN ECONOMY Indian

economic

dev elop ment

lar g ely

dep ends

on

r u r al

economy .

Inf r astr u ctu r e dev elop ment is an asp ect of th e Indian economy th at is cr y ing immediate attention. Indian economic p r og r ammes call f or

f or

b alance b etween

socialism and cap italism as def ined in M ix ed E conomy b y th e f ir st P r ime M inister of

India, S h r ee J awah ar lal Neh r u . M ix ed E conomy is a contr ib u tion of India to th e wor ld as was Neu tr ality or Non-Alig ned M ov ement in wor ld p olitics.

S ch emes like f r ee mid-day meals to stu dents in Gov er nment S ch ools th at was

f ir st intr odu ced in India f or th e b enef it of th e ch ildr en of th e lower income g r ou p s of

th e society b y p op u lar f ilm-star tu r ned p olitician and f or mer Ch ief M inister of th e sou th er n state of Tamil Nadu , S h r ee M .G. R amach andr an, ar e g aining

p op u lar ity

th r ou g h ou t India and ar e b eing adop ted b y incr easing nu mb er of states th r ou g h th e leng th and b r eadth of India with th e activ e f inancial su p p or t and encou r ag ement of th e Centr al Gov er nment. Th e sch eme is g r adu ally ex p anded with

th e p assag e of

time to h ig h er ag e g r ou p s of th e stu dents to cov er mor e stu dents u nder th e sch eme. India of late is also r esor ting

encou r ag e tr ade and indu str y

to r edu ction in cu stom and ex cise du ties to

wh ile incr ease in tax es on u ndesir ab le items like

tob acco p r odu cts and alcoh ol is th e r u ling tr end. R ationalisation of tax es inclu ding income tax

and cu stoms and ex cise du ties cov er ing

inj ecting new lif e to th e Indian economy .

r edu ction in th eir r ates is

Th e Indian g ov er nment b u dg eted to sp end ab ou t ten tr illion r u p ees in 2 0 0 9 -

2 0 1 0 , ab ou t th r ee tr illion mor e th an th e p r ev iou s y ear amou nting to an annu al r ise of ab ou t 4 3 % g iv ing

way

in ex p enditu r e in contr ast to th e r ise in r ev enu e only at ab ou t 2 % , th u s f or def icit f inancing

th at inev itab ly

leads to f iscal def icit. Allotment of

25

lib er al f u nds to th e National R u r al E mp loy ment Gu ar antee ( NR E G) sch eme in th e b u dg et is a lau dab le ef f or t to imp r ov e th e lot of th e r u r al p oor of India. E v en th ou g h ch ildr en make u p to 4 0 %

of th e p op u lation of India, th ey ar e g iv en 1 1 %

th e b u dg et of 2 0 0 9 -2 0 1 0 . Th ey sh ou ld h av e b een g iv en b etter attention. P r iv atiz ation of th e p u b lic sector

allotment in

indu str ies is th e th eme of th e Indian

Gov er nment f r om some y ear s af ter it v entu r ed into lib er aliz ation in economy . Th is r esu lted in a lar g e nu mb er of its stakes in dif f er ent p u b lic sector comp anies b eing

sold ou t. Th is massiv e p r iv atiz ation was th ou g h q u estioned in th e cou r t of law, th e S u p r eme Cou r t did not stop it as it decided th at it does not h av e j u r isdiction in th is sp h er e.

Wh ile th e oil r eq u ir ement of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica will incr ease b y 4 6 %

in th e nex t ten y ear s and of Ch ina b y ab ou t 9 6 % , India’ s r eq u ir ements will g o u p b y ab ou t 1 3 2 % . Th is is cer tainly

a mammoth

incr ease. India mu st f ind additional

sou r ces f or oil with in and ou tside th e cou ntr y ap ar t f r om discov er ing oth er sou r ces of

ener g y as alter nativ e to th e oil. India will f ind itself in g r eat p r ob lems in coming day s

u nless it does not act f ast. F u r th er , incr ease in oil p r ices wor ld ov er may f ind India in deep q u icksand. India h as only two op tions: eith er it will g o down b y inaction or it will claw its way u p b y a concer ted action p lan.

V alu e Added Tax is a new p h enomenon intr odu ced in India’ s economic scene

and commer cial f ield a f ew y ear s b ack to r ep lace th e sale tax . Th ou g h most S tates and U nion Ter r itor ies accep ted th e r eg imen, a f ew ar e y et to come r ou nd to th e nov el tax ing sy stem.

E mp loy ment in India is cer tainly in a v er y dismal situ ation. Th is is b ecau se

near ly a q u ar ter of a million j ob s h av e b een lost in India ov er th e last f ew month s du e to th e economic cr isis th at h as str u ck th e wor ld. Th is is not at all a h ealth y

dev elop ment f or India and th is is some th ing th at th e Gov er nment of India h as b een tr y ing to ov er come.

26

CONSOLIDATION OF BANKS

B ank consolidation is someth ing

th at h as b ecome common now in th e

v ocab u lar y of many f inancial ex p er ts. E x p er ts in India b eliev e th at consolidation is th e ‘ in’ th ing r ig h t now in th e wake of th e sev er e economic cr isis th at h as h it th e wor ld r ath er h ar d r ig h t now. P eop le b eliev e th at if b anks mer g e and f or m b ig g er b anks, th en th e wh ole sy stem will b e ab le to f ace th e economic u ncer tainties b etter .

In India, th e U P A g ov er nment was all f or it in its p r ev iou s ter m. It was lou dly

th inking ab ou t th is f r om th e b eg inning . H owev er , all in all, it did not do mu ch ab ou t th e wh ole af f air th en as its h ands wer e tied b y its close links with and su p p or t of th e

L ef t wing p ar ties. H owev er , it looks as if it will do someth ing ab ou t th is time, as it is f r ee of constr aints of th e f ir st inning s in th e second ter m.

S ince th e monkey is tr u ly of f th e U P A’ s b ack th is time and it is th u s cap ab le of

f ollowing its own p olicies, th ing s may tu r n r eally well th is time ar ou nd. Its p r ev iou s ter m saw only one ev ent with r esp ect to b anks namely th e takeov er of th e B ank of S au r ash tr a b y th e S tate B ank of India.

Th is was seen as th e f ir st step at th e time in th e catalog u e of th e U P A to do

someth ing b ig in th e b anking sector . H owev er , th e Gov er nment did not f ollow th is u p with

oth er acts and th u s no g r eat ch ang es wer e af f ected in th e Indian economic

sector last time. P r otests b y th e staf f of th e su b sidiar y b anks ag ainst mer g er with th e

S B I wer e also r esp onsib le f or th is inaction at th e time. H owev er , it looks as if some ch ang es may take p lace th is time ar ou nd and th e U P A Gov er nment will b r ing some concr ete ch ang es th is time in th e economic f r ont of India.

DISINVESTMENT

27

Disinv estments is someth ing

th at Indians h av e b een looking

inter est r ig h t. It looks to b e th e r ig h t th ing

to do r ig h t now with

u p

to with

th e economic

r ecession th at is on th e r amp ag e r ig h t now in th e wor ld. Th is is someth ing

th at

almost all inv estor s h av e looked at and ar e tr y ing to b enef it ou t of it. H owev er , many

economic ex p er ts b eliev e th at economic r ecession is not th e r ig h t time f or disinv estment.

Disinv estment, say ex p er ts, is someth ing th at mu st ab solu tely not b e car r ied

ou t at th is time. Wh ile inv estor s ar e b u sy selling

th eir sh ar es, disinv estment will

b u r den th e economy and th e mar ket and th at may lead to slu mp

in demand and

b ear ish tendencies. Disinv estment on a lar g e scale will r esu lt in th e wh ole sy stem f alling down r ath er h eav ily .

To av oid su ch conseq u ences, inv estor s need to p r actice monetar y discip line

inv olv ing

r estr aint, f or esig h t and assessment of th e mar ket b ef or e b or r owing

f or

inv estment. Th ey mu st accu mu late deb ts with f or esig h t. B u t, th is is not th e case with

most of th e inv estor s and b or r ower s. Th eir g r eed lead to th eir own inter ests at th e cost of oth er s and th is attitu de leads to th e f all of th e wh ole economic sy stem f or nob ody ’ s g ain.

An alter nativ e op tion is issu ance of b onds b y

th e comp anies r ath er th an

r esor ting to th e disinv estment. B u t, th is is too costly a meth od to b e v iab le. Th er e h av e b een oth er p r op osals th at th e g ov er nment will h av e to lessen its h olding s in v ar iou s comp anies f r om 5 1 %

to 3 3 .3 % .

H owev er , it is dou b tf u l wh eth er th e

g ov er nment wou ld ev en consider th is, as it wou ld weaken its stake in th e r esp ectiv e comp anies.

AIR INDIA’S CURRENT PROBLEMS

Air India h as g ot itself into q u ite a b ig mess b y th e economic r ecession. With

th e economic cr isis th at h as sh aken th e wor ld f r om h ead to toe ov er th e last f ew

y ear s, it h as b een q u ite a r oller coaster r ide f or Air India. Air India f aces wh at h as

28

b een called as th e b ig g est cr isis in its h istor y . Wh eth er it will su r v iv e th e cr isis is a b ig q u estion mar k. In or der to some h ow imp r ov e th e situ ation, Air India mer g ed with

th e Indian Air lines, th e domestic car r ier , to decr ease th e ov er h ead ex p enditu r es. B u t, to no av ail.

Th er e is concer n th at many emp loy ees of Air India may b e th r own ov er b oar d

and th at th e salar ies of oth er s may also b e r edu ced. Th is is cau sing concer n among th e emp loy ees, as it is not easy

to f ind and f er r et ou t j ob s in th e wake of th e

economic cr isis. H owev er , th e Gov er nment f eels th at th is economic cr isis can b e r idden th r ou g h to its end and adv ice emp loy ees not to p anic and ag itate as str ikes and demonstr ation only keep p asseng er s f u r th er away f r om th e air lines and f u r th er deter ior ate th e situ ation. Th e g ov er nment of India is tr y ing

to keep

stab le so th at Air India will b e ab le to f ly h ig h in th e sky in th e end.

th e situ ation

MONSOON

R ain is needed in India. India is a cou ntr y of f ar mer s. Th ese f ar mer s need

water f or th eir cr op s. Th e main sou r ce of water f or th e f ar mer s in India is r ain. Th e r ain comes mainly

in th e M onsoon season and th e f ar mer s’ cr op

p atter ns ar e

desig ned accor ding to th e monsoon p atter ns of a r eg ion. Th e lif e of f ar mer s dep ends

on th e y ear ly incidence of th e monsoon r ains. M onsoon is th e deciding season of th e f ar mer s as th eir liv elih ood till th e nex t monsoon dep ends on it. F ar mer s looking u p at th e skies to g au g e wh en th e r ain wou ld p ou r ar e a sy mb ol of India’ s economic u ncer tainties as well as th e p ath etic dep endence of

India’ s f ar mer s on th e

u ncer tainties of th e monsoon. Indian M eteor olog ical Dep ar tment h as a h istor y of p r edicting

nor mal monsoon with

adeq u ate r ain y ear af ter y ear . B u t, as a r u le it

p r ov es r ig h t only as ex cep tions. Th is th r ows a h u g e q u estion mar k on th e cr edib ility of th e M eteor olog ical Dep ar tment.

M onsoon p lay s a v er y imp or tant r ole in th e Indian ag r icu ltu r e. As th e monsoon

p lay s a v er y imp or tant r ole in Indian ag r icu ltu r e, it looks as if th e monsoon p lay s a v er y

imp or tant r ole in th e Indian economy . India, an u p -and-coming

cou ntr y

29

dep ending

u p on a v ar iab le ev ent like inconsistent monsoon is not a h ealth y

dev elop ment.

Indian economy su f f er ing

b y th e ir r eg u lar ity of th e monsoon is a common

f eatu r e of th e Indian lif e. S h or tag e of f ood and f ar m p r odu ction wh ile monsoon is th in or late and destr u ction wh ile comes with

a v eng eance or wh en it is not needed

cr eate h av oc to Indian f ar mer s. S ix ty p er cent of th e Indian economy is comp r ised of

ag r icu ltu r e. Now almost S ix ty p er cent of th e Indian ag r icu ltu r e dep ends u p on th e monsoon. Th u s, th e Indian g ov er nment f aces a v er y h u g e p r ob lem ev er y time th at th e monsoon does not come or is late.

S cientists h av e laid ou t a f ou r -p r ong ed sch eme to attack th e p r ob lem. Th e

f ir st is th at th e Indian g ov er nment mu st encou r ag e th e g r owth of dr ou g h t-r esistant cr op s or cr op s th at ar e g enetically

modif ied so as to su r v iv e h ar sh er climates.

Anoth er th ing is to r ep lace th e ex isting cr op s with th ese new ty p es of cr op s. Anoth er

v er y imp or tant measu r e is to conser v e th e env ir onment and th e natu r al r esou r ces, wh ich ar e of cou r se v er y imp or tant f or cr op s and with ou t wh ich cr op s will b e in a r eal stew. Th e last p r ong

in th is p itch f or k is th at th e f ar mer s mu st u se new f or ms of

h ar v esting and also new ty p es of f er tiliz er s or manu r e. Th is is of u tmost imp or tant. Anoth er imp or tant th ing will b e to decr ease th e p ollu tion lev els.

FOOD SECURITY

F or centu r ies p eop le in India h av e su f f er ed f r om lack of f ood. E v en th ou g h th e

h u g e f amines, wh ich killed a v er y lar g e nu mb er of indiv idu als and cau sed a lar g e amou nt of su f f er ing

now b elong s to th e p ast, th er e is still h u ng er in India. Th is

h u ng er is omnip r esent and looks to b e ir r emov ab le f r om th e cou ntr y . E v en now b ecau se of lack of f ood, ch ildr en ar e b or n malf or med or ar e mentally ch alleng ed.

Th is is mainly seen among th e p oor est of th e p oor , th e p eop le wh o f or m th e

lowest str ata of India’ s society . Th ese p eop le ar e mostly seen in tr ib es. S ome of

th ese wh ole tr ib es su f f er f r om lack of f ood. Th is is not some th ing new in India. In 30

India th r ou g h ou t th e ag es, one can see g r eat f amines, wh ich

killed a v er y lar g e

amou nt of p eop le and h av e th u s r edu ced th e p op u lation of India q u ite a lot.

Th ese f amines wer e all v er y h or r endou s. H owev er , th e Indian g ov er nment

h as taken it u p on itself th at it mu st someh ow end th is. It h as decided th at it will some

h ow make su r e th at ev er y p er son in India will b e ab le to av ail h im or h er self to some f ood.

Th is is a b ig

u nder taking

and ch alleng e and p eop le h av e to wor k h ar d to

make th is come tr u e. Th is will r eq u ir e th e wh ole g ov er nment’ s concer ted ef f or ts and inv olv e all th e ar ms of th e g ov er nment it can mu ster . Th is will b e f ollowing

th e

f ootstep s of th e L u la de S ilv a g ov er nment of B r az il, wh ich did someth ing v er y similar

and ch r istened it ‘ Z er o H u ng er ’ . Th e Indian g ov er nment h op es to do some th ing of th is sor t, as th is ‘ Z er o H u ng er ’ sch eme was su ccessf u l in B r az il.

Th e g ov er nment h as alr eady p u t f or war d a sch eme in wh ich th e ‘ p oor p eop le’ ,

wh o b y its r ath er astonish ing def inition encomp asses an ex tr emely low p er centag e of

th e p op u lation, will b e sold 2 5 kilog r ams of wh eat at th r ee r u p ees each , ev er y month .

In th e cir cu mstances of many millions of p eop le in India u nder th e p ov er ty line,

actu ally one-f if th of th em, ar e alr eady u nder th e sch eme of r eceiv ing 3 5 kg s of r ice at

R s. 2 each , th ese p eop le will th er eaf ter r eceiv e only 2 5 kg s at R s. 2 . Th er ef or e, th e new sch eme ap p ear s inadeq u ate and r etr og r ade in some r esp ect.

31

INDIA IN WORLD AFFAIRS India, R u ssia and Ch ina ar e th e th r ee most p op u lated cou ntr ies of th e wor ld,

and th r ee p ower f u l nu clear p ower s. R u ssia with its 5 0 0 0 to 7 0 0 0 nu clear war h eads is on p ar with th e U S A in nu clear su p r emacy ; Ch ina and R u ssia ar e sou nd economy p ower s.

Th er e ar e attemp ts b y

th ese Asian p ower s to f or m a r eg ional ax is to

cou nter p oise th e wor ld su p r emacy of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica. H owev er , th e amb itions of Ch ina to b e th e sole su p er p ower of th e r eg ion ar e r etar ding

th e

p r og r ess in th is dir ection. Also its b or der disp u tes with b oth India and R u ssia ar e oth er th or ns on th e p ath of p r og r ess.

A b ip olar wor ld is indeed is in th e inter est of all inclu ding th e U S A consider ing

th e time p r ov en adag e th at p ower cor r u p ts and ab solu te p ower ab solu tely . INDIA-BRAZIL-SOUTH AFRICA

India, B r az il and S ou th Af r ica ar e consider ed as cou ntr ies th at h av e th e same

str eng th and statu r e in th e wor ld and th er ef or e same inter ests. B ir ds of th e same

f eath er s f lock tog eth er . Th er ef or e, it is natu r al to ex p ect th em to f lock tog eth er as an

ax is to saf eg u ar d th eir common inter ests in th is comp lex wor ld of comp etitions and r u th less manoeu v r es. All th e th r ee ar e str ong cou ntr ies in th eir own r ig h t, and if th ey j oin h ands, th ey

can tr ansf or m to b e a p ower centr e in wor ld af f air s and f ace

ch alleng es in ev er y sp h er e to th eir b est inter ests.

All th r ee ar e lar g e p op u lou s r eg ional p ower s, u ndev elop ed f ar ming cou ntr ies,

p otential economic p ower s and non-alig ned in wor ld p olitics. Wh ile India is th e

second most p op u lated cou ntr y in th e wor ld and g eog r ap h ically th e sev enth lar g est

in th e wor ld, B r az il is th e lar g est g r ower of cof f ee and six th lar g est cou ntr y in th e 32

wor ld, and S ou th Af r ica is th e lar g est p r odu cer of diamonds in th e wor ld. Th u s each of th em needs th e su p p or t of th e oth er in f acing th e wor ld.

Th e p r op osed ax is can lead to b alance of p ower in th e wor ld and b r ing an end

to comp etitions of a f ew cou ntr ies like Ch ina, R u ssia and th e U S A f or th e wor ld

h eg emony . S u ch an alliance is sor ely needed b y th e wor ld to b r ing b alance to th e wor ld p olitics.

BANGLADESH

Th er e wer e two P akistani ter r itor ies on dif f er ent sides to India th at constitu ted

P akistan: West P akistan and E ast P akistan. E ast P akistan decided to sep ar ate f r om th e u nion and b ecome an indep endent cou ntr y . It f ou g h t f or its indep endence and g ot indep endence with th e h elp of India. E ast P akistan th en came to b e known as B ang ladesh .

India h elp ed th e B ang ladesh

f r eedom f ig h ter s af ter E ast P akistan r ef u g ees

p ou r ed in to India wh ile P akistan f or ces b eg an to su p p r ess th em b y

f or ce and

P akistan r ef u sed to take th e r ef u g ees b ack cr eating a h u manitar ian p r ob lem to India. A tr u ncated P akistan sav ed India f r om th e need of concentr ation of activ e f or ces

ag ainst r ecalcitr ant P akistan in b oth wester n and easter n b or der s. B ang ladesh on its easter n b or der cer tainly

is a lesser ev il to India th an th e f or mer E ast P akistan.

P r esent B ang ladesh is div ided on its r elation with India. Wh ile one of th e two maj or p olitical p ar ties of th e cou ntr y is a close ally of India, th e oth er with connections with th e P akistan militar y sh ows sig ns of u nf r iendly attitu de towar ds India.

B ang ladesh is one of th e p oor est cou ntr ies in th e wor ld. It can p r ov e to b e

dang er ou s to India if it sides with P akistan in cr u cial j u nctu r es of p olitical or militar y

sensitiv ities. P akistan natu r ally wants th is to h ap p en and consider ab ly su cceeded in its ef f or ts in th is dir ection. P akistan militants and IS I op er ator s r ep eatedly B ang ladesh

u se

th ese day s as saf e h ou ses f or ter r or ist activ ities in India. If India

33

su cceeds in lu r ing th e cou ntr y to its side b y r ig h t dip lomacy , B ang ladesh may p r ov e to b e a u sef u l and str ateg ic f r iend of India.

NEPAL

Nep al is a H imalay an K ing dom and sh ar es b or der with two Indian states of

B ih ar and U ttar P r adesh . Th e cu ltu r e of India and Nep al is similar and enj oy f r iendly

r elationsh ip . Nep al is dep endant on India f or f u nds and dev elop mental ef f or ts. India h as consider ab le inf lu ence ov er Nep al and g ener ou sly neig h b ou r ’ s welf ar e activ ities.

contr ib u tes f or th e p oor

Nep al wor ks as a b u f f er b etween India and Ch ina. Nep alese known as

Gor kh as ar e wor ld-r enowned as v aliant and f ear less soldier s f or th eir do-or die sp ir it and Indian ar my h as sp ecial conting ents of th ese v aliant soldier s f r om its B r itish v intag e.

B oth Ch ina and P akistan h av e also dev elop ed inter ests in Nep al and tr y to

ch eckmate India’ s inf lu ences in th e r eg ion. P akistan of ten u sed th e common b or der

b etween Nep al and India to inf iltr ate ter r or ists to India. Th e r ise of M aoists in Nep al is activ ely su p p or ted b y Ch ina. Th e r ising inf lu ence of Ch ina in Nep al is a matter of g r av e concer n to India.

Nep al on th e b or der of India and Ch ina is in deep tr ou b le f r om some y ear s.

F ir st, th e K ing of Nep al was mu r der ed and a f amily memb er wip ed ou t h is wh ole

f amily . Nex t su r f aced th e M aoist v iolence th at th r eatened th e v er y ex istence of th e small H imalay an cou ntr y . Nep al leader s and ar my

wer e p r ov ed incap ab le of

containing and cr u sh ing th e sp r ead of M aoist r eb ellion and v iolence. India was f ou nd

u neq u al in th eir task of h elp ing th e Nep al Gov er nment in containing th e r ap id sp r ead of th e M aoist mov ement and its v iolence.

Attemp ts to lu r e M aoists to th e democr atic sy stem su cceeded and elections

wer e h eld. No p ar ty su cceeded in g etting maj or ity wh ile th e M aoists came ou t with

34

max imu m seats won in th e election. Th er e was a long deadlock and u ltimately , a M aoist-led coalition came to p ower with th e p r imar y task of dr af ting a Constitu tion f or Nep al. Th e f ir st th ing declar ing

af ter coming

to p ower was r emov ing

th e monar ch y

and

Nep al as a R ep u b lic. S oon, dif f er ences dev elop ed b etween th e M aoist

P r ime M inister and th e non-M aoist P r esident and th e dif f er ences came op en wh ile

th e P r ime M inister r emov ed th e ar my ch ief f or disob edience and th e P r esident as th e S u p r eme Commander of th e Nep al def ence f or ces r esisted th e mov e. Th e r if t in th e

alliance led to th e f all of th e M aoist Gov er nment and th e p ossib le r ev iv al of th e M aoist v iolence ag ain in Nep al. Af ter concer ted p olitical mov es, anoth er alliance with

th e su p p or t of non-M aoist lef t p ar ties f or med th e Gov er nment wh ile th e sing le lar g est

p ar ty namely M aoists r emained ou tside th e Gov er nment cau sing concer n ab ou t th e p ossib ility of th e M aoists r ev er ting to th eir non-democr atic meth ods of p op u lar u p r ise and v iolence.

If M aoists r etu r n to th eir lar g ely su ccessf u l u p r ise and v iolence, th er e will b e

b r eakdown of democr acy ag ain in Nep al and situ ation may tu r n wor se th an b ef or e and th e cou ntr y may g o down th e dr ain a la Ir aq and Af g h anistan th ou g h f or dif f er ent r easons. India did tr y to b r ing p eace to Nep al b y b r ing ing M aoists and th e Nep al Cong r ess tog eth er , b u t miser ab ly f ailed in th e ef f or ts. Nep al is in a sticky wicket now. Tr u th is th at Nep al h as b ecome a p olitical p lay g r ou nd of th e sh adow b ox ing of

its sou th er n and nor th er n neig h b ou r s namely India and Ch ina with India r ep r esented b y th e Nep al Cong r ess and Ch ina b y th e M aoists. All th e p olitical manoeu v r es in Nep al ar e r emote contr olled b y th ese two cou ntr ies and in th e p r ocess Nep al and its p eop le’ s inter ests ar e comp letely ig nor ed.

JAPAN

A r emar k b y Ch ina th at th er e ar e r ath er immense dif f er ences b etween India

and Ch ina in th eir b or der disp u tes, th at h av e b een th e th eme of India-Ch inese

neg otiations and talks f or a long time now, deep ly of f ended India. India and J ap an leader s met su b seq u ent to th e Ch inese r emar ks in J ap an and most p olitical analy sts

35

connected th e su dden inter ests of th ese cou ntr ies with each oth er to th e Ch inese r emar ks. H owev er , India and J ap an b oth h av e denied th is connection.

India and J ap an ar e close neig h b ou r s of Ch ina. India’ s nu clear tests h ad

dr awn th e ir e of J ap an and it j oined oth er dev elop ed cou ntr ies in imp osing sanctions ag ainst India at th at time. H owev er , th ey

h av e b een tr y ing

to imp r ov e th eir

r elationsh ip f or q u ite some time now. Th e p olitical situ ation ar ou nd th e wor ld also

h as comp elled th ese two cou ntr ies to come closer tog eth er ov er th e last f ew y ear s. Amer ican cer tif icate to India th at it is a r esp onsib le cou ntr y

and its initiativ e f or

nu clear deal with India along with th e Nu clear S u p p lier s Gr ou p ( NS G) waiv er to India in nu clear deals f u r th er mellowed J ap an.

Th ese two cou ntr ies can h elp each oth er a lot if th ey want and it looks as if

th ey cer tainly want it. B oth cou ntr ies h av e th e str ong u mb ilical ch or d of th e B u ddh ist r elig ion and cu ltu r e. In a meeting

th at th e ex ter nal af f air s minister s of th ese two

cou ntr ies h ad in mid-2 0 0 9 , th ey discu ssed sev er al imp or tant issu es. E ar lier India and J ap an along

with

th e U nited S tates of Amer ica h ad a f ew sessions of nav al war

g ames. Th is may b e some th ing to r ememb er in connection with th e r ecent ev ents concer ning Ch inese r emar ks.

PEACE IN SRI LANKA

S r i L anka h ad b een f inally ab le to th r ow th e y oke of th e L TTE f r om its b ack. It

led to S r i L anka b eing ab le to r u n administr ation with ou t th e dar k sh adows of th e L TTE

clou ding its decisions and actions. Th is is someth ing , wh ich S r i L anka h as to

b e v er y h ap p y ab ou t. O n M ay 1 8

of 2 0 0 9 , th e S r i L ankan ar my killed th e L TTE

leader , V er u p illai P r ab h akar an. Till th e end, th e L TTE

su p r emo h op ed th at th e

inter national commu nity wou ld do someth ing in or der to sav e h im. H owev er , wh at h e h op ed f or did not come tr u e. H is death h ad come near ly twenty -f iv e y ear s too late f or

th e p eop le of S r i L anka wh o h ad su f f er ed a lot du r ing th e p er iod. Th u s, th is is now a g ood time f or S r i L anka.

36

H owev er , many cou ntr ies h av e not taken kindly to th e S r i L ankan condu ct in

th is war . Th ey condemned th e ag g r essiv e p u r su it of th e L TTE cadr es and f ig h ter s b y

th e S r i L ankan Ar my and b lamed S r i L ankan P r esident, M ah inda R aj ap aksh e of h u man r ig h ts v iolations. India sh owed concer n r eg ar ding

r esettlement of th e

disp laced Tamil p op u lation of S r i L anka. Inter national R ed Cr oss did ex cep tionally g ood wor k du r ing

th e war in r escu ing

and tender ing

civ ilians cau g h t b etween th e

war r ing f or ces. Accor ding to ey e witnesses wh o v isited Tamil r ef u g ee camp s in S r i

L anka, th e Gov er nment p r ov ides f or th e r ef u g ees b etter th an adeq u ate and th at

th ose r ef u g ees ar e looked af ter b etter th an S r i L ankan r ef u g ees in Indian r ef u g ee camp s.

Cou ntr ies mostly f r om th e West see a lar g e nu mb er of slip -u p s b y th e S r i

L ankan Gov er nment in its ap p r oach

to th e Tamil p r ob lem. Th ey say th at th e S r i

L ankan g ov er nment sh ou ld h av e ensu r ed lesser mor talities esp ecially of th e civ ilians

h eld b y th e Tamil Tig er s as p r otectiv e sh ield ag ainst th e onslau g h t of th e S r i L ankan ar my . It is easier said th an done in a war situ ation of th e natu r e of th e inter mittent war s b etween th e L TTE

and th e S r i L ankan ar my f or mor e th an th r ee decades th at

b r ou g h t all dev elop mental activ ities of S r i L anka to a g r inding h alt and th r eatened th e

v er y ex istence of th e nation. Th ey h av e also condemned th e S r i L ankan g ov er nment f or tr iu mp h antly tr u mp eting its v ictor y . S r i L anka indeed deser v es to b e cong r atu lated f or b r ing ing h alt to ter r or ism and b r ing ing af ter th r ee decades of civ il war .

p eace and secu r ity to th e island nation

INDIA AND PAKISTAN

India and P akistan ar e neig h b ou r s. P akistan h as h ad a h istor y similar to th at

of India. Th e only f actor th at stands dif f er ent b etween India and P akistan is th eir

attitu des to r elig ion. Wh ile India is a secu lar r ep u b lic, P akistan is an Islamic r ep u b lic.

It was b ecau se of r elig ion th at P akistan sep ar ated f r om th e u nited India th at ex isted p r ior to th e cr eation of P akistan in 1 9 4 7 . If M oh ammed Ali J innah h ad not insisted f or

a dif f er ent cou ntr y f or M u slims, P akistan wou ld nev er h av e b een car v ed ou t of th e u nited India.

37

H owev er , af ter th e p ar tition, India and P akistan h av e b ecome b itter enemies.

Neig h b ou r s ar e u su ally enemies and it is th e same h er e. Th er e wer e many war s

f ou g h t b etween India and P akistan. India h as won all of th em. H owev er , now, th er e ar e many mov es towar ds p er manent p eace b etween India and P akistan.

India and P akistan ar e in conf lict since th eir indep endence. Th ey f ou g h t many

war s with

decisiv e win f or India in all. B u t, war is war and a sev er e dr ain on th e

r esou r ces of th e cou ntr y ap ar t f r om th e h u g e amou nt of destr u ction and loss of p r eciou s lif e on b oth

sides. K eep ing

soldier s activ e along

b or der s and p r ov iding

su p p lies b oth str ateg ic and war r elated as well as daily needs of th e soldier s and

of f icer s like f ood, cloth ing and f u el dr ain th e national r esou r ces th at wou ld h av e b een

b etter u tilised f or th e b etter ment of th e p eop le oth er wise. F u r th er , th e soldier s wor k in h ostile conditions wh ile manning

th e b or der s. A h u g e ar my is a p r ior ity in th e

p r esent wor ld f or th e def ence of th e cou ntr y .

B u t, a h u g e ar my

means h u g e

ex p enditu r e; a b ottomless dr ain to th e ex ch eq u er . E ach soldier manning th e b or der

needs six ty th ou sand r u p ees wor th of su p p lies ev er y month and th at amou nts to f ou r cr or es of r u p ees f or maintaining

a b r ig ade f or one month . Natu r ally , all cou ntr ies

want to av oid th is kind of wastag es. India and P akistan ar e not ex cep tions to th is. B oth cou ntr ies desir e to str ike a deal r eg ar ding th eir b or der disp u tes. B u t, K ash mir

continu es to b e a stu mb ling b lock, and none of th em can r elent on K ash mir issu e f or

th e f ear of losing p op u lar su p p or t b ack in r esp ectiv e cou ntr ies and th e national p r ide. S iach in is a g lacier b etween India and P akistan. It h as alway s b een a p oint of

conf lict b etween th ese two cou ntr ies and f ou g h t war s to g ain contr ol of th at wasteland wh er e not ev en a g r ass g r ows and climate and conditions u nf it f or liv ing .

O nly its str ateg ic p osition b etween th e b or der of India and P akistan ov er looking th e str ateg ic h ig h way

conj oining

Indian mainland with

g ained it th e imp or tance it h as now.

its nor th er n r eg ion of L adakh

P akistan wh ile car v ed ou t of India h ad two wing s - E ast P akistan on th e

easter n side of India and West P akistan on th e wester n side of India. Th e h eg emony

38

of th e West P akistan comb ined with th e neg lect of th e E ast P akistan b y th e F eder al Gov er nment of

P akistan p op u lated b y

West P akistan leader s, militar y

and

b u r eau cr acy comp elled E ast P akistan to sep ar ate f r om West P akistan and b ecome an indep endent cou ntr y . India natu r ally su p p or ted th is cau se f or its own r easons. Th is u ltimately led to anoth er war b etween India and P akistan in 1 9 7 1

with

E ast

P akistan v olu nteer s f or indep endence as th e B ang la B ah ini ou tf it su p p or ting Indian

def ence f or ces. P akistan on a losing sp r ee ap p ealed f or h elp f r om th e U nited S tates of Amer ica, wh ich j u st th at y ear u nder its S ecr etar y of S tate, M r . H enr y K issing er , h ad star ted th e p r ocess of imp r ov ing

and ex p anding

its ties with

th e Ch ina and

P akistan ax is ev en at th e cost of its alr eady lu kewar m r elations with

India. Th e

U nited S tates of Amer ica ap p lied tr emendou s p r essu r e on India, and Ch ina b eg an massiv e tr oop

mov ements on Indian b or der s to deter India f r om mov ing

ag ainst

P akistan. Th e u neq u iv ocal su p p or t of th e th en S ov iet U nion and deter mined

leader sh ip of S mt. Indir a Gandh i, th e P r ime M inister of India at th e time, sav ed th e day s f or India in th e war and India won th e war h ands down with P akistan b eing tr u ncated with E ast P akistan b ecoming an indep endent cou ntr y as B ang ladesh .

Till now in almost all th e war s f ou g h t b y India and P akistan, wester n cou ntr ies

su p p or ted P akistan, as th e latter was th eir ally

till th e end of th e 2 0 th

centu r y .

H owev er , in th e last war namely th e K ar g il War f ou g h t b etween India and P akistan, th e wester n cou ntr ies r emained neu tr al.

Ter r or ism is some th ing th at P akistan h as b een f acing f r om q u ite some time

now and it looks as if it will not b e ab le to sh ake of f th e y oke of ter r or ism. Th ese p r ob lems of P akistan ar e mainly du e to lack of p ower f u l leader sh ip and sp linter ing of th e p ower str u ctu r e.

P akistan is su f f er ing f r om div er se p ower center s like Gov er nment, ar my , IS I,

j eh adis, ex tr emists, militant r elig iou s or g anisations and so on, each oth er and p u lling command with

h ostile to th e

in op p osite dir ections. It is a p r ob lem of th e lack of u nity

wh ich

of

P akistan su f f er s af ter th e dep ar tu r e of P r esident P er v ez

M u sh ar af f f r om th e P akistan p olitical scene. Natu r ally , situ ation is not at all as stab le 39

as it sh ou ld b e. Th e talks b etween India and P akistan on imp r ov ing r elationsh ip th at made consider ab le h eadway du r ing th e p er iod of f or mer P akistan P r esident, P er v ez

M u sh ar af f with ag r eements on th r ee issu es of K ash mir , S iach in and S ir Cr eek on th e f inal stag es of sig natu r e with th e Indian P r ime M inister M anmoh an S ing h r each ed its nadir af ter 2 6 / 1 1 M u mb ai attack in 2 0 0 8 .

P akistan’ s solu tion to K ash mir r ev olv es ar ou nd th r ee issu es - demilitar iz ation,

self -g ov er nance and a j oint mech anism. Demilitar iz ation inv olv es with dr awal of

def ence f or ces f r om K ash mir b y sides, self g ov er nance inclu des self r u le of K ash mir i to th e max imu m b y inv olv ing

its p eop le and th e j oint mech anism inv olv es a mech anism

r ep r esentativ es of P akistan, India and r ep r esentativ es of b oth

K ash mir to ov er -see, ov er -watch

p ar ts of

and decide on self g ov er nance and all oth er

matter s ar ising r eg ar ding K ash mir f r om time to time. P akistan consider s th e L ine of

Contr ol or L O C in K ash mir b etween P akistan h eld and India h eld r eg ions as disp u ted issu e wh ile India wants to conv er t it to a settled p er manent b or der . Th e r esp onse of

P akistan to th is Indian p osition is to tr eat th e L O C as ir r elev ant in th eir discu ssions to leav e th e matter to th e f u tu r e g ener ations to settle.

Ter r or ism is b ecoming an incr easing ly comp licated issu e to P akistan. All th e

same, th e ag g r essiv e stance of th e Indian leader s and media ag ainst P akistan like ‘ p u nish P akistan’ natu r ally h u r ts its sov er eig n p r ide and its th r eat p er cep tions ar ising

f r om India g ets sensitiz ed. Th is is th e tr u e r eason wh y P akistan in sp ite of th e f atal

th r eat f r om Talib an and oth er ex tr emist g r ou p s with in th e cou ntr y to th e u nity and stab ility

of P akistan as a nation and destab iliz ing

p r essu r es f r om U S A and th e

Alliance f or ces ag ainst, consider s India as th e f ir st and f or emost th r eat to th e secu r ity and integ r ity of P akistan. P akistan str ong ly b eliev es th at India h as not y et r econciled to P akistan’ s ex istence.

India and P akistan mu st tr y to p eacef u lly r esolv e th eir dif f er ences and leav e

th eir enmities b eh ind.

Any

f u r th er war s b etween th ese two cou ntr ies h av e th e

p otentiality of tu r ning to b e a nu clear war as b oth ar e nu clear p ower s and may lead to mu tu al destr u ctions.

40

Th e wor st enemy

of P akistan is not its neig h b ou r , India. R ath er , it is its

p ov er ty . P akistan is one of th e p oor est cou ntr ies in th e wor ld with a h ig h b ir th r ate th at r ender s its economy f ailing to catch u p with th e p op u lation g r owth r ate. F u r th er ,

its u nf or tu nate f ocu s ag ainst India and war p r ep ar ations f or th e p u r p ose div er ted its r esou r ces f r om dev elop ment activ ities. It is only b ecau se of th e f inancial and oth er

b acking s of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica th at P akistan h as not y et disinteg r ated in sp ite of lar g e-scale economic f ailing s and war s ag ainst Al-Q aeda and Talib an along its b or der s with Af g h anistan in su p p or t of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica.

K ash mir lies at th e f oot of th e tallest mou ntains in th e wor ld, th e H imalay as.

Th e H imalay as came into ex istence in p r eh istor ic ag e wh en Indian r eg ion as p ar t of

th e Af r ican continent mov ed nor th east to conj oin with th e sou th er n edg e of th e Asian

mainland. In th e p r ocess, tall sets of mou ntains du e to th e f or ce of collision b etween th e h u g e landmasses r ose u p war ds as th e H imalay an M ou ntains.

An ear th q u ake h it P akistan O ccu p ied K ash mir , ab ou t 8 0

kms nor th

of

Islamab ad, a f ew y ear s b ack cau sing immense loss of lif e. Th e q u ake measu r ed 7 .6

in th e R ich ter scale and was v er y dev astating . Its tr emor s wer e f elt ev en in r eg ions

as f ar away as p laces like K ar ach i and New Delh i. India and P akistan j oined h ands in r escu e op er ations in K ash mir . Th is is a nob le g estu r e b y b oth cou ntr ies. An 8 6 y ear -old K ash mir i said th at th is ear th q u ake was th e most destr u ctiv e ev ent h e ev er

saw in h is lif e. Th er e h as not b een a wor se ear th q u ake in P akistan since 1 9 3 5 . It was th e second most dev astating

natu r al disaster in Asia in a decade af ter th e

Tsu nami th at h it S ou th Asia a f ew y ear s b ack. Th e P akistanis h av e b een claiming

v ictor ies ag ainst th e Talib an. H owev er ,

th ey h av e r eally not b een ab le to do p ositiv e th ing s ag ainst th e Talib an. Th e Talib an

h as not b een def eated b y th e P akistanis, b u t h as j u st g one away and melted. Th e P akistanis h av e h owev er claimed th is to b e a b ig v ictor y . Th e P akistan ar med f or ces on th e p r essu r e of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica j u st r olled into th e Talib an occu p ied

r eg ions of P akistan with ou t mu ch r esistance and th at th ey claim is a h u g e v ictor y . 41

H owev er , it is p r esu med th at th e Talib an will b e ab le to g ain b ack th ese p laces f r om

wh er e it h as b een dr iv en ou t, wh en th e Amer ican p r essu r e su b sides or wh en P akistan g ov er nment or ar my weakens.

Talib an will b e ab le to g ain b ack th e ar eas th ey lost as most of its f ig h ter s j u st

sh av ed of f th eir b ear ds to camou f lag e and continu e to liv e with th eir f amilies in th e ar ea only to r aise wh en th e Talib an needs th em ag ain.

42

USA AND THE WORLD AROUND Th e U nited S tates of Amer ica is one of th e r ich est cou ntr ies in th e wor ld. It

p lay ed a p r ominent p ar t in th e S econd Wor ld War and b r ou g h t an end to th e war b y

j oining th e Allies ag ainst th e Ax is in 1 9 4 1 . S ince th en, it h as assu med th e r ole of an ar b itr ator in th e wor ld to b r ing p eace and or der to th e u nr u ly wor ld. It time and ag ain su cceeded in stop p ing

imminent war s b etween r iv al cou ntr ies in th e last sev en

decades b y timely inter v entions and of ten b y sh ow of str eng th .

Till th e 1 9 9 0 ’ s, th e wor ld saw cold war b etween th e b locs b elong ing to th e

U nited S tates of Amer ica and th e th en S ov iet U nion, anoth er su p er p ower asp ir ing f or th e wor ld leader sh ip . H owev er , th e disinteg r ation of th e U S S R

and its amb ition of

wor ld Commu nism made th e U S A th e u nr iv alled sole su p er p ower of th e wor ld in th e

last two decades. Wor ld saw sev er al attemp ts since th en to cr eate a b loc th at can stand u p to th e su p r emacy of th e U S A. Wh ile R u ssia is doing its b est to r ecov er its g lor y of th e day s of th e U S S R

as anoth er su p er p ower , Ch ina is r ap idly f or g ing

ah ead b ecau se of its r ising f inancial str eng th and indu str ial b ase su p p or ted b y its

h u g e consu mer b ase and committed p olitical leader sh ip . E u r op ean U nion is an attemp t of f r iendly ch alleng e to th e U S A. Also, th er e ar e attemp ts of f or ming b locs of

r eg ional or like-minded cou ntr ies to f or m v iab le b ases of p olitical or f inancial p ower s in th e wor ld.

JAPAN AND AUSTRALIA

J ap an and Au str alia ar e close allies of th e U S A. Th eir str ateg ic g eog r ap h ical

p ositions as well as th eir f inancial and indu str ial mig h t ar e a g r eat sou r ce of str eng th to th e amb itions of th e U S A f or th e wor ld leader sh ip .

Th e S ou th E aster n r eg ion of Asia is str ateg ic to th e inter ests of th e U nited

S tates of Amer ica in its p ower g ame b ecau se of th e p r esence of Ch ina in close

43

p r ox imity to th is r eg ion. A p ower f u l p r esence of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica in th is r eg ion consolidates its p osition to lessen Ch ina’ s ch alleng e.

Au str alia and J ap an ar e key s to th e U nited S tates of Amer ica in th is r eg ion in

th is sense. Th ey

h elp

consolidate th e U nited S tates of Amer ica inter ests in th is

economic g iants h elp

th e p r ocess. U nited S tates of Amer ica wants India as an

r eg ion ag ainst Ch ina. Th ey

b eing

dev elop ed cou ntr ies, r eg ional p ower s and

alter nate ally in th is r eg ion ag ainst th e amb itions of Ch ina.

B oth J ap an and Au str alia ar e p r ov en allies of th e U S A. Th e war in Ir aq p r ov ed

th e f act sine du b io. Ch inese continu ed claim on th e Indian b or der state of Ar u nach al

P r adesh and Ch inese ag g r ession on India in 1 9 6 2 f or th is r eason r ender Ch ina and its r ise as a wor ld or r eg ional p ower a p otential militar y th r eat to India’ s inter ests. Th is is th e b edr ock at wh ich India welcomes th e p olitical and militar y inter ests of th e

U S A in th is r eg ion. J oint militar y ex er cises of th e def ence f or ces of India and th e U S A ar e p r odu cts of th is mu tu al inter est.

WEST ASIA

O il is g oing

to h old th e f u tu r e of th e wor ld. Th e cou ntr ies th at contr ol oil

inter ests will r u le th e wor ld. S au di Ar ab ia h as v ast oil f ields and top s th e list of oil p r odu cing

cou ntr ies. U S A sh ar es an h onou r among

th e top

ten oil p r odu cing

cou ntr ies. H owev er , th e amou nt of oil p r odu ced b y Amer ica is not enou g h to keep its indu str ies af loat f or long . Th at is th e r eason wh y Amer ica wants to contr ol mor e oil. M ost of th e Ar ab

cou ntr ies h av e v ast r esou r ces of oil. Th is is wh y

dev elop ed cou ntr ies inclu ding th e U S A want Ar ab cou ntr ies as allies.

most of th e

Th e r ich es of oil b r ou g h t p r estig e, wealth and p olitical manoeu v r ab ility to most

of th e oil r ich Ar ab ian cou ntr ies. It conv er ted West Asia to an intense p olitical h otb ed.

O nly its J ewish lob b y and commitment to Isr ael ch eckmate ag g r essiv e p olicies of th e U S A in th is r eg ion to b ef r iend Ar ab cou ntr ies. It is b ecau se of th e Isr ael p olicy of th e U S A th at th e r elations b etween th e Ar ab

cou ntr ies and U nited S tates of Amer ica 44

h av e b een deter ior ating

v er y

swif tly . Islamic f u ndamentalism and ter r or ism as a

wor ld p h enomenon as r ep r esented b y Al-Q aeda ar e th e dir ect ou tcome of th is tu r n of ev ents in th e wor ld p olitics.

CHINA

Ch ina and th e U nited S tates of Amer ica ar e two most p ower f u l cou ntr ies in

th e wor ld at p r esent and natu r ally r iv als f or th e wor ld h eg emony . Y et th ey need each oth er economically ; b oth dep end on th e consu mer b ase and th e economic str eng th of th e oth er f or th eir own economic p r osp er ity . Th er e may b e a long b etween th ese cou ntr ies f or th e economic leader sh ip of th e wor ld.

r ace ah ead

NORTH KOREA

A f ew cou ntr ies inclu ding Ir aq , Ir an, S y r ia and Nor th K or ea ar e mar ked b y th e

U S A as r og u e cou ntr ies needed to b e discip lined f or th eir acts ag ainst th e wor ld or der and p eace. Th e p r esent f ocu s of th e U S A is on Ir an and Nor th K or ea f or th eir nu clear amb itions in v iolation of th e wor ld op inion. B oth consider ab le p r og r ess in p r odu cing

cou ntr ies h av e made

nu clear b omb s and Nor th

K or ea h as alr eady

declar ed to th e wor ld th at it is in p ossession of nu clear weap ons and necessar y

missile tech nolog y to u se it and does not h esitate to u se it if any cou ntr y attacks it. Th is is a dir ect ch alleng e to th e U S A consider ing

th ese two cou ntr ies b eing

neig h b ou r s acr oss th e P acif ic O cean and th eir consistently

inimical r elationsh ip

since th e K or ea War of 1 9 5 0 s. Nor th K or ea tr aded of f missile tech nolog y to P akistan to acq u ir e nu clear tech nolog y f r om th e latter in late 1 9 9 0 s. Th e master y of Nor th K or ea in b oth nu clear and missile tech nolog ies is a p otential

secu r ity th r eat to th e

U S A acr oss th e P acif ic O cean and its assets in th e P acif ic O cean a la J ap an in 1 9 4 1

in th e S econd Wor ld War . It is u nr ealistic to p r esu me th at th e U S A wou ld b e a mu te sp ectator to th e p otential dang er to its inter ests and secu r ity measu r es eith er of p olitical or militar y kind.

with ou t p r oactiv e

45

AL-QAEDA

Th e U nited S tates of Amer ica h as b een f ig h ting

ag ainst Al-Q aeda f r om

S ep temb er 2 0 0 1 since th e 9 / 1 1 attacks on WTC and th is war ag ainst an inv isib le

enemy is looking as if it will g o on f or ev er . Th e Al-Q aeda su p r emo namely O sama

b in L aden continu es to insp ir e and g u ide h is f ollower s and ter r or ists f r om u nknown ter r itor ies somewh er e deep in P akistan-Af g h anistan b or der . H e is h iding and g u iding

h is ar my of ter r or ists f r om u nknown mou ntainou s r eg ions p op u lated and su r r ou nded

b y sy mp ath iz er s. Th e only way ou t is to inf iltr ate th e or g anisation of O sama b in

L aden. All ef f or ts of th e CIA and th e U S A in th is r eg ar d f ailed to p r odu ce desir ed r esu lts till now.

CIA & FBI

Th e str eng th

of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica is th e way

th ey

r u n th eir

v er y

p ower f u l

ag encies to solv e, contr ol and p r ev ent cr imes in and ag ainst th e cou ntr y . Th e two ag encies wor th

naming

ar e th e CIA and th e F B I. Th ey

ar e b oth

or g anisations and well known all ov er th e wor ld f or th eir ef f iciency and wor kmansh ip . H owev er , th ese or g anisations also inadv er tently g et inv olv ed in scandals th at cast dir t on th eir names and r ep u tations.

Th e CIA or th e Centr al Intellig ence Ag ency of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica is

th e most p ower f u l detectiv e ag ency in th e wor ld. R ecently , a CIA ag ent b y name M r s. P lame, wif e of a senator , was accidentally u nh ooded b y K ar l R ov e, a p r ominent g ov er nment ser v ant. Th is is a b lack sp ot on th e annals of th e h istor y of th e CIA. It is

su r mised th at p olitical r iv alr y at th e top leader sh ip s of th e cou ntr y b r ou g h t ab ou t th is ser iou s let down of an imp or tant CIA ag ent, wh ich was a g r eat loss to b oth th e CIA and th e U nited S tates of Amer ica.

46

ROBOTIC WARFARE

Th er e ar e war s in Af g h anistan and Ir aq . Th e U nited S tates of Amer ica is th e

cou ntr y th at is f ig h ting ag ainst b oth

is r esor ting

to r ob otic war f ar e of late wh er ein

r ob ot-air cr af t ar e u sed to b omb ar d enemy ter r itor ies in inaccessib le mou ntainou s ter r ains like th e b or der s of P akistan and Af g h anistan. Th ese r ob ot-air cr af ts ar e

known as P r edator s and p r ov ed to b e su ccessf u l in sp ite of civ ilian casu alties in

eliminating dang er ou s enemies, wh o oth er wise wou ld h av e su ccessf u lly av oided th e militar y attacks of th e U S A and NATO

f or ces.

PEOPLE OF THE USA

P er h ap s p eop le of no oth er cou ntr y in th e wor ld match th e p eop le of th e U S A

in th eir sense of decency , f air ness, j u stice, g ener osity , ch ar ity , lov e of sch olar sh ip

and entr ep r eneu r sh ip . Th ey b eliev e in h elp ing p eop le all ov er th e wor ld. Th ey f ou g h t

ag ainst th eir own g ov er nment ag ainst inh u man acts of th eir ar my in V ietnam War , and ag ain in Ir aq oth er cou ntr y

War . Th ey stood ag ainst Gu otanamo tor tu r es. P eop le of wh ich

wou ld h av e deif ied Af r o-Amer ican star s like M ich ael J oh nson and

S er ena and V enu s and many

mor e in cu ltu r al and sp or ts f ield and elected a

descendent of M u slim f or ef ath er s f r om Af r ica as th eir p r esident?

Th ey g ener ou sly

contr ib u ted f or th e r elief of th e tsu nami-h it p eop le and oth er natu r al disaster s all ov er

th e wor ld. P eop le like B ill Gates and th e F or ds alway s h elp ed u nf or tu nate p eop le all ov er th e wor ld. Th ey

ar e th e h ar b ing er s of th e th ink-tank p h enomena to g iv e

intellectu al slant to wor ld af f air s and matter s of p u b lic inter est. No oth er cou ntr ies in

th e wor ld h av e so many p r of essor s and sch olar s as p olitical leader s h eading v ar iou s or g ans of th e Gov er nment.

47

THE ROLE OF RUSSIA IN TNE PRESENT WORLD R u ssia was th e centr al and str ong est p ar t of th e f or mer U S S R . U S S R

continu ed as th e second su p er p ower of th e wor ld till it disinteg r ated b y th e lib er al p olicies of its Gener al S ecr etar y , Gor b ach ev in 1 9 9 0 . Th ou g h th e disinteg r ation of U S S R

weakened R u ssia, it is cer tainly not ou t of r eckoning in wor ld p olitics. R ecent

p olitical dev elop ments like th e total r esp onse of R u ssia in Geor g ia in 2 0 0 8 , its ag g r essiv e p olicies in Centr al Asia, cou nter measu r es to stop ex p ansion of NATO alliance f u r th er east, new militar y

b ases, attemp ts to mov e closer to Ch ina and

similar manoeu v r es p r ov e th e r ising wor ld p olitics.

conf idence and imp or tance of R u ssia in th e

GEORGIA ARMED CONFLICT

Geor g ia as a Cau casu s cou ntr y of E u r asia, situ ated at th e j u nctu r e of Wester n

Asia and E aster n E u r op e with R u ssia in th e nor th was a p ar t of th e S ov iet U nion till it

declar ed indep endence on Ap r il 9 , 1 9 9 1 , sh or tly b ef or e th e collap se of th e U S S R . Geor g ia is keen to j oin NATO

and th e E u r op ean U nion.

Two r eg ions of Geor g ia, namely Ab kh az ia and S ou th O ssetia, af ter simmer ing

disp u tes and widesp r ead inter -eth nic v iolence and war s with b y R u ssia, declar ed indep endence f r om Geor g ia in 1 9 9 5 .

Geor g ia, su p p or ted

H ostilities escalated b etween Geor g ia and its b r eakaway

state of S ou th

O ssetia escalated in J u ly 2 0 0 8 . Af ter th e Geor g ian b omb ing of th e S ou th O ssetian cap ital, Tskh inv ali in th e late ev ening p u sh ing

into S ou th

of Au g u st, Geor g ian ar med f or ces b eg an

O ssetia. R u ssia sent tr oop s into S ou th

O ssetia to h elp

th e

latter . Th e conf lict b etween Geor g ia on th e one side and R u ssia, O ssetian, and Ab kh az ian sep ar atists on th e oth er q u ickly escalated into a f u ll-scale war in wh ich Geor g ian f or ces wer e decimated.

48

R u ssian militar y tr oop s inv aded Ab kh az ia, and seiz ed additional ter r itor ies of

Wester n Geor g ia. R u ssia r ecog niz ed th e Geor g ian r eg ions of S ou th Ab kh az ia as indep endent states.

O ssetia and

US-RUSSIA RELATIONS

B oth R u ssia and th e U nited S tates of Amer ica ar e v er y imp or tant cou ntr ies in

today ’ s wor ld p olitics. Th e r elationsh ip b etween th e U nited S tates of Amer ica and R u ssia is at its lowest eb b since th e last twenty -f iv e y ear s. Th is is some th ing

th at b oth

of th ese two cou ntr ies wou ld like to ch ang e.

R u ssia h as b een h op ing th at with O b ama at th e h elm, th ing s wou ld ch ang e q u ickly .

With Geor g e B u sh at th e h elm, th ing s wer e a disaster and th ing s kep t on g oing f r om wor se to wor se. O b ama say s th at h e will tr y h is b est to imp r ov e r elationsh ip s with

R u ssia; h owev er , th er e ar e many p eop le wh o ar e v er y skep tical ab ou t th is b ecau se of th e p r ecedence and th e state of th e wor ld p olitics at th is j u nctu r e

E v en af ter th e end of th e Cold War , R u ssia and th e U nited S tates of Amer ica

h av e not enj oy ed cor dial and f r iendly r elations with each oth er . Th is is some th ing

th at b oth of th ese two cou ntr ies ar e anx iou s to ch ang e now. Th ey h ad a deter ior ation

of th eir r elationsh ip du r ing th e time of Geor g e B u sh as th e P r esident of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica. H owev er , it looks as if th e U nited S tates of Amer ica u nder B ar ack O b ama as P r esident will ch ang e th is.

As O b ama looks to v isit Dimity M edv edev and th en P u tin in 2 0 0 9 , it looks as if

O b ama attach es imp or tance to R u ssia as h e h as v isited R u ssia b ef or e h e v isited Ch ina and J ap an. Th is is h ow it is seen in R u ssia and also all ov er th e wor ld.

Th e v isit is of cou r se g ood f or R u ssia-U S r elationsh ip s in f u tu r e. It looks as if

R u ssia and th e U S

wh o actu ally almost came into conf lict a f ew day s du r ing

th e

Geor g ia war of 2 0 0 8 ar e intent on imp r ov ing th eir r elationsh ip . Th e U nited S tates of

49

Amer ica and R u ssia ar e tr y ing f or a new tr eaty to r ep lace th e S TAR T tr eaty th at th e U nited S tates and R u ssia h ad sig ned a f ew y ear s b ack in or der to decr ease th eir r esp ectiv e nu clear weap ons in contr ast to th e r elu ctance of Geor g e B u sh f or sig ning

su ch a new tr eaty of ar ms r edu ction with R u ssia. B ar ack O b ama is tr eating R u ssia mor e as a f r iend since h e came to th e h elm in U S A. R u ssia f eels th is is a v er y g ood sig n.

Th u s sig ning a nu clear weap ons r edu ction tr eaty is some th ing th at R u ssia

and th e U nited S tates ar e h op ing O b ama v isited R u ssia in 2 0 0 9 S TAR T-I tr eaty

wh ich

to do as soon as p ossib le. P r esident B ar ack

to sig n a new tr eaty

with

R u ssia to r ep lace th e

h ad r u n ou t a f ew month s b ack and wh ich

h ad not b een

r enewed b y th e f or mer P r esident, Geor g e B u sh . P r esident O b ama b eg an th e tou r

with a wr ong mov e. H e tr ied to p lay of f P u tin and M edv edev ag ainst each oth er and f ailed miser ab ly . O b ama h ad b een ov er conf ident in tr y ing ou t a mov e like th at at th is cr u cial time, esp ecially in a p lace wh er e ev en th e slig h test mov e is scr u tiniz ed in detail u nder a micr oscop e.

O b ama’ s meeting with M edv edev was not as su ccessf u l as it was h op ed and

th ey still h av e a lar g e nu mb er of dif f er ences still and it will r eq u ir e a lot of time and ef f or ts to r esolv e th em.

It looks as if R u ssia wants U S A to tr eat it mor e as a f r iend now th at th e Cold

War is a distant memor y . Th e U nited S tates of Amer ica till B ar ack O b ama took ov er as th e P r esident of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica h ad b een secr etly

ally ing

and

su p p or tiv e of th e enemies of R u ssia th r ou g h its clandestine intellig ence ou tf it, th e Centr al Intellig ence Ag ency ( CIA) and b u sy also b u ilding

b ases near and ar ou nd

R u ssia in Centr al Asia and h as emb ar ked on a missile def ense sy stem in th e r eg ion ap ar t f r om b eing ag g r essiv e in ex p anding NATO

networ k u p to th e wester n b or der of

R u ssia. Th ese measu r es made R u ssia su sp iciou s of th e intentions of th e U nited

S tates of Amer ica. R u ssia h as also seen th is as sig ns of th e distr u st of th e U nited S tates towar ds it. P r esident B ar ack O b ama’ s p olicy towar ds R u ssia may ch ang e all

th is. R u ssia will most cer tainly ask th e U nited S tates to sh ow mor e tr u st towar ds it 50

and take concr ete step s towar ds conf idence b u ilding

measu r es f or th e ov er all

b enef it of th e wor ld. R u ssia’ s decision to allow th e tr ansit of th e ar ms and weap ons

and oth er war su p p lies and def ence f or ces meant f or Af g h an b y r ail r oad th r ou g h its ter r itor y is a sig nif icant mov e f or war d b y R u ssia towar ds th e conf idence b u ilding measu r es in r esp onse to th e f r iendly g estu r es of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica.

51

CHINA – THE RISING POWER Th e J ap anese ar e th e most deter mined p eop le in th e wor ld. Af ter th e S econd

Wor ld War , th e U nited S tates of Amer ica th ou g h t it b etter th at th ey f r iendsh ip

of th e J ap anese r ath er th an r isk f ig h ting

Amer ica decided to h elp

h av e th e

th em. Th e U nited S tates of

th e J ap anese to r ecov er f r om th e dev astations of th e

S econd Wor ld War and th e nu clear attacks on its cities of Nag asaki and H ir osh ima and of f er ed its f r iendsh ip to J ap an. Indeed dissu ading J ap an f r om acq u ir ing nu clear

weap ons and tech nolog y was th e p r ime p ar t of th e deal in ex ch ang e to def ence u mb r ella p r ov ided b y th e U nited S tates of Amer ica.

Ch ina is a commu nist cou ntr y . It h as g ot ch eap lab ou r b ecau se of low salar y

and wag es and v ast mar ket b ecau se of its h u g e p op u lation. S o many

f or eig n

inv estments h av e come its way leading it to b ecome an economic p ower . Its ef f icient leader sh ip

and dr eams of wor ld p ower made it a militar y p ower also. Ch ina is a

nu clear cou ntr y and now p r ov ing its mig h t in sp ace tech nolog y .

Th er e h as alway s b een enmity b etween J ap an and Ch ina as b oth

want to

contr ol th e r eg ion th ey ar e in. Commu nist Ch ina saw J ap an with su sp icion as it was th e f r iend and close ally of th e U S A f r om th e day s of Cold War wh ile J ap an similar ly

r ecip r ocated as Ch ina was a Commu nist cou ntr y . F u r th er , b oth ar e contender s f or

r eg ional su p er ior ity f r om th e 1 9 5 0 s. Th e last six decades f ou nd J ap an g iv ing way to S ou th

K or ea as a r eg ional economic p ower wh ile Ch ina is making

towar ds its g oal of b ecoming a su p er p ower .

r ap id mov es

Ch ina’ s r ise in th e f ields of E conomy h as b een stag g er ing . It is f ast b ecoming

an indu str ial p ower with h u g e demand f or its g oods all ov er th e wor ld b ecau se of

th eir lower p r ices with ou t comp r omise in q u ality . Also, it is noted th at if a new tech nolog y wer e dev elop ed, Ch ina wou ld b e th e f ir st to adop t it. It is th is initiativ e of

its leader s th at b r ou g h t th is dr eam tr ansf or mation in Ch ina’ s economic p r owess in a

52

matter of a f ew decades f r om a dev elop ing cou ntr y to its p r esent comp u lsion of b eing cou nted as a su p er p ower .

Th er e is an adag e th at a wou nded tig er is mor e f er ociou s wh en it is wou nded

and f allen. It was wh at h ap p ened to Ch ina in 1 9 4 9 immediately af ter Commu nists took th e r eig ns of th e cou ntr y . Th e wor ld commu nity ex cep t f or th ose cou ntr ies th at

b elong ed to th e Commu nist b loc distanced th e Commu nist cou ntr y . M ost cou ntr ies

of th e wor ld inclu ding th e U nited S tates of Amer ica r ef u sed to r ecog nise th e new Gov er nment and p r ef er r ed to continu e th eir dip lomatic r elations with

Taiwan th an

with th e mainland of Ch ina. Ch ina h ad to str u g g le h ar d f or y ear s to g ain admission to th e U nited Nations O r g anisation to r ep lace Taiwan in sp ite of it b eing

th e most

p op u lated cou ntr y in th e wor ld with a v ast g eog r ap h ical ar ea. India’ s well intended ef f or ts th r ou g h

its g entlemanly

P r ime M inister , S h r ee J awah ar lal Neh r u

to

accommodate Commu nist Ch ina b y intr odu cing its leader s like M r . Ch ou -E n-L ai and

oth er s to wor ld leader s in inter national meeting s like th e B andu ng Conf er ence and

mov es f or th e admission of th e mainland of Ch ina to th e U nited Nations O r g anisation f u r th er inf u r iated th e wou nded p r ou d tig er as it saw th e smaller neig h b ou r ’ s and its wor ld statu r e leader s’ p atr onag e as national h u miliation of Ch ina and its Commu nist r eg ime. Th e r esu lt was th e 1 9 6 2

O ctob er Ch inese ag g r ession on Indian nor th er n

b or der s on th e p r etex t of b or der disp u tes and Ch inese claims on th e p r esent state of Ar u nach al P r adesh , and India’ s h u miliating def eat.

Ch ina, if any th ing , h as r isen on th e ladder of E conomics as well as M ilitar y

p r owess b y th e sh eer dint of p atr iotism, lar g e dr eams, commitment, comp etence and h ar d wor k of its leader sh ip . Th is is a v er y g r eat r ise f or a p oor and dev elop ing

cou ntr y b ey ond wildest dr eams to ach iev e with in a sp an of h alf a centu r y . Ch ina cou ld stalk th is f ar

b ecau se of

its ou tstanding

leader sh ip . Ch ina is alr eady

r ecog nised inf or mally as one of th e wor ld leader s and an indisp u tab le r eg ional p ower in Asia h ead and sh ou lder ab ov e f or mer g iants like J ap an and S ou th

K or ea and

p er h ap s stands on p ar with R u ssia in its economic and militar y statu r e. Th e tr u e r ise of Ch ina star ted f r om late 1 9 9 0 s af ter th e tr ansf er of H ong

K ong f r om th e B r itish

lease to th e mainland of Ch ina. Ch inese leader s b y all p ossib ility lear nt and p icked 53

th e r op es of dev elop ment and p r og r ess f r om th e wester nised and dev elop ed city of

H ong K ong and intellig ently adap ted th e tr icks to th eir needs and sy stem to p r odu ce

a r ar e h y b r id of u np r ecedented su ccess. Th e kind of g r owth and p r og r ess seen in Ch ina in a sh or t sp an of time f ades th e oth er wise stu nning

stor ies of p r og r ess

witnessed in cou ntr ies like th e City S tate of S ing ap or e, J ap an, S ou th

K or ea, and

Taiwan in th e Asian continent. Its r ap id r ise in th e r anks of th e wor ld made it a

r esp ectab le cou ntr y in sp ite of its Commu nist sy stem and its disp u tes with b oth th e U nited S tates of Amer ica and R u ssia, and its op inions and actions on wor ld af f air s

ar e cou ntenanced with ser iou sness and alar m as f or no oth er cou ntr ies, and no day s

p ass with ou t th e wor ld p r ess, telev isions and Inter net news r ef er r ing to Ch ina and activ ities p er taining to it.

Ch ina with ab ou t one-six th of th e wor ld p op u lation accou nts f or th e h ig h est

nu mb er of r ich p eop le of th e Asian continent and accou nted f or elev en b illionair es in 2 0 0 3 ag ainst sev en in India.

In sp ite of all th is adv ancement, th e p eop le of Ch ina continu e to b e p oor b y

wor ld standar ds and th ey may r emain so f or some time consider ing th eir nu mb er .

Ch ina, to b e a g r eat wor ld p ower , h as to attend th is weakness of it. Th e Gov er nment of Ch ina is doing its b est to imp r ov e th e lots of its r u r al f olks and city p oor th r ou g h

nov el sch emes. B u t, r aising th e standar ds of a b illion p eop le ov er nig h t is b ey ond any h u man dr eam, lest Ch ina’ s leader sh ip is tr y ing in th at dir ection.

Italy and Ch ina ar e two cou ntr ies situ ated f ar f r om each

oth er . Th ey wer e

h ar dly awar e of each oth er in ancient times and came to know ab ou t each oth er only

af ter M ar co P olo came to Ch ina f r om Italy and wr ote ab ou t Ch ina in h is memoir s. Italy and Ch ina ar e comp etitor s th ese day s in wor ld tr ade in identical g oods and b oth

h av e identical inter ests in most f ields. B oth cou ntr ies claim noodles as p ar t of th eir cu linar y ex p er tise and enj oy cu ltu r al similar ities.

54

THE XINJIANG TROUBLE

Ch ina h as h ad h u g e tr ou b le in U r u mq i in 2 0 0 9

in wh ich

eth nic tensions

er u p ted b etween th e local U ig h ar M u slims and H an Ch inese damag ing

Ch ina’ s

imag e. B oth g r ou p s ar e antag onistic towar ds each oth er af ter H an Ch inese h as b een f ou nd mig r ating to th at r eg ion and f ear ed to b e taking away th e j ob op p or tu nities of th e locals.

Th e Ch inese Gov er nment tr ied to dif f u se th e tensions and u ltimately

su cceeded. Ch ina inter nally h ad r elativ ely p eacef u l lif e f or decades f r ee of tensions

and inter nal conf licts u nder th e Commu nist r eg ime sav e f or th e occasional Tib etan u p r ise and th e stu dents p r otest at th e Tianamen S q u ar e in 1 9 8 9 .

Th e mig r ation of H an Ch inese to th e U ig h ar M u slims maj or ity U r u mq i f r om th e

dif f er ent p ar ts of Ch ina th at af f ected th e demog r ap h y of th e r eg ion is at th e r oot of

th e p r ob lem. Th er e ar e now almost as many H an Ch inese in U r u mq i as th er e ar e th e U ig h ar M u slims. Th is h as cau sed tensions b etween th e locals and th e H an Ch inese. In a toy manu f actu r ing comp any a f ew day s b ack, a g r ou p of H an Ch inese killed two

of th e local U ig h ar M u slims and th is led to commotions in th e ar ea and locals went on a r amp ag e killing

H an Ch inese. Th at led to ser iou s clash es b etween th e two

eth nic g r ou p s at X inj iang , th e cap ital of U r u mq i leading to h eav y casu alties of lif e and

p r op er ties f or cing th e Ch inese P r esident H u J intao to r etu r n h ome h alf way f r om th e G5 , G8 su mmit and disp atch th e ar my to contr ol th e situ ation at X inj iang .

Wh en one th inks of Ch ina, h e u sed to th ink of it as a smaller v er sion of th e

f or mer S ov iet U nion of th e S talin v intag e with Commu nism, one p ar ty r u le, sp ies and secr et ag ents, su sp icion, op p r ession and su p p r ession of th e op p onents and r u th less administr ation, and as a satellite of th e latter . No mor e of th at now. Ch ina of p r esent day s stands u p to R u ssia as mu ch as it stands u p to th e U nited S tates of Amer ica or

any oth er dev elop ed cou ntr ies in sp ite of th e b r eth r en f eeling s f or th e f or mer ou t of th e Commu nist ideolog y . It h as long -standing

b or der disp u tes with

R u ssia and

adop ts its own p olicies in f or eig n as well as economic f ields. U nder no str etch of

55

imag ination, it can b e called as a satellite of any oth er su p er p ower . O n th e oth er h and, most dev elop ed cou ntr ies ar e comp eting economic and tr ade r elations with th e cou ntr y .

to b ef r iend Ch ina and dev elop

Ch ina’ s economic g r owth h as b een str ong f or q u ite some time now. F or th e

last f ew y ear s it h as r ecor ded an economic g r owth of ex cess of ten p er cent. Th is h owev er h ad b een f or ecast to decr ease ov er th e cou r se of th e p ast y ear , b ecau se of

th e economic cr isis th at h as str u ck th e wor ld. H owev er , it h as b een seen th at th is

h as not h ap p ened and Ch ina h as done r ath er well f or itself in th e economic f r ont ov er th e last one y ear .

Th is h as b een attr ib u ted to th e massiv e stimu lu s p lan th at Ch ina h as dr awn

u p last y ear . Th is massiv e tr illion-dollar p lan h as sh or ed u p Ch ina to a v er y g ood ex tent. Th e U nited S tates h as on th e oth er h and not b een doing dev elop ed cou ntr ies and also India.

mu ch

Ch ina h as r ecor ded an economic g r owth b etter th an p r ev iou sly

of 7 .9 %

well, like oth er

f or 2 0 0 8 -2 0 0 9 , wh ich

ex p ected. Th is is th u s a r ath er g ood th ing

is

f or th e

Ch inese and th is is someth ing th at th e Ch inese will b e h op ing to b u ild on ov er th e nex t f ew month s and y ear s. Af ter h alf of last y ear , Ch ina h ad seen a small slu mp in th eir economy amou nting to ab ou t f iv e or six p er cent to 6 .4 %

g r owth . H owev er , th ey

h av e r ecov er ed r ath er well to p ost th e ov er all g r owth ov er th e last one y ear .

Th e Ch inese g ov er nment is h op ing to do b etter th an th at in 2 0 0 9 -2 0 1 0 and

th is is some th ing th at Ch ina will tr y to accomp lish . H owev er , ex p er t op inion is th at it

is j u st not b e p ossib le b ecau se of th e decr easing ex p or t demands f r om th e U nited S tates and oth er cou ntr ies in th e cr u nch

of th e wor ld economic r ecession. Th u s,

Ch ina may h av e a b ad y ear in economics nex t y ear .

56

NORTH KOREA AND ITS NUCLEAR AMBITIONS Nor th K or ea r ecently declar ed its p ossession of th e cap ab ilities of th e nu clear

weap ons and annou nced its r eadiness to r esu me b r oken talks th at wer e meant to dissu ade Nor th K or ea f r om th e nu clear p ath . As th e v er y p u r p ose of th e talks b eing

r ender ed u seless, th e talks wer e natu r ally called of f as now. Th e U nited S tates of Amer ica and oth er cou ntr ies ar e natu r ally R u b icon b y Nor th

r etaliation inclu ding

K or ea. In addition, Nor th

deep ly

u p set with

K or ea is issu ing

th e cr ossing

of th e

ser iou s war ning s of

nu clear war ag ainst any ag g r essiv e actions ag ainst it b y any

cou ntr y , th e war ning s p r imar ily meant to S ou th K or ea, J ap an and th e U nited S tates

of Amer ica, and issu ing p h otos of its su p r emo, K im J ong II leading h is Gener als in p r ov ocativ e manner . Nor th K or ea’ s p r esent statu r e as a de f acto nu clear p ower with

its missile cap ab ilities p ose r eal dang er to th e U nited S tates of Amer ica acr oss th e

P acif ic O cean ap ar t f r om p osing mor tal dang er to th e ex istence to S ou th K or ea and wor king as a constant ir r itant to J ap an.

Nor th K or ea is an enemy of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica since th e day s of th e

K or ean War of th e 1 9 5 0 s du r ing th e h eig h t of th e Cold War . It is now natu r al to

ex p ect some kind of p r o-activ e action b y th e U nited S tates of Amer ica to neu tr alise

Nor th K or ea to r e-estab lish a kind of p ower b alance and saf eg u ar d its inter ests in th is p ar t of Asia ap ar t f r om making its own secu r ity f oolp r oof f r om acr oss th e P acif ic

O cean. R emov al of th e K im J ong II r eg ime may b e a sof t op tion. Th e Nor th K or ean su p r eme is alr eady in ex tr emely b ad h ealth .

It is su r mised th at Nor th K or ea p ossesses at least eig h t nu clear b omb s. Ap ar t

f r om it b eing a dir ect th r eat to th e U nited S tates of Amer ica, nu clear weap ons or its tech nolog y b eing

tr ansf er r ed to any of th e nu mer ou s ter r or ist g r ou p s like th e Al-

Q aeda op er ating ag ainst th e civ iliz ed wor ld p ose g r eater th r eat to th e secu r ity of th e wor ld. Nor th

K or ea op enly

h ar med in any way .

claimed th at it was a p otential f ear if Nor th

K or ea is

57

Neith er R u ssia nor Ch ina is comf or tab le with th e nu clear Nor th K or ea th ou g h

all th r ee b elong to th e Commu nist b loc and b oth ar e p ar ts of th e inter national ef f or ts

and talks h eld with th e Nor th K or ea to dissu ade it f r om th e nu clear p ath . Indeed th ese cou ntr ies ar e less ag g r essiv e ag ainst Nor th K or ean nu clear amb itions and do not f av ou r th e f all of th e K im J ong II r eg ime th er e.

Nor th K or ea sep ar ated f r om S ou th K or ea af ter a q u ite v iolent h istor y of war

th at th r eatened to b ecome th e h ar b ing er of th e Th ir d Wor ld War in 1 9 5 0 s. S ou th

K or ea with th e h elp of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica b ecame a r esp ected indu str ial p ower

of Asia on p ar

with

J ap an and Taiwan wh ile Nor th

K or ea u nder

th e

Commu nist r eg ime lang u ish ed in th is r esp ect. It now wants to make u p th e loss of time and come b ack in th e inter national ar ena b y b ecoming a nu clear p ower .

B lockade of Nor th K or ea is an op tion op en f or th e wor ld to f or ce th e cou ntr y to

f all in line with

th e wor ld op inion, as sh or tag e of f ood and oth er

commodities is acu te th er e. Commu nist cou ntr ies natu r ally

essential

will r esist any

su ch

measu r es ag ainst th eir b r eth r en th at h u r t th e inter ests of th e common man th er e. Wor ld is watch ing

h ow P r esident O b ama with

all h is well intended p eace

p r otestations wou ld tackle th is g r av e issu e of nu clear th r eat wh ile du ty b ou nd to p r otect th e inter ests of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica at any costs.

Th e av er ag e Nor th K or ean f ollowing th e eth nic f eatu r es of th e K or eans and

oth er p eop le of th e r eg ion is well b elow th e av er ag e h eig h t and weig h t f or h is ag e. Th e h eig h t and weig h t of a Nor th K or ean ch ild is also less th an av er ag e f or its ag e.

Nor th K or ean entr ep r eneu r s as well as common men as th ose in most oth er

Commu nist cou ntr ies p r ef er to mig r ate to neig h b ou r ing cou ntr ies like Ch ina, J ap an

and S ou th K or ea or oth er wester n cou ntr ies to wor k and ear n money . S ou th K or ea f acilitated mass emp loy ment to Nor th K or ean wor ker s in indu str ies at its b or der with

Nor th K or ea b y p r ov iding easy tr ansit f acilities acr oss th e b or der daily . S ou th K or ea is tr y ing

to make f r iends with

Nor th

K or ea and of f er ed to p r ov ide two million

meg awatts of electr icity to near ly dou b le its ou tp u t if it stop s its ef f or ts at nu clear

58

weap ons. Th e U nited S tates of Amer ica b acked th is p lan. Nor th K or ea is in dir e need of th is electr icity , as its p r esent p r odu ction h ar dly su f f ices to p r ov ide th r ee to f ou r

h ou r s of electr icity ev er y day . B u t, Nor th K or ea was not willing to b ar ter its nu clear

op tion f or th e electr icity . Def ence f or ces of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica man th e S ou th K or ean b or der s with th e Nor th K or ea since th e K or ean War of th e 1 9 5 0 s and it is a b ig ir r itant to Nor th K or ea.

Th e K or ean p eninsu la was f or mer ly one nation in ear ly 1 9 5 0 s. Th e th r eat of

K or ea g oing Commu nist insp ir ed inter nal conf lict in th e cou ntr y in ear ly 1 9 5 0 s and led to th e K or ean War with militar ily su p p or ting

th e U nited S tates of Amer ica and its wester n allies

th e r esistance wh ile th e Commu nist b loc with th e th en U S S R

and Ch ina in lead solidly b acking th e Commu nist take-ov er of th e p eninsu la. Th is was wh ile th e Cold War was at its h eig h t at its nascent stag e and th e war ended with

K or ea b eing div ided to two h alv es as Nor th K or ea in p ossession of th e Commu nist K or eans and S ou th

cau se of democr acy

continu ed u nab ated.

K or ea in p ossession of th ose K or eans wh o ch amp ioned th e in K or ea.

H owev er , h ostile f eeling s b etween th e cou ntr ies

59

IRAN AND THE WORLD Ir an is an imp or tant cou ntr y of th e P er sian Gu lf r eg ion, a non-Ar ab

Islamic

R ep u b lic with h u g e dep osit of oil. It is a S h iite dominated Islamic R ep u b lic in th e

midst of S u nni p op u lated M u slim cou ntr ies like Ir aq and P akistan. Wh ile its oil r ich es made it a p r osp er ou s cou ntr y , th e oil dep osits r ender ed it a p olitically sensitiv e and dang er ou s f ield of su p er p ower r iv alr y and manoeu v r es. Ir an is now r u led b y a clich é

of Islamic S h ia cler ics u nder th e constitu tionally institu ted S u p r eme L eader of Ir an, Ay atollah Ali K h omeini, wh o h as th e last wor d on th e state matter s and adv ised b y th e constitu tionally

institu ted “ E x p ediency

Cou ncil” , a p ower f u l cler ical b ody

th at

ar b itr ates disp u tes b etween th e leg islatu r e and th e g ov er nment. Th e elector al p r ocess monitor ed b y

“ th e Gu ar dian Cou ncil” , an ov er sig h t b ody

constitu ted to

ov er see elections in Ir an, elects th e P r esident of Ir an as h ead of th e Gov er nment.

NUCLEAR PATH

Ir an’ s nu clear amb itions ar e p osing a ser iou s p r ob lem to th e U nited S tates of

Amer ica, B r itain and oth er wester n cou ntr ies in th e b ackg r ou nd of incr easing

dif f er ences b etween th em concer ning P alestine, Isr ael, L eb anon and su ch p olitical

issu es of West Asia. Th ou g h Ir anian need of electr ic p ower is g enu ine, th e dif f er ence b etween th e p eacef u l u se of nu clear ener g y

and its u se f or p r odu cing

nu clear

weap ons is r ath er th in, and th e U nited S tates of Amer ica and oth er wester n cou ntr ies f ear th at nu clear weap ons and tech nolog y in th e h ands of Ir an is a su r e p assp or t f or its p r olif er ation to oth er Islamic cou ntr ies in West Asia and su b seq u ently

to Islamic militants. U S A named Ir an along with Nor th K or ea and S y r ia as an “ Ax is of

E v il” and calls th em as r og u e cou ntr ies. B u t, wor ld op inion ag ainst h as not deter r ed Ir an f r om its nu clear p ath

like Nor th

K or ea th ou g h

made Ir an cir cu msp ect and

somewh at r etar ded its p r og r ess in th is dir ection. R u ssia su p p or ts and collab or ates with Ir an in th e latter ’ s nu clear amb itions.

60

2009 ELECTION DISPUTE

Th e Ir anian E lections h av e g ot a v er y

imp or tant sig nif icance f or all th e

cou ntr ies in th e wor ld. Th e U nited S tates of Amer ica u nder P r esident B ar ack O b ama is p lanning to b ecome f r iends with Ir an and th is election th at was h eld in 2 0 0 9 h old

u tmost sig nif icance wh en it comes to th e f u tu r e of th e wor ld. P r esident Ah medenij ad

won th e elections ag ain in 2 0 0 9 with h u g e elev en million v otes. H owev er , h is main op p onent in th e election, M ou sav i and h is f ollower s and su p p or ter s mainly

constitu ted of stu dents r ef u sed to accep t th e def eat and claimed th at elections wer e r ig g ed and th at M ou sav i wou ld h av e won th e election if it was h eld f air ly . A v er y lar g e

nu mb er of f ollower s and su p p or ter s of M ou sav i came on str eets ag ainst th e election r esu lts and th er e wer e wide sp r ead p r otests and v iolence in Teh r an and oth er

Ir anian cities f or many day s. Ir an also saw cou nter p r otests f r om th e su p p or ter s of

Ah medenij ad and f actional f ig h ts ensu ed on Ir anian str eets. Ir anian Gov er nment cr u sh ed th e r eb ellion with f ir m h and and b r ou g h t p eace ag ain to th e str eets of Ir an. Ir anian Gov er nment ar g u ed th at th e h u g e swing

of elev en million v otes itself

disp r ov e th e th eor y of r ig g ing and u neq u iv ocally p r ov es th e p op u lar ity and maj or ity of

Ah medenij ad in th e election. Th e S u p r eme L eader of Ir an, Ay atollah Ali K h omeini, af ter du e delib er ations annou nced th at h e was satisf ied with th e election r esu lts and

ex p r essed h is su sp icion ab ou t ou tside consp ir acies to destab iliz e Ir an. H e called p r otestor s to stop ag itation. O nly af ter str ong -ar m meth ods b y th e Ir anian secu r ity f or ces, M ou sav i r elu ctantly ag r eed to distance f r om th e ag itation and p eace slowly r etu r ned to Ir an. Th e p eop le of Ir an ar e cau g h t in th e middle in th is ev ent.

Ir an went ag g r essiv ely ag ainst B r itain b laming it f or consp ir ing and insp ir ing

th e ag itation and ar r ested Ir anian staf f of th e B r itish E mb assy in Ir an f or inv olv ement in insp ir ing th e ag itation. It was f or th e f ir st time ev er th at Ir an b lamed a wester n cou ntr y

oth er th an U S A f or misch ief in th e cou ntr y

th ou g h

it b lamed P r esident

B ar ack O b ama of f ollowing th e p olicy of P r esident B u sh in th e incident. It also means

th at th e P r esident B ar ack O b ama mag ic is wor king on Ir an. It is a g ood sig n. Ch ina and R u ssia su p p or ted th e E lection r esu lts wh ile wester n cou ntr ies g ener ally su p p or ted M ou sav i. M ost of th e Wor ld P r ess commented on th ese elections with

61

dif f er ent op inions and j u dg ments. Ger many ’ s newsp ap er s h av e all b een on th e side

of M ou sav i. Th e U nited S tates of Amer ica u nder P r esident B ar ack O b ama sh owed commendab le r estr aint b y

calling

th e wh ole af f air as u nf or tu nate and r emained

u nnatu r ally q u iet and r ath er b land on th e wh ole on th is top ic.

RELATIONSHIP WITH BRITAIN

Th e leader s of Ir an say

th at th e p ost-election ag itation in Ir an is du e to

ex ter nal consp ir acies th at amou nted to inter f er ence with cau sed lots of h ar m to Ir anian inter ests.

its inter nal af f air s and

Th ey p r imar ily b lamed B r itain. Th ey h av e not b lamed th e U nited S tates of

Amer ica and th is can b e b ecau se of th e ‘ O b ama ef f ect’ . Ir anian leader s called B r itain

as th e most ev il cou ntr y in th e wester n h emisp h er e of th e wor ld. Th is b lame g ame inf u r iated B r itain and u nited th em in condemning

Ir an f or th e accu sation. Th e

O p p osition M P s of B r itain wh o u su ally b oo th e P r ime M inister of B r itain, Gor don B r own in P ar liament, ap p lau ded h im f or a b r eak wh en h e took on Ir an f or th ose accu sations.

Th en Ir an th r ew two B r itish dip lomats and a B B C j ou r nalist ou t of th e cou ntr y

and ar r ested a B r itish

j ou r nalist f or inv olv ement in th e u nr est. B r itain in r esp onse

th r ew ou t two Ir anian dip lomats. Ir an ar r ested a f ew Ir anian of f icials of th e B r itish

emb assy f or instig ating th e u nr est and annou nced tr y ing th em in Ir an. B r itain h as b een talking ab ou t closing down its mission in Ir an.

B r itain h as a h istor y of b ad r elationsh ip with Ir an and its misadv entu r es in th e

Ir anian election indep endent of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica f u r th er added to th e emb itter ment. Ir anians alr eady see B r itain as th e “ small S atan” .

62

OBAMA MAGIC

M ou sav i h as not sh own any f or m of g r ace at all du r ing th e ag itation. M assiv e

demonstr ations f r om b oth sides on th e str eets of Teh r an and oth er p laces in Ir an r esu lted in oth er cou ntr ies taking sides in th e election, th ou g h it is p u r ely an inter nal

matter of I r an and a disp u te b etween its p eop le and th e Gov er nment. Th e M ou sav i p ar ty

h as said th at th ese elections wer e sab otag ed, ev en th ou g h , elections j u st

cannot b e sab otag ed in su ch a way th at f iv e million v otes can swing .

M ou sav i h as not taken h is def eat in g ood g r ace. Th is mu ch

is ob v iou s.

Neig h b or ing cou ntr ies as well as R u ssia and Ch ina h av e accep ted th e r esu lts of th e Ir anian election in a f air sense. H owev er , B r itain and th e U nited S tates wer e op enly v ag u e in th eir r esp onses.

P r esident O b ama h as b een cr iticiz ed q u ite a b it b ecau se of h is v ag u e and

r ath er wr ong stance in su p p or t of B r itain in th e matter . Th e U nited S tates of Amer ica h as ex p r essed sy mp ath y f or th e p r otester s and was cr iticiz ed f or th is and f or th e indecisiv e manner of h andling

of th is wh ole issu e. It h as alr eady

O b ama M ag ic in Ir an and h e will h av e to do some th ing to r edeem it.

cor r oded th e

Th e f amou s Cair o sp eech of O b ama h as somewh at smooth ened Ir an’ s h u r t

f eeling s towar ds th e U nited S tates. H ow O b ama will h andle Ir an and its nu clear amb itions is a tr illion dollar q u estion and decide th e f u tu r e of th e wor ld and mankind.

63

IRAQ WARS Ir an and Ir aq ar e tr aditional r iv als. Wh ile Ir an is a non-Ar ab S h iite dominated

Islamic R ep u b lic, Ir aq is an eth nically Ar ab ian cou ntr y with its S h iite maj or ity long

dominated b y th e S u nni r eg ime of S addam H u ssain. Th e Ir an-Ir aq cu lminated in th e

long Ir an-Ir aq War f r om 1 9 8 0 to 1 9 8 8 . Th e su sp icion of th e S h iite leader sh ip of Ir an h elp ing

th e long

su p p r essed S h iite maj or ity of Ir aq

to r eb el ag ainst th e S addam

H u ssain r eg ime ap ar t f r om th e long standing b or der disp u tes b etween th e cou ntr ies

p r omp ted Ir aq P r esident S addam H u ssain to attack Ir an in 1 9 8 0 . Ir aq inv aded Ir an on S ep temb er 2 2 , 1 9 8 0 . Th e mess and tu r moil th en ex isted in Ir an af ter th e Islamic

R ev olu tion h elp ed S addam H u ssain’ s decision to inv ade Ir an. Th e p olitical situ ation in th e P er sian Gu lf af ter th e Ir anian R ev olu tion p r omp ted th e U nited S tates of

Amer ica and oth er wester n allies to side with Ir aq ag ainst r adically Islamist Ir an to

cou nter -b alance th e r ise of th e p ost-R ev olu tion Ir an. B u t, th e Ir anian f or ces f or ced Ir aq to r etr eat in J u ne 1 9 8 2 and Ir an took th e mantle of ag g r ession th er eaf ter till th e war ended on Au g u st 2 0 , 1 9 8 8 .

K u wait, th e neig h b or ing Ar ab cou ntr y , was a close ally of Ir aq and p r ov ided

tactical and f inancial su p p or t to Ir aq

du r ing

th e Ir aq -Ir an war . B u t th e r elationsh ip

sou r ed af ter th e war cu lminating in inv asion of K u wait b y Ir aq in 1 9 9 0 . Th e K u wait demand of r ep ay ment of 4 0

b illion dollar s it p r ov ided to Ir aq

du r ing th e Ir an-Ir aq War deep ly str ained th e r elationsh ip b etween Ir aq and K u wait.

Ir aq af ter th e Ir an-Ir aq War was not in p osition to r ep ay th e amou nt. It maneu v er ed in th e meeting s of th e O r g anisation of th e P etr oleu m E x p or ting Cou ntr ies ( O P E C) to incr ease th e wor ld oil p r ice to enab le it to r ep ay th e b or r owing s f r om K u wait. K u wait on th e oth er h and incr eased th e q u antu m of its oil p r odu ction cau sing

sev er e

damag e to th e Ir aq ef f or ts to incr ease th e wor ld oil p r ice. F all of wor ld oil p r ice b y one

dollar a b ar r el cau sed a loss of one b illion dollar s to th e annu al r ev enu e of Ir aq and it

was estimated th at Ir aq lost 1 4 b illion dollar s a y ear du e to K u wait' s oil p r ice str ateg y .

64

Th e Ir aq Gov er nment called th is attitu de of non-coop er ation b y K u wait Gov er nment as a kind of E conomic War f ar e. Ir aq accu sed K u wait of stealing its oil and claimed

th at K u wait h istor ically b elong ed to Ir aq u p to 1 9 1 3 u ntil th e U nited K ing dom car v ed

ou t K u wait as a sep ar ate state f r om Ir aq . It was in th is b ackg r ou nd th at Ir aq inv aded K u wait on Au g u st 2 , 1 9 9 0 .

With in two day s of th e inv asion, th e Ir aq i R ep u b lican Gu ar ds v anq u ish ed

K u wait and K u wait r u ling

elite escap ed to neig h b or ing S au di Ar ab ia and B ah r ain.

Ir aq P r esident, S addam H u ssain declar ed K u wait as th e 1 9 th p r ov ince of Ir aq and K u wait r emained in Ir aq ’ s p ossession f or sev en month s till “ O p er ation Deser t S tor m” of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica snatch ed b ack K u wait f r om Ir aq in F eb r u ar y 1 9 9 1 and r estor ed to its f or mer r u ler s.

Th e U nited S tates of Amer ica, th e U nited K ing dom, and Canada met Ir aq ’ s

militar y action on K u wait with economic sanctions ag ainst Ir aq on th e call of th e U N

S ecu r ity Cou ncil and with p r ep ar ations f or war . F or ces of th ese cou ntr ies j oined th e r eg ional tr oop s of B ah r ain, K u wait, O man, Q atar , S au di Ar ab ia, and th e U nited Ar ab E mir ates in p ower f u l sh ow of str eng th

ag ainst Ir aq

coalition f or ces with in a month in F eb r u ar y 1 9 9 1 .

U K

f or a decisiv e v ictor y f or th e

Ir aq War of 2 0 0 3 was f or ced on Ir aq b y th e g ov er nments of th e U .S . and th e

on th e u nf ou nded claim th at Ir aq is p r odu cing and is in p ossession of Weap ons

of M ass Destr u ction ( WM D) and th er ef or e p osed an imminent th r eat to th e secu r ity of th e wor ld. Th ey also claimed Ir aq

P r esident S addam H u ssein of h ar b or ing

and

su p p or ting th e Al-Q aeda Islamic militant ou tf it th at was r esp onsib le f or th e Wor ld Tr ade Centr e attack of S ep temb er 1 1 , 2 0 0 1 . Th ese cou ntr ies emp loy ed all th eir

dip lomatic skills and p olitical mu scles to f or g e an alliance of f r iendly cou ntr ies to

inv ade Ir aq . M ost p ossib ly , Ir aq ' s oil r eser v es and p er sonal distastes b etween th e th en P r esident of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica, Geor g e B u sh P r esident, S addam H u ssain wer e str ong

and th e th en Ir aq

r easons in th e decision to inv ade Ir aq . 65

Any way , S addam H u ssain and Ir aq wer e clear ed of all b lames and accu sations b y th e later inv estig ations and p r ob es.

Th e inv asion of Ir aq led to an occu p ation and th e ev entu al cap tu r e of S addam

H u ssein, wh o was later ex ecu ted b y th e Ir aq i Gov er nment. V iolence ag ainst coalition

f or ces soon led to u ncontr olled Ir aq i insu r g ency and low-intensity civ il war b etween S u nni and S h iite sects th r ou g h ou t Ir aq . Th e inv asion and th e insu r g ency p r ov ided a f ooth old to Al-Q aeda in Ir aq

and r ap idly

g r ew in str eng th

ensu ed

th er e. Th e

u ncalled war led to th e death of mor e th an a million civ ilians and u p r ooting of mor e th an f iv e million p eop le or 1 6 %

of th e Ir aq p op u lation.

Coalition th at was f or med to inv ade Ir aq slowly disinteg r ated as p u b lic op inion

went ag ainst th e inv asion of Ir aq and Ir aq i f or ces b eg an to take r esp onsib ility f or its

secu r ity . P r esident B ar ack O b ama on assu ming p ower as th e P r esident of th e U nited

S tates of Amer ica annou nced with dr awal of th e U nited S tates f or ces in 1 8 -month s, leav ing b ack ab ou t 3 0 ,0 0 0 to 5 0 ,0 0 0 tr oop s to adv ice and tr ain Ir aq i secu r ity f or ces.

B r itain with dr ew its op er ations in Ir aq Ap r il 3 0 , 2 0 0 9 . Y et, Ir aq War is not a closed ch ap ter and insu r g ency and r etaliator y v iolence ar e continu ing u nab ated.

66

JAPAN AFTER THE SECOND WORLD WAR

H ir osh ima is th e u nf or tu nate city of J ap an wh er e th e U nited S tates of Amer ica

dr op p ed its f ir st nu clear b omb at th e f ag end of th e S econd Wor ld War . An entir e city

with its teeming innocent p op u lation was cr u elly ex ter minated. P eop le th at su r v iv ed th e tr ag edy

with

inj u r ies liv ed th e r est of th eir lif e with

tr ag ic su f f er ing s and

tr ansmitted th e g r iev ou s def ects of th e nu clear r adiation to th e nex t g ener ations. Th e

U nited S tates of Amer ica r esor ted to th is deadly weap on f or th e f ir st time in th e

h istor y of th e mankind at th e end of th e S econd Wor ld af ter b eing conv inced th at J ap an wou ld not g o down and accep t def eat u nless it r esor ts to su ch

a dr amatic

measu r e. Indeed, th e ef f ect was lig h tening and J ap an su r r ender ed soon th er eaf ter .

Th e ev ent op ened th e ey es of th e wor ld to th e destr u ctiv e p otentialities of th e

nu clear b omb and th e v u lner ab ilities of th e man b ef or e its destr u ctiv e p ower s. Th is sing le ev ent is th e h ar b ing er of all later ef f or ts at th e non-p r olif er ation of nu clear

weap ons on th e f ace of th e E ar th . S adly , th e p r olif er ation is continu ing th ou g h in a slower p ace with

mor e and mor e cou ntr ies b ecoming

nu clear p ower s with

Nor th

K or ea b eing

th e latest entr y to th e du b iou s clu b

and p er h ap s Ir an, th e nex t. Th e

wor ld many

times ov er and th e U nited S tates of Amer ica is su r mised to h av e

U nited S tates of Amer ica and R u ssia h av e nu clear war h eads su f f icient to destr oy th e stockp iled ab ou t ten th ou sand nu clear war h eads.

J ap an is a nation of committed and dilig ent p eop le. It was a p ower f u l and

p r osp er ou s cou ntr y u nder its monar ch and on a winning sp r ee in S ou th E ast Asia and B u r ma in th e S econd Wor ld War till it was h u mb led b y th e comb ined f or ces of

th e Allies at th e f ag end of th e war . Nu clear b omb s of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica on th e cities of H ir osh ima and Nag asaki f inally b r ou g h t J ap an to its knees.

Th e p eop le of J ap an ar e known to b e a v er y amb itiou s set of p eop le. Th e

U nited S tates of Amer ica decided to h elp J ap an to r eb u ild f r om th e damag e th ey

67

wr ou g h t on it and of f er ed nu clear p r otection on th e assu r ance th at J ap an wou ld

desist f r om th e nu clear p ath . It lib er ally h elp ed f or its r ecov er y and r estor ation as an

indu str ial g iant. It was a wor th sp ending f or th e U nited S tates of Amer ica as J ap an b ecame an endu r ing

and loy al f r iend and ally of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica to

p r otect th e latter ’ s inter ests in E aster n Asia and on th e P acif ic O cean and activ ely

p ar took in th e Ir aq War in f av ou r of its p atr on. Also, J ap an is th e key of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica in its manoeu v r es ag ainst th e r ising p ower of Ch ina in Asia.

J ap anese ar e known f or h ar d wor k and v er y intellig ent. H owev er , b r ain dr ain

is cau sing

p r ob lems in th e b est u tilisation of its manp ower and its p otentialities.

J ap an lies on an ear th q u ake-p r one r eg ion of Asia. It r iv als ev en S u matr a in th is

r esp ect. S ans b u ilding p r op er constr u ctions f or dwelling and oth er p u r p oses, lif e is

u nsaf e in J ap an. Th e ministr y in ch ar g e of ar ch itectu r e of b u ilding s is h elp ing p eop le

in th e constr u ction of r ob u st b u ilding s th at can with stand th e r ep eat onslau g h t of th e tectonic p lates f r om deep b eneath th e su r f ace of th e E ar th .

68

THE THIRD REICH AND ITS PLACE IN THE WORLD HISTORY H itler ’ s Ger man g ov er nment was one of th e most destr u ctiv e and cr u el

r eg imes th at ev er r u led on th is p lanet. Du r ing h is time, h e contr olled ev er y asp ect of Ger many . Th e liv es of th e p eop le of Ger many wer e in h is h ands. H e h eld th e p ower

of lif e and death ov er ev er y one in Ger many . Th is was a p ower th at was not g iv en to any one, any time in Teu tonic memor y .

H itler h owev er , did not u se th is u nlimited p ower in h is own land f or g ood. H e

wanted to ex p and th e f r ontier s of h is cou ntr y at th e ex p ense of oth er s and committed b ar b ar ic deeds on th e J ews, telling th at th e J ews wer e r esp onsib le f or th e def eat of Ger many in th e F ir st Wor ld War . H e was r esp onsib le f or killing

lar g e nu mb er s of

J ews and was also ab le to conq u er a v er y lar g e amou nt of ter r itor y of E u r op e. B or n in Au str ia, h e was a soldier of Ger many in th e F ir st Wor ld War . H e th en came to Ger many at th e end of th e F ir st Wor ld War .

H e was an eloq u ent sp eaker and was ab le to mov e th e cr owds with

h is

p atr iotic sp eech . H e condemned J ews as v iciou s anti-S emitism was in v og u e at th at time in Ger many . H e was th e leader and insp ir ation of a p ower f u l p olitical p ar ty

called as th e National S ocialist Ger man Wor ker s’ P ar ty or th e Naz i P ar ty . Th e B eer H all P u tsch

or M u nich

P u tsch

of Nov emb er 9 , 1 9 2 3

was a f ailu r e, b u t h e th en

conv er ted th e f ollowing media cov er ag e of h is tr ial into a su ccess. H e th en enter ed

b ack into activ e p olitics and was f inally ab le to g et h is p ar ty , th e Naz i P ar ty , b ecome th e second lar g est p ar ty in th e R eich stag and with P r esident H indenb u r g ’ s h elp was ab le to make h imself Ch ancellor of Ger many .

H itler th en conq u er ed ar eas ou tside Ger many . H e f ir st annex ed Alsace of

F r ance with ou t F r ance r etaliating . H e th en was ab le to annex Au str ia b y b r owb eating

th e Au str ian ch ancellor . H e th en tu r ned h is sig h ts onto Cz ech oslov akia. H e th en with

69

th e M u nich ag r eement was ab le to annex a small p ar t of Cz ech oslov akia and was th en ab le to send h is soldier s into Cz ech oslov akia.

H itler th en tr ied to g et th e cor r idor of Danz ig and Danz ig itself f r om P oland.

With th is, h e wou ld b e ab le to j oin E ast P r u ssia too and also wou ld b e ab le to g et P oland. Th is was h owev er op p osed b y th e B r itish and th e F r ench . Th ey said th at if H itler did any th ing ag ainst P oland, th ey wou ld attack Ger many . H owev er , Ger many

attacked P oland and th e S econd Wor ld War star ted. Th is was th e b eg inning of th e end f or H itler .

H itler f ir st sig ned a non-ag g r ession p act with th e S ov iet U nion and inv ited Th e

S ov iet U nion to take a p ar t of P oland. H e th en with

h is allies, J ap an and Italy

declar ed war ag ainst B r itain too. H itler was ab le to annex P oland v er y easily . H e

th en attacked F r ance. F r ance f ell in one month . H itler u sed a new f or m of war f ar e known as B litz kr ieg

or a swif t and v iolent militar y

of f ensiv e with

intensiv e aer ial

b omb ar dment. H e was ab le to win v er y easily at all f r ontier s h e was in war with . Th en h e tu r ned h is sig h ts to an aer ial war ag ainst B r itain. Th is was h owev er not at all su ccessf u l. H e th en tu r ned to th e S ov iet U nion.

Th e S ov iet U nion did not ex p ect th is attack f r om Ger many at all and was ill

p r ep ar ed f or th is assau lt. It was p u sh ed b ack and b ack v er y easily . H owev er , in th e end it was ab le to h old b ack Ger many . As ear ly winter ch ill h elp ed th e S ov iet U nion

f or ces, Ger many star ted to su f f er v er y h eav y def eats in th e E aster n f r ont. Th en th e J ap anese attacked th e Amer icans at P ear l H ar b ou r and th e U S A j oined th e war and declar ed war on Ger many

too. Th e Nor mandy

b each

Th ese b each landing s sp elt th e doom f or th e Ger mans.

landing s th en took p lace.

Th e Amer icans and th e S ov iet U nion tr oop s mar ch ed to Ger many with ou t

mu ch r esistance and Ger many was def eated. H itler committed su icide mar king th e

end of th e E u r op ean th eatr e of th e war and th e Th ir d R eich , b u t not th e end of th e wor ld war . Th at came wh en th e J ap anese too su r r ender ed af ter th e twin nu clear b omb ing s of H ir osh ima and Nag asaki.

70

WORLD POLITICAL DYNAMICS

NEED OF REORGANISING THE UNO

Th e U nited Nations O r g anisation was f or med to b r ing

ab ou t p eace in th e

wor ld. It is incr easing ly f ailing to f u lf il th e ob j ectiv e in th e p r esent comp lex wor ld. It is

an or g anisation with ou t a v oice to su p p or t its will, and a v oice with ou t p ower to

su p p or t it like its p r edecessor , th e L eag u e of Nations th at h ad b een set u p af ter th e F ir st Wor ld War . Th e L eag u e of Nations th en f u nctioned akin to th e p r esent-day U nited Nations O r g anisation and b adly f ailed to p r ev ent th e S econd Wor ld War . Th e f ir st P r ime M inister of India, J awah ar lal Neh r u r esp ected th e U NO

and

h onou r ed its call f or ceasef ir e wh ile Indian ar my was su ccessf u lly p u sh ing P akistan soldier s b ack f r om K ash mir in 1 9 4 7

and in th e p r ocess, lost h alf of K ash mir to

P akistan b y declar ing ceasef ir e and kep t th e ir r itating K ash mir issu e aliv e to th is day . No dou b t, b y listening

to th e U nited Nations O r g anisation, h e h ad incr eased th e

p r estig e of India b u t it r esu lted in th e main cau se of th e disp u te b etween India and P akistan. B u t th e calls and r esolu tions of th e U NO

and its R esolu tions ar e ig nor ed as

a r u le b y oth er cou ntr ies. Ab sence of its own ar med f or ces to f or ce its r esolu tions and its comp lete dep endence on oth er cou ntr ies, p ar ticu lar ly th e U nited S tates of Amer ica, r ender ed it weak.

Incr easing th e nu mb er of memb er s of th e S ecu r ity Cou ncil to inclu de r ising

p ower s of th e wor ld in deciding ener g y to th e wor ld b ody .

th e wor ld af f air s may b r ing

some initiativ es and

MILITARY ALLIANCES

M ilitar y alliances ar e v er y common th ese day s. M any war s h av e b een f ou g h t

in th e wor ld in r ecent p ast. Cou ntr ies in war need to team u p with oth er cou ntr ies to win th e war . M ilitar y

alliances ar e imp or tant f or two r easons: p olitical and mor al

71

su p p or t, and militar y and tactical su p p or t. E v en in th e M ah ab h ar ata, th e sides th at f ou g h t th e war , th at is, th e K au r av as and th e P andav as, f ou g h t it with th e su p p or t of allies, wh o enh anced th eir p ower .

with

Th e need of allies is acu te in conf licts in moder n day s. Th e sh r inking wor ld

th e ex p losion of commu nication and tr ansp or t f acilities makes sy mb iosis

f ou ndation of

th e moder n liv ing . Th e f amou s declar ation of

math ematician tu r ned p h ilosop h er of th e 1 9

th

a r enowned

centu r y th at “ E v er y th ing is ev er y wh er e

at all times” h olds mor e tr u e f or th e mater ial wor ld of th e p r esent day . E v er y th ing ev er y wh er e in th is wor ld is inter linked. Th e wor ld is dev elop ing

occu r r ing

into a h u g e net of inter -connections. Noth ing

in one p ar t of th e wor ld escap es th e oth er p ar t of th e wor ld. War s and

p eace, constr u ctions and destr u ctions, su ccesses and f ailu r es, f alls and r ises, r ich es

and p ov er ty , p r og r ess and new f inding s, all h av e a cascading ef f ect th r ou g h ou t th e wor ld. Inter ests of nations ar e b ecoming inter -r elated. F ir st and S econd Wor ld War s ar e Wor ld War s b ecau se of th is p h enomenon. B oth Allies and Ax is P ower s f ou g h t th e war s as cong lomer ates of nations almost div iding

th e wor ld to two op p osing

b locs. L ater war s like th e K or ean War , V ietnam War , Gu lf War , Ir aq War and Af g h an War p r ov e th is need of alliance b etween war r ing nations of th e p r esent wor ld.

E v en th e Cold War of th e two su p er p ower s f r om 1 9 5 0 s to 1 9 9 0 was not an

ex cep tion to th is comp u lsion. Th e wor ld was almost div ided to two b locs su p p or ting th e U nited S tates of Amer ica r ep r esenting S ov iet U nion r ep r esenting

dev elop ed cap italist cou ntr ies and th e

th e Commu nist alliance. Th e only distr acting

ag ainst th e tr end at th e time came th r ou g h

inf lu ence

th e institu tion of th e Non-Alig ned

M ov ement ( NAM ) b y th e tr iu mv ir ates of India, U nited Ar ab R ep u b lic and Y u g oslav ia

b y th e initiativ es of th eir leader s, J awah ar lal Neh r u , Nasser and M ar sh al Tito. Th e v er y f act th at NAM

h ad only p ar tial su ccess in wor ld af f air s and at its death th r oes

now p r ov es th e f u tility of th e non-alig nment in th e p r esent wor ld.

72

No cou ntr y is a f r iend or f oe p er manently in p olitics and dip lomacy . It is all a

matter of self -inter ests and secu r ity of a cou ntr y . India p lay ed close to th e U S S R

till

th e latter disinteg r ated in 1 9 9 0 . S ov iet U nion was r eally a loy al f r iend of India in th ose decades with lib er al p olitical, dip lomatic, militar y , scientif ic and economic h elp s

to India. India su r v iv ed all inter national p r essu r es f or decades in K ash mir issu e and r ecu r r ing U nion.

Indo-P ak war s only

b ecau se of th e dep endab le su p p or t of th e S ov iet

Th e p er ceiv ed stance of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica r eg ar ding

issu e and its r eadiness to tr eat India with mov ing

an ex cep tion with

Indo-P ak

a nu clear deal ar e

India closer to th e U nited S tates of Amer ica. It is alway s th e national

inter ests th at g u ide a cou ntr y to decide with wh om to ally and ag ainst wh om. India is not an ex cep tion to th is. Th e statu s of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica as th e only su p er p ower of th e wor ld added to th is slant.

Not th at India is totally allied with any one cou ntr y . S u ch a stance is ag ainst all

annals of wise dip lomacy . It is keep ing its op tions op en. It is condu cting j oint militar y ex er cises with

th e U nited S tates of Amer ica as well as with

Ch ina. It is seeking

sp ecial r elations with v ar iou s cou ntr ies in th e name of ax is like India-B r az il-S ou th Af r ica Ax is and India-R u ssia-Ch ina Ax is et ceter a ap ar t f r om b eing

memb er of

v ar iou s wor ld b odies and g r ou p s to str eng th en its standing . India h as g ot a p ower f u l enemy in Ch ina and a h eadach e in P akistan. India is in need of p ower f u l militar y

alliances with th e U nited S tates of Amer ica ag ainst th e amb itions of Ch ina in Indian b or der state of Ar u nach al P r adesh , and with

R u ssia ag ainst th e amb itions of

P akistan ov er K ash mir to f ig h t it p olitically . A b alanced mov e b etween is th e dip lomatic need of India.

THE EUROPEAN UNION

E u r op ean U nion is a U nion of select E u r op ean nations, admitted only

on

maj or ity consent of th e ex isting memb er s of th e U nion. L ’ union f a it l a f orce. Th is is

73

th e p r incip le th at b r ou g h t most dev elop ed nations of E u r op e tog eth er to f or m th e U nion. Its Initial p u r p ose was economic and tr ade coop er ation and op en b ou ndar ies

among th e memb er nations. In sp ite of r iv alr ies and conf licts of inter ests among th e memb er nations, th e E u r op ean U nion made consider ab le p r og r ess not only economic and tr ade coop er ation, b u t also in sh owing

in

common f r ont in imp or tant

wor ld issu es, th er eb y ex tending th eir coop er ation to th e p olitical f r ont also. Consent f or a common cu r r ency , E u r o, f or th e memb er nations is a g r eat step in consolidating th eir p osition as th e memb er states of th e E u r op ean U nion.

E u r op ean U nion as a b loc h as g r own as a p ower f u l economic f or ce in th e

wor ld in th e sp an of a f ew decades, a f or ce to r eckon with

and p oses ser iou s

ch alleng e to th e dominance of th e Amer ican economy in th e wor ld. It now f or ms th e main p illar s of th e wor ld economy with Ch ina.

th at of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica and

Th e common cau se of th e E u r op ean U nion in f av ou r of th e K y oto P r otocol is

an ex amp le of th e u nity

of p u r p ose dev elop ed in th e U nion in a sp an of a f ew

decades. It p r odu ces ar ou nd 2 2 % to a cu t of 8 %

of g lob al g r eenh ou se g as emissions and ag r eed

1 9 9 0 emission lev els. Th e E u r op ean Commission annou nced p lans

f or a E u r op ean U nion ener g y p olicy in J anu ar y 2 0 0 7 f or a u nilater al 2 0 % GH G emissions b y 2 0 2 0 . Th e E U

h as consistently b een one of th e maj or nominal

su p p or ter s of th e K y oto P r otocol, neg otiating b oar d.

asp ir ing

r edu ction in

h ar d to g et wav er ing

cou ntr ies on

Th e su ccess of th e E u r op ean U nion h as led to oth er nations of th e E u r op e f or th e memb er sh ip

of th e E u r op ean U nion.

Tu r key

ev en th ou g h

is a

M u slim cou ntr y is tr y ing to b ecome a memb er of th e E U . B u t th er e is r esistance to

th is mov e. E ast E u r op ean cou ntr ies ar e also eag er to make common cau se with th e E u r op ean U nion. B u t, admission to th e E u r op ean U nion is p r ov ed to b e not easy inv olv ing

cir cu itou s p r ocesses and maj or ity

consent of th e ex isting

memb er s.

74

E u r op ean U nion b eliev es in cer tain identity f or itself b ased on h istor y and cu ltu r e. Th is b ar s op en admission to th e E u r op ean U nion.

M ost notab le memb er s of th e E u r op ean U nion ar e E ng land, F r ance, Ger many

and Italy . All th ese f ou r nations ar e h istor ically r iv als of each

oth er . E ng land and

F r ance, F r ance and Ger many , Ger many and F r ance, Ger many and E ng land, Italy and F r ance, so g oes on th e list. Th e r iv alr ies sh ow u p

ev en now in th eir p olitical

dif f er ences to th e wor ld issu es. E ng land was a r elu ctant memb er of th e E u r op ean U nion in th e b eg inning . F r ance and Ger many r ep eatedly clash

on economic and

p olitical issu es. Y et, E u r op ean U nion h as su cceeded in r etaining common f r ont to th e wor ld with

its u nity

and

its u niq u e identity all th ese decades. It is not an

or dinar y accomp lish ment in th e comp lex p olitical wor ld of today . Th e sp ir it of accommodation sh own b y

th ese cou ntr ies f or th e commune

b onum of E u r op e and its p eop le and th eir economic p r osp er ity needs emu lation b y

all oth er cou ntr ies of th e wor ld. B ecau se, L ’ union f a it l a f orce. J oining tog eth er is th e

only r oad and means of p r osp er ity inconceiv ab le b y indiv idu al ef f or ts of nations. J oining tog eth er leads to th e sh edding of enmity and r iv alr y and f or g es f r iendsh ip and coop er ation f or th e common g ood of th e all mankind.

Th e E u r op ean U nion h as sh own a r ath er f ir m and g ood r esp onse to th e

dif f er ent cr ises th at h av e str u ck th e wor ld ov er th e last f ew y ear s. Climate ch ang e h as b ecome a v er y imp or tant top ic and it h as also b een f ou nd th at th e E U tackling th is cr isis r ath er well. Anoth er r ath er imp or tant cr isis th at th e E U r ath er well h as b een th e economic cr isis. Th u s, th e E U

h as b een

h as tackled

mu st take a r ath er imp or tant

r ole in wor ld p olitics in or der to r id u s of th is tr ou b le th at it is str iking and ir r itating ou r wor ld.

Th e E U

is v er y b ig g eog r ap h ically and economically and th u s mu st take th e

leader ’ s r ole in er adicating th ese cr ises f r om th is wor ld. H owev er , th is will not p r ov e to b e an easy task and th e E U

mu st wor k h ar d in or der to take th e initiativ e and

maintain it. U nder th e P r esidency of S weden ov er th e nex t f ew y ear s, th e E U

will tr y

75

its b est to r esolv e th e p r ob lems th at ar e f acing it and th e wor ld. Th e S wedish P r ime M inister is v er y deter mined to make a v er y str ong messag e and stand du r ing th is time in wh ich S weden h as th e P r esidency of th e E U . Th e E U step s needed to r esolv e th e economic cr isis.

will h av e to take th e

Th e memb er cou ntr ies will h av e to wor k with each oth er and mu st set u p an

administer ing b ody and mu st also not dab b le in p r otecting th eir own economies at th e ex p ense of oth er s, as th is will only in th e end make th e situ ation in th e wor ld wor se th an it alr eady is. Th e oth er cr isis is th at of climate ch ang e is also someth ing th at all th e cou ntr ies will h av e to wor k tog eth er on. Th e E U or dinate attemp ts made at r esolv ing th is cr isis too.

mu st some h ow co

Th e E u r op ean U nion h as not taken mu ch initiativ e in th is r eg ar d till now and

th u s, it will not at all b e an easy task to p u sh f or war d now, b u t S weden is deter mined to make its P r esidency a memor ab le one.

ISLAM IN WORLD POLITICS

Islam is a r elig ion th at was f ou nded ab ou t f if teen centu r ies b ack b y th e h oly

p r op h et, M oh ammed. Now, Islam is th e second lar g est r elig ion in th e wor ld af ter

Ch r istianity in th e nu mb er of p eop le wh o f ollow it. Islam is an ag g r essiv e r elig ion. It

b eliev es in g lob al b r oth er h ood of Islam and sp r eading th e teach ing s of h oly P r op h et

M oh ammed f or endu r ing p eace in th e wor ld. Islam does not dif f er entiate b etween th e concep ts of nationh ood and r elig ion. It is th e r eason wh y M u slim maj or ity cou ntr ies tend to declar e th emselv es as Islamic cou ntr ies as op p osed to th e g lob al tr end of

calling th emselv es as secu lar cou ntr ies. Th e concep t of Islamic B r oth er h ood and th e

ag g r essiv e natu r e of Islam as a r elig ion ar e at th e b ack of th e r ising militancy and u nr est in th e p r esent wor ld. R ab id militancy

p r ob lems in K osov o, Ch ech en militants f ig h ting

in P akistan, Af g h anistan and Ir aq ,

f or th e lib er ation of Ch ech ny a in

R u ssia, p r ob lems at X inj iang in Ch ina ar e all sy mp toms of th is.

76

Th e U nited S tates is at th e cr ossh air s of th e Islamic militancy . B y th e p op u lar

doctr ine known as th e E isenh ower Doctr ine of 1 9 5 0 s, th e U nited S tates decided to

b ef r iend and u se Islamic cou ntr ies f or oil and to neu tr aliz e th e Commu nist U S S R . It r elentlessly continu ed with th e p olicy and g ener ou sly p ou r ed money and weap ons to

P akistan to cr eate Talib an to ch eckmate S ov iet U nion and g ain contr ol ov er th e r esou r ces r ich Centr al Asia. Th e p r esent tr ou b les in X inj iang ar e an ex tension of th is p olicy

in th e cir cu mstances of th e g as p ip e p r oj ect p assing

th r ou g h

R u ssia and

X inj iang in Ch ina. If th e th eor y is tr u e and th e S p ecial F or ces of th e U nited S tates of

Amer ica su cceed in its M ach iav ellian maneu v er s, th e f ocu s of Islamic militancy and Talib an may soon sh if t to Centr al Asia f r om Af g h anistan. Talks of accommodating

Talib an in Af g h anistan ar e th e h ar b ing er of th is sh if t in th e f ocu s of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica f r om Af g h anistan to Centr al Asia.

THE RISE OF TERRORISM

Ter r or ism is v iolence to ter r or ise th e g ov er nment to su b mit it to th e ob j ectiv es

of th e p eop le wh o emp loy it. Ter r or ism is an immor al p olitical tool and anti-h u man activ ity as it is tar g ets innocent and p eace-lov ing p eop le f or p olitical g ains. It inv olv es mass killing and wide destr u ction. Th e common f or ms of ter r or ism ar e h ij acking and u se of b omb s.

Th er e ar e many cau ses f or ter r or ism. Th ey inclu de th e h ig h -h andedness of

th e p ower f u l, h elp lessness of th e weak, u nemp loy ment, and th e indif f er ence of th ose in p ower to j u st demands b y p eacef u l and non-v iolent meth ods

Ter r or ism is not new to mankind. H istor y all ov er th e wor ld is r ep lete with

instances of ter r or ism b y indiv idu als or g r ou p s ag ainst th e estab lish ed p ower . Th er e ar e instances wh er ein ter r or ists or ter r or g r ou p s su cceeding

in th eir ef f or ts and

estab lish ing th eir own r u le. M ost of th e p ower f u l dy nasties of th e wor ld h av e small ter r or ist g r ou p s as th eir or ig in. Ter r or ism in th is sense is noth ing

mor e th an

asy mmetr ic v iolence ag ainst th e state p ower to b end it to th e g r ou p ’ s will. It b e R ana P r ath ap or S h iv aj i or B h ag at S ing h of India, or th e v iolent f r eedom str u g g le of Ir ish

77

p eop le ag ainst th e B r itish r u le, or th e war s of L TTE

with S r i L anka Gov er nment, or

v iolent desig ns of Al-Q aeda f or Islamic h eg emony of th e wor ld, b asically th ey ar e all

ter r or ism. M ass destr u ctions inv olv ed in p r esent day s b ecau se of sop h isticated weap ons and b omb s and su p p or t of ou tside elements inclu ding

enemy states in

insp ir ing , desig ning and ex ecu ting ter r or ism make ter r or ism of p r esent day s dif f er ent f r om th at of y or e and mor e r ep r eh ensib le.

Cau ses f or th e r ise in ter r or ism in p r esent day s ar e u mp teen. Th ey inclu de

su ccesses of ter r or ist means, militant Islam, b ir th of Isr ael b y less th an j u st means leading to P alestine p r ob lem, h eg emony of th e dev elop ed cou ntr ies in wor ld p olitics, p ov er ty and u nemp loy ment.

Th e ter r or ism in India h as also r isen consider ab ly and cov er s all r eg ions of th e

cou ntr y . IS I op er ator s in Nor th India, U L F A in N-E

India, Nax alism in Centr al India,

r adical M u slims in West India and all of th em in S ou th India. India is one of th e wor st af f ected cou ntr ies of th e wor ld in ter r or ism.

TALIBAN

Talib an was r u ling Af g h anistan af ter th e dep ar tu r e of th e S ov iet U nion f r om

th e f ield till th e f all of th e Wor ld Tr ade Centr e in 2 0 0 1 . Th e U nited S tates of Amer ica b r ou g h t Talib an to p ower in Af g h anistan b y militar ily

h elp ing

Talib an th r ou g h

its

cr eator and su stainer s, P akistan to p u ll down th e Gov er nment of Af g h anistan su p p or ted b y th e S ov iet U nion. B u t, Talib an b eing wh at it is, a militant Islamic ou tf it to th e cor e, r eb elled ag ainst its maker s, th e “ K af f ir s” or “ Inf idels” f r om th e U nited S tates of Amer ica.

It h ar b ou r ed and p r ov ided h ideou ts Al-Q aeda ou tf it and its

leader s, and p r ov ided inf r astr u ctu r e f or th e tr aining of th e Islamic militants to op er ate all ov er th e wor ld. Af g h anistan u nder Talib an b ecame th e p ar adise of th e Islamic militants f r om all ov er th e wor ld. It was f r om th is state su p p or t th at Islamic militancy

sp r ead like wild f ir e all ov er th e wor ld. Th e assets and inter ests of th e U nited S tates itself r ep eatedly b ecame tar g ets of th ese ter r or ists cu lminating in th e Wor ld Tr ade

Centr e incident on S ep temb er 1 1 , 2 0 0 1 . Th is act of Al-Q aeda leader sh ip conceiv ed 78

and ex ecu ted f r om Af g h anistan b r ou g h t cu r tains down on Talib an as th e U nited

S tates of Amer ica along with its allies acted p r omp tly to r emov e Talib an f r om p ower , and th e Talib an and Al-Q aeda leader s f led th e scene to h iding . H owev er , neith er Talib an nor Al-Q aeda was f u lly

cr u sh ed and th ey

soon

r esu r f aced along th e r u g g ed b or der s b etween P akistan and Af g h anistan. P ower f u l tr ib als of th e ar ea su p p or ted th em to th e h eels. Talib an continu ed its asy mmetr ic war

ag ainst th e allied f or ces f r om th e b or der ar eas of P akistan with th e activ e su p p or t of

th e Ar my and all-p ower f u l Inter -S er v ices Intellig ence ( IS I) of P akistan. All str ateg ies of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica inclu ding

b illions of dollar s of economic h elp

to

r ecov er P akistan f r om its economic cr isis f ailed to win ov er P akistan to its side f r om

su p p or ting Talib an. U nited S tates is awar e th at no solu tion is p ossib le in Af g h anistan till Talib an p r ob lem is solv ed, and no solu tion to Talib an p r ob lem is p ossib le u ntil P akistan’ s u nstinted su p p or t f or th e cau se is av ailab le.

Th e r ecent th ou g h ts of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica ar e to inv olv e th e Talib an

in solv ing

th e p r ob lems of Af g h anistan b y

accommodating

th e Talib an in th e

g ov er nance b y a mech anism of p ower sh ar ing b y u sing P akistan’ s ch annels with th e Talib an. S o, th e U nited S tates of Amer ica is coming f u ll cir cle in its p olicy towar ds th e Talib an.

THE NUCLEAR THREAT

M an f or millenniu ms inh ab its th e E ar th now. S u r v iv al is h is b asic instinct and

su r v iv al in u nciv ilised wor ld means f ig h ting oth er s and su r v iv ing . In th e p r ocess, h e inv ented weap ons f or b oth

def ence and ag g r ession in h is f ig h t f or su r v iv al. And

continu ally h e imp r ov ed u p on th e weap ons making it mor e and mor e destr u ctiv e and deadly . M ass and immediate destr u ctions wer e wh at h e sou g h t in th ese new

weap ons. H e mov ed f r om sticks and stones to kniv es and ax es and swor ds, to b ows and ar r ows and maces, to g u ns, tanks, missiles and b omb s now. H e r ap idly imp r ov ed on h is r ecent weap on tech nolog ies with

th e h elp

of science to p r odu ce

weap ons of mass destr u ction as r iv alr y and war s b ecame common b etween nations

79

of th e p r esent wor ld and su r v iv al demanded and dep ended on th e ef f iciency and destr u ctiv e cap ab ilities of th e weap ons a cou ntr y p ossesses.

Nu clear b omb s wer e p r odu ced in th is b ackdr op . Comp etition to p r odu ce th e

nu clear b omb was intense in 1 9 4 0 s du r ing th e S econd Wor ld War af ter scientists discov er ed th e weap ons cap ab ilities of th e nu clear ener g y in th e p r ev iou s decade. Th e U nited S tates su cceeded in p r odu cing th e nu clear b omb s f ir st and did not wait long in u sing it ag ainst J ap an at H ir osh ima and Nag asaki in Au g u st 1 9 4 5 to b r ing

cu r tain down on th e S econd Wor ld War . Th e dev astations and death s th e twin

nu clear b omb s cau sed sh ocked th e sensib ilities of th e wor ld and h elp ed consensu s to sav e th e h u manity f r om nu clear ar ms. P r esent attemp ts to contain th e sp r ead of

th e nu clear weap ons and th e sig nif icance of Non-P r olif er ation Tr eaty sh ou ld b e r ead in th is contex t.

Nu clear b omb is b ased on U r aniu m-2 3 5 , wh ich is a stab le f or m of U r aniu m.

Wh en a nu clear

b omb

is r eleased, a neu tr on str ikes U r aniu m-2 3 5

tr ansf or ms th e U r aniu m-2 3 5

to U r aniu m-2 3 6 , a v er y

and th at

u nstab le f or m of U r aniu m,

r eleasing tr emendou s ener g y and a clu ster of neu tr ons. Th e r eleased neu tr ons str ike oth er atoms of th e U r aniu m-2 3 5

ag ain r eleasing

mor e ener g y and neu tr ons, th u s

initiating a ch ain r eaction th at ex p onentially r elease ener g y , h eat and f ir e th at cau se total destr u ctions and loss of lif e.

Attemp ts to contain th e sp r ead p f nu clear weap ons and th e Non-P r olif er ation

Tr eaty can only delay or su p p r ess th e g lob al sp r ead of th e nu clear weap ons and noth ing

mor e. M or e and mor e cou ntr ies p r odu cing

and p ossessing

th ese deadly

weap ons th ese day s in sp ite of g lob al op p osition and th r eats of th e U nited S tates p r ov e th is. India and P akistan p r odu ced and p ossess th em in th e conclu ding y ear s of th e 2 0

th

centu r y ; Nor th K or ea declar ed itself as a nu clear p ower in 2 0 0 9 and Ir an is

on th at p ath . O nce a cou ntr y b ecomes a nu clear p ower , noth ing else can b e done ab ou t th e matter b y any b ody . Th e most ch illing p r osp ect of th e nu clear weap ons is it

f alling to wr ong h ands of th e ter r or ists and destr oy ing th e wor ld or der . None can r u le

80

ou t su ch a p ossib ility . Th is is th e p r ice h u manity p ay f or its th ou g h tless p r og r ess in th e f ield of science.

THE ECONOMIC RECESSION

E conomic r ecession str u ck th e wor ld in 2 0 0 8 . Th is is th e wor st economic

r ecession th e wor ld encou nter ed since th e Gr eat Dep r ession 1 9 2 9 almost all cou ntr ies of th e wor ld.

and af f ected

M any cou ntr ies h av e r olled ou t p lans to minimiz e th e ef f ect of th e h or r ib le

cr isis on th eir r esp ectiv e economies. Inter -dep endence of cou ntr ies in th e moder n

g lob al v illag e p r imar ily in wor ld tr ade r ender ed indep endent ef f or ts of cou ntr ies to solv e th e cr isis imp ossib le. Coor dinated action to attack th e p r ob lem at th e g lob al

lev el b ecame inev itab le and leader s of th e maj or economic p ower s of th e wor ld along

with

Ch ina and India ar e meeting

and discu ssing

at v ar iou s wor ld f or u ms

ab ou t h ow to tackle th e p r ob lem and sav e h e wor ld f r om th e cr isis. Th e U nited S tates of Amer ica, J ap an and oth er

indu str ializ ed cou ntr ies witnessed th eir ex p or ts r ap idly tr ade b alance and f or eig n r eser v e p ositions.

economically

decr easing

p ower f u l

to af f ect th eir

Th e solu tion lies in b oosting th e economy b y incr easing or at least maintaining

demand all ov er th e wor ld. M aintaining wor ld tr ade at p r esent lev el is th e key to tide ov er th is cr isis. F all in wor ld tr ade in any p ar t of th e wor ld wou ld lead to a cascading

ef f ect to th e r u in of th e wor ld economic str u ctu r e. All nations as r esp onsib le p ar tner s of th e wor ld economic str u ctu r e ar e coop er ating to sav e th e situ ation, b u t it is easier said th an done.

81

ENERGY SOURCES

E ner g y is def ined as th e cap acity of a b ody to do wor k. It is lif e-g iv er in th e

wor ld and lif e r ev olv es ar ou nd it. E ner g y r u ns th e wh ole wor ld. Ap p liances in th e kitch en, r ef r ig er ator s, telev isions, car s, f ans, lig h ting or h eating ap p liance or any th ing in th e wor ld f or th at matter r u n with th e h elp of E ner g y . E ner g y is th e f u el of lif e.

F u el is b asically classif ied into two g r ou p s b ased on th e kind of sou r ces th ey

ar e der iv ed f r om - as Conv entional and U nconv entional E ner g y . Conv entional

E ner g y is th e sou r ce of ener g y th at h as b een tr aditionally u sed b y th e wor ld f or a

long time, say since th e Indu str ial R ev olu tion. U nconv entional E ner g y is th e sou r ce

of E ner g y th at is newly discov er ed and natu r ally needs lots of f u r th er r esear ch and p r op ag anda to make it f it f or mass and p op u lar u se. Conv entional E ner g y is th ou g h

imp or tant, f ast dep letion is its Ach illes’ h eel. U nconv entional E ner g y is r enewab le and th er e is no p r ob lem of dep letion in th is sou r ce of ener g y and it takes a v er y sh or t

time to b e r enewed. A f ew ex amp les of th e U nconv entional E ner g y ar e S olar E ner g y , Wind

E ner g y ,

Tidal

Conv entional E ner g y

E ner g y ,

p r imar ily

H y dr oelectr ic

E ner g y

and

B iomass

E ner g y .

inclu des P etr oleu m P r odu cts like P etr ol, Diesel,

Natu r al Gas and Coal th at ar e p r esent on th e E ar th

in limited amou nt and f ast

dep leted b ecau se of th e constant and constantly incr eased u se f or centu r ies b y th e tech nolog y h u ng r y lif e sty le of th e mankind.

82

SCIENCE FRONTIERS

THE SECOND SPACE RACE

M an last walked on th e moon was in 1 9 7 2 . Th e U nited S tates of Amer ica and

th e S ov iet U nion at th at time wer e emb r oiled in a v er y b itter and v iciou s cold war .

B oth su p er p ower s in th eir sp ir it of su r p assing th e oth er h ad g one on in a sp ace r ace

th at h ad ex p anded th e f r ontier s of th e sp ace tech nolog y and astr onomy . Th is h ad th u s tu r ned ou t to b e an adv antag e to th e scientif ic wor ld.

Th is f ig h t f or su p er ior ity b etween th e U nited S tates and th e S ov iet U nion in

th e f ield of sp ace r esear ch like in many oth er f ields h elp ed man in th e conq u est of

th e sp ace and ou ter sp ace. R u ssian sp ace sh ip , S p u tnik took man to th e ou ter sp ace

ar ou nd th e E ar th . S oon, th e U nited S tates of Amer ica p r ov ed its mig h t b y landing on th e M oon. L ater , th e inter est in th e sp ace r esear ch died down and b oth th e su p er p ower s cooled down in th eir enth u siasm f or f u nding

th e sp ace r ace. S oon, oth er

cou ntr ies took initiativ e in sp ace r esear ch . E u r op ean cou ntr ies comb ined th eir ef f or ts f or j oint sp ace r esear ch . O nce dev elop ing cou ntr ies like Ch ina and India ar e now b eg inning

to sh ow inter est in sp ace r esear ch

r eminiscent of th e U S A-U S S R

and indu lg ing

in a mini sp ace r ace

sp ace r ace of th e 1 9 5 0 s and 1 9 6 0 s. B oth cou ntr ies

ar e now looking to land on th e M oon. Ch ina sent a man to sp ace in 2 0 0 3 . Th e U nited

S tates of Amer ica is p lanning to send a manned p r ob e to th e moon b y 2 0 2 0 and a manned p r ob e to M ar s b y 2 0 3 0 .

Th e S ov iet U nion sent a man, Y u r i Gar g ar in, to th e sp ace in 1 9 6 1 , cap p ing its

lead of sending

of dog

L aika to sp ace in 1 9 5 7

wor ld’ s f ir st ar tif icial satellite, S p u tnik-1

in su ccession to lau nch ing

of th e

in th e same y ear . Th e wor ld was deep ly

imp r essed b y th e tech nolog ical su p er ior ity of th e S ov iet U nion ov er th at of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica. Th e P r esident of th e U nited S tates at th at time, J oh n F . K ennedy , was deter mined to do some th ing in time and in th e f amou s sp eech in M ay 1 9 6 1

b ef or e a sp ecial j oint session of th e U nited S tates Cong r ess p r omised th at th e 83

U nited S tates wou ld land a man on th e moon and r etu r n h im saf ely with in a decade. It was ab le to accomp lish

th is with in eig h t y ear s in 1 9 6 9 . A f ew day s b ef or e th e

U nited S tates sent th e astr onau ts, Neil Ar mstr ong and “ B u z z ” Aldr in to th e moon b y Ap ollo 1 1 , th e S ov iet U nion sent a sp acecr af t L u na-1 5

to th e moon on a f ailed

mission. Th at was th e last h ear d of attemp t of th e S ov iet U nion to ch alleng e th e su p er ior ity of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica.

Wh y th e S ov iet U nion th at h ad a clear lead in th e sp ace r ace in 1 9 6 1 ov er th e

U nited S tates of Amer ica, su r r ender ed to th e latter so easily and comp letely ? Th e answer as NAS A r ev ealed is th at th e S ov iet U nion was nev er on sp ace r ace, and wh atev er stu p endou s accomp lish ments it h ad till 1 9 6 1 wer e p ar t and ex tensions of its p assion f or missiles r esear ch es in su p p or t of its war indu str y . Th e indif f er ence of

th e S ov iet au th or ities to th e sp ace r ace in contr ast to th e inter est and g enu ine

p r og r ess made b y th e S ov iet U nion scientists du lled th e edg e of th e S ov iet U nion su p er ior ity in sp ace tech nolog y ov er time. O n th e oth er h and, th e U nited S tates took th e 1 9 6 1

accomp lish ments of th e S ov iet U nion as a ch alleng e and sp ar ed no

attemp ts to ex cel in th e ar ea to p r ov e its mettle and wor ld leader sh ip . NAS A was

f or med and all f inancial constr aints wer e waiv ed f or adv ancement in th e ar ea. Th e

U nited S tates made g r eat str ides since th en. In contr ast, th e sp ace scientists of th e S ov iet U nion f aced h u r dles of all kinds inclu ding p olitical b acking .

f inancial constr aints and lack of

Th e b eg inning of th e 2 1 st centu r y mar ks th e star t of th e second S p ace r ace in

th e wor ld. Th is time ar ou nd, th is sp ace r ace is likely to b e b etween th e U nited S tates

and Ch ina as R u ssia is y et to wake u p f r om its sp ace slu mb er , and dr awing lar g e

amou nt of attention th r ou g h ou t th e wor ld. Ch ina, as th e U nited S tates of Amer ica h as g ot q u ite a b ig

b u f f er b etween th inking

and acting

g ov er nance and Cong r ess, h as an edg e in mov ing p r og r ammes.

in th e f or m of democr atic with

th e r eq u isite sp ace

P er h ap s, Ch ina may su ccessf u lly land a man on th e moon b ef or e th e U nited

S tates p lans f or th e 2 0 2 0 landing . India too is not f ar b eh ind. It h as h owev er g ot to 84

sp eed u p

its sp ace p r og r ammes. India needs to p u ll u p

imp r essiv e j ob in th e r ace.

its socks to do q u ite an

SPACE SHUTTLE PROBES

S ince th e b eg inning of mankind, man h as alway s wanted to f ind ou t th e tr u th

of th e wor ld ar ou nd. As h e discov er ed mor e and mor e tr u th s, th e h or iz ons of h is

activ ities ex p anded ex p onentially and h e encou nter ed mor e p r ob lems and r iddles along th e p ath .

H e tr ied to solv e th em and h as alway s su cceeded in doing so. H is

u nq u ench ab le cu r iosity was h is f or te. Not th at th ose tr u th s wer e r ev ealed to h im all

of su dden. H e discov er ed th em in stag es, of ten r u nning f or centu r ies or millenniu ms to ar r iv e at th e f inal tr u th . F or ex amp le, h is f ir st p er cep tion ab ou t th e wor ld h e liv es

in was th at th e S u n, moon and star s r ev olv ed ar ou nd th e E ar th and th e E ar th was th e centr e of th e U niv er se. H e continu ed with

discov er ed th at th e E ar th r ev olv es ar ou nd th e S u n.

th is b elief f or centu r ies till h e

In th e p r ocess of h is endeav ou r s to discov er th e tr u th

of th e wor ld, h e

inv ented u mp teen tools like telescop es and sp acecr af ts to h elp h im in h is p r ob es.

S p acecr af ts take h im to ou ter sp ace to collect data. S p ace S h u ttles ar e th e latest v er sion of th e sp acecr af ts dev ised b y th e U nited S tates. Th ey ap ar t f r om car r y ing

astr onau ts and scientists to th e ou ter sp ace eng ag e th em in dif f icu lt manoeu v r es

th er e and b r ing th em b ack to th e E ar th . Anoth er imp or tant f eatu r e of th ese sp ace sh u ttles is th at th ey can b e r eu sed once th ey r etu r ns to th e E ar th

like any oth er

tr ansp or t f acility . Not th at mankind h as r each ed p er f ection in th is wonder f u l

tech nolog y . S ometimes b ack, th e U nited S tates of Amer ica lau nch ed a S p ace S h u ttle to th e ou ter sp ace with

astr onau ts on scientif ic assig nments. Th e S p ace

S h u ttle disinteg r ated on th e way down wh ile enter ing th e E ar th ’ s atmosp h er e and all

th e astr onau ts wer e killed. S u ch ter r ib le losses ar e p ar ts of th e p r og r ess and man h as lots to cov er in th e p r ocess of discov er ing th e tr u th s ar ou nd h im.

85

COSMIC COLLISION

O n th e f ou r th

celeb r ating

of J u ly

in 2 0 0 5 , wh ile th e U nited S tates of Amer ica was

its National Day , Deep

known asTemp el-1

with

in sp ace, th e comet, NAS A tar g eted a comet

a man made ob j ect as p ar t of its Deep

Imp act S p ace

M ission to stu dy th e comp osition and or ig in of comets as well as of th e U niv er se.

Th e imp act was p h otog r ap h ed f r om th e sp acecr af t th at was on th e mission and ob ser v ed th r ou g h sp ace telescop es as well as f r om th e ob ser v ator ies on th e E ar th ,

and r ev ealed b r ig h t sp r ay of f ine du sts f r om th e site of th e imp act on th e comet.

Th e cr ater f or med b y th e imp act was ar ou nd 2 0 0 meter s in diameter and 4 0 meter s deep

and contained f ine du st p ar ticles of car b onates, silicates, su lf ides and

h y dr ocar b ons.

Th e comet, Temp el-1 , wh ich

was discov er ed on Ap r il 3 , 1 8 6 7 b y Wilh elm

Temp el, an astr onomer wor king in M ar seille was f ou nd or b iting ar ou nd th e S u n once ev er y f iv e and a h alf y ear s. Th is collision was desig ned to stu dy th e comp osition of

comets and h ow th e wor ld came into ex istence. Also in issu e in th e ob j ectiv es of th e

Deep Imp act P r ob e was wh eth er th e B ig B ang th eor y r eally h olds g ood or not. Th e P r ob e sends b ack r eading s and oth er data b ack to th e E ar th scientists.

f or th e analy sis of

Temp el 1 will come to v iew ag ain in 2 0 1 1 . NAS A p lans to v isit and imp act th e

comet ag ain th en b y its S tar du st sp acecr af t as an ex tended mission of th e Deep Imp act P r ob e to stu dy

ch ang es in th e cr ater cr eated in 2 0 0 5

and make f u r th er

detailed and deep er stu dies of th e cr ater f or b etter u nder standing of th e U niv er se.

PLANETS IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM

M ankind h as b een on th is ear th f or a v er y long time and h as alway s b een

cu r iou s. P eop le h av e died ex p lor ing new ar eas and ideas. Th e r esu lt is th e p r esence

of man in all continents and in all cor ner s on th e su r f ace of th e E ar th . No ar ea on th e

86

E ar th r emains u nknown or u nf amiliar any mor e. Natu r ally , cu r iou s as h e is alway s,

h e star ted looking b ey ond th e E ar th towar ds th e sp ace. P lanets and star s attr acted

h is attention. H e tr av eled in th e sp ace in 1 9 5 0 s and landed on th e M oon in 1 9 6 0 s.

P lanets of th e S olar sy stem th at h e ob ser v ed with naked ey es and b y telescop es f r om centu r ies ar e p r imed as th e nex t tar g et of man and h is u nab ated cu r iosity . H e wants to land th er e and coloniz e th em f or h is b enef its if h e can. Th e ef f or t war r ants

detailed inf or mation th e p lanets and th e sp ace h e is to cov er r each th er e and th e h u r dles and p r ob lems to b e encou nter ed du r ing th e endeav or .

In sp ite of tr emendou s p r og r ess made b y th e commu nity of scientists in th is

dir ection, lots need to b e done and r eq u ir e time, f u nds and sy ner g y among scientists and ex p er ts in v ar iou s f ields of science. Th ey

mu st f u r th er stu dy

top

and

analy z e and lear n ab ou t v ar iou s env ir onment f eatu r es of th e ou ter sp ace th at y et r emain incomp r eh ensib le to th em. Th is will take a v er y long time. Th e S olar S y stem was tr aditionally

h eld to contain nine p lanets namely

M er cu r y , V enu s, E ar th , M ar s, J u p iter , S atu r n, U r anu s, Nep tu ne and P lu to. M any

mor e b odies in th e S olar S y stem wer e discov er ed and classif ied as non-p lanets and a tr aditional p lanet of th e S olar S y stem namely

P lu to was r emov ed f r om th e

p lanetar y h onou r and r eleg ated to th e g r ou p of non-p lanet land masses since th en

as many of th e newly discov er ed land masses th at wer e classif ied as non-p lanets wer e f ou nd to b e lar g er th an P lu to, th e smallest tr aditional p lanet of th e S olar

S y stem. Th er e is tr emendou s conf u sion among astr onomer s ab ou t th e concep t and def inition of p lanets as dif f er ent f r om non-p lanets and P lu to was alway s in th e ey e of th e stor m f or a long time.

SOLAR ENERGY FROM SPACE

Th e wor ld f aces a v er y lar g e ener g y p r ob lem. Th is is some th ing th at India

esp ecially f aces. Th e solu tion lies in u nconv entional sou r ces of ener g y , p ar ticu lar ly h ar nessing

ener g y

f r om th e su n. Th is is a r enewab le f or m of ener g y , is near ly

87

limitless and also is not p ollu ting at all and is th e cau se of all f or ms of ener g y on th e ear th ap ar t f r om th e nu clear ener g y .

S olar E ner g y is taken f or g r anted b y man b ecau se of its ab u ndance and easy

av ailab ility . Th e wor ld u ses it in th e f or m of solar cells p op u lar ly u sed in tr af f ic lig h ts,

f or h ome u ses f or h eating p u r p oses, and in satellites as sou r ces of ener g y . In th is, man is h ar nessing only a minu te f r action of th e endless solar ener g y at h is disp osal.

R easons ar e many . Day and nig h t cy cles, seasons, g eog r ap h ical ar eas and clou ds

make th e av ailab ility of th e solar ener g y a time dep endent p h enomenon. It cannot b e h ar nessed steadily and u nif or mly at all h ou r s at all p laces at th e will of th e u ser . Th is leads to th e p r ob lems of stor ag e of th e solar ener g y . Comb ined with th e low-intensity

ener g y p atter ns of th e solar ener g y , th e p r ob lems of th e stor ag e r ender solar ener g y economically

inconv enient enter p r ise. It is in th is situ ation scientists th ou g h t of

h ar nessing solar ener g y f r om th e ou ter sp ace.

Continu ou s and u ninter r u p ted av ailab ility

of th e solar ener g y

in th e ou ter

sp ace makes it ideal location f or h ar nessing th e solar ener g y . Alr eady , th e b enef its

of th e solar ener g y in th e ou ter sp ace ar e der iv ed f or th e ener g y r eq u ir ements of th e sp ace sh ip s and satellites. H owev er , th e p r ob lem h er e is r eg ar ding tr ansmission of th e ener g y

so collected to th e su r f ace of th e E ar th

f or th e h u man u se. R ig h t

tech nolog ies ar e y et to b e dev ised f or th e p u r p ose and scientists ar e on th e j ob to b r ing a r ev olu tion in meeting th e ev er -incr easing ener g y r eq u ir ements of man.

A NEW COUSIN

Th e wor ld was cr eated with

th e B ig

B ang

ab ou t f ou r teen b illions of y ear s

b ack. Af ter b illions of y ear s of cooling f r om th e B ig B ang , th e S u n of ou r solar sy stem came into b eing

leading

to th e b ir th

of th e E ar th

and oth er p lanets of th e solar

sy stem. F or ap p r ox imately f ou r b illion y ear s, th e E ar th r emained with ou t lif e on th e p lanet. Th e E ar th was too h ot and cooled down v er y slowly . L if e star ted on th e E ar th with

th e sing le cell cr eatu r es and ov er b illions of y ear s ev olv ed to comp licated

p atter ns of lif e cu lminating in th e b ir th of h u man b eing s in th eir p r esent f or m.

88

Th e f ir st liv es on th e E ar th wer e water -b or n and aq u atic in natu r e. Gr adu ally ,

as th e cells ev olv ed to comp licated p atter ns on th e comp u lsions of th e su r v iv al instincts and th e needs of th e adap tation to th e env ir onment, liv es cap ab le of liv ing on land came into ex istence leading u ltimately to th e b ir th of H omo sap iens.

H ome S ap iens is p r ov ed to b e a v er y cu r iou s sp ecies, eag er to discov er and

know ev er y th ing

ar ou nd it. Cu r iosity is its h allmar k. Th is natu r e led it to discov er

ev er y th ing ab ou t th e E ar th it liv es on, th e sp ace ar ou nd it and ev en ab ou t th e ou ter

sp ace and p lanets and star s and th e wor lds b ey ond it. H e b ecame cu r iou s to know wh eth er lif e like h is own ex ists any wh er e else ou tside in wor lds inv isib le to h im. H e was cu r iou s to know ab ou t h is h u man cou sins and h ow th ey any wh er e in any

cor ner of th e endless U niv er se.

Th ou g h

liv e if th ey

ex ist

th eor ies su r mise th e

p ossib ility of lif e and h u manlike sp ecies somewh er e in th is endless U niv er se b ey ond h u man comp r eh ension, no emp ir ical ev idences ar e av ailab le to p r ov e or disp r ov e it,

and no su ch ev idences can b e accessed in near f u tu r e with th e limits of th e p r esent scientif ic adv ancements in th e p er sp ectiv e of th e h u man limits.

Wh ile man is looking to th e O u ter S p ace to tr ace h is cou sins on th e illu sion

th at h e h as alr eady conq u er ed th e E ar th h e liv es on in h is th ir st f or knowing it f u lly ,

h e was in f or a sh ock wh ile h e discov er ed th e ex istence of a new sp ecies, H omo F lor esiences, a cou sin of H ome S ap iens, in th e island of R amp asasa in Indonesia,

u ntil a f ew y ear s b ack. L ocals of R amp asasa r ecall th e H omo F lor esiences as sh or t in h eig h t. H owev er , th e attention of th e wor ld is y et to f ocu s on th is inter esting

discov er y and scientists and ar ch aeolog ists ar e y et to p u r su e th is matter to know b etter ab ou t th eir cou sins on th is v er y E ar th on wh ich th ey liv e on.

STEM CELLS

S tem cells ar e th e b asic cells. Th ey ar e th e cells f r om wh at ev er y p ar t of th e

b ody dev elop s af ter g oing liv ing

th r ou g h

sev er al stag es. Th ey ar e p r esent in almost all

b odies in th e stag e of th e initial g r owth . Th ey

f or m all cells of th e b ody

89

inclu ding th e mu scle cells, th e ner v e cells, and th e b one cells. Th ese stem cells if p r op er ly

manip u lated ar e p otential of cu r ing

all g enetic diseases and ch ang ing

p er sonal tr aits and ch ar acter in liv ing b eing s inclu ding man.

Th er e ar e dif f er ences of op inions r eg ar ding f u r th er ex p er iments in th e f ield of

th e stem cells th at h av e th e p otential to ch ang e th e v er y natu r e of man. B ecau se, su ch

p otentialities inv olv e mor al q u estions. M any cou ntr ies like Nor th

K or ea and

E ng land h av e made consider ab le p r og r ess in th e f ield of stem cells. M r . Geor g e B u sh , as th e P r esident of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica str ong ly op p osed stem cell

ex p er iments and ev en th r eatened th at h e wou ld v eto any b ill on th is f ield if th e Cong r ess p assed it. Th e p r esent P r esident of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica h as

dif f er ent v iew in th is issu e and th e wor ld may witness stem cell r ev olu tion f or th e b etter ment of th e h u man kind.

CLONING OF ANIMALS

Th ese day s, h u man kind h as adv anced so mu ch

th at many th ing s th at h e

does wou ld cer tainly su r p r ises th e cr eator h imself if h e comes down to v isit th e

h u man kind h e cr eated. H u man kind h as b een ab le to wor k wonder s wh er ev er h e

h as g one to wor k in. H e is now tr y ing to cop y th e wor k of th e cr eator h imself . Th e endeav ou r is p r og r essing with ou t th e b ar r ier s of th e national b or der s. Th e p r esent ef f or ts ar e towar ds cloning of animals th r ou g h th e DNA tech niq u e to cr eate stu r dy and str ong er sp ecies. S cientists cr eated Dolly , a sh eep

th at died of disease.

Th er eaf ter , th e scientists p r odu ced a cloned cat th at tu r ned ou t to b e a car b on cop y

of th e cat f r om wh ich th e DNA was ex tr acted and u sed. It was a maj or step f or th e

science and mankind in th eir p r og r ess towar ds r ep licating th e wor ks of th e cr eator in cr eating liv ing sp ecies. Th en, th e nex t su ccessf u l endeav ou r was in cr eating a mu le, wh ich

was a cr oss b etween a donkey

p r odu cing

a cloned dog

and a h or se. L ater , th ey

su cceeded in

called as S nu p p y . Attemp ts will continu e in th e cloning

tech niq u es till scientists cr eate h ealth y and str ong cloned h u man sp ecies. Alr eady

th ey h av e su cceeded in p r odu cing h u man semen in lab or ator y conditions and th is itself is a r ev olu tionar y step f or war d to th e f ield of th e cr eator .

90

NEWTONIAN LAWS

Newton was a g r eat p h y sicist, math ematician, astr onomer

and natu r al

p h ilosop h er th at liv ed ab ou t th r ee h u ndr ed y ear s b ack f r om 1 6 4 3 to 1 7 2 7 . H e was a

p er son wh o is well known th r ou g h ou t th e wor ld today f or h is p ath b r eaking inf lu ence on th e h istor y

of science. H is f u ll name is Isaac Newton. Isaac Newton was a

p h y sicist and a math ematician with a f lair f or astr onomy and natu r al p h ilosop h y . H e is easily th e g r eatest p h y sicist in th e wor ld till Alb er t E instein p ostu lated th e Th eor y

of R elativ ity th at r ev olu tioniz ed th e f ield of science. In an op inion p oll h eld at B r itain’ s R oy al S ociety in 2 0 0 5 , h e was v oted as h av ing science th an Alb er t E instein.

lar g er inf lu ence on th e h istor y of

Isaac Newton was b or n and liv ed in E ng land th at h as p r odu ced g ems like

William S h akesp ear e, and J oh n K eats. S ir Isaac Newton is th e f ath er of th e th r ee Newton’ s L aws. Newton’ s f ir st law say s th at if a b ody is at r est, it will continu e to b e

at r est and a b ody , wh ich is in motion, will continu e to b e in motion and will continu e

mov ing in th e same dir ection with th e same v elocity u ntil an ex ter nal f or ce is ap p lied on it. Newton’ s second law say s th at th e r ate of ch ang e of momentu m of a b ody is

eq u al to th e p r odu ct b etween th e mass and th e acceler ation of th e b ody and th e ch ang e of momentu m is in th e dir ection of th e f or ce. Newton’ s th ir d law say s th at f or ev er y

action, th er e is an eq u al and op p osite r eaction. Th ese th r ee laws

r ev olu tioniz ed th e concep ts of science of th e time and laid f ou ndations f or r ap id g r owth of science in th e nex t centu r ies. All later r ev olu tions in P h y sics and classical

mech anics like th e Th eor y of R elativ ity and th e Q u antu m Th eor y owe th eir or ig in to th e concep ts conceiv ed and th e p ath s laid b y S ir Isaac Newton in h is P h ilosop h iæ Natu r alis P r incip ia M ath ematica, p u b lish ed in 1 6 8 7 .

91

CONGRUENCY OF TRIANGLES

Tr iang les ar e th r ee sided f ig u r es th at ar e p r esent in th e wor ld of Geometr y

Th ey ar e said to b e one of th e most comp lex f ig u r es in g eometr y . Tr iang les can b e of

th r ee ty p es: E q u ilater al, Isosceles and S calene. Cong r u ency of tr iang les means th at th e tr iang les ar e eq u al and same in all r esp ects. Th er e ar e many kinds of tr iang les in

Geometr y . Cong r u ency is one of th em. Th er e ar e some conditions f or a tr iang le to b e a cong r u ent tr iang le. Th e tr iang le mu st b e eq u al to th e tr iang le in all r esp ects - th at is

in th r ee ang les and in th r ee sides. H owev er , cr eating a cong r u ent tr iang le b eing a dif f icu lt and tediou s wor k, f ou r op tions ar e av ailab le to p er f or m th e j ob : th e S .S .S cong r u ency , th e S .A.S

cong r u ency . Th e S .S .S

cong r u ency , th e A.S .A cong r u ency

cong r u ency

r ef er s to th e cong r u ency

and th e R .H .S wh ich

can b e

deter mined if th e th r ee sides of th e tr iang les ar e g iv en and b oth ar e eq u al. Th e S .A.S

cong r u ency r ef er s to th e cong r u ency wh ich can b e deter mined if th e two sides and one ang le of th e tr iang les ar e g iv en and b oth ar e eq u al. Th e A.S .A cong r u ency r ef er s

to th e cong r u ency wh ich can b e deter mined if th e two ang les and one side of th e tr iang les ar e g iv en and b oth

ar e eq u al. Th e R .H .S

cong r u ency

r ef er s to th e

cong r u ency wh ich can b e deter mined if th e h y p otenu se, th e r ig h t ang le and one of

th e tr iang les ar e g iv en and all ar e eq u al. Th e R .H .S cong r u ency can b e u sed only in a r ig h t-ang le tr iang le.

92

ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH Th e E ar th is a v er y nice p lace to liv e in. H owev er , moder n dev elop ments h av e

disf ig u r ed many h ealth y and b eau tif u l f acets of th e E ar th . O ne of th e most imp or tant of th em is th e Gr eenh ou se E f f ect. Th e E ar th is h eating u p continu ou sly b ecau se of

th e car b on diox ide th at is lef t into th e air b y dif f er ent sou r ces su ch as indu str ies, car s and many mor e oth er sou r ces. Indu str ializ ed dev elop ed cou ntr ies accou nt f or maj or

p or tion of th e car b on emission to th e env ir onment. It will also take a lot of time to f ind alter nate meth ods to stop th at ou tf low of car b on into th e atmosp h er e. E ng land f ear s th at th e car b on emissions f r om th e U nited S tates in th e p r esent r ate af f ect th e liv es of p eop le liv ing in th e wester n coast of E ng land. U S A ex p r essed its h elp lessness in

doing any th ing in th is r eg ar d owing to th e all ou t dep endence of th e moder n wor ld on

p etr ol and r elated f u els th at contr ib u te th e max imu m to th e car b on emissions and th e Gr een H ou se ef f ect .Du e to th e car b on emissions to th e atmosp h er e, th e wor ld is

h eating u p leading to many u ndesir ab le r esu lts like melting of th e p olar snow and

r ise in ocean and sea lev els to su b mer g e land masses ap ar t f r om an u np leasant

atmosp h er e. Th er e ar e attemp ts now on in th e inter national lev el to f ind a solu tion to th is g r av e dang er to th e E ar th .

THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT

S elf -inter est is th e b asic r u le of all indiv idu als as well as of nations. Wh eth er it

is an issu e of h ealth nations, th ey

or wealth

or f ood or saf ety , th is tr end is ob v iou s. P eop le or

tend to escap e and p r otect th emselv es f r om dang er s. Gr owing

r ealiz ation of th e dang er s of th e car b on emission and th e Gr een H ou se ef f ect b y th e nations is leading to concer ted ef f or ts to sav e th e E ar th f r om its u ndesir ab le ef f ects. Th e K y oto P r otocol b eing

alr eady r atif ied b y 1 8 3

cou ntr ies of th e wor ld and th e

u nanimou s r atif ication of th e p r otocol b y th e E u r op ean U nion p r ov e th e concer n of th e wor ld in th is matter .

93

MELTING GLACIERS

Glacier s ar e ice masses, mostly f ou nd in th e P olar R eg ions. Glob al war ming

is th e war ming of th e E ar th du e to th e r ef lection of th e h eat f r om th e lay er of Car b on diox ide, and cau ses g lacier s in th e P olar R eg ions to melt and f low to oceans and

seas all ov er th e wor ld, cau sing th eir lev els incr ease. Incr ease in lev els of ocean and

seas leads to f looding and su b mer g e of low-ly ing lands cr eating h av ocs to h u man lif e

all ov er . Th is is one of th e conseq u ences of th e ex cessiv e car b on emission to th e atmosp h er e, Gr eenh ou se E f f ect and th e g lob al war ming th at is most f ear ed.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate ch ang e is occu r r ing at su ch a r ap id r ate th at some th ing will h av e to

b e done so th at th ing s ar e all set ar ig h t. H owev er , with cou ntr ies f ig h ting on th e issu e inter a l ia , it looks as if th ing s ar e g oing to take a v er y long time to settle.

O ne v er y imp or tant conseq u ence of climate ch ang e is th e r ising of th e sea

lev el. Th is is a v er y dang er ou s matter as th is may lead to th e p eop le wh o liv e in coastal ar eas f or ced to leav e th e p lace to settle elsewh er e. Th is is not some th ing

th at is an easy th ing f or a wh ole p op u lation to do and will cau se a lar g e amou nt of

tr ou b le in th e f u tu r e. Th is is some th ing th at almost all cou ntr ies h av e to keep in mind in th e near f u tu r e.

Th is is some th ing th at B ang ladesh and V ietnam will su f f er a lot of as th eir

land is mostly j u st ab ov e th e sea lev el. A v er y small ch ang e in th e temp er atu r e will

ch ang e th e wh ole str u ctu r e of th e cou ntr y . Th e r ef u g ees th at will come f r om th ese ev ents of th e f u tu r e cannot tech nically r ef u g ees is some th ing

p ass f or r ef u g ees, as th e def inition of

q u ite dif f er ent f r om th e one g iv en b y th e U nited Nations

ch ar ter . Th u s th ey will not b e elig ib le f or monetar y h elp also. E v en th ou g h th is may

b e some th ing v er y tr iv ial p r ob lem accor ding to most p eop le, su ch a r u le j u st cannot

b e b r oken to h elp th ese p eop le f or many r easons. O ne is th eir lar g e nu mb er , and

94

second is th e need of r esettlement at a sh or t time. Th ir d is th e p r essu r e on oth er lands cr eated b y su ch su dden inf lu x es and its conseq u ences at th ose p laces.

Th u s, th ese p eop le ar e in a r ath er sticky situ ation indeed. Th ese p eop le h av e

to b e sav ed someh ow. Constr u ction of dy kes and dams as h as b een done in th e Neth er lands may not h elp th em as it is too costly and is not f oolp r oof and in oth er

cases simp ly cannot b e b u ilt. S o th is is a sticky situ ation th at needs to b e p r ev ented b y av oiding th e climate ch ang e and g lob al war ming .

KYOTO PROTOCOL

K y oto P r otocol is a U nited Nations initiativ e f or inter national env ir onmental

tr eaty at climate ch ang e f or ach iev ing stab iliz ation of g r eenh ou se g as concentr ations in th e atmosp h er e at a lev el th at sh all

p r ev ent dang er ou s anth r op og enic

inter f er ence with th e climate sy stem. Th e K y oto P r otocol estab lish es leg ally b inding commitment f or

th e r edu ction of

f ou r

diox ide, meth ane, nitr ou s ox ide and su lp h u r

g r eenh ou se g ases namely , car b on h ex af lu or ide and two oth er

g ases

namely h y dr of lu or ocar b ons and p er f lu or ocar b ons) let ou t to th e env ir onment mostly b y th e indu str ializ ed nations.

Th e ob j ectiv e of th e K y oto climate ch ang e conf er ence was to estab lish

a

leg ally b inding inter national ag r eement, wh er eb y all th e p ar ticip ating nations commit

th emselv es to tackling th e issu e of g lob al war ming and g r eenh ou se g as emissions. Th e tar g et ag r eed u p on was an av er ag e r edu ction of 5 .2 % y ear 2 0 1 2 .

f r om 1 9 9 0 lev els b y th e

K y oto P r otocol sets national q u antu m f or th e r edu ction: 8 %

U nion, 7 %

to th e U nited S tates, 6 %

f or J ap an, and 0 %

p er mitted th e emission incr eases of 8 %

f or th e E u r op ean

f or R u ssia. Th e tr eaty

f or Au str alia and 1 0 %

f or Iceland. Th e

ob j ectiv e is th e stab iliz ation and r econstr u ction of g r eenh ou se g as concentr ations in

th e atmosp h er e at a lev el th at wou ld p r ev ent dang er ou s anth r op og enic inter f er ence with th e climate sy stem.

95

Th is p r otocol will limit th e r elease of p ollu tants in th e E ar th and th u s h elp in

sav ing ou r p lanet. H owev er , th is will not h elp th e dev elop ed cou ntr ies th at dep end on

p etr ol th at r elease smoke containing car b on diox ide to th e atmosp h er e th at cau se th e g r een h ou se ef f ect. Th e

K y oto

p r otocol

was

f ir st

conceiv ed

in K y oto, J ap an. Th e ag r eement came into f or ce on 1 6

on

1 1

Decemb er

F eb r u ar y

2 0 0 5

1 9 9 7

f ollowing

r atif ication b y R u ssia on 1 8 Nov emb er 2 0 0 4 . U nder K y oto, indu str ializ ed cou ntr ies ag r eed to r edu ce th eir collectiv e g r een h ou se g as emissions b y 5 .2 %

f r om th e lev el

in 1 9 9 0 . Not many cou ntr ies r atif ied it th en, b u t now ov er th e y ear s, many cou nties h av e r atif ied it inclu ding India in 2 0 0 2 and th is h as r aised th e nu mb er of cou ntr ies to 1 8 3

in J anu ar y 2 0 0 9 . H owev er , th e two most imp or tant cou ntr ies concer ning

th is

p r otocol, Amer ica and Ch ina h av e not sig ned. Th e K y oto P r otocol h as alr eady come into ef f ect f r om th e last f ew y ear s.

CLIMATE CHANGE REFORMS IN THE G8, G5 SUMMIT

In th e G8 , G5 su mmit th at was h eld in Italy in 2 0 0 9 , dev elop ed and emer g ing

economies came tog eth er and discu ssed p r ob lems f acing th e wor ld in detail f or th e

f ir st time, and sev er al b r eakth r ou g h s wer e accomp lish ed. Climate Ch ang e and r ig h t h u man r esp onses to p r ev ent it and sav e man f r om annih ilation f r om th e su r f ace of th e E ar th f ou nd p r ominence in th e delib er ations of th e wor ld leader s in th e su mmit.

Climate Ch ang e r ef or ms h av e taken a v er y imp or tant p ar t in th is su mmit and

f ou nd consensu s in th e f inish ed ch ar ter of th e su mmit. A p olicy of stick and car r ot f or

adop ting climate ch ang e r ef or ms b y cou ntr ies was consider ed and adop ted in th e su mmit. H ig h er th e p ollu tants r eleased to th e atmosp h er e, cou ntr ies mu st h av e mor e str ing ent measu r es to f ig h t to b r ing

it down wer e th e g ener al tenor

of th e

delib er ations in th e su mmit. Th e su mmit mar ks th e ab ou t tu r n of th e U nited S tates of

Amer ica in its p olicy towar ds th e Climate Ch ang e u nder th e stewar dsh ip of P r esident

96

B ar ack O b ama b y ch amp ioning th e cau se of sav ing th e E ar th f r om th e atmosp h er ic p ollu tants.

India and oth er emer g ing

economies th ou g h

f u lly

su p p or ted th e cau se of

r edu cing th e r elease of th e p ollu tants to th e E ar th ’ s atmosp h er e and p ledg ed su p p or t to th e cau se, sh owed r esistance f or f ix ing

any

limits to th em and sig ning

any

ag r eement to th at ef f ect as, it claimed, su ch r estr ictions wou ld r etar d th eir g r owing economy f r om f u r th er g r owth .

Dev elop ed cou ntr ies inclu ding th e U nited S tates of Amer ica ar e on to b r ing th ese cou ntr ies ar ou nd f or an ag r eement.

EXTINCTION OF ANIMALS

Th er e ar e th ou sands of sp ecies of animals in th e wor ld. Th e continents, wh ich

h av e th e most nu mb er of sp ecies of animals, ar e Asia and Af r ica. S p ecies of animals ar e essential ing r edients in b r ing ing

ab ou t b alance in th e natu r e and in h u man

su r v iv al. S y mb iosis is an essential r u le of th e animal wor ld cov er ing h u man b eing s.

P r otection of all sp ecies f r om ex tinction is a b asic need f or maintaining th e b alance in th e natu r e and a r esp onsib ility sp ecies of th e animal wor ld.

of man as th e most ev olv ed and enlig h tened

Th ey mu st b e p r otected f r om destr u ction.

F or tu nately , th er e ar e many p eop le all ov er th e wor ld wh o h av e taken u p th is

cau se with p assion as th eir lif e mission. M ost of th em liv e in th ick f or ests ig nor ing

th eir saf ety and comf or ts, stu dy r ar e sp ecies of animals, th eir h ab its, b ef r iend th em and inter act with g ov er nments and r elated or g anisations f or th e p r otection of th ose sp ecies of animals. S u ch missionar y inv olv ements with th e animal wor ld ar e mostly seen in th e th ick f or ests of Af r ica.

U nf or tu nately , th e p eop le wh o indu lg e in killing animals f or f ood or commer cial

u se ar e mor e in th e wor ld th an th ose wh o ar e f or its p r eser v ation. P oach er s and

97

h u nter s ar e th e wor st enemies of th e animal wor ld. As a r esu lt, th e nu mb er of

sp ecies of animals in th e f or ests of Asia and Af r ica ar e steadily decr easing ov er time. H u man f ood h ab it is a maj or contr ib u tor f or th e ex tinction of a lar g e nu mb er of

sp ecies of animals f r om th e su r f ace of th e E ar th . S p ecies like th e dodo ar e alr eady

ex tinct and lost f or ev er f or th is wor ld ex cep t as a p ar t of th e natu r al h istor y . Th e

p r incip le of th e su r v iv al of th e f ittest in natu r e wor ks in th e mech anism of th e selection of th e sp ecies f or ex tinction. Weakest and th ose least f it f or su r v iv al g o f ir st.

With th e r ise of man in str eng th and knacks f or su r v iv al with h is r ap id scientif ic and

tech nolog ical p r og r ess, ch ances of oth er sp ecies with ou t h is consciou s endeav ou r s

to sav e and p r otect th em su r v iv ing h av e b ecome nau g h t. It is in th is cir cu mstance th at man mu st consciou sly decide and g o f or p r otection of h is cou sin sp ecies f r om ex tinction. S lau g h ter ing animals f or f ood is common all ov er th e wor ld. M an f inds th e f lesh of almost all animals edib le. R ar er , th e sp ecies, tastier ar e th eir f lesh . Th is is wh y r ar e sp ecies ar e sou g h t and h u nted.

H u nting is a f av ou r ite p astime of r ich and f amou s all ov er th e wor ld f r om th e

dawn of th e h u man h istor y . It h as nev er lost its ch ar m in th e h u man p sy ch e since h e star ted killing animals f or f ood and su r v iv al in th e b eg inning of h is h istor y . M oder n man indu lg es in h u nting ev en as a g ame. P oach ing animals l ucri ca usa is th e latest

tr end in th e p r esent commer cial wor ld. Animals ar e wantonly killed f or th eir or g ans

th at h av e h ig h commer cial v alu e and sold of ten in b lack mar kets f or h ig h p r ices as su ch tr ades ar e illeg al in many cou ntr ies. R ar e sp ecies like P ang olin, th e common b ear and ev en th e Gr eat Wh ite S h ar k ar e ex tensiv ely killed and slowly disap p ear ing f r om th e su r f ace of th e E ar th .

THE DANGERS POSED TO GRIZZLY BEARS

B ear s ar e f ou r -leg g ed cr eatu r es th at inh ab it th is wor ld along with a h ost of

oth er cr eatu r es. Th e b ear s ar e v er y str ong and ar e also v er y sh or t-temp er ed and will cer tainly kill p eop le if th e p eop le ir r itate th em. Among

th e b ear s, wh ich

ar e v er y

98

dang er ou s ar e th e P olar b ear s and th e Gr iz z ly or B r own b ear s. P olar b ear s ar e v er y

str ong and v er y long and th ey also weig h a lot. Th ese P olar b ear s ar e f ou nd in th e Nor th

P ole and kill h u mans f or f ood u nlike oth er b ear s th at leav e h u man b eing s

alone. Th e oth er b ear of inter est is th e B r own b ear , anoth er v er y dang er ou s b ear . B r own b ear s also kill h u mans, b u t only if th ey ar e f ou nd ir r itating or if it is f eeling v er y h u ng r y u nlike th e P olar b ear .

Th ese day s, th e b ear p op u lation h as consider ab ly come down. Gov er nments

all ov er th e wor ld ar e tr y ing to p r otect b ear s and th e b ear p op u lation f r om ex tinction and th e ef f or ts ar e sh owing

r esu lts and th e b ear p op u lation is p icking

u p

now

steadily th ou g h slowly . It is th e ag g r essiv e and attacking natu r e of h u mans th at f or ce b ear s and oth er wild animals to adop t h ostile attitu de to man. B ear s ar e mag nif icent animals and sh ou ld b e p r otected f r om ex tinction.

DECLINE OF THE TIGER

Th e tig er is th e national animal of India. It is th e lar g est memb er of th e cat

f amily and ev en b ig g er th an th e lion. It is a v er y f er ociou s animal and is well known

f or its f er ociou s h u nting skills. It h as b een h u nted f or centu r ies. Th e tig er once u sed to occu p y th e wh ole of India, P akistan, R u ssia and also Af r ica. In P akistan and

R u ssia, th e tig er is now ex tinct, wh ich is a ter r ib le loss, as th e lar g est sp ecies of th e Tig er f amily called as th e S ib er ian tig er liv ed in R u ssia. S adly , it is now disap p ear ing

f r om India and Af r ica also. Th e cau se of th is is p oach ing and h u nting . S o is h as b een f or centu r ies. H u nting and killing tig er s wer e a sy mb ol of str eng th and v alou r all ov er

th e wor ld f r om th e time immemor ial and wer e th e f av ou r ite p astime of v aliant king s and B r itish

r u ler s in India. Th e p oach er s and h u nter s do not easily

g iv e u p

th is

adv entu r e and th e tr ib als wh o liv e near th e f or ests ar e u nh elp f u l in p r otecting tig er s. Th e tig er s ar e b eing

p oach ed f or many r easons ap ar t f r om th e adv entu r e

inv olv ed. Th eir skin is j u st one of th e many r easons th at th ey ar e b eing h u nted f or . Th ey ar e also h u nted f or th eir sku ll, b ones, and teeth

and f or many oth er th ing s.

P oach er s f ind th ese a g old mine. E ach tig er is wor th almost six ty lakh r u p ees. E v er y

99

y ear , h u ndr ed and f if ty tig er s ar e killed. At th is r ate, th e alr eady scar ce p op u lation of th e tig er in India will r each its nil p oint at ar ou nd 2 0 2 0 .

RETURN OF THE DINOSAUR

Dinosau r s wer e one of th e most ter r if y ing of all th e sp ecies th at walked on th is

E ar th . It was th e r u ler of th e E ar th du r ing its day and r oamed f ear lessly wh er ev er it

wanted. H owev er , af ter some time, it died ou t. H ow it died ou t is still a my ster y and

not adeq u ately ex p lained till now sav e f or div er se u nconf ir med th eor ies, b u t wh at is known is th at th e dinosau r s died ou t v er y q u ickly ap p r ox imately six ty f iv e million y ear s b ack, and nev er ap p ear ed on th e f ace of th is ear th ag ain.

Dinosau r s ar e r ep tiles th at liv ed millions of y ear s b ack. M any p eop le th ink

th at all dinosau r s wer e v er y h u g e. B u t, it is wr ong . Th er e wer e dinosau r s, wh ich

wer e sev er al times th e h eig h t of elep h ants, and y et, th er e wer e some, wh o wer e

smaller th an a domestic cat. Th e ag e of th e dinosau r s was f r om ab ou t 1 4 0 million

y ear s to ab ou t 4 0 million y ear s ag o. Th en someth ing h ap p ened wh ich killed all th e dinosau r s. Nob ody knows wh at it was.

Th er e wer e six f amilies of dinosau r s. Th ey wer e S au r op ods, Th er op ods,

O r nith op ods, Cer atop sia, ar mou r ed dinosau r s and p lated dinosau r s. Th e S au r op ods wer e th e b ig g est of all th e dinosau r s. All of th ese dinosau r s wer e g iants and h ad long

necks and tails. Th er op ods wer e meat-eater s th at walked on two f eet. Th e king of dinosau r s, Ty r annosau r u s R ex , was one of th ose.

O r nith op ods wer e mostly p lant eater s th at mov ed on two leg s. M ost of th em

wer e lar g e. Th e Cer atop sians wer e th e last dinosau r s to ap p ear . Th ey wer e lar g e

p lant eater s with a f ew h or ns on th eir f ace. Th ey mov ed on all f eet. B oth th e ar mor ed dinosau r s and p lated dinosau r s wer e v er y mu ch like each oth er . Th ey h ad b u mp y and b one-cov er ed skin and wer e p lant eater s.

M ost of all th e dinosau r s walked on f ou r f eet b u t actu ally th eir b odies wer e 100

b ip ed. B ip ed animals ar e animals th at walk on two leg s. All th e f ir st dinosau r s wer e b ip ed. B u t th en, a f ew animals star ted walking

on all f ou r

q u adr u p eds came into ex istence. Th is is th e stor y of dinosau r s.

f eet. Th u s came

Th er e ar e sev er al th eor ies ab ou t th e su dden disap p ear ance of th e dinosau r s

f r om th e su r f ace of th e E ar th . H owev er , th ey all h av e some f au lts or th e oth er in th eir ex p lanations and it is not known wh at r eally

h ap p ened to th ese tr u ly

ter r if y ing

cr eatu r es th at r oamed th e f ace of th e ear th . H u man kind is alway s cu r iou s and

alway s wants to know wh at th e tr u th is ab ou t th ing s ar ou nd h im. Dinosau r s ar e not

an ex cep tion to th is. M any f acts ab ou t th e dinosau r s ar e ex tr acted b y stu dy ing th e f ossils th at ar e du g u p and analy sed. Th e f ossils h elp ed in classif y ing dinosau r s th at liv ed at its p eak time into v ar iou s kinds of sp ecies like th e Ty r annosau r u s R ex , a tr u ly f ear f u l sp ecies of dinosau r s th at r oamed th e E ar th .

BACTERIA

B acter ia ar e micr oor g anisms th at ar e p r esent in th e wor ld. Anton v on

L eeu v enh oek f ir st discov er ed th em in 1 6 7 6 . H e called B acter ia as animalcu les.

B acter ia ar e some of th e most f ascinating or g anisms th at ar e p r esent in th e wor ld. All th e p eop le in th e wor ld h av e consider ed B acter ia to b e dang er ou s. H owev er , only some B acter ia ar e r eally dang er ou s. S ome B acter ia ar e v er y u sef u l also. B acter ia ar e r esp onsib le f or

ch oler a, tetanu s, ty p h oid and many

oth er

diseases in h u mans and ar e dang er ou s to animals also. It cau ses ch oler a to ch ickens and anth r ax to sh eep . It is said th at if 1 0 mg of anth r ax is let loose in a b ig metr op olitan city , mor e th an one lakh

p eop le will g et killed b y

contr acting

disease. Th at is th e way in wh ich B acter ia af f ect h u mans and oth er animals.

th e

B acter ia f ix nitr og en in th e soil with ou t wh ich man and oth er animals cannot

su r v iv e. P lants ab sor b th e nitr og en f r om th e soil and man and animals take it to th eir

101

sy stem b y consu ming th e p lants. Th u s, b acter ia ar e at th e sou r ce of th e su r v iv al of man and oth er animals.

B acter ia ar e small u nicellu lar or g anisms th at ar e p r esent ev er y wh er e in th e

wor ld. Th ey ar e p r esent in th e soil, th ey ar e p r esent in th e air , and th ey ar e p r esent

in water . In sh or t, B acter ia ar e cosmop olitan. Th ey ar e th e near est th ing s to wh at we call God. B acter ia ar e u sed in many indu str ies like tob acco indu str y , ch eese indu str y , cu r ds indu str y and many mor e. Th ey ar e in th is way v er y imp or tant. Indeed, th er e ar e some b acter ia th at af f ect h u man b eing s b y inf ecting

th em with

diseases like

clostr idiu m b otu linu m, wh ich cau ses f ood p oisoning . It is one of th e most deadly of

all or g anisms. B acter ia also h elp man in sav ing and killing one of th eir own kinds as th ey h elp in p r odu cing antib iotics, wh ich can b e u sed b oth as h ealing and lif e sav ing dr u g as well as dang er ou s p oisons.

EUROPE’S DECLINING POPULATION

E u r op e is one of th e f or emost continents in th e wor ld. It is one of th e most

densely p op u lated continents in th e wor ld and th e second most p op u lated continent

in th e wor ld af ter Asia. H owev er , th is may ch ang e in a f ew y ear s b ecau se of th e declining p op u lation of E u r op e.

Th e maj or ity of th e p op u lation in E u r op e at p r esent is in its old ag e with ou t

ch ildr en. Th is is p ar ticu lar ly v isib le in cou ntr ies like Italy , Ger many and many mor e.

In Ger many , th e p op u lation is g etting so low th at th e wolf s wh o wer e dr iv en ou t of th e h ab itab le r eg ions of th e cou ntr y to f or ests a long time b ack b y th e p eop le ar e now

r etu r ning , b ecau se lands ar e less p op u lated and sp ar e lands ar e av ailab le to th em to occu p y . Th is may seem g ood news to env ir onmentalists and wild lif e enth u siasts, b u t

if th is continu es, b y 2 0 4 0 , th er e will b e ab ou t f or ty -one p eop le less liv ing in E u r op e f or ev er y one th ou sand. F or ab ou t a th ou sand p eop le in a city

in Gr eece in an

ex tr eme case, now, th e nu mb er h as dwindled to a doz en and th ey all ar e in th eir

six ties and sev enties and in ab ou t th ir ty y ear s, th er e may not b e a city with th at name

102

ag ain in Gr eece. Th is is a v er y sad case and it may also h ap p en to oth er cities of E u r op e and all ov er th e wor ld in cou r se of time. H owev er , th er e is no need of g etting ov er ly scar ed, as it will take a v er y long time to f ind th e E ar th with ou t mankind.

THE KILLER TSUNAMI

Decemb er 2 6 , 2 0 0 4 tu r ned ou t to b e one of th e most tr ag ic sing le day s in th e

liv ing memor y of th e h u man h istor y . Th e killer tsu nami th at tr ig g er ed on th at day

in Asia r ecor ded th e death of mor e th an 1 5 0 th ou sand innocent ch ildr en, women

and men and dev astation of millions in S ou th and S ou th -east Asia in th e cou r se

of j u st th r ee h ou r s. Th is tsu nami tu r ned ou t to b e th e f ou r th wor st natu r al disaster

since th e end of th e nineteenth centu r y af ter th e q u akes in Ch ina in 1 9 7 6 , 1 9 2 7

and 1 9 2 0 , wh ich claimed 2 5 5 , 2 0 0 and 2 0 0 th ou sand liv es r esp ectiv ely .

Devastation Th e cou ntr ies wor st h it b y th e K iller Tsu nami of Asia ar e Indonesia, S r i L anka,

India and Th ailand in th at or der . O th er cou ntr ies th at saw th e f u r y of th e tsu nami inclu de M alay sia, B u r ma, and B ang ladesh and f ar away E ast Af r ican cou ntr ies like S omalia, K eny a, Tanz ania and S ey ch elles. Indonesia, wh ich

was closest to th e

ep icentr e of th e ear th q u ake th at cau sed th e tsu nami accou nted f or ab ou t one-lakh death s wh ile India’ s toll ex ceeded ten th ou sand. Th e Aceh was th e f ir st and wor st af f ected r eg ion.

p r ov ince of Indonesia

Th e wor st af f ected r eg ions in India wer e th e state of Tamil Nadu

and th e

islands of Andaman and Nicob ar . Th e Indian nav al b ase in Andaman and Nicob ar

was wash ed away b y th e killer wav es. Th e sou th er n tip s of India and th e Indian mainland namely Indir a P oint in Andaman and Nicob ar islands and K any aku mar i in

th e mainland wer e b adly h it b y th e Tsu nami. K er ala, Andh r a P r adesh and O r issa wer e also h it b y th e Tsu nami.

103

What is a Tsunami? Tsu nami in J ap anese means ‘ h ar b ou r wav e’ . It is tr ig g er ed b y

a v er tical

distu r b ance in th e oceans cau sed b y an ear th q u ake, landslide or v olcanic er u p tion. Th e r esu lt is mammoth wav es sev er al meter s h ig h cr ash ing into coastal ar eas.

Th e p r esent tsu nami was tr ig g er ed b y an ear th q u ake of th e mag nitu de of nine

in th e R ich ter scale near S u matr a of Indonesia. Th e ear th q u ake was cau sed wh ile

ab ou t 1 ,2 0 0 km of th e edg e of th e B u r ma p late of th e E ar th ’ s cr u st su ddenly slid

f if teen meter s h ig h ab ov e th e Indian p late on th e f atef u l day mor ning ar ou nd 6 .2 9 IS T near S u matr a. Th is was th e r esu lt of th e p r essu r e b u ilt u p b y th e two g iant tectonic p lates wh ile g r ind ag ainst each

oth er cau sing

th e India p late slip

nor th east a y ear b elow th e B u r ma P late. S u ch

six centimetr es

g eolog ical p h enomena cau sing

ear th q u akes and su ch maj or ear th q u akes on th e ocean f loor cau sing tsu nami ar e

natu r al p r ocesses. H owev er , India was cau g h t b y su r p r ise b y th is tsu nami, as it was th e f ir st of its kind to h it India in its liv ing memor y .

Relief Efforts Th e r elief ef f or ts India saw f or th e tsu nami v ictims h as b een as nev er b ef or e.

TV telecast and media cov er ag e h elp ed sensitiz e p eop le to th e disaster . B oth Indian g ov er nment and p r iv ate ag encies p r ov ided mammoth

r elief ef f or ts. India r ef u sed

U S A of f er of h elp and sh owed th at it can h andle su ch disaster s b y its own r esou r ces. India ev en h elp ed S r i L anka in its r elief op er ations. Newsp ap er s, f ilm actor s, cr icketer s, all contr ib u ted to th e r elief ef f or ts.

India’ s r esp onse to th e tsu nami was slow in th e b eg inning . H owev er , as time

p assed, it p icked u p

lif e. Th e Indian g ov er nment h as decided to b u ild a Tsu nami

War ning S y stem on th e ocean b asin and h as kep t aside twenty sev en million U S

dollar s to b u ild it. A Disaster M anag ement Au th or ity h as also b een set u p to deal with

natu r al disaster s like tsu namis in f u tu r e. Th ese ar e th e p ositiv e ou tcomes of th e h or r if ic tr ag edy India u nder went in th e last week of th e y ear 2 0 0 4 .

104

THE AFTERMATH OF THE TSUNAMI

Tsu nami th at str u ck S ou th east and S ou th Asia in 2 0 0 4 killed and ser iou sly

inj u r ed th ou sands of p eop le. M any cou ntr ies of th e wor ld g ener ou sly p r ov ided h elp

f or th e r elief of th e Tsu nami-str u ck p eop le and r eg ions. Th e p lace th at was near est to

th e ep icentr e of th e tsu nami and th u s su f f er ed th e most was th e p r ov ince of Aceh in

Indonesia. In th is p lace, th ou sands of p eop le died and almost all b u ilding s wer e destr oy ed. In sh or t, near ly all th e p eop le in th is p r ov ince died.

P eop le in th e r eg ion ar e sad ab ou t th is calamity of th eir s. Th ey ar e u nh ap p y

and ang r y and comp lained ab ou t th eir h elp lessness. Th eir ang er is well f ou nded.

Th eir q u estion is wh y of all th e p eop le in th e wor ld, th ey h ad to b e th e ones wh o

wer e str u ck b y th e tsu nami. Th ey ar e ang r y b ecau se of th is and demand j u stice f r om th e God. V ar iou s militant g r ou p s in th e r eg ion h ad alr eady r av ag ed th em and th ey ar e v er y

ang r y

th at th e natu r e itself also consp ir ed ag ainst th em th r ou g h

th e

Tsu nami and all th e b ad th ing s h ap p en to th em only . Th is is not a q u estion th at one can easily war d of f or answer . Th ey h av e alr eady seen mu r der and death ap lenty

th ou g h not on su ch a h u g e scale as th e tsu nami. Th ey ar e lamenting th e f act th at th ey h av e h ad a b ad h istor y till th en. Any way , th ey h av e one g ood th ing b ecau se of th is tsu nami. Th at is th at th e militant g r ou p s h av e g iv en u p

th eir camp aig n af ter

Tsu nami to g iv e th e p eop le p eace. Th is sh ows th at militants also h av e h ear ts.

THE AFTER EFFECTS OF THE TSUNAMI IN SRI LANKA

In th e Tsu nami th at h it th e coast of S ou th E ast Asia in 2 0 0 4 , many p eop le

died and many mor e wer e inj u r ed, disp laced and lost ev er y th ing . S r i L anka saw a

salu b r iou s tu r n du r ing th e Tsu nami dev astation in b oth th e Gov er nment of S r i L anka and its ar ch enemy , th e Tamil Tig er s of th e L TTE ex tending

on a mission of common cau se in

r elief ser v ices in th e Tsu nami-h it ar eas. H owev er , th is was p r ov ed a

sh or t-liv ed comr ader y wh en a minister of S r i L anka was killed in a ter r or ist attack. It was widely b eliev ed th at it was a Tamil Tig er Attack. B u t, th e Tamil Tig er s stau nch ly

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denied th is ch ar g e. Th e th en P r esident of S r i L anka, M r s. Ch andr ika K u mar atu ng a h ad two ch oices: r esu me th e b attle ag ainst th e L TTE

or to b ef r iend th e L TTE . M r s.

Ch andr ika K u mar atu ng a ch ose th e latter op tion f ollowing

th e p op u lar will of th e

cou ntr y at th at time. It is h istor y now th at th at mov e also sh or t-liv ed.

EARTH-QUAKE-PRONE SUMATRA

S u matr a is an island th at is p r esent in Indonesia. It is one of th e most

dang er ou s sp ots in th e wor ld to liv e in. Th is is b ecau se of its ear th q u ake-p r one

natu r e and th e concomitant tsu namis th at str ike th e small island. It is th er ef or e consider ed as one of th e most dang er ou s r eg ions of th e wor ld. E ar th q u akes p er se

do not cau se f ear in th e p eop le of S u matr a. It is th e tsu nami th at str ikes th e island th at b r ing s ter r or to th e island of S u matr a. Th e ear th q u akes also cau se v olcanoes to b u r st

Th e K r akatau v olcano th at er u p ted in 1 8 8 3 was so f er ociou s th at it comp letely

destr oy ed th e wh ole mou ntain f r om wh ich it er u p ted and was so f er ociou s th at its tr emor s wer e h ear d in th e islands near Af r ica! H owev er , th e K r akatau er u p tion comp ar ativ ely

v olcano

is p eanu ts comp ar ed to th e Tob a ear th q u ake th at sh ook

S u matr a th ou sands of y ear s b ack and is still r ememb er ed in th e r eg ion. Th is took p lace in Nor th S u matr a and its v olcanic er u p tion cr eated a cr ater mor e th an 8 0 km wide and deb r is mor e th an 1 .5

meter th ick was th r own to p laces h u ndr eds of

kilometr es away . Th e p eop le of S u matr a can nev er b e su r e th at su ch dev astations wou ld not r ecu r as h istor y and ear th q u akes h av e a p atter n and known to r ecu r .

GLOBAL HEALTH CARE

Th ese day s, man h as r edu ced th e dang er s th at ar e h au nting h im. In ear lier

day s wh en man was still lear ning th e v ar iou s secr ets of th e E ar th , many diseases

su r r ou nded h im. H e still ate r aw f ood and knew noth ing ab ou t diseases th at stalked on h im. Diseases killed h im as v iciou sly as th e v ar iou s animals th at h e h u nted su ch

as deer , moose and so on. At least th e animals th at wer e h u nted down knew wh o

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h u nted th em and knew h ow to h ide f r om th e h u man b eing s. H owev er , th e th en

h u man b eing s did not know wh at killed th em of ten en ma ss. B acter ia and v ir u s wer e u nknown to h im. O f ten, h e attr ib u ted su ch su dden death s to cu r ses, witch cr af ts and su ch

su p er natu r al cau ses. Ab or ig ines in Au str alia, and B u sh men and th e Tu tsi in

Af r ica, and many oth er tr ib es still b eliev e in th ese th ing s ev en th ou g h

come in contact with th e wor ld in lar g e. Th ey still b eliev e in witch doctor s.

th ey h av e

Th e most imp or tant th ing to a p er son is h is own su r v iv al. H e will tr y h is v er y

b est to su r v iv e at wh atev er cost. B u t, r oads to death ar e u mp teen like natu r al death s, h omicides, accidents and death s b y

diseases. Natu r al death

h as no r emedy ;

h omicide occu r s u nawar es most of th e times like accidents. Death b y disease can b e av oided b y

p r ev entiv e and r emedial measu r e. O f

th ese, disease ap p or tions

max imu m death s and cov er s all r anks of p eop le of all ag es and statu r e. Diseases ar e of two kinds, commu nicab le and non-commu nicab le diseases. Car diac ar r est and cancer accou nt f or th e maj or sh ar e of death s b y diseases. Wh ile commu nicab le diseases b r ing

th e non-commu nicab le

mass death s on its b r eak on

p r edictab le lines, r ig h t medical car es and p r ev entiv e measu r es at r ig h t time can contr ol and comp letely

stop

th e menace. B u t, non-commu nicab le diseases ar e

dif f er ent. Th ey ar e slow, steady and u np r edictab le. Any money sp ent on wor ld h ealth

car e is well sp ent and a g r eat ser v ice to th e mankind. All enlig h tened r ich p eop le of

th e wor ld well sp ent th eir wealth f or th is nob le cau se. Th e Gates, B ill and M elinda, of

th e M icr osof t f ame ar e th e r ecent ex amp le of th is nob le cau se. M elinda and B ill

Gates h av e g ener ou sly donated th eir wealth f or th e cau se of th e wor ld h ealth and h ealth car e of th e p oor .

PANDEMICS

Th e th ing th at is most imp or tant in any p er son’ s lif e is h is h ealth . P andemic is

an ep idemic th at is g eog r ap h ically

widesp r ead, occu r r ing

th r ou g h ou t a r eg ion or

ev en th r ou g h ou t th e wor ld. P andemic like wildf ir e r ap idly sp r ead all r ou nd cau sing

u ncontr olled su f f er ing s and death s in a sh or t sp an of time and may ev en endang er h u man ex istence if th e p andemic is in g lob al lev el.

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Natu r ally , common ef f or ts ar e called f or to f ig h t th e p andemic and all cou ntr ies

of th e wor ld j oin h ands to p r ev ent th e ep idemic f r om sp r eading in th is g lob al v illag e.

P andemic does not r esp ect national b ou ndar ies and g eog r ap h ical distances. S wine

f lu e wh ich was f ir st noticed in M ex ico and th e U nited S tates of Amer ica took no time

in g r ip p ing cou ntr ies all ov er th e wor ld in sp ite of th e b est ef f or ts b y th e r esp ectiv e cou ntr ies to p r ev ent it f r om sp r eading in th eir r esp ectiv e cou ntr ies. P andemics ar e

not dif f er ent f r om economic imp acts in th is r eg ar d as sh own b y th e wor ldwide down tr end of th e economy , wh ich

or ig inated f r om th e U nited S tates of Amer ica and

sp r ead like wildf ir e all ov er th e wor ld. Allowing

p andemics to take a toll on h u man lif e u nch ecked is a b lig h t on

h u man h istor y and th u s th e need of concer ted ef f or ts. S wine f lu e and av ian inf lu enz a b ef or e it ar e th e p oint of f ocu s h er e. Th e U nited S tates of Amer ica, Ch ina and H ong K ong

did commendab le j ob

inf lu enz a.

to p r ev ent th e ou tb r eak and sp r ead of th e av ian

P andemics like th e B lack P lag u e in th e b eg inning of th e 2 0 th centu r y killed

mor e th an a million p eop le in E u r op e. P eop le still r ememb er ab ou t th is p lag u e. Timely inter v entions and p r ev entiv e measu r es b y th e Wor ld H ealth O r g anisation and cou ntr ies all ov er th e wor ld p r ev ented su ch

dev astations in moder n times b y th e

ou tb r eak of th e av ian inf lu enz a and th e swine f lu e. Th e Av ian F lu sp r ead f r om Ch ina to all oth er p ar ts of Asia wh ile th e swine f lu e sp r ead f r om M ex ico and th e U nited S tates of Amer ica all ov er th e wor ld.

Th e wor ld saw th e ou tb r eak of p lag u e in 1 9 1 8 and 1 9 7 6 . Wh ile th e f or mer

ou tb r eak is r ememb er ed f or death s b ecau se of th e lack of concer ted ef f or ts to

p r ev ent it, th e latter ou tb r eak saw death s b y th e ov er z eal in th e inj ection of th e dang er ou s antib iotics ag ainst th e p andemic. O v er doing is th e b ane of th e moder n wor ld. Th is is a lesson to keep th e v ia media in dealing with th e p andemics.

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SWINE FLU

S wine F lu

Wor ld H ealth

h as cau sed a lar g e amou nt of p anic all ar ou nd th e wor ld. Th e

O r g anisation say s th at it p oses th e th r eat of a p andemic th at may

cau se a lar g e nu mb er of f atalities all ar ou nd th e wor ld. Th is disease h as sp r ead to many

cou ntr ies and it h as sh own f atalities at a r ate of two f or ev er y

th ou sand

inf ected. O ne does not know wh eth er it will b e ab le to mor p h to a deadlier v er sion of th e swine f lu .

Th u s, th is swine f lu is cau sing a lar g e amou nt of ter r or th r ou g h ou t th e g lob e

esp ecially in th e ar eas wh er e it h as b een f ou nd. P eop le r ememb er and comp ar e th e

inf lu enz a f lu ep idemic th at killed a lar g e nu mb er of p eop le j u st af ter th e F ir st Wor ld War and ar e g etting p anicky . Th er e is no r eason to g et so mu ch p anicky ab ou t swine f lu e as it is incr easing ly p r ov ed to b e not ag g r essiv ely f atal.

Comp ar ison with th e inf lu enz a f lu ep idemic of th e 1 9 1 0 s is a mu te p oint h er e

f or th e simp le r eason of th e liv ing conditions th er e. E p idemics cannot sp r ead as did th en f or u mp teen r easons: su itab le dr u g s, p r ev entiv e measu r es, inter national ef f or ts

ag ainst, Wor ld H ealth O r g anisation ( WH O ) to ov er see and so on. H owev er , some scientists say th at as th e wor ld h as h eated u p in th e inter v ening y ear s, th is swine f lu

will b e ab le to r ep r odu ce and mu tate to a mor e v ir ile f or m mor e q u ickly . H owev er , it

looks as if th e b est op tion f or India is to sit tig h t. Th e disease h as not y et str u ck India

with its f u ll str eng th . India r ep or ted its f ir st H 1 N1 v ir u s casu alty on Au g u st 4 , 2 0 0 9 in P u ne, th e seat of th e National Institu te of V ir olog y f or India, b y th e death of a 1 4 -y ear old g ir l and immediately

th e g ov er nment notif ied th e af f ected ar eas u nder th e

E p idemic Diseases Act 1 8 9 7 enab ling str ing ent p r ev entiv e measu r es.

India h as g ot sev er al low-cost anti-f lu dr u g s th at h av e sh own a measu r e of

r esistance towar ds th e S wine F lu . Dev elop ed cou ntr ies ar e making r ap id p r og r ess in f inding dr u g s f or swine f lu and contr olling th e p andemic may not b e f ar away .

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NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES

Non-commu nicab le diseases ar e r esp onsib le f or th e death of a lar g e nu mb er

of p eop le. It is b eliev ed th at as many p eop le die f r om incommu nicab le diseases as f r om commu nicab le diseases. In Af r ica and oth er cou ntr ies th at ar e still dev elop ing , th is nu mb er is v er y h ig h .

It is b eliev ed th at in Af r ica and Asia, th e f atalities of th e incommu nicab le

diseases th is will incr ease in th e day s to come. Th e U nited Nations is taking step s to

cou nter it. Incommu nicab le diseases accou nt f or lar g e nu mb er of f atalities in cou ntr ies su ch as E u r op e also. H ear t p r ob lems accou nt f or th e h ig h est nu mb er of death s in th e incommu nicab le diseases categ or y closely f ollowed b y cancer .

FITNESS PROBLEM

O ne of th e most acu te p r ob lems of th e p r esent wor ld is th e f itness p r ob lem:

th e p r ob lem of b ecoming mor e and mor e f at and ob ese day b y day . Th er e was a time wh en p eop le wer e dy ing of star v ation and th er e ar e p eop le all ov er th e wor ld ev en now wh o star v e f or th e lack of av ailab ility of f ood. B u t, ex cessiv e eating leading

to u ncontr olled ob esity h as b ecome a ch r onic disease in many p ar ts of th e wor ld

now: th e p r ob lem of eating mor e th an wh at is needed. Th is is a sin mor e th an a

p r ob lem wh en one consider s th at in oth er p ar ts of th e wor ld, p eop le ar e str u g g ling to g et ev en a sq u ar e meal a day . Need b ased consu mp tion of th e f ood is a solu tion f or b oth th e p r ob lems of ob esity and star v ation.

Need b ased consu mp tion of th e f ood is easier said th an done since p eop le

wh o h av e accu stomed to eating in ex cess cannot th at easily sh ed th e h ab it. Th e nex t op tion f or a f it b ody

is b u r ning

away

th e ex cess f ood b y

ex er cising

ev er y

day .

Th ou g h th is is also not an easy op tion to p eop le accu stomed to easy lif e, th er e is no op tion b u t to cu ltiv ate it.

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A daily

r eg imen of ex er cise does h elp

g ood h ealth

and g ood look. Th e

p r ob lem of ob esity is acu te in r ich cou ntr ies like th e U nited S tates th at h as some of

th e f attest p eop le of th e wor ld. Th er e was a man th er e wh o weig h ed mor e th an a th ou sand p ou nd. H e ate mor e in one sitting th an a p er son nor mally does in a week.

H e was to b e car r ied to h osp ital wh ile f ell sick b y b r eaking walls of h is h ou se to come

ou tside. H owev er , r ecent r esear ch es h av e sh own th at p eop le with a little mor e th an

av er ag e weig h t is h ealth ier and liv elong er th an th ose less th an th e av er ag e weig h t.

B u t key h er e is th at th er e ar e limits f or ev er y th ing . E x cesses ar e alway s incong r u ent with th e natu r e and th er ef or e alway s dang er ou s.

FLOWERS

F lower is someth ing

th at ev er y one admir es ev er y day . Th e eth er eal

b eau ty of some mag nif icent f lower s h as astou nded p eop le. Th ey admir ed th em f or centu r ies and still do, notwith standing

th e r ap id adv ancement of mankind in

tech nolog y . Wh en p eop le look u p on f lower s, th ey see only th e p etals of th e f lower s and admir e only th at and th ink th at th e f lower is a simp le th ing . M any p oets h av e

q u oted ab ou t f lower s and ev en u sed it as a simile, a metap h or and ev en in p er sonif ication. In all th ese p oetic v entu r es, f lower s ar e descr ib ed v iv idly as simp le b eau tif u l cr eations.

S till water s r u n deep . Th is is th e case of f lower s. Th ey ar e h eld in th e v iew of

th e p u b lic as simp le th ing s and ar e said to b e th er e only f or b eau ty . No p er son in ancient times ev er th ou g h t th at f lower s cou ld b e comp lex str u ctu r es. Th e f lower is

made u p of f ou r wh or ls or lay er s. Th ey ar e th e caly x , th e cor olla, th e andr oeciu m and th e g y noeciu m. Th e caly x is made u p of sep als, th e cor olla is made u p of p etals, th e andr oeciu m is made u p

of anth er s and g y noeciu m is made u p

of car p el. Th e

andr oeciu m and th e g y noeciu m ar e th e main p ar ts of th e f lower and th e caly x and th e cor olla ar e th e secondar y p ar ts of th e f lower , as th ey do not p lay an imp or tant r ole in r ep r odu ction.

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INDIAN VALUES HUMILITY IS THE GREATEST VIRTUE

H u mility , wh ich is th e g r eatest among all v ir tu es known to mankind. H u mility in

L atin is h umil is, means low. H u mility is b eing low ou tside wh ile h ig h inside. It is self -

ef f acing and th e denial of self -imp or tance. H u mility is th e antith esis of ar r og ance and

f alse p r ide. It is th e law of th e natu r e th at p eop le wh o ar e str ong and v ir tu ou s inside alway s r emain low ou tside. We h av e ex amp les of J esu s Ch r ist, Gau th ama B u ddh a and

M ah atma Gandh i, and B asav esh war a near er in ou r own state. Th ey ar e all called as g r eat sou ls b ecau se of th eir h u mility .

H u mility is th e antith esis of ar r og ance and f alse p r ide. Ar r og ance and f alse

p r ide ar e th e wor st ev ils of th e mankind and su r e way s of destr u ction. R av ana in th e

R amay ana saw h is end b ecau se of h is ar r og ance. Du r y odh ana in th e M ah ab h ar ath a

car v ed ou t h is destr u ction du e to h is f alse p r ide. Near er in time, u nlimited ar r og ance destr oy ed b oth H itler and S addam H u ssain.

H u mility is a r ar e and th e g r eatest v ir tu e mankind h as ev er known. P eop le

with th is g r eat v ir tu e in ab u ndance stand ou t and sh ine like th e S u n. All likes th em. E v er y b ody h ates ar r og ance and th e ar r og ant p eop le. M y th olog y and H istor y ar e f u ll of stor ies th at sh ow h ow th e f or ces of h u mility ar r og ance.

tr iu mp h ed ov er th e f or ces of

O nly a p u r e sou l can h av e h u mility . And th e h u mility b r ing s ab ou t all oth er

v ir tu es inclu ding

simp licity , h onesty , p atience, lov e, kindness and ab ov e all self -

conf idence. H u mility sp r ou ts f r om th e h ear t. It is nev er p r actised f or ef f ect or b enef it. Th er ef or e, ev er y b ody tr u sts p eop le wh o ar e f illed with h u mility . H u mility sav es th e

wor ld f r om all ev ils like decep tion, g r eed, h atr ed, ang er , comp etition, su sp icion and

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discontentment. It sp r eads simp licity , p eace, h ar mony h u mankind.

and contentment in

J esu s Ch r ist sp r ead th e doctr ine of sh owing th e r ig h t ch eek as well, wh en

someb ody slap s y ou on th e lef t ch eek. H e also said th at if any b ody su es y ou f or y ou r sh ir t, let h im h av e y ou r coat as well. H e died on th e cr oss f or th e sins of th e h u manity at lar g e. R amay ana is th e stor y

of th e clash

b etween th e f or ces of h u mility

r ep r esented b y R ama and th e f or ces of ar r og ance r ep r esented b y R av ana, and th e u ltimate tr iu mp h of h u mility ov er ar r og ance. M ah ab h ar ath a is th e stor y of th e clash b etween th e f or ces of h u mility

r ep r esented b y

th e P andav as and th e f or ces of

ar r og ance r ep r esented b y th e K au r av as, and th e u ltimate tr iu mp h of h u mility ov er

ar r og ance. M ah atma Gandh i v owed not to wear a sh ir t or tr av el f ir st class in tr ain u ntil all th e p eop le in India cou ld af f or d it. H e discar ded all th e lu x u r ies of th e lif e and

willing ly liv ed th e p oor est of th e p oor lif e. Th is is h u mility . B asav esh war a, th e P r ime M inister of th e king of B ij j ala of K aly ana called h imself a ser v ant of th e ser v ants of th e nob le p eop le. It is h u mility .

H u mility is not easy to come. It needs cleansing of th e sou l f r om th e ev ils of

ar r og ance and f alse p r ide. And th e S atan of th e ar r og ance and f alse p r ide h as str ong h old on ou r lif e and cannot b e sh ed easily . O nly g r eat sou ls with ex tr aor dinar y str eng th

inside can r each

th e h ig h er lev els. Th ey ar e called as g r eat

sou ls. We can only tr y towar ds th at end. If we su cceed to any deg r ee, we can b e

called as g r eat. H u mility

is th e tr u e p ath

adv ancement to th e div ine end.

towar ds p eace, h ar mony

and

H u mility is civ ility . H u mility is u tility . H u mility is h u manity . H u mility is div inity . T h e b est a re th ose w h o l iv e in h umil ity ,

T h a t b ring s to l if e g rea tness, ea sy f el icity ;

T h ose w h o h a v e th is a p l enty a re b l essed , A nd a l w a y s sta nd out a s th e v ery b est.

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HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY

H onesty is th e b est p olicy ; so it was, is and will b e. Dish onesty alway s leads

to th e doom of th e p er son wh o p r actices it. O n th e oth er h and, h onesty leads to g r eatness. M any g r eat p eop le wer e h onest. P eop le wh o ar e notor iou s ar e u su ally

dish onest. We mu st b e h onest if we want to p r osp er . S o, f r iends, we mu st b e h onest. Wh at is h onesty ? H onesty is tr u th f u lness, h onesty is integ r ity , and h onesty is

f air ness. H onesty b asically is op enness. It is b eing

tr u th f u l to oneself . H onesty is

h onou r . Th e wor d h onesty is der iv ed f r om th e F r ench r oot “ h oneste” and th e L atin r oot “ h onestu s” , meaning h onou r . H onesty

makes p eop le g r eat. Gandh ij i is called M ah atma or Gr eat S ou l

b ecau se h e was an h onest p er son. Gandh ij i f ou g h t f or tr u th and b ecame an ap ostle

of h onesty and p eace. H e r ef u sed to cop y th e sp elling of th e wor d “ kettle” ev en on th e su g g estion of h is teach er du r ing an insp ection of h is class and th is sh ows th at Gandh ij i was h onest f r om h is ch ildh ood.

Dish onesty may b r ing temp or ar y r elief . B u t, it cer tainly h ar ms in th e long r u n.

It dar kens ou r sou l and b r eeds f ear in ou r h ear ts. It sh akes ou r conf idence and h u r ts ou r self -r esp ect. O n th e oth er h and, h onesty b r eeds conf idence and nou r ish es self r esp ect. It makes u s u p r ig h t and h onor ab le. H onesty b r ing s its own g lor y and j oy . H onesty

b eg ets h onesty . O th er s tr u st h onest p eop le. E v en cr u el animals

b eh av e dif f er ently with h onest p eop le. H onesty imp lies p u r e and simp le h ear t and a g r eat sou l. H onest p eop le ar e near er to th e natu r e and to th e God.

S ome may wonder wh en it is said th at h onesty sometimes may inv olv e lies also. B u t it is tr u e. A lie said with a g ood intention like sav ing an innocent lif e f r om a g ang of

th iev es as in a stor y of M ah ab h ar ata ep ic amou nts to h onesty . Th e test of h onesty is

doing well to oth er s. S u ch acts endear u s to all. S imp licity and kindness ar e th e lif e-

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b lood of h onesty . O nly h onesty with its simp licity and kindness makes u s tr u e h u man b eing s.

H onesty means b eing tr u e to one’ s conscience. Wh ile f ollowing th e p ath of

h onesty , one mu st not tell lies and mu st not b e f alse in any r esp ect.

Dish onesty may h elp f or th e time b eing b u t it h ar ms ou r inter ests in th e long

ter m. F or ex amp le, if one tells lies now, h e may sav e h imself f r om b eing in tr ou b le. B u t th en, if h is lie in u ncov er ed, th an, h e is in dou b le tr ou b le f or doing th e wr ong and th en on top of it telling th e lie to cov er th e wr ong . S o one mu st not tell lies.

H onesty makes all th e p eop le to like h im and th u s g iv es h im a g ood name in

th e society . It is nice to tell th e tr u th as ou r conscience will not b e af f ected and it will also g iv e p eop le a f av ou r ab le imp r ession and th u s lessen ou r h eav enly p u nish ment. All g r eat p eop le inclu ding M ah atma Gandh i, Geor g e Wash ing ton and many

oth er s h av e f ollowed it. All g r eat p eop le h av e f ollowed h onesty as th ey h av e th e

desir e not to tell lies. O nly g ood p eop le f ollow h onesty , as oth er p eop le do not h av e th e self -contr ol to r esist th e ev il temp tation to tell lies.

H onesty makes th e wor ld a h ap p ier p lace to liv e in as ev er y one tr u sts each

oth er and th er e is g oodwill ev er y wh er e. WILL AND DETERMINATION

Will and deter mination is th e sp ice of lif e. With ou t th is q u ality , none can

b ecome g r eat. Will and deter mination is th e p ower b eh ind talent and intellig ence. With ou t will and deter mination, th e talent and intellig ence j u st with er .

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Th er e ar e u mp teen ex amp les of will and deter mination p u sh ing a p er son to

g r eatness. H elen K eller S u dh ach andr an and L ou is B r aille ar e j u st a f ew instances of

su ch p er sons. H elen K eller wh o was b or n in Amer ica was b lind, deaf and du mb . B u t, sh e lear nt to talk and wr ite in a v er y sh or t time. S h e also wr ote b ooks.

S u dh ach andr an is a dancer wh o lost h er leg s in an accident. S h e u sed

ar tif icial leg s and continu ed with h er dance car eer .

p lay ing

L ou is B r aille was not b or n b lind. H e b ecame b lind b ecau se of an awl h e was with

in h is f ath er ’ s wor ksh op

wh en h e was j u st f ou r y ear s old. L ater , h e

dev ised th e B r aille sy stem of lang u ag e f or th e b enef it of b lind p eop le.

Th er e ar e many su ch ex amp les as th ese wh er ein sh eer will and deter mination

took f ar ah ead in lif e f or g r eat accomp lish ments. Will and deter mination do r aise a p er son to g r eater h eig h ts. H u mans in th emselv es mu st dev elop su ch a q u ality . W il l a nd d etermina tion, trul y crow ning p a ssion, B uil t a nd p ul l ed d ow n crow ns a nd na tions;

T h e inw a rd streng th , trul y unp a ra l l el ’ d w ea l th , H oisted z ea l ots to l if e’ s unsurp a ssed z enith .

LEADERSHIP

A leader is endowed with

cer tain ex tr a p ower s and th is b r ing s additional

r esp onsib ilities to h im. Th is with time ch ang es th e ch ar acter of th e b oss. A leader

mu st b e one in h is g r ou p wh ile dif f er ent all th e same. It is easily said th an done.

O f ten, th e needs of a leader to b e dif f er ent f r om th e g r ou p wh ile one r emaining as one in th e g r ou p is seen and ab h or r ed as ar r og ance

A g ood leader r elentlessly tr ies to insp ir e th ose u nder h im towar ds g oals set

f or th em.

H e encou r ag es th em to liv e u p

to h is ex p ectations ou t of th em. F or

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su ccess to b e g ained b y th e leader and th e p eop le wh o wor k f or h im, all of th em mu st wor k as a team and mu st g o th r ou g h each

b ar r ier with

r esolu tion and self -

conf idence to su cceed and accomp lish . A leader insp ir es r isk-taking and also leads

b y setting an ex amp le f or th ose wh o wor k f or h im. Th en only can a leader b e a tr u e leader .

WAR IS DESTRUCTIVE

“ W a r is a d rea d f ul th ing ,

Dea th a nd d estruction, it d oes b ring ;

B e it f or l a nd or rich es, w a r is w rong ,

A sw el l of w a stes, w a r is a d ev il ’ s song .” War with its lieu tenants, disease and death , tr ies to destr oy h u man kind wh en

th er e is disag r eement b etween cou ntr ies. War h as p r ov en its str eng th in th e f ir st and second Wor ld War s. In th ese Wor ld War s, altog eth er sev enty million p eop le died. F or ty -f iv e p er cent of th em wer e soldier s and th e r emaining

f if ty -f iv e p er cent wer e

civ ilians. In th at centu r y , altog eth er one h u ndr ed million p eop le died in war s and sev enty p er cent of th em in Wor ld War s alone. Anoth er inter esting f act is th at 1 5 0 war s wer e f ou g h t since 1 9 4 5 . S o it is imp or tant to stop

anoth er Wor ld War as, if

anoth er Wor ld War is f ou g h t, all th e p eop le on th e f ace of th e E ar th will b e wip ed ou t du e to th e adv anced tech nolog y .

If p eace g ets a ch ance, all nations and all cou ntr ies p r osp er . B u t, if war b ef alls

on th e wor ld, I f or esee th at b y th e nex t centu r y , th er e may b e almost no one liv ing on th e water y p lanet, th e E ar th .

Du r ing th e K ar g il war , Af g h anistan war and Ir aq war s, p eop le in th ou sands

died du e to th e u se of adv anced tech nolog y . We mu st take th ese ex amp les to ou r mind and ask ou r selv es wh eth er we want p eop le to die.

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Nob ody u nder stood th e ev ils of war and th e b lessing s of p eace mor e th an th e

M au r y an E mp er or , Asoka, th e Gr eat. H ow K aling a war tr ansf or med h im to an ap ostle of p eace is a leg end now.

“ P ea ce b uil d s b rid g es a nd trust

A nd l ea d s th ere, w h ere a l l is rig h t.”

GANDHIAN THOUGHTS

Gandh ij i led India to f r eedom. H e was a g r eat man of p r incip les and h ig h

g oals in lif e. H e p r actised wh at h e p r each ed and th at made h im a g r eat leader and M ah atma, or Gr eat S ou l. H e was a v er y

simp le man of minimu m needs. H is

th ou g h ts, ideals and p r incip les ar e codif ied as Gandh ian th ou g h ts.

Th e p r incip le th at h e v alu ed th e most was tr u th . H e f ou g h t f or tr u th . H e

b eliev ed th at tr u th alway s p r ev ails. H e tr ied ou t some ex p er iments with tr u th . Th ey g ener ally tu r ned ou t to b e su ccessf u l.

H e su p p or ted non-v iolence. H e with th is meth od def eated th e mig h ty B r itish .

H e wanted no one to h ate anoth er p er son. H e wanted ev er y one to f or g iv e and f or g et. And h e dilig ently p r actised it in h is lif e. H e h ad no enemies

H e p r op ag ated th e imp or tance of cottag e indu str y in a r u r al economy like

India. H e wanted th e p eop le of India to b e self -su f f icient. H e v alu ed simp licity in lif e.

Gandh ij i str iv ed f or th e u p lif tment of all. H e str iv ed f or th e u p lif tment all

sections of p eop le. H ar ij an u p lif tment, women’ s emancip ation, r esp ect to all r elig ions wer e h is p r ior ities. H e was th e messeng er f r om God to th is wor ld.

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ISSUES OF MODERN LIFE SUICIDE TENDENCIES AMONG YOUTHS

Th e IITs, and IIM s, th e AlE E E s;

th ese th r ee acr ony ms ev oke f ear ,

deter mination and tear s among ou r p eer s. P r essu r e f inds its way th r ou g h th e b ones and v eins of th e y ou th of today . Th e Ills and th e IIM s h av e b ecome th e p r esent day

H oly Gr ail of th e y ou th . S amu el S kinner once said, " M an is b or n f r ee, b u t ev er y wh er e h e is in ch ains." Th is sig nif ies th e p r esent-day tr ou b les of man. H e f eels as if with ou t

doing someth ing ex tr aor dinar y in h is lif e, h is lif e is a waste. P ar ents tell th eir sib ling s

to r each g r eat h eig h ts in th eir liv es. Th ey p r essu r iz e th em b y tr y ing to cr am th ing s into th eir minds. S ome p lu cky and str ing -h ear ted ones r ise and f ly away into th e sky

to r each g r eat r anks and h eig h ts. H owev er , th e maj or ity ar e not eag les. Th ey come cr ash ing b ack to th e g r ou nd.

P r esent day y ou th f eel th at th eir liv es ar e noth ing if th ey do not g et into a g ood

u niv er sity or colleg e. Th ey str u g g le h ar d, g o to tu itions, ig nor e sp or t activ ities and

b u r y th eir h eads in h u g e b ooks. Ch ildr en mer ely into th eir 5 th Gr ade r ead b ooks and tr y to u nder stand concep ts of colleg e science in or der to make th eir f u tu r e easy . H owev er , wh en th er e ar e mor e th an 5 lakh ch ildr en doing th e same th ing to g et one

of ap p r ox imately six th ou sand seats as in th is time' s IIT-J E E , th er e ar e only g oing to b e a f ew smiles wh en th e r esu lts come ou t.

O u t of ev er y su icide case, one is a y ou th b etween 1 5 and 2 4 . Th is statistics

inclu des all th ose ag ed p eop le wh o h av e a ter minal illness and th u s commit su icide. O ne in 5 teens th inks of su icide. Th is sh ows j u st h ow mu ch p r essu r e teens h av e. To g et a g ood j ob and conseq u ently g ood lif e, one h as to stu dy in a g ood colleg e or

u niv er sity . H owev er , esp ecially in India, g ood h ig h er edu cation is a r ar e th ing . Also, India b eing th e second most p op u lated cou ntr y in th e wor ld and an amaz ing 4 0 %

of

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th e p eop le b eing b elow th e ag e of 2 0 , th e comp etition in ou r cou ntr y is cu tting edg e. O ne will also h av e to p ar ticip ate comp etitiv ely in ex tr a-cu r r icu lar activ ities to b e a su ccess in lif e.

Th er e ar e sev er al cau ses f or su icide and self -h ar m in ou r cou ntr y . B u t th e

most imp or tant among th em all is p r essu r e p u t on th e y ou th b y th eir p ar ents to do well in th eir ex ams. In th e tu r b u lent times of y ou th , p eop le mag nif y ev en small u p s and downs h or r endou sly . Teens ar e f amou sly known to b e emotionally insecu r e. A r ath er b ad ex p er ience like f ailu r e in ex aminations or inab ility to g et into a u niv er sity

may j u st p u t th em ov er th e edg e. Th e ch ances of not g etting into u niv er sities h av e incr eased th ese day s with mor e comp etition.

If one scans th e newsp ap er , one can see sev er al cases of su icide instantly .

Th e p r essu r e th at stu dents g o th r ou g h h as b een g oing u p and if one is not ab le to cop e one f eels desp ondent and u nh ap p y and f eels th at lif e is not wor th liv ing . O ne in ev er y

twelv e teens attemp ts

af f ected

sensitiv e ch ildr en g et

inor dinately b y b u lly ing b y r ath er ov er ly b oister ou s

dep r essed th at th ey y ou th wh o

su icide. S ome esp ecially

commit su icide. Th e easy

av ailab ility

ch ildr en and g et so

of f ir ear ms also h elp s

want to commit su icide. S ome y ou th also h av e u ndiag nosed mental

illness su ch as sev er e b ou ts of manic d ep ression. It h as b een f ou nd b y su r v ey s th at 2 0 %

of all y ou th h av e sev er e b ou ts of dep r ession. If u nf or tu nate ev ents h ap p en to

th em, th ey may g et th e desir e to commit su icide.

Anoth er r eason wh y y ou th commit su icide is ex cess loneliness. Th e social

attitu de of y ou th s th ese day s is not wh at it once was. P eer s do not easily accep t a lonely

p er son sear ch ing

f or f r iendly

comp any

th ese day s. Intr ov er ts ar e r ar ely

accep ted into g ang s of ex tr ov er ts and ev en if accep ted ar e neg lected, teased or b u llied to th e p oint of tear s.

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wh ich

Anoth er cau se of su icide and self -h ar m is addiction to dr u g s or alcoh ol incr eases th e b ou ts and mag nitu de of dep r ession wh ich

ag ain indu ces

p eop le to commit su icide. Also, if a dear ly lov ed one p asses away , it may dr iv e y ou th

to dep r ession. Th er e h av e b een cases of p eop le committing

b ecau se of sev er e dep r ession b ecau se of th e death

su icide

of h er o-f ig u r e. Also, th er e

h av e b een cases of p eop le committing su icide du e to an u nf or tu nate national ev ent taking p lace. E x amp les inclu de p eop le committing su icide b ecau se of India losing ou t in th e f ir st r ou nd of th e 2 0 0 7 Cr icket Wor ld Cu p .

To p r ev ent su icide among y ou th , cases of dep r ession among y ou th s mu st

b e f ou nd ou t as soon as p ossib le. Also y ou th h elp p r og r ams mu st b e set u p in th e cou ntr y f or y ou th wh o r eq u ir e h elp . Tr eatment mu st not b e av oided b y dep r essed

y ou th . S ev er al y ou th p u ll ou t of tr eatment at th e slig h test ch ance. Th ey sh ou ld b e p r ev ented or dissu aded f r om doing so. Also, p ar ents sh ou ld tr y to g et an inkling of

wh at th ou g h ts ar e g oing th r ou g h th eir ch ar g e' s minds. P ar ents of ten do not talk to th eir ch ildr en ab ou t th eir f ailu r es as th ey f eel th at it wou ld b e like ap p ly ing salt to

th e wou nds of th e ch ildr en. H owev er , th ey sh ou ld comf or t th eir ch ildr en wh o at th at

time ar e u nder g oing a p er iod of g u ilt and self -b laming . P ar ents sh ou ld g et th e idea to th eir minds th at th eir ch ildr en can commit su icide. S ev er al p ar ents of y ou th wh o committed su icide h ad no inkling manner of y ou th

th at th eir ch ildr en wer e u nh ap p y . Th e ir r itab le

mu st b e taken ser iou sly as it may b e one of th e sy mp toms of

su icide. S u icide attemp ts b y y ou th mu st b e taken ser iou sly as y ou th s wh o h av e tr ied to commit su icide once will tr y to commit su icide ag ain.

S ev er al y ou th h av e v er y low self -esteem and f eel th at th ey ar e j u st not u p to

th eir p eer s and f eel th at lif e is not wor th liv ing . Th ey sh ou ld b e made to r ealiz e th at each

p er son is sp ecial and th ey ar e wor th someth ing . An ex amp le is Dr . A. P . J

Ab du l K alam; h e h ad a desir e to b ecome a p ilot in h is y ou th . H e was u nab le to p ass h is ex am. H e th en went to v isit a saint. Th is saint told h im th at Cod wou ld p u t h im in a b etter p osition in h is lif e. L ater , as we know, Dr . K alam b ecame th e P r esident of India af ter a sp ar kling scientif ic car eer .

121

L if e is someth ing th at is sh or t. To make it ev en sh or ter is someth ing th at mu st

not b e called f or . Cod' s g if t sh ou ld not b e taken lig h tly . Wh atev er h ap p ens, one

sh ou ld h av e th e cou r ag e to f ace u ntowar d ev ents in ou r liv es with a b r av e h ear t and str aig h t f ace.

IMPORTANCE OF READING NEWSPAPERS

“ Nu lla nu ov a, b u ona nu ov a” meaning

no news is g ood news is a f amou s

Italian u sag e. It may b e tr u e in th e amb ience of too mu ch news of distu r b ing

natu r e p ou r ing in f r om all dir ections all th e time nol ens v ol ens. B u t, news is sine

q ua non f or activ e lif e. None can ig nor e th e milieu in wh ich h e liv es. O nly news

keep s u s in tou ch with th e milieu in wh ich we liv e. It g iv es u s th e insig h t to th e

dy namics th at f or m th e env ir onment ar ou nd u s, it b e in local or r eg ional or

national or inter national lev el. K eep ing door s sh u t f r om news r ender s u s dead and leads to isolation f r om th e wor ld ar ou nd u s and u ltimately to atr op h y .

Th e main conv ey or s of news ar e newsp ap er s. Th ou g h th er e ar e many oth er

sou r ces of news like mag az ines and b ooks in p r int media, r adio and telev ision ch annels and Inter net connections in electr onic media, wor ds of mou th

and

telep h one and wir eless commu nications etc, no oth er sou r ce ev er cou ld come

near th e newsp ap er in imp or tance. It is tr u e of th e p ast and th e p r esent and it is

tr u e of th e f u tu r e also. Neith er th e adv ent of th e telev ision nor th at of th e Inter net

cou ld af f ect th e imp or tance of th e newsp ap er . Th e r eason f or th is is th e width ,

b r eadth and th e dep th of th e news p r ov ided b y th e newsp ap er , its low cost and

th e ease of p r ov iding th e news at ou r leisu r e and comf or t as many times as we

desir e.

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Newsp ap er s ar e v er y

imp or tant in many

way s.

Th ey

g iv e u s lots of

inf or mation ab ou t v ar iou s matter s at v ar iou s lev els th at ar e not av ailab le

any wh er e. Th ou g h mag az ines and b ooks also g iv e lots of inf or mation, th e scop e

of th e news th er e is limited to a f ew selected top ics. Telev isions and inter net

connections wh ile p r ov ide news f aster th an th e newsp ap er s, it cannot h av e th e

width , b r eadth and dep th of th e newsp ap er s and do not p r ov ide th e comf or t of th e

r ep eated r ef er ences at ou r leisu r e and comf or t ap ar t f r om h ar ming

b ecau se of th e g lar e and b eing

r adiations.

th e sou r ce of h ealth

ou r ey es

h az ar ds b ecau se of

P eop le of all p r of ession need newsp ap er s. E ng ineer s, doctor s, scientists,

p r of essor s and oth er

p r of essionals need th em to know th e day -to-day

dev elop ments in th eir r esp ectiv e f ields. B u sinessmen need newsp ap er s to keep

in tou ch

with th e economic and commer cial tr ends in th e cou ntr y and see th e

cu r r ent sh ar e p r ices. P oliticians need th em to r ead r ecent p olitical ev ents in th e

cou ntr y . O th er s r ead newsp ap er s to know h ow ch ang es ar ou nd th em af f ect th eir

lif e. S tu dents r ead newsp ap er s to b r oaden th eir knowledg e and keep ab r east of

th e r ecent dev elop ments in v ar iou s f ields, b e it in p olitics, economics, science,

sp or ts or ar t and cu ltu r e. Newsp ap er is an imp or tant tool of th e lear ning p r ocess

f or stu dents.

Adv er tisements in newsp ap er s ar e also v er y

inf or mativ e and g iv e lots of

inf or mation ab ou t th e wor ld ar ou nd and r ecent tr ends ap ar t f r om b eing

enter taining .

v er y

Th e editor ials and th e ar ticles in th e editor ial p ag e of th e

newsp ap er s ar e alway s v er y analy tical and g iv e insig h t to th e news and th eir

b ackg r ou nd. R eading newsp ap er s is incomp lete sans a g lance to th e editor ials

and th e ar ticles.

R eading newsp ap er s ev er y day is mu st f or b oth stu dents and adu lts f or g r owth

and enlig h tenment ir r esp ectiv e of th e class or f ield of th eir lif e.

F or , r eading 123

newsp ap er ev er y day is h ig h ly edu cational, and an imp or tant inf or mal edu cation in th at. O ne can ig nor e th is imp or tant f u nction of th e lif e at own p er il.

ROLE OF STUDENTS IN ROAD SAFETY

R oads ar e th e ar ter ies of a cou ntr y ; th ey ar e th e networ ks of th e lif elines th at

keep th e cou ntr y h ealth y and intact. S top p ag es in th e ar ter ies damag e th e h ear t and

lead to th e death of th e b ody . It is th e same with th e cou ntr y . U nsaf e r oads lead to th e

damag e of th e nation. S af e r oads ar e as imp or tant to th e national lif e as ar e saf e ar ter ies to a h ealth y b ody .

R oads ar e a p u b lic u tility networ ks. Th e Gov er nment b u ilds and maintains r oads

f or th e p u b lic g ood. S af e r oads ar e its r esp onsib ility . It meets th e r esp onsib ility th r ou g h

its E ng ineer ing , Tr ansp or t and Tr af f ic P olice wing s. B u t, th is does not p r ev ent th e p u b lic

f r om its r esp onsib ility towar ds saf e r oads. Actu ally , th e r ole of th e p u b lic in th e matter as th e u ltimate b enef iciar y of th e r oad-networ k is th e key of saf e r oads in any cou ntr y .

S tu dents ar e th e f u tu r e of a cou ntr y . S ome day , th ey ar e g oing to b e in th e h elm.

S af e r oads ar e th eir r esp onsib ility also. Th ey ar e th e b u ilder s of th e f u tu r e of th e cou ntr y

and th eir ideas constitu te its dir ection. As citiz ens and th e h op es of th e f u tu r e, th ey h av e th eir own r esp onsib ilities towar ds th e cou ntr y th at str iv es to b etter th e f u tu r e f or th eir

b enef it. Th eir r esp onsib ilities towar ds saf e r oads ar e one of th em. Th ey mu st tr y to r aise r oad saf ety awar eness in th e p u b lic and h elp th e tr af f ic p olice in contr olling th e tr af f ic

du r ing th e r u sh h ou r s. Th ey can also b e th e model r oad u ser s. Wh at th ey need is a deter mination to tr y and p r ov ide saf ety in r oads.

R u dy ar d K ip ling in “ Div er sity O f cr eatu r es” say s, “ Tr ansp or tation is civ iliz ation” .

Th is is a v er y p r of ou nd tr u th . With ou t tr ansp or t and th e mov ement of g oods and p eop le, th er e can b e no civ iliz ation and cu ltu r e. Th e incr ease in th e standar d of liv ing in many

cou ntr ies in th e wor ld in r ecent y ear s h as b een almost entir ely du e to th e str ides made in tr ansp or t esp ecially b y th e intr odu ction of th e motor v eh icle with

its f lex ib ility and

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ab ility to g et into p laces oth er wise inaccessib le ev en b y r ailway s. Dang er is u nav oidab le

in th e wor ld of tr ansp or tation. Th er e h as nev er b een a time wh en tr av el was not

dang er ou s. L . G. Nor man in h is P u b lic H ealth P ap er f or th e Wor ld H ealth O r g anisation

in 1 9 6 2 say s, “ Th e p r ob lem of r oad tr af f ic accidents on a lar g e scale h as ar isen f or th e f ir st time in th e p r esent centu r y . All oth er ep idemics th r ou g h ou t h istor y h av e b een du e to th e onslau g h t of ag encies ex ter nal to man, p r incip ally

th e p r otoz oa, b acter ia and

v ir u ses; b u t r oad accidents ar e b ecau se of man h imself . A ter r ib le p enalty of mor tality h as alr eady b een p aid as th e cost of integ r ating th e motor v eh icle into moder n lif e.”

Th e th r ee E ’ s, E ng ineer ing , E du cation and E nf or cement th at ar e th e h ear t of th e

accident p r ob lem constitu tes th e answer to th e tr af f ic saf ety p r ob lem wh ile th r ee P ’ s namely P r essu r e, P r ej u dice and P olitics cau se th e r oad saf ety measu r es g o h ay wir e. A

g ood ap p r oach to th e p r ob lem of th e r oad saf ety mu st take all th ese th r ee p ositiv e E ’ s and neg ativ e P ’ s into accou nt f or a solu tion. Wh ile E ng ineer ing

is th e j ob

of th e

eng ineer ing dep ar tment and enf or cement of th e p olice and th e tr ansp or t dep ar tments, th e stu dents cer tainly as a seg ment of th e g ener al p u b lic can h elp E du cation as a p ar t of

th e th r ee E ’ s. S tu dents can also p ar take in r ender ing inef f ectiv e th e neg ativ e inf lu ences of th e th r ee P ’ s on th e r oad saf ety .

Th e r ole of th e stu dents in th e r oad saf ety measu r es is limited to th r ee f u nctions

namely model r oad-u ser s, r oad saf ety edu cator s and p r essu r e g r ou p s f or saf e r oads.

Th ey act as model r oad u ser s in th e f ir st wh ile as edu cator s of th e same measu r es to

th e lar g er p u b lic, esp ecially th e u nenlig h tened and th e u nedu cated in th e second, and

p r essu r e g r ou p s f or th e same measu r es th r ou g h p ower f u l p ar ents and self -ef f or ts in th e th ir d. Th ey can b e a g r eat sou r ce of adv antag e in stop p ing th e nor mal p r essu r es of lif e,

p r ej u dices and self -inter ested p olitical maneu v er s th at wor k ag ainst th e needs of saf e r oads. S tu dents as th e inter est g r ou p s of th e saf e r oads cer tainly tu r nou t to b e g r eat

assets of th e f u tu r e of th e cou ntr y b y v ir tu e of th eir knowledg e, ex p er ience and p assion f or saf e r oad ef f or ts. Th is is wh y intr odu ction of saf e r oad measu r es as a su b j ect in th e secondar y

edu cation sy stem of th e cou ntr y

adv ancement of th e cou ntr y .

will p r ov e a g r eat adv antag e f or th e

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S af e r oads of th e moder n wor ld inv olv e r oad div ider s, z eb r a cr ossing s, sp eed

limits, p ar king slots, one-way tr af f ics, r oad sig nb oar ds, tr af f ic sig nals, tr af f ic b ooth s, r oad saf ety

liter atu r e, and ab ov e all saf e r oad edu cational and awar eness p r og r ammes.

V iolation of tr af f ic r u les like wr ong p ar king , j oy r iding , ov er -sp eeding , cr ossing th e r oads

at wr ong sp ots ar e th e maj or cau ses of tr af f ic snar l-u p s. S tu dents can b e of immense h elp in tr af f ic manag ement in p r ev enting th ese r oad nu isances th at can lead to ser iou s

conseq u ences b y b eing model r oad u ser s, edu cator s to th e u nenlig h tened p u b lic and p r essu r e g r ou p s towar ds th e end.

P r essu r es of money and p ower and p olitical inf lu ences alway s p lay ed adv er se

r ole ag ainst th e inter ests of th e saf e r oad b y stalling th e p r ocess of th e enf or cement of tr af f ic r u les. S tu dents as a model g r ou p can p lay an imp or tant r ole in cr eating h ealth y

p u b lic op inion ag ainst su ch h oles in th e du e p r ocess of th e law-enf or cement and make r oads saf e f or all.

S af e r oads assu r e a saf e r etu r n h ome and ensu r e a h ap p y and mor e conf ident

lif e b ack h ome. Th is means h ap p ier lif e and less tense ou tside activ ities. S af e r oads cer tainly enh ance th e q u ality of lif e. S tu dents wh o constitu te th e f u tu r e of th e cou ntr y

and f or wh ose b enef its all ef f or ts of th e p r esent wor ld ar e str eamlined mu st activ ely p ar take in p er f or ming

th eir r ole towar ds th e maintenance of th e saf e r oads and

imp r ov ing th e q u ality of th e lif e.

TREATMENT OF WOMEN THROUGHOUT THE WORLD

F or a v er y long time, women h av e b een discr iminated ag ainst. All r elig ions

su f f er f r om th is weakness of r ender ing

woman su b or dinate to man. Accor ding

to

Ch r istianity E v e came second and led Adam to ev il and women ar e b ar r ed f r om th e p ositions of p astor . S o also H indu ism or any discr imination.

oth er r elig ion. Islam leads in th is

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B u t, ancient h istor y any wh er e in th e wor ld is r ep lete with cases wh er e women

h eld h ig h p ositions, leader s and r esp ected with ou t discr imination. In th e p ast th ey

cou ld b ecome wh at th ey wanted in lif e and wer e g iv en edu cation. Th is ch ang ed du r ing th e f if th centu r y A.D. and continu ed till now. Women ar e awakened to th eir

r ig h ts now and ar e f ig h ting f or th at. Time is not f ar away to see th e sex discr imination b eing comp letely wip ed ou t of th e h u man r ace.

LAW AND JUSTICE

Gr eed b r eeds g r eed, and leads to r u inou s deeds. P eop le b y natu r e alway s

want some th ing or th e oth er . O f ten wh at p eop le want f or th em may tu r n ou t to b e

h ar mf u l f or oth er s indiv idu ally or f or th e comb ined g ood of th e p eop le. Th er ef or e

p r otection f r om oth er ’ s g r eed is an essential need of th e h u man society . It is h er e th at th e p r ocess of law and j u stice come into p lay . L aws, law cou r ts and leg al

sy stems wer e set u p to see th at th e comb ined inter ests of th e p eop le ar e p r otected. Civ ilised society

is ob lig ed to ob ey

th e laws, law cou r ts and leg al sy stems f or

sy mb iotic ex istence. H owev er , ou tlaws ar e th e common f eatu r e of any society , th ose wh o liv e at th e ex p ense of oth er s.

It h as b een b eliev ed th at j u stice is ab solu te. P eop le since ancient times h av e

wr ong ly b eliev ed th at j u stice can b e made to measu r e to th e cr ime committed or th e g ood deed done. P eop le b eliev e th at j u stice is v er y comp letely wr ong

simp le. Th ey

h owev er ar e

as j u stice is not at all an easy task to do ab ou t and is a v er y

dif f icu lt task indeed to decide and j u dg e.

Amar ty a S en, th e Nob el P r iz e lau r eate economist of th e Indian or ig in and

f or mer M aster of th e Tr inity Colleg e at Camb r idg e U niv er sity in a b ook on j u stice

talks ab ou t wh at j u stice is all ab ou t in h is b ook, “ Th e Idea of J u stice” p u b lish ed in J u ly 2 0 0 9 . Th is b ook along

its leng th

sets ou t to ex p lain Amar ty a S en’ s v iew of

j u stice and h ow h e f eels ab ou t j u stice in g ener al. Th is is a v er y comp licated b ook and h e talks ab ou t th ing s in g r eat detail.

127

H e talks ab ou t j u stice as some th ing th at mu st b e sep ar ated f r om oth er th ing s

in g ener al. H e talks ab ou t j u stice b eing

r elativ e. To illu str ate th is, h e g iv es an

ex amp le. H e asks to consider th r ee p eop le wh o want a f lu te: one is wh o p r ep ar ed it, anoth er is wh o alone can p lay it and th e oth er one is wh o h as g ot no oth er sou r ce of

p leasu r e ex cep t f r om th e f lu te. E ach of th em h as h is claim f or th e f lu te on dif f er ent g r ou nds. It is a v er y tou g h th ing to j u dg e wh o sh ou ld g et th e f lu te. J u stice is like th is

in th e r eal wor ld. It is not at all ab solu te and r elativ e to th e issu e and th e cir cu mstances in h and. Th is is a nov el concep t in th e administr ation of j u stice and war r ants close look f r om ex p er ts.

GOVERNMENT FUNCTIONS

Gov er nment looks af ter th e p eop le. It h as some f u nctions to p er f or m as it

takes all th e maj or decisions on th e p eop le’ s lif e. Gov er nment p er f or ms two ty p es of f u nctions. Th ey ar e R eg u lator y f u nctions and Dev elop mental f u nctions. R eg u lator y

f u nctions ar e th e f u nctions th at ar e administr ativ e. Th ey ar e ab ou t maintaining th e stab ility

of

a cou ntr y . Dev elop mental f u nctions r ef er

to th e f u nctions of

th e

g ov er nment; th at is ab ou t dev elop ing th e lot of th e p eop le. Dev elop mental measu r es ar e key

f or

th e welf ar e of th e p eop le and th e p r osp er ity

of a cou ntr y , and

concomitantly f or th e p eace and stab ility of th e nation, f or p eace and stab ility of a nation ar e f ou nd closely r elated to emp loy ment op p or tu nities and th e economic well-

b eing of th e p eop le liv e th er e.

Th e b asic needs of a citiz en ar e f ood, water , cloth es and sh elter . Th ey ar e

v er y imp or tant as no one can liv e with ou t th em. All oth er th ing s come th er eaf ter . Th ey ar e th e th ing s of f ir st p r ior ity to th e g ov er nment.

In g ov er nance, dev elop mental and r eg u lator y f u nctions g o h and in h and and

th ey ar e inter -dep endent. L ack of dev elop ment leads to dissatisf action and u nr est, cau sing

ser iou s r eg u lator y

p r ob lems. O n th e oth er

h and, ef f icient r eg u lator y

f u nctions lead to b alanced and secu r e lif e sty le leading to op timu m p r osp er ity in th e

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cou ntr y . Dev elop mental and r eg u lator y

f u nctions b eing

inter -comp limentar y ,

g ov er nment intent u p on th e p r osp er ity of th e cou ntr y g iv es eq u al f ocu s to b oth .

INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

Inf r astr u ctu r e is th e networ k of su p p or ting f acilities f or lif e and dev elop ment.

With ou t it, no nation can p ossib ly su r v iv e. It dev elop s th e nation and dev elop s th e sty le of liv ing of a cou ntr y .

Th e national economy

is ex tr emely

imp or tant. Inf r astr u ctu r e p lay s a v er y

imp or tant r ole in th e economy of a cou ntr y . L ack of Inf r astr u ctu r e means essential ing r edients needed f or th e economic g r owth

b eing

ab sent, leading

r etar dation. Inf r astr u ctu r e is th e v er y sou l of th e economy .

h ealth

to economic

R oads, commu nication sy stems, electr icity , av ailab ility of h ou sing , edu cation,

car e ar e all p ar ts of th e inf r astr u ctu r e. With ou t th em, p eop le, indu str y and

economy cannot su r v iv e and g r ow.

Wh eth er it is indu str y , ag r icu ltu r e, commer ce or or dinar y lif e of th e citiz ens,

th ey all dep end u p on th e common f acilities av ailab le ar ou nd and th e q u ality of th e

p r ocess closely dep ends on th e inf r astr u ctu r e av ailab le. Th er ef or e th e inf r astr u ctu r e

av ailab le decides th e sty le and standar d of lif e and activ ities ar ou nd. Inf r astr u ctu r e b eing

th e common f acilities, it is th e r esp onsib ility

of th e g ov er nment in p u b lic

domains. It is f or th is r eason it is said th at th e Gov er nment decides th e sty le and

standar ds of lif e and activ ities in a cou ntr y . Cr eating adeq u ate inf r astr u ctu r e is th e b asic f u nction of any

g ov er nment, and it is sine q u a non f or national economy ,

g r owth and dev elop ment.

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RESEARCH IN CONSUMER PRODUCTS

In th ese day s, many new th ing s ar e making th eir ap p ear ance. Th er e ar e new

sty les of M ob ile p h ones, Walkman, Inter net mob ile p h ones, car s, and comp u ter s and so on. Th e list seems endless. Th e p r odu cer s of th ese new g adg ets g et ex cellent r etu r ns on th eir inv estments, as p eop le do not mind in inv esting on g adg ets of new and latest f eatu r es. Av ailab ility of ex cess money in common man is cau sing

th is

b oom. M ost of th ese g adg ets ar e j u st th e same p r odu cts with new attr activ e f eatu r es like th e Inter net f acility in mob ile p h ones.

As th er e is lots of money inv olv ed in th is b u siness, th er e is h eav y comp etition

f or cr eating

p r odu cts of new additional f eatu r es. A f ew comp anies like S ony ,

M icr osof t and Nintendo with h u g e ou tlay on th eir own r esear ch u nits continu ou sly

imp r ov e u p on th eir p r odu cts and intr odu ce new p r odu cts to th e mar ket ev er y now

and th en to keep th eir consu mer b ase intact, lest comp etitor s knock-of f th eir sh ar e.

S ony as th e leader in electr onics g oods and M icr osof t in comp u ter b u siness ar e known f or p er iodical u p date of th eir p r odu cts to th e f ast ch ang ing

needs of th e

consu mer s wor ldwide. H ow M icr osof t f or ces its consu mer s to b u y its g oods ev er y

now and th en b y p er iodically intr odu cing new v er sions of its O p er ating S y stem f r om Windows 9 5

to Windows 9 8

to Windows M illenniu m to Windows X P

to Windows

V ista and u p dating its O f f ice S u ite almost ev er y y ear is a leg endar y tactic now th at

made b oth M icr osof t and B ill Gates r ich est in th e wor ld. No dou b t, tech nolog y and th e wor ld also b enef ited b y th is.

EFFECT OF MOVIES ON PEOPLE

Th ese day s, lar g e nu mb er s of mov ies ar e p r odu ced all ov er th e wor ld. Th ey

inclu de all sor t of new mov ies su ch as S tar War s, H ar r y P otter mov ies and so on. Th ese f ilms make deep imp acts on th e p eop le and of ten b r ing lar g e-scale attitu dinal ch ang es in th em and af f ect v alu es and op inions. Th e ch ang es can b e f or g ood or

b ad dep ending on th e natu r e of th e f ilm. F or ex amp le, th er e is a ch ar acter called Y oda in th e S tar War s ser ies, wh ich is an alien. H e alway s talks in p assiv e v oice. H is

130

cou r ag e and deter mination made th e ch ar acter p op u lar with th e f ilmg oer s making

th em to cop y h im b y u sing wor ds su ch as ‘ Win I do not th ink y ou will’ . O th er mov ie star s h av e also insp ir ed p eop le to ch ang e someth ing in th em b y cop y ing th em. Th is is not a h ealth y dev elop ment, as th e cop y ing q u ality , b u t b y b lind cop y ing instinct.

p r ocess is not insp ir ed b y inh er ent

Th er e ar e instances of ch ildr en tr y ing to cop y S u p er man and j u mp ing f r om

h ig h p laces to death . F ilms ar e meant to enj oy and it sh ou ld str ictly r emain at th at p lace. F ollowing th e antics of th e h er oes or oth er ch ar acter s of f ilms is ov er step p ing

th e scop e of th e f ilms with wh ich th ose f ilms wer e p r odu ced. S tr ang ely , th is f oolh ar dy cop y ing instinct is not r estr icted to adolescent y ou th s. Instances ar e ap lenty of f u lly g r ownu p men and women su f f er ing with th is ch ildish cr u sh .

Dev elop ing su p er h u man imag es of th eir f ilm h er oes is anoth er f or m of th is

cr u sh . B oth India and U nited S tates h av e instances of p op u lar f ilm h er oes r ising to

th e h ig h est ex ecu tiv e p ositions of th e cou ntr y b y p op u lar v ote. S ou th India saw at least th r ee p op u lar r eg ional f ilm star s b ecoming

p op u lar Ch ief M inister s of th eir

r esp ectiv e S tates in M r . M .G.R amach andr an and M s. J ay alalith a in Tamilnadu and M r . N.T.R amar ao in Andh r a P r adesh

wh ile th e U nited S tates of Amer ica h as M r .

R eag an as its P r esident. Th e cr u sh es p eop le dev elop f or th eir f av ou r ite f ilm star s of

th e op p osite sex ar e a matter of total madness of anoth er dimension altog eth er . It is

common to see p eop le of all ag es dev elop ing deep cr u sh es to th eir f av ou r ite actor s

and g oing mad af ter th em p u r ely on th e b asis of th e scr een imag es th ey r ep r esented

in f ilms or on th eir scr een h istr ionics th ou g h th ey nev er g ad a ch ance to meet th ose h er oes and know any th ing

ab ou t th eir p er sonal tr aits and ch ar acter ex cep t th ose

f ancif u l stor ies p r esented th r ou g h f ilm mag az ines. Th ey dev elop illu sions th at th ey deep ly

lov e th ose f ilm star s and r esor t to all kinds of nonsense. Th ou g h

madness is not r estr icted only insp ir es disg u st.

su ch

to f ilm star s, it is mor e v isib le f or f ilm star s and

131

SANSKRIT AND LATIN

Th er e ar e many lang u ag es in th e wor ld like E ng lish , F r ench

and Ch inese,

wh ich ar e sp oken b y lar g e nu mb er s of p eop le. Th e most widely u sed lang u ag e in th e wor ld is M andar in, wh ich is u sed b y mor e th an one b illion p eop le all ov er th e wor ld. Nex t comes E ng lish .

Th er e ar e also lang u ag es th at h av e f aded into ob liv ion and disap p ear ed f r om

th e su r f ace of th e E ar th f or lack of u se. S ome ar e on th e anv il of disap p ear ance.

S anskr it and L atin come u nder th is categ or y . B oth ar e classical lang u ag es and wer e in th eir z enith of th eir g lor y f or long p er iod in ancient time. All lang u ag es h av e th eir

own cir cles of r ise and f all and b oth S anskr it and L atin h av e come f u ll cir cle. B oth ar e

almost dead as sp oken lang u ag es and su r v iv e b ecau se of th eir g r eat classics of th e

y or e and as ex p r essions of sch olar sh ip s in ser iou s wr iting s. Th e classic natu r e of th e

lang u ag es and th e p u r ity war r anted in u sing th em g r adu ally r ender ed th e lang u ag es u np op u lar as th e str ess of lif e sty le sh if ted to easy and comf or tab le lif e.

As th e wor ld h as b ecome a g lob al v illag e b ecau se of commu nication and

tr ansp or t r ev olu tions of th e last two centu r ies, wor ld needed a common lang u ag e f or

its p eop le. E ng lish h as easily f illed th e slot with ou t any b ody asking f or it. Th e g lob al sp r ead of E ng lish

no dou b t cr eated sev er al v er sions of E ng lish

like Amer ican

E ng lish , Indian E ng lish , Au str alian E ng lish et ceter a. B u t E ng lish r emains E ng lish in

all th ese v er sions at th e sou l. P op u lar ity of mass media like telev ision ch annels and p r int media, and comp u ter and Inter net r ev olu tions h elp ed in accep tance of E ng lish as th e common lang u ag e all ov er th e wor ld.

Th er e ar e attemp ts in India and E u r op e to r ev iv e b oth S anskr it and L atin as

sp oken lang u ag es to th eir ancient g lor y . Also indiv idu al attemp ts ar e seen to inf u se lif e to th ese lang u ag es b y

lau nch ing

mag az ines, newsp ap er s and telev ision

ch annels th ou g h commer cially th ey ar e u nv iab le. B u t, none of th em h av e su cceeded ex cep t f or minor g r owth s till now. Th ey su cceed in th e p r esent easy lif e sty le.

h av e a H er cu lean task b ef or e th em to

132

MEN AND WOMEN WHO MADE HISTORY GEORGE WASHINGTON

O nce, th e B r itish E mp ir e str etch ed all ar ou nd th e wor ld. It was said th at th e

S u n nev er sets in th e B r itish E mp ir e. It was tr u e. Th e B r itish E mp ir e h ad E ng land itself in th e west; it h ad U nited S tates of Amer ica to its east and u ndiv ided India in

th e West with E ast Asian cou ntr ies and Au str alia f u r th er west. All lar g e emp ir es mu st come to an end one day . Th e B y z antine E mp ir e lasted f or a v er y long

time, b u t

disinteg r ated in cou r se of time. Th e B r itish E mp ir e also disinteg r ated in cou r se of time and th er e r emains noth ing

ex cep t th e mainland E ng land now with

colonies constitu ting h onor ar y Commonwealth of cou ntr ies.

Th e U nited S tates of Amer ica was a p ar t of th e lar g er B r itish

its f or mer

E mp ir e. Th e

U nited S tates of Amer ica g ot its f r eedom f r om th e B r itish E mp ir e u nder M r . Geor g e

Wash ing ton, a v er y b r av e and nob le leader , wh o led h is cou ntr y to v ictor y ov er th e B r itish . A g entle man to th e cor e, h e was known f or h is f ir m decisions. A v er y

deter mined man as h e was, “ F r eedom or Death ” was h is lif e motto, and h e was

r eady to sacr if ice h is lif e f or th e f r eedom of th e p eop le of h is cou ntr y . S u ch was th e man wh o b r ou g h t f r eedom to th e sole su p er p ower of th e p r esent wor ld.

MOTHER TERESA

V er y f ew p eop le sh ow p ity f or p oor , weak and sickly p eop le. M oth er Ter esa is

one of th e f ew p eop le wh o sh owed it to th e u nf or tu nate lot of th e h u manity . S h e ev en h elp ed and car ed f or

th e p eop le wh o h ad dang er ou s and h ig h ly

diseases. S h e r eally is lov e and kindness p er sonif ied in h u man f or m.

contag iou s

A Cath olic nu n named Ag nes Gonx h a B oj ax h iu was b or n in 1 9 1 0 in S kop j e,

now in Y u g oslav ia. S h e stu died in Ir eland and went to teach

in K olkata in India.

Wh en sh e was tr av elling on a tr ain one nig h t, sh e h ear d a sof t v oice telling h er to

133

leav e th e conv ent and h elp th e p oor p eop le wh o h av e no one to h elp th em. Th is entir ely ch ang ed h er lif e.

S h e wor e a sar i and went b ar ef oot to th e p oor est slu ms of K olkata to ser v e

th e p oor est of th e p oor . In 1 9 4 8 , th e Ch u r ch let h er set u p a new or der of Nu ns,

called th e M issionar ies of Ch ar ity . S ince th en, M oth er Ter esa and h er nu ns of th e M issionar ies of Ch ar ity h av e sav ed b ab ies lef t on th e wastag es on th e r oadsides,

looked af ter lep er s and car ed f or th e old, sick and dy ing . H er O r der h ad mor e th an 3 0 0

b r anch es th r ou g h ou t th e wor ld b y

th e time of h er death

in 1 9 9 8 . S h e was

awar ded th e Nob el P eace p r iz e f or h er g r eat ser v ice f or th e h u manity

and th e

g r eatest Indian awar d, th e B h ar ata R atna, in r ecog nition of h er ser v ice to India. Th e ang el of th e h u man kind died in 1 9 9 8 j u st b ef or e sh e r each ed th e ag e of eig h ty -nine. It is b ecau se of h er lov e, kindness and ser v ice th at many su f f er ing

p eop le

f ou nd h op e and lig h t in th eir lif e. H er simp le lov e and ser v ice f or h u manity r aises

h er to th e lev el of g odliness. Y es, h er death g av e a lot of g r ief to th e p oor p eop le

and th e entir e h u manity , b u t th ey still h av e h op e b ecau se of h er .

THE LEGACY OF LEE KUAN YEW

L ee K u an Y ew or H ar r y L ee K u an Y ew was th e f ir st P r ime M inister of th e

sov er eig n R ep u b lic of S ing ap or e f or twenty -f iv e y ear s f r om 1 9 6 5 to 1 9 9 0 and th e f ir st P r ime M inister of th e state of S ing ap or e u nder th e F eder ation of M alay sia f or six

y ear s f r om 1 9 5 9 to 1 9 6 5 . H e is a f ou r th g ener ation Ch inese S ing ap or ean and an ar dent ch amp ion of mer g er of S ing ap or e with th e f eder ation of M alay sia till its P r ime

M inister Tu nku Ab du l R eh man f ollowing r iots b etween M u slim maj or ity M alay and

Ch inese maj or ity S ing ap or e u ncer emoniou sly th r ew S ing ap or e ou t of th e F eder ation in 1 9 6 5 . L ee K u an Y ew as th e f ir st P r ime M inister of th e R ep u b lic of S ing ap or e is cr edited to tr ansf or m a v olatile, u nder dev elop ed colonial ou tp ost with

no natu r al

r esou r ces into a stab le, F ir st Wor ld Asian Tig er S ing ap or e f r om a v er y weak and

p oor , v olatile, u nder dev elop ed colony of sev er e sh or tag e of natu r al r esou r ces and

134

water to one of th e Wor ld Asian Tig er s along

with

H ong

K ong , S ou th

Taiwan and one of th e most stab le and r ich est cou ntr ies of th e wor ld. L ee K u an Y ew h as climb ed v er y

K or ea and

g r eat h eig h ts in h is q u est to tr ansf or m

S ing ap or e to an economic p ower of Asia and b ecame a leader th e wor ld ador es

as a cap ab le administr ator and r esp ected statesman. H e r aised S ing ap or e f r om

th e lowest dep th s of instab ility

and r esou r ces to th e h eig h ts of an economic

p ower . In r ecog nition of h is g r eat contr ib u tion to th e R ep u b lic of S ing ap or e, h e was h onou r ed b y r etaining

h im in th e Cab inet as S enior M inister in adv isor y

cap acity af ter h e step p ed down f r om th e p ost of P r ime M inister in 1 9 9 0 with th e

distinction of b eing th e long est ser v ing P r ime M inister of th e wor ld af ter h olding it

to th en u np r ecedented long tenu r e of twenty -f iv e y ear s. Th e nex t Gov er nment of

S ing ap or e th at came to p ower u nder h is son in 2 0 0 4 h onou r ed h im b y r etaining in

th e Cab inet as th e M inister M entor .

HELEN KELLER

H elen K eller was b or n in 1 8 8 0 in Tu scu mb ia in Amer ica. S ev er e b r ain f ev er

r ender ed h er b lind, du mb and deaf b ef or e sh e was ev en two y ear s old. B u t, th e h andicap did not take away h er deter mination to lead a su ccessf u l lif e. Actu ally , it added to h er inner str eng th

and r esolv es to r each

h ig h er and accomp lish

g r eat

th ing s. S h e lear nt to talk and wr ite b y h er self and master ed B r aille lang u ag e meant f or b lind.

A lady b y name Anmam F ield S aliv an wh o was dedicated to th e ser v ice of

b lind f ou nd H elen K eller and h elp ed h er to r ead and wr ite. S h e u sed to keep a doll in H elen’ s h and and lead H elen’ s f ing er s to wr ite th e wor d d ol l on a sh eet of p ap er . Th u s, th e f ir st wor d lear nt b y H elen was d ol l . L ater , H elen lear nt to talk in a sch ool f or

th e deaf . S oon, sh e dev elop ed a sense f or r ecog niz ing ev er y th ing . S h e also wr ote many b ooks and b ecame v er y f amou s.

135

H elen K eller liv ed f or 8 8 y ear s and died in 1 9 6 8 .

CAPTAIN B.M.BHATRA

Th is is f r om th e memoir of Cap tain B .M

B ath r a wh en h e was an of f icer of th e

Indian f or ces du r ing th e S econd Wor ld War wh en h e was stationed in Teh r an in Ir an. At th at time, Ir an was div ided into two p ar ts. Th ey wer e th e p ar tly contr olled b y

B r itain and p ar tly b y S ov iet U nion. M r . B .M . B ath r a was th e second r anking of f icer of

th e Indian ar my p r esent at B r itish Ir an at th at time. Th e U nited S tates of Amer ica at th at time did not h av e any inf lu ence in Ir an and was not at all in th e scene in Ir an.

Th e b ig th r ee of th e Allies of th at time i.e. Ch u r ch ill of B r itain, S talin of R u ssia and

Th eodor e R oosev elt of th e U nited S tates of Amer ica came to Ir an to ov er v iew th e secu r ity ar r ang ements th er e and also to b r ief of f icer s ab ou t th eir p ar t on th e D-Day .

M r . B .M . B ath r a was in ch ar g e of a b ir th day p ar ty f or Ch u r ch ill. H owev er , h e h ad to take a lot of p r ecau tions to ensu r e th at th e Ger mans wou ld not know of th e ev ent f or

secu r ity r easons. In th e p ar ty , M r . B .M . B ath r a noted th at Ch u r ch ill was all r osy and

h ap p y . B u t, R oosev elt looked p ale and with dr awn. M r . B .M . B ath r a th ou g h t th at R oosev elt may

not liv e long

and actu ally , R oosev elt died th e f ollowing

y ear .

H owev er , u nlike th ose two, S talin was th e model of q u ietness and M r . B .M . B ath r a notes th at wh en S talin saw h im, h is look was so cold th at h e f elt sh iv er s r u n down h is sp ine.

GENERAL DYER

O v er f if ty y ear s ag o, th e B r itish r u led India. Th e B r itish r u led India v er y b adly

and p eop le comp lained ab ou t th e B r itish . H owev er , th e B r itish

did not h ear th e

comp laints of th e p eop le. E v en wh en th e Indian r ep r esentativ es comp lained ab ou t

th e B r itish , th ey wer e not h ear d. Th e p eop le wer e v er y u nh ap p y , b u t th ey cou ld not do a th ing as th e B r itish wer e r u ling India and th e r ep r esentativ es wer e not r u ling India. Th ey

tr ied to imp r ov e th e lif e of th e Indian p eop le, b u t th e p eop le wer e

disap p ointed, as th e B r itish did not h ear th eir p leading s. Th ey did not do of cou r se.

136

F inally , India g ot its indep endence. It was a long f ig h t and many th ing s sp u r r ed th e p eop le of India. Th e ig nor ance of th e B r itish towar ds Indian af f air s was one. M any

oth er th ing s also af f ected India’ s indep endence. Th e B r itish did many b ad th ing s to India. Th e b ad th ing s inclu ded th e Amr itsar massacr e among

oth er th ing s. Th e

Amr itsar M assacr e was th e r esu lt of th e B r itish f ir ing ab ou t a th ou sand r ou nds of

b u llets to an Indian cr owd. Th e r eg iment wh o did th is was u nder Gener al Dy er . Gener al Dy er will alway s b e notor iou s b ecau se of th is in India at least. M any p eop le wer e killed in th is M assacr e and it b r ou g h t wor ldwide condemnation u p on th e B r itish .

Th is was f inally to sp u r th e Indians to th eir indep endence. Gener al Dy er ’ s deeds

wer e v er y b ad indeed and as a r esu lt, th e B r itish E mp ir e f inally cr u mb led away . Th e p eop le alway s looked and cr av ed f or indep endence af ter th is. B r ig adier -Gener al R eg inald E dwar d H ar r y Dy er CB

2 3 , 1 9 2 7 ) was a B r itish massacr e.

( O ctob er 9 , 1 8 6 4 – J u ly

Indian Ar my of f icer r esp onsib le f or th e J allianwala B ag h

Dy er was b or n in M u r r ee, in B r itish

India, now in P akistan. H e sp ent h is

ch ildh ood in S h imla and r eceiv ed h is ear ly edu cation at th e B ish op Cotton S ch ool in

S h imla. H e attended M idleton Colleg e, Co. Cor k b etween 1 8 7 5 and 1 8 8 1 . In 1 8 8 5 ,

f ollowing attendance at th e R oy al M ilitar y Colleg e, S andh u r st h e was commissioned into th e Q u een' s R oy al R eg iment ( West S u r r ey ) as a L ieu tenant, and ser v ed in r iot

contr ol du ties in B elf ast ( 1 8 8 6 ) and th e Th ir d B u r mese War ( 1 8 8 6 –8 7 ) . H e was th en tr ansf er r ed to th e Indian Ar my , initially j oining th e B eng al S taf f Cor p s as a L ieu tenant in 1 8 8 7

and b eing

attach ed to th e 3 9 th

B eng al Inf antr y , later tr ansf er r ing

to 2 9 th

P u nj ab is. H e ser v ed in th e latter in th e B lack M ou ntain camp aig n ( 1 8 8 8 ) , th e r elief of

Ch itr al ( 1 8 9 5 ) ( b eing p r omoted Cap tain in 1 8 9 6 ) and th e M ah su d b lockade ( 1 9 0 1 –

0 2 ) . In 1 9 0 1 h e was ap p ointed a Dep u ty Assistant Adj u tant Gener al. H e was th en tr ansf er r ed to 2 5 th P u nj ab is wh er e h e ser v ed in th e Z akh a K h el E x p edition ( 1 9 0 8 ) . H e commanded th e 2 5 th

P u nj ab is in India and H ong

L ieu tenant-Colonel in 1 9 1 0 . Du r ing

K ong

and was p r omoted to

Wor ld War I ( 1 9 1 4 –1 8 ) , h e commanded th e

S eistan F or ce, f or wh ich h e was M entioned in Desp atch es and made a Comp anion of th e B ath ( CB ) . H e was p r omoted Colonel in 1 9 1 5 , and was made a temp or ar y

137

B r ig adier -Gener al in 1 9 1 6 . In 1 9 1 9 , ab ou t a month af ter th e Amr itsar incident, in th e Th ir d Ang lo-Af g h an War , h is B r ig ade r eliev ed th e g ar r ison of Th al, f or wh ich h e was ag ain mentioned in disp atch es. 5 th B r ig ade at J amr u d was h is last command p osting f or a f ew month s in 1 9 1 9 . H e r etir ed on 1 7 J u ly 1 9 2 0 , r etaining th e r ank of Colonel.

Th e wh ite p op u lation in P u nj ab in 1 9 1 9 f ear ed a p lot to ov er th r ow B r itish r u le.

Th er e was talk of mu tiny and of death th r eats to E u r op eans. S ir M ich ael O ' Dwy er , th e L ieu tenant-Gov er nor of P u nj ab , decided to dep or t leading

ag itator s f r om th e

p r ov ince. O ne p er son wh o was tar g eted was Dr . S aty ap al, wh o was in th e Ar my

M edical S er v ices du r ing Wor ld War I. H e adv ocated non-v iolent civ il disob edience and was p r ev ented f r om sp eaking

in p u b lic. Anoth er p er son was Dr . K itch lew, a

M u slim b ar r ister wh o wanted p olitical ch ang e and was non-v iolent. Th e Dep u ty

Commissioner , M iles Ir v ing , did not know th e b ackg r ou nd of th ese two p eop le and

su sp ected some deep er consp ir acy r esu lting in th e ar r est of th e two men. Th is ev ent

led to a b u r st of ev ents in P u nj ab . Cr owds g ath er ed in all p u b lic p laces demanding a

r elease of th e two men. Th e tr oop s p anicked and op ened f ir e on a b r idg e acr oss a r ailway line, cau sing sev er al death s. Th is r esu lted in a mob wh ich r etu r ned to th e city centr e. R einf or cements wer e b r ou g h t in f or th e ar my .

Th e mob s sou g h t ou t E u r op eans in th e city . O n Ap r il 9 , 1 9 1 9 , M iss M ar cella

S h er wood, wh o su p er v ised th e M ission Day S ch ool f or Gir ls was b icy cling r ou nd th e city to close h er sch ools wh en sh e was assau lted b y th e mob in a nar r ow str eet, th e

K u ch a K u r r ich h an, was b eaten and lef t wou nded. S h e was r escu ed b y local Indians

wh o h id h er f r om th e mob and mov ed h er to th e f or t. Th is attack on a lady incensed

Dy er , wh o was th e commandant of th e inf antr y b r ig ade in J u llu ndu r , wh o instr u cted th e tr oop s of th e g ar r ison r eg ar ding r ep r isals ag ainst Indians.

B r ig adier Dy er is inf amou s f or th e or der s wh ich h e g av e on Ap r il 1 3 , 1 9 1 9 in

Amr itsar . It was u nder h is command th at 9 0 tr oop s, inclu ding 2 5 Gu r kh as of 1 st/ 9 th

Gu r kh a R if les, 2 5 P ath ans and B alu ch of 5 4 th S ikh s and 5 9 th S indh R if les, all ar med with

.3 0 3

L ee-E nf ield r if les ( and th e Gu r kh as additionally

op ened f ir e on a g ath er ing

of u nar med civ ilians, inclu ding

ar med with

k h uk ris)

women and ch ildr en

138

g ath er ed at th e J allianwalla B ag h in wh at came to b e later known as th e J allianwala B ag h massacr e.

Th e civ ilians h ad assemb led at J allianwala B ag h to p ar ticip ate in th e annu al

B aisakh i celeb r ations wh ich ar e b oth a r elig iou s as well as a cu ltu r al f estiv al of th e P u nj ab is. Th e B ag h -sp ace was comp r ised of 6

to 7 acr es ( 2 8 ,0 0 0 m2) and was

walled on all sides ex cep t f or f iv e entr ances. F ou r of th ese entr ances wer e v er y

nar r ow, admitting only a f ew p eop le at a time. Th e f if th entr ance was b locked b y th e

ar med soldier s, as well as b y two ar mou r ed car s ar med with mach ine g u ns. ( Th ese v eh icles wer e u nab le to p ass th r ou g h

th e entr ance.) U p on enter ing

Gener al or der ed th e tr oop s to f ir e dir ectly

th e p ar k, th e

into th e assemb led g ath er ing . F ir ing

continu ed u ntil h is tr oop s' su p p ly of 1 6 5 0 r ou nds of ammu nition was ex h au sted. Th e f ir ing continu ed u nab ated f or ab ou t 1 0 minu tes.

F r om time to time, Dy er " ch ecked h is f ir e and dir ected it u p on p laces wh er e

th e cr owd was th ickest" ; h e did th is not b ecau se th e cr owd was slow to disp er se, b u t b ecau se h e ( th e Gener al) " h ad made u p

h is mind to p u nish

th em f or h av ing

assemb led th er e." S ome of th e soldier s initially f ir ed in th e air , at wh ich Gener al Dy er sh ou ted: " F ir e low. Wh at h av e y ou

b een b r ou g h t h er e f or ? " L ater , Dy er ' s own

testimony r ev ealed th at th e cr owd was not g iv en any war ning to disp er se and h e f elt no r emor se f or h av ing or der ed h is tr oop s to f ir e.

O n th e day f ollowing th e massacr e, M r . K itch in, th e Commissioner of L ah or e

as well as Gener al Dy er , b oth E ng lish

u sed th r eatening

tr anslation of Dy er ' s U r du

lang u ag e. Th e f ollowing

is th e

S tatement dir ected at th e local r esidents of

Amr itsar on th e af ter noon of Ap r il 1 4 , 1 9 1 9 , a day af ter th e Amr itsar massacr e: p eace?

" Y ou p eop le know well th at I am a S ep oy and soldier . Do y ou want war or If y ou

wish

f or a war , th e Gov er nment is p r ep ar ed f or it, and if y ou

want

p eace, th en ob ey my or der s and op en all y ou r sh op s; else I will sh oot. F or me th e

b attle-f ield of F r ance or Amr itsar is th e same. I am a militar y man and I will g o

str aig h t. Neith er sh all I mov e to th e r ig h t nor to th e lef t. S p eak u p , if y ou want war ? In case th er e is to b e p eace, my or der is to op en all sh op s at once. Y ou p eop le talk

139

ag ainst th e Gov er nment and p er sons edu cated in Ger many and B eng al talk sedition. I sh all r ep or t all th ese. O b ey my or der s. I do not wish to h av e any th ing else. I h av e ser v ed in th e militar y f or ov er 3 0

y ear s. I u nder stand th e Indian S ep oy and S ikh

p eop le v er y well. Y ou will h av e to ob ey my or der s and ob ser v e p eace. O th er wise th e sh op s will b e op ened b y

f or ce and R if les. Y ou

will h av e to r ep or t to me of th e

B admash . I will sh oot th em. O b ey my or der s and op en sh op s. S p eak u p if y ou want war ? Y ou h av e committed a b ad act in killing th e E ng lish . Th e r ev eng e will b e taken u p on y ou and u p on y ou r ch ildr en."

B r ig adier Dy er desig nated th e sp ot wh er e M iss M ar cella S h er wood was

assau lted sacr ed and day time p ickets wer e p laced at eith er end of th e str eet. Any one wish ing to p r oceed in th e str eet b etween 6 am and 8 p m was made to cr awl th e 1 5 0 y ar ds ( 1 4 0 m) on all f ou r s, ly ing

f lat on th eir b ellies. Th e or der was not

r eq u ir ed at nig h t du e to a cu r f ew. Th e h u miliation of th e or der str u ck th e Indians

deep ly . M ost imp or tantly , th e or der ef f ectiv ely closed th e str eet. Th e h ou ses h ad no b ack door s and th e inh ab itants cou ld not g o ou t with ou t climb ing down f r om th eir r oof s. Th is or der was in ef f ect f r om Ap r il 1 9 u ntil Ap r il 2 5 , 1 9 1 9 . No doctor or su p p lier was allowed in, r esu lting in th e sick b eing u ntended.

Af ter th e Amr itsar massacr e, Dy er ' s h ealth f ailed and in 1 9 2 1 h e was str icken

with p ar aly sis. H e nev er r ecov er ed. H e died at L ong Ash ton, near B r istol, on J u ly 2 3 ,

1 9 2 7 of Ath er oscler osis and cer eb r al h aemor r h ag e. In th e f inal moments of h is lif e, h e is r ep or ted to h av e mu r mu r ed: " b u t I don’ t want to g et b etter . S ome say I did r ig h t,

wh ile oth er s say I did wr ong . I only want to die... and know of my maker wh eth er I did r ig h t or wr ong ."

Th e M or ning P ost r ememb er ed h im in ar ticles titled, " Th e M an Wh o S av ed

India" and " H e did h is Du ty " . Th e Westminster Gaz ette wr ote a contr ar y op inion, " No B r itish action, du r ing th e wh ole cou r se of ou r h istor y in India, h as str u ck a sev er er

b low to Indian f aith in B r itish j u stice th an th e massacr e at Amr itsar , and th e attitu de of of f icial Ang lo-India to it."

140

NANDAN NILEKANI

Nandan Nilekani is an Indian sof twar e entr ep r eneu r . H e is cu r r ently th e Co-

Ch air man of Inf osy s Tech nolog ies L td, of wh ich h e is also a co-f ou nder , along with N. R . Nar ay ana M u r th y and oth er s.

Nilekani is th e second-y ou ng est son of Du r g a and M oh an R ao Nilekani, a

manag er in M iner v a M ills. H e was b or n in S ir si, a small town in K ar nataka, and sp ent h is f ir st 1 2 y ear s in B ang alor e. Nilekani mov ed in with h is u ncle' s f amily in Dh ar wad f or h is edu cation, stu dy ing at B ish op Cotton B oy s S ch ool, B ang alor e, and attending th e Indian Institu te of Tech nolog y , B omb ay f r om 1 9 7 3 .

In 1 9 7 8 , Nilekani j oined P atni Comp u ter S y stems wh er e h is colleag u e was N.

R . Nar ay ana M u r th y . Th r ee y ear s later in 1 9 8 1 , Nilekani and six oth er enth u siasts, led b y M u r th y , decided to star t th eir own comp any , Inf oS y s ( later r enamed Inf osy s) .

Nilekani b ecame th e Ch ief E x ecu tiv e O f f icer of Inf osy s in M ar ch 2 0 0 2 , taking

ov er f r om M u r th y . Nilekani ser v ed as CE O

and M D of th e comp any f r om M ar ch 2 0 0 2

to Ap r il 2 0 0 7 , wh en h e r elinq u ish ed h is p osition to h is colleag u e K r is Gop alakr ish nan, b ecoming Co-Ch air man. H e h as since mentioned th at h e will still f u nction in an ex ecu tiv e cap acity with in th e comp any b y " f ocu ssing r elationsh ip s, b eing

a b r and amb assador

f or

on key client

th e comp any , and wor king

tr ansf or mational initiativ es" . Nilekani h as an estimated net wor th of U S $ 1 .3 b illion.

on

In 2 0 0 4 , Nilekani was awar ded th e P adma B h u sh an, th e th ir d-h ig h est Indian

civ ilian decor ation. In J anu ar y 2 0 0 6 , h e b ecame one of th e y ou ng est entr ep r eneu r s to j oin 2 0 g lob al leader s on th e Wor ld E conomic F or u m ( WE F ) F ou ndation B oar d.

Nilekani was named one of " Asia' s P ower 2 5 – Th e M ost P ower f u l P eop le in

B u siness in Asia" b y F or tu ne mag az ine, 2 0 0 4 . H e was r eg ar ded b y TIM E mag az ine as one of th e " 1 0 0 M ost Inf lu ential P eop le in th e Wor ld" in M ay 2 0 0 6 , and b y F or b es Asia as " B u siness L eader of th e Y ear " 2 0 0 6 .

141

Nilekani is a co-f ou nder of India' s National Association of S of twar e and

S er v ice Comp anies ( NAS S CO M ) . H e is also th e ch air p er son of th e B ang alor e Ag enda Task F or ce ( B ATF ) . H is b ook, Imag ining India: Ideas f or th e New Centu r y

was lau nch ed on Nov emb er 2 4 , 2 0 0 8 .In th e b ook, Nandan discu sses a h ost of ideas r ang ing f r om th e imp act ideas su ch as democr acy , g lob aliz ation and demog r ap h y

h av e h ad on India' s g r owth and dev elop ment, to its slow p r og r ess in th e ar eas of inf r astr u ctu r e and th e p r ov ision of p r imar y

edu cation to all, to th e ideolog ical

deadlock wh en it comes to p olitics, h ig h er edu cation and lab or r ef or ms. H e also addr esses a f ew ideas th at ar e v ital to cementing India' s p osition as a g lob al p ower th at of

its social secu r ity

p r ov isions, its p olicies on clean ener g y

and th e

env ir onment, as well as its ab ility to deal with lif esty le-r elated diseases and ailments.

In th is b ook, Nandan discu sses on top ics su ch as th e f u tu r e of India, its r ecent

h istor y ,th e ideas and attitu des th at ev olv ed with cou ntr y ’ s p r og r ess,India’ s ear ly

th e times and contr ib u ted to th e

socialist p olicies,its y ou ng

Tech nolog y , caste p olitics, lab ou r

p op u lation,Inf or mation

r ef or m, inf r astr u ctu r e, h ig h er

E ng lish lang u ag e in India among oth er s.

edu cation, th e

Nandan Nilekani was ap p ointed as th e ch air p er son of th e newly

cr eated

U niq u e Identif ication Au th or ity of India b y th e centr al g ov er nment in 2 0 0 9 in th e r ank of a cab inet minister . H e accep ted th e ch alleng e and assu med th e r esp onsib ility af ter r esig ning to th e Inf osy s.

MOHAMMED ALI JINNAH

B r itish

r u led India till 1 9 4 7 . Indep endence cost India th e div ision of th e

su b continent into two nations – India and P akistan. Th e div ision of th e cou ntr y was

cau sed b ecau se of th e r elig iou s div ide in th e cou ntr y b etween th e maj or ity H indu s and th e minor ity

M u slims. M oh ammed Ali J innah

led M u slims to ag itation f or a

sep ar ate h omeland f or M u slims in th e Indian su b continent. M ah atma Gandh i, wh o was leading

th e str u g g le f or indep endence f or esaw th at su ch

a p ar tition wou ld

142

cer tainly lead to a lot of b loodsh ed. B u t, M oh ammed Ali J innah was adamant in h is demand f or th e p ar tition. H e called J awah ar lal Neh r u as an imp etu ou s p u ndit. H e is also b eliev ed to h av e condemned many of th e mainstr eam f r eedom f ig h ter s.

Distaste f or M oh ammed Ali J innah in India is so wide sp r ead th at th e p r aise of

M oh ammed Ali J innah b y B J P su p r emo, L .K .Adv ani, du r ing h is P akistan r aised su ch a stor m in India th at h e f ell into th e b ad b ooks of h is own p ar ty .

PERVEZ MUSHARAFF

P er v ez

M u sh ar af f is th e f or mer P r esident of P akistan. H e is one of th e

str ong est p er sonalities in th e wor ld p olitics and well known in India f or two r easons, th at h e was b or n and sp ent h is ch ildh ood in India till h is f ath er with mig r ated to newly

f or med P akistan du r ing

th e Gr eat P ar tition of

su b continent in 1 9 4 7 , and th at th e K ar g il War was h is making Commander in Ch ief of th e P akistan ar med F or ces.

h is f amily

th e Indian

wh ile h e was th e

P akistan ar my ov er th r ew th e Gov er nment of P r ime M inister Nawab

S h er if f

af ter its def eat in K ar g il War and M u sh ar af f b ecame th e h ead of th e Gov er nment as well as th e h ead of th e S tate later . P ost-9 / 1 1 Amer ican ag g r essiv e p olicy b r ou g h t P r esident M u sh ar af f to th e knees to r elu ctantly su b mit to th e Amer ican needs to ally with th e NATO

f or ces ag ainst h is Talib an f r iends in Af g h anistan. H e h ad no op tion

b u t to militar ily su p p or t th e NATO

f or ces to ov er th r ow th e Talib an Gov er nment and

later p u r su e b oth Talib an and Al-Q aeda ter r or ists f r om P akistan-Af g h anistan b or der . H e lost p ower af ter elected g ov er nment came to p ower in P akistan.

JACK SLIPPER AND THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY

J ack S lip p er was a r enowned and ef f icient detectiv e of th e S cotland Y ar d. In

th e Gr eat Tr ain R ob b er y

in B r itain of 1 9 6 3

wh er ein a tr ain car r y ing

mail f r om

Glasg ow to L ondon was r ob b ed of two million p ou nd wor th of g oods, p er h ap s th e

143

most well known and th e b ig g est r ob b er y in th e wor ld, J ack S lip p er was inv ested with th e inv estig ation of th e case on b eh alf of th e S cotland Y ar d as its most ef f icient

and cap ab le inv estig ator . H e su ccessf u lly detected th e case and ar r ested all th ose inv olv ed in th e case ex cep t f or one known as R onnie B ig g s wh o ev aded J ack S lip p er ’ s attemp ts to catch h im, th e only b lack sp ot in th e oth er wise illu str iou s car eer of th is detectiv e. As a sp lendid detectiv e, h e was comp ar ed as an eq u al to leg endar y and f ictional S h er lock H olmes.

R onnie B ig g s was at lar g e till 2 0 0 1 wh en h e g av e h imself u p . Actu ally , J ack

S lip p er tr aced R onnie at B r az il in 1 9 7 4 , b u t B r az il denied ex tr adition of R onnie B ig g s, as th er e was no ex tr adition tr eaty b etween B r az il and B r itain.

THE END OF AZAHARI

Az ah ar i b in H u sin was a ter r or ist wh o liv ed in Indonesia. H e liv ed a ch ar med

lif e h iding f r om th e p olice and oth er secu r ity p er sonnel of Indonesia af ter committing

ter r or ist cr imes and escap ed all attemp ts of th e p olice and secu r ity f or ces to catch

h im. H e was a v er y lu cky p er son as of ten h e was leav ing h is h iding p lace b ar ely

minu tes b ef or e th e p olice r each ed th er e. At last, h is time r an ou t as f or all ou tlaws. H e came f ace to f ace with

th e p olice and secu r ity f or ces sear ch ing

f or h im and

f ou g h t till th e end of h is lif e. H e was f ou nd on an assig nment to b u r st a b omb -v est at a p op u lated ar ea wh en p olice sh ot h im and th u s av oided mor e casu alties.

Th e ev ents th at led to th e deadly encou nter make inter esting r eading . Th e

p olice of Indonesia wer e tr y ing to tr ace th e b omb er s of th e 3 0

th

Au g u st B ali b omb

attack. Th ey star ted f inding th e p eop le wh om th e ter r or ists h ad met j u st b ef or e th ey

set of f th eir b omb s in B ali. O ne of th e p er sons was f ou nd to b e a su sp ected ter r or ist.

P olice f ollowed h im f or some time tr y ing to f ind ou t h is mov e and activ ities. Wh en

th ey wer e tr y ing to do so, th e man f ou nd ou t th at h e was b eing f ollowed and tr ied to set-of f h is b omb -v est. B u t, b ef or e h e su cceeded in h is ef f or ts, p olice cap tu r ed h im and inter r og ated. Th ey f ou nd ou t f r om h im th r ou g h inter r og ation th at h e was a sor t of

messeng er b etween Az ah ar i b in H u sin and h is assistant wh o was till th en u nknown. 144

Th e ‘ messeng er ’ th en told th e p olice th at Az ah ar i b in H u sin was h iding in a p ar ticu lar

h otel r oom. Th e p olice went th er e and sh ot h im dead wh ile h e r esisted cap tu r e and tr ied to b low h is b omb -v est.

RATAN TATA

Th e economics of India h as g ot only a f ew well-known names. Th ey inclu de

R atan Tata, th e Amb ani b r oth er s and also many mor e p eop le. H owev er , th e most imp or tant of th ese names is R atan Tata. H e is a v er y f amou s p er son in India and is

r esp onsib le f or th e meteor ic r ise of th e Tata g r ou p to f ame. H e is a v er y sh y p er son and is of ten u nder estimated b y

h is op p onents. Th e Tata g r ou p

is now g one

Inter national and is tr y ing to catch u p with its main r iv als. Th ey inclu de th e U nited S tates of Amer ica b ased Gener al E lectr ic and Wal-M ar t. H owev er , it will b e a long

time b ef or e it catch es u p with th ese comp anies as th ese comp anies ar e estab lish ed f ir mly in th e Inter national scene.

145

THE WORLD IN THE 21ST CENTURY

We may

b e wonder ing

wh at ar senals ar e in stor e f or th e r emaining

nine

decades of th e 2 1 st centu r y af ter th e momentou s and su sp ensef u l ev ents along

th e p assag e of th e 2 0 th centu r y and later th at mang led th e q u iet f acade of th e

E ar th . L if e as a str eam of endless p r ocesses, catenated b y th e car dinal r u le of

cau se and ef f ect, may op en u p a v ista f or u s to inf er wh at th e wor ld will b e in th e

2 1 st centu r y .

Taking clu es f r om th e loose ends of th e 2 0 th centu r y and th e f ir st decade of

th e 2 1 centu r y , and r ealiz ing th at ev er y th ing mov es in cir cle and ip so f a cto ev er y

p r actice and ev er y idea h as its own u p s and downs in cir cu lar motion along th e

cou r se of time, h elp s to dedu ce th e p ossib le str u ctu r e of th e 2 1 st centu r y on and

ar ou nd cer tain f ix ed p illar p osts v acated b y th e 2 0 th centu r y in its h aste to g iv e

way to th e 2 1 st centu r y .

As th e du sk of th e 2 0 th centu r y and th e nascent ness of th e f ir st decade of th e

2 1 centu r y g iv e way to th e matu r ity of th e 2 1 st centu r y , new p olitical alig nments

may

emer g e to r ep lace senescent su p er p ower s th at r u led th e r oost in

inter national p olitics. Th e tr end in wor ld p olitics wou ld b e th e coalescence of

r eg ional p ower s to h ar ness max imu m f inancial str eng th . Th e p olitics of th e

ideolog ical conf licts of th e 2 0 th centu r y may g iv e way to th e p olitics of p r ag matic

disp ensation. National af f iliations may lose th eir f er v or and each r eg ional alliance

of nations may dev elop into a loose, f eder al g ov er nment as th e centu r y dr aws to

its end. A mor e lib er al and u niv er sal ou tlook with th e p r og r essiv e inter ming ling of

cu ltu r es wou ld b e th e h allmar k of th e 2 1 st centu r y . Th e wor ld p r ob ab ly

awake to a wor ld-cu ltu r e with

may

all div er g ent nu ances of th e cu r r ent wor ld b eing

ab sor b ed into a mainstr eam cu ltu r e in th e new centu r y .

146

Th e 2 1 st centu r y sh all b e known b y f u tu r e g ener ations f or th e g r owth

and

u niv er sal accep tance of an op en mar ket economy and a comb ativ e economic

sp ir it. Th e last decade of th e 2 1 st centu r y may f ind th e l a issez -a l l er in economy

tou ch ing

its ul tima

th ul e and concomitantly its b r eaking

p oint ex cep t f or a f ew

scatter ed p ockets still cling ing to a contr olled economy as r emnants of y or e, wh ich

will wor k as a sp r ing b oar d in su b seq u ent centu r ies to mov e th e wor ld b ack to a

modif ied g u ided economy .

Anoth er sig nif icant dev elop ment of th e new er a wou ld b e th e u p su r g e of

economics in th e new or der of th ing s to mar k th e centu r y as " Th e E conomic Ag e' .

Th e p r esent national and ideolog ical div ide wou ld b e r ep laced with

a new

economic div ide leading to a r eg r ou p ing of r eg ions b y economic conv enience. Th e

concep t of th e E u r op ean E conomic Commu nity of th e 2 0 th

similar economic g r ou p ing s in E ast E u r op e allied with

centu r y will lead to

Ger many , Centr al Asia,

S ou th -E ast Asia, S ou th Asia, West Asia, S ou th Amer ica, Nor th Af r ica, S ou th and

Centr al Af r ica and f inally Nor th Amer ica to cr eate distinct economic z ones along

th e p assag e of th e 2 1 st centu r y

with

mor e and mor e p ower and au th or ity

tr ansf er r ed to th ese new u nits to contr ol and g ov er n th e social lif e of th e p eop le.

National identities wou ld b e r eleg ated to ob liv ion as a th ing of th e p ast b y th e end

of th e 2 1

s t

centu r y with th e wor ld div ided into a h andf u l of distinct and well-def ined

economic u nits, each of wh ich will str iv e towar ds th e tel os of economic p r osp er ity

and incr eased self -su f f iciency . H owev er , incr eased concours b etween th e new

economic u nits cou ld b r ing

tension b ack to th e wor ld in th e later p ar t of th e

centu r y , leading to th e f ailu r e of th is new concep t of liv ing on th is E ar th and r etu r n

to g ood old nationh ood in later centu r ies.

Ger many , as th e leader of a p ower in th e r eg ion consisting

p r esent War saw P act cou ntr ies may

mostly of th e

p r ov ide a r eal ch alleng e to th e f inancial

str eng th of Ch ina and its neig h b or ing allies in th e f ir st h alf of th e 2 1 centu r y and

g r ow to b e a f inancial g iant of th e wor ld in th e second h alf of th e centu r y b y

p u sh ing th e latter to second p lace. A close r u n f or su p r emacy as a f inancial p ower

of th e wor ld b etween r eg ional p ower s led b y Ger many and Ch ina wou ld b e th e 147

main p olitical dr ama of th e new er a. B oth U S A and R u ssia wou ld b e decimated to

minor p ar ts in th e b a ttl e-roy a l e. Th e 2 1 st centu r y

may

see imp r essiv e b r eakth r ou g h s in u nconv entional

ener g y sou r ces like nu clear ener g y , solar ener g y and oceanic ener g y , wh ich may

ch eap ly meet th e maj or sh ar e of th e wor ld' s ener g y needs b y th e end of th e 2 1 st

centu r y . Th is may r edu ce th e imp or tance of oil-r ich cou ntr ies in wor ld p olitics and

add to th e r elativ e p eace of th e coming centu r y .

f or

Th e new centu r y may see nu clear ener g y b ecoming th e stap le ener g y sou r ce

motor

h ar nessing

tr ansp or t and av iation. Th er e wou ld b e maj or and u sing

sou r ces wou ld b

b r eakth r ou g h s in

solar ener g y . All anx ieties ab ou t dep letion of ener g y

laid to r est in th e 2 1 st centu r y . Th e new er a may f ind p eop le

g oing f or ar tif icial nu tr itiou s f oods p r odu ced f r om ch eap edib le p lastic ch emicals.

Th is wou ld lessen th e dep endence on ag r icu ltu r al p r odu ce and p r ov ide a

p er manent solu tion to th e p r ob lem of h u ng er . M aj or b r eakth r ou g h s in r ecy cling of

waste may p r ov ide th e solu tion to sh or tag es and ecolog ical contamination. Th e

2 1 st centu r y is u nlikely to make any tang ib le h eadway in sp ace and inter p lanetar y

r esear ch

du e to th e f actor s inv olv ing

time and distance and th e ch ang ing

cir cu mstances th at may localiz e issu es to th e wor ld we liv e in and ip so f a cto

contr ol th e p assion to ex p lor e ou ter sp ace.

Th e r eal scientif ic leap of th e 2 1 st centu r y wou ld b e th e discov er y of nor mal

temp er atu r e su p er condu ctor s and th eir u niv er sal ap p lications to th e f ields of mob ility , commu nication and ener g y th at cou ld r ev olu tioniz e lif e on th is E ar th b y ob liter ating

th e notion of distance f r om its f ace. M an may tr av el at sp eeds v er y close to th at of

lig h t b y th e end of th e centu r y . H e wou ld th en b e ab le to contr ol th ing s any wh er e on th is E ar th

b y

sitting

in h is p lace and monitor ing

au dio-v isu al f eedb acks. S ome

adv ancement b y th e end of th e centu r y in th e ab ility to p enetr ate to th e p ast cannot b e r u led ou t eith er .

148

A p ositiv e ou tcome of th e new concep t of liv ing

in r eg ional economic

g r ou p ing s wou ld b e th e incr eased r ealiz ation of th e f u tility of war s and militar y

ex p enditu r e. Th e new ag e may sp awn h op e f or semp iter nal p eace and p r osp er ity ,

with th e ag g r essiv e side of th e h u man p sy ch e b eing incr easing ly eng ag ed b y th e

ceaseless demands of th e f r ee mar ket economy . Th e 2 1 st centu r y may witness a

sp u r t in th e g ener al standar d of liv ing , b r ou g h t ab ou t b y

th e dep loy ment of

r esou r ces h ith er to u tiliz ed only f or militar y r esear ch and ex p enditu r e.

Th e g r eatest b lessing of th e 2 1 st centu r y wou ld b e th e consp icu ou s r edu ction

in inter national str if e and concomitant militar y ex p enditu r e wh ile th e wor st f eatu r e

wou ld b e th e r edu ction of man and h is env ir onment to an av er ag e p r of ile dep r iv ed

of all inter ests and cu r iosities. H e and h is env ir onment may b ecome mor e f r ag ile

inside and ou tside as u nending

tech nolog ical adv ancements incr easing ly

take

ov er th e f ields of h is ex clu siv e skills and comp etence and ip so f a cto condemn

th em to with er away b y desu etu de. Th e 2 1 st centu r y may b e th e b eg inning of th is

with er ing p r ocess of h u man skills in a telling way . L if e wou ld b e less inter esting –

th ou g h mor e conv enient - in th e 2 1 st centu r y , wh ich cou ld cau se mor e and mor e

p eop le to tu r n to r elig ion and occu lt p r actice f or solace and adv entu r e.

Comp u ter s may b ecome integ r al to all h u man activ ity th u s leading to decline

in h u man skill and intellectu al ab ility as th e centu r y adv ances. Th e menaces of

ter r or ism and dr u g -addiction may f u r th er g r ow to b e th e maj or ch alleng es of th e

2 1 st centu r y . Th e incr easing comp lex ity of day -to-day liv ing tr av er sed with p ov er ty

and an u nab ated p op u lation ex p losion may encou r ag e new, u nh ear d-of f or ms of

cr ime. New comp lex diseases may su r f ace on th e E ar th to attack th e p op u lace

f r om time to time and keep

th e medical r esear ch

estab lish ment continu ou sly

eng ag ed to meet th e ch alleng es. L if e' s concomitant str ess may sp awn ag itated,

ner v ou s f r u str ated and dir ectionless minds. F amily u nits wou ld b e in disar r ay with

th e institu tion of mar r iag e in r ed and a new concep t of an op en society

g u ar anteed institu tional secu r ity coming into v og u e.

with

149

Th e new centu r y may witness mor e and mor e p eop le tu r ning to r elig ion f or

inner p eace. As b oth

Ch r istianity

and Islam f ail to meet th e g r owing

sp ir itu al

needs of th e p leb eians of th e 2 1 st centu r y , th e wor ld may look f or solace to a

neb u lou s inter national r elig ion of

a mix ed kind with

a common sp ir itu al

inter p r etation of lif e and th is r elig ion may sweep th e E ar th of th e 2 1 st centu r y to

b ecome its maj or r elig ion. Th e new ag e may also f ind p r olif er ation of scientif ic

r esear ch in p ar ap sy ch olog y and th e u niv er sal ap p lication of its f inding s to contr ol

cr ime and imp r ov e lab ou r r elations in indu str y and commer cial enter p r ises.

Th e new centu r y may see th e concep ts of f amily and mar r iag e losing th eir

r elev ance to lif e. E ach

to h imself wou ld b e th e new disp ensation, and state

secu r ity to newb or ns, th e old and inf ir m wou ld b ecome th e b asic r esp onsib ility of th e state mach iner y . With

th e incr eased demand on limited land, du e to th e

p r og r essiv e r ise in th e p op u lation, th e 2 1 st centu r y may f ind all lands b ecoming

g ov er nment p r op er ty , leased ou t to p r iv ate p ar ties on contr act f or a def inite p er iod f or u se: th ou g h l a issez -f a ire with p r iv ate owner sh ip s in oth er enter p r ises wou ld b e

th e tendency in th e 2 1 st centu r y economy . P u b lic u nder taking s may b ecome a

r ar ity in th e new ag e. P r iv ate f ir ms on contr act wou ld b e p er mitted to manag e selected j ob s in th e g ov er nance of

th e cou ntr y . S u ch

sensitiv e ar eas as

dev elop ment activ ities, r ecr u itment, cr ime inv estig ation, collection of tax es etc

wou ld b e h andled b y sp ecializ ed p r iv ate f ir ms on a time-b ou nd contr act as th e

centu r y dr aws to an end. Th e tu r n of th e 2 1 st centu r y may see only th e leg islatu r e and j u diciar y r emaining th e g ov er nment' s dir ect r esp onsib ility with ex ecu tiv e j ob s b eing incr easing ly h andled on its b eh alf b y p r iv ate ag encies.

Th e new centu r y may witness an u p su r g e of r omanticism in liter atu r e and lif e

f u elled b y a new f er ocity th at sp u r ns any constr aint on natu r al condu ct; f r ee sex

may well b ecome th e r u le. Th is new p op u lar mov ement wou ld sp r ead acr oss th e

wor ld in th e new centu r y , adding

sp ice to g r owing ly

insip id lif esty les. New

p h ilosop h ies and r elig ions may sp r ing ou t of it to alter intellectu al and sp ir itu al

p er cep tions.

150

Wh ile th e new wor ld will h av e adv anced amenities at its b eck and call, simp le

natu r al needs like adeq u ate sp ace, clean water and f r esh air will b ecome r ar ities.

P ip ed water su p p ly wou ld b e a matter of th e p ast and clean water wou ld b e sold

in b ottles in mar kets. Th e new ag e may

also see sp ecial f r esh -air sessions

ev er y day f or h alf -an-h ou r : a lu x u r y of b r eath ing

f r esh

air , p r odu ced b y sp ecial

tr eatments in a costly p r ocess af f or dab le only to th e r ich . Th e selling

of small

f r esh -air p ackets f or u se in p r iv ate may b ecome a lu cr ativ e b u siness th r ou g h ou t

th e wor ld and mu lti-national cor p or ations may make h u g e inv estments in b oth

f r esh -air p acket and clean water b ottle indu str ies.

L if e wou ld b e a mor e comp lex and costly af f air in th e 2 1 st centu r y in sp ite of

man' s incr easing su ccess in b r ing ing th e wor ld to h is h eels th r ou g h inv entions and discov er ies. B ir th

contr ol on demand wou ld b e a nor mal p r actice. S p eed and

detach ed imp atience wou ld b ecome th e sp ir it and tr end of th e ag e, with p assions, emotions, moods, tastes, ar ts and p leasu r es b ecoming r ar e lu x u r ies, known to a f ew

isolated dev iates. L iv ing wou ld b e r edu ced to a cu tth r oat comp etition with th e conf lict

b etween man and h is p oisoned env ir onment comp ou nded with th at b etween h im and

h is f ellow men tu r ning extra mod um in h is f ig h t and f lig h t f or su r v iv al. Th e simp le innocent side of h is natu r e wou ld b ecome a f u r th er casu alty in th e p r ocess with

incr eased manif estations of cr iminal tendency at all lev els in all f ields. L if e wou ld th u s b ecome less secu r e and mor e r isky in th e new disp ensation.

Th e wor ld wou ld b e less wor th f or liv ing in th e 2 1 st centu r y in sp ite of its tech nical

and mater ial adv ancements. Th ou g h th e th r eat of war wou ld r ecede in th e new ag e, lif e' s acceler ation to th e h ig h ly comp etitiv e temp o, necessar y to ensu r e su r v iv al, may r ender liv ing

a sick and u neasy af f air . As man b ends natu r e to h is conv enience,

natu r e' s f ailu r es to meet h is b asic needs may b alloon u p to g ig antic p r op or tions b y

th e incr eased tax on h er f r ag ile attr ib u tions. Y et, it sh ou ld b e r ememb er ed th at th e

2 1 st centu r y is j u st a minu te p h ase in th e h u g e ev olu tion p r ocess th at takes th e wor ld to h ig h er lev els of ex istence th r ou g h r estless and dif f icile p assag e.

151

We sh ou ld know th at th is wor ld is a g r eat self -su staining

sy stem, b u ilt to

su r v iv e all ecolog ical, nu clear or p op u lation disaster s. Th e lif e sy stem of th is E ar th is

a wonder f u l self -r eg u lating wor kh ou se with a skill f or su r v iv al. We mu st r est assu r ed th at th e E ar th

will cer tainly

su r v iv e all conting encies of th e 2 1 st centu r y

b y

its

wonder f u l self -r eg u lating and self -su staining mech anism th at was at wor k in th e 2 0 th centu r y .

152

WORLD LITERATURE HARRY POTTER BOOKS

Th er e ar e many f amou s ch ildr en’ s b ooks like ‘ S ecr et S ev en’ and ‘ F amou s

F iv e’ ar e ar ou nd. Th ey ar e r ead and g r eatly admir ed b y ch ildr en. O ne of su ch b ooks widely r ead and liked b y ch ildr en all ov er th e wor ld is th e H ar r y P otter ser ies of f ou r

b ooks th at inclu de ‘ H ar r y P otter and th e P h ilosop h er ’ s S tone’ , ‘ H ar r y P otter and th e Ch amb er of S ecr ets’ , ‘ H ar r y P otter and th e P r isoner of Az kab an’ and ‘ H ar r y P otter

and th e Gob let of F ir e’ . Its au th or is J .K .R owling . Th e ser ies is ab ou t th e adv entu r es of H ar r y P otter and h is f r iends R on and H er mione in H og war ts, wh ich is a wiz ar ding

sch ool. I consider th e f ou r th b ook of th e ser ies namely ‘ H ar r y P otter and th e Gob let of F ir e’ , wh ich r u ns to v olu minou s 6 3 6 p ag es in th e p op u lar p ap er b ack edition as th e ma g num op us of th e au th or among th e lot.

Th e ser ies is ab ou t a y ou ng wiz ar d called H ar r y P otter wh o lost h is p ar ents

du r ing H alloween wh en h e was one y ear old and b r ou g h t u p b y h is au nt and u ncle and sent to H og war ts, a wiz ar ding

sch ool. Th e f ou r b ooks concer n ab ou t h is

adv entu r es in H og war ts. Th e b ooks ar e f u ll of f u nny and awf u l incidents th at make th e b ooks inter esting to ch ildr en and cap tu r e th eir imag ination.

Th e main ch ar acter s of th e H ar r y P otter ser ies ar e H ar r y P otter h imself as th e

h er o of th e stor y , H ag r id wh o r escu ed H ar r y P otter f r om th e Du r sley s, th e u ncle and

au nt of H ar r y P otter , Du mb ledor e wh o is th e h eadmaster of H og war ts, R on and H er mione as th e b est f r iends of H ar r y , Dr aco M alf oy as h is enemy , L or d V oldemor t

as h is b ete noire and th e v illain of th e p iece, and P r of essor s of H og war ts like S nap e

of S ly th er in H ou se, M cGonag all of Gr y f f indor H ou se, S p r ou t of H u f f lep u f f H ou se and F litwick of R av enclaw H ou se. All th ese ch ar acter s make inter esting r eading b y th eir v ar ieg ated oddities and antic. Th e ch ar acter s ar e well knit to th e stor y .

153

S ome of th e incidents in th e ser ies make lasting imp r essions on th e r eader s.

A f u nny incident I f ondly r ecall f r om ‘ H ar r y P otter and th e Gob let of F ir e’ r elates to

P r of essor M oody tr ansf or ming Dr aco M alf oy into a f er r et and b ou ncing h im u p and down. Anoth er incident f r om th e same b ook th at cau g h t my imag ination is th e f ig h t b etween H ar r y

P otter and L or d V oldemor t. Th e h ilar iou s comb at inv olv es H ar r y

P otter af ter b eing h it b y Cr u ciatu s and Imp er iu s cu r ses of L or d V oldemor t, stop p ing

h is Av ada K edav r a cu r se and escap ing f r om th e latter in a tig h t moment wh ile h e r eally h ad no p lace to g o.

A f u nny incident I r ecollect is f r om ‘ H ar r y P otter and th e P h ilosop h er ’ s S tone’

wh er ein H ag r id makes a p ig ’ s cu r ly

tail come ou t of Du dley

Du r sley ’ s p ant f or

Du r sley s b eing r u de to h im. ‘ H ar r y P otter and th e Ch amb er of S ecr ets’ p or tr ay th e death

day p ar ty of a g h ost, Near ly H eadless Nick, with

eaten b y

g h osts attending

f r om all ov er th e wiz ar ding

p iles of r otten f ood to b e E ng land. An inter esting

incident f r om ‘ H ar r y P otter and th e P r isoner of Az kab an’ concer ns th e u nf r iendliness of R on and H er mione. R on accu ses H er mione’ s cat of killing

h is p et r at called

S cab b er s. H er mione say s sor r y and b oth make u p th eir dif f er ences. Th e incident of H ag r id meeting

H ar r y P otter on a r ock way ou t on sea in ‘ H ar r y P otter and th e

P h ilosop h er ’ s S tone’ also makes inter esting r eading .

Th e incident th at tou ch ed me most in th e ex tr av ag anz a of th e f ou r v olu mes of

mor e th an 1 3 0 0

p ag es of J .K .R owling

is f r om ‘ H ar r y

P otter and th e P r isoner of

Az kab an’ concer ns th e meeting of S ir iu s B lack and H ar r y P otter wh er ein th e latter lear ns th at S ir iu s B lack was r eally h is g odf ath er and h ad noth ing to do with th e death

of H ar r y ’ s p ar ents, J ames and L ily P otter . H e f ou nd ou t in th e meeting th at it was h is p ar ents’ anoth er f r iend, P eter P ettig r ew, wh o was r esp onsib le f or th e tr ag edy . B oth of th em meet P eter P ettig r ew and f ind ou t th e tr u th

ab ou t wh at h ap p ened in th e

f atef u l nig h t. It is r eally a tou ch ing ev ent in th e lif e of H ar r y P otter . I h op e th at J .K .R owling

will continu e to wr ite many mor e b ooks like H ar r y

P otter and continu e to enth r all ch ildr en all ov er th e wor ld b y h er imag inativ e and colou r f u l stor ies. It is inter esting to know th at J .K .R owling is p r esently wor king on 154

th r ee mor e b ooks on th e H ar r y P otter ser ies, and ch ildr en f r om all ov er th e wor ld ar e eag er ly waiting f or th em. I h op e th at th e b ooks will b e as inter esting as th e f ir st f ou r of th e ser ies.

THUNDERPOINT

“ Th u nder p oint” is a f iction au th or ed b y J ack H ig g ins. It is an inter esting wor k

on a f ictional ch ar acter

called S ean Dillon, a f or mer

IR A soldier

cau g h t b y

Y u g oslav ians b u t b ailed ou t b y Ch ar les F er g u son, th e leader of Gr ou p 4 of B r itain,

an institu tion th at inv estig ates ter r or ists. H e is f aced with two op tions f or h is r elease.

O ne of th em is to die at th e h ands of th e Y u g oslav ians and th e second is to j oin

Ch ar les F er g u son. H e ch ooses th e second op tion. F er g u son was wor king on a case of u tmost imp or tance. H e ch ooses S ean Dillon to u nder take it.

M ar tin B or mann, th e R eich sleiter of Ger many u nder Adolp h H itler is said to

h av e escap ed in a su b mar ine car r y ing

some p ap er s of u tmost imp or tance in a

b r ief case, wh ich if r ev ealed wou ld destr oy th e car eer s of many Cab inet M inister s of

E ng land. O ne of th e M inister s, P amer , asks th e h elp of one of h is f r iends, S antiag o, to g et th e b r ief case to h im to saf eg u ar d h is p er sonal inter ests. Th e f ig h t ensu ed b etween S ean Dillon and S antiag o f or th e b r ief case ends with th e b r ief case coming

to th e p ossession of S ean Dillon and th e p ap er s th er ein r ev eals th e inv olv ement of

M r P almer in anti-national activ ities. S ean Dillon kills b oth S antiag o and P amer in th e p r ocess and th e b r ief case r each es th e P r ime M inister . Th e P r ime M inister f inds h is own u ncle’ s name also f ig u r ing

in th e secr et p ap er s and g ets th e secr et p ap er s

destr oy ed on th e p lea th at wr ong s committed b y p ar ents sh ou ld not tr ansf er to sons.

Th e f iction sh eds lig h t on cor r u p tion at h ig h est p olitical lev els in contr ast to th e

commitment of th e p r of essionals down th e line to saf eg u ar d th e inter ests of th e cou ntr y .

155

CLOSING TIME

“ Closing

Time” is an inter esting

f iction au th or ed b y wor ld-r enowned wr iter ,

J osep h H eller of “ Catch -2 2 ” f ame. It is a stor y of a man called as J oh n Y ossar ian, an

old man alway s su sp ecting th at h e is u nder su r v eillance. H e h as g ot a f r iend called

as Ch ap lain Alb er t T. Tap p man, a ch ap lain wh o h ad ser v ed in th e Wor ld War II, wh o is b iolog ically p r odu cing h eav y water , wh ich in tu r n was p r odu cing th e g as, Tr itiu m. Th ey h av e to see wh at else is coming ou t of Tap p man. If it is P lu toniu m, it was v er y

b ad. If L ith iu m comes ou t of h im, it cou ld b e catastr op h ic as it may cau se th e end of lif e on E ar th

as L ith iu m Deu ter ide is u sed to make th e leg endar y H -B omb . Th is

wou ld indeed b e a b ig b low f or th e du b iou s M & M

E nter p r ises wh o ar e tr y ing to p atent

h im and sp ending a lot of money to g et it done. Th en of cou r se, is th e P r esident of

th e U nited S tates of Amer ica wh o h as a tu tor called as Noodles Cook and wh o lov es

to p lay v ideo g ames. O ne day , h e p r esses th e b u tton near h is desk sev er al times,

wh ich is p op u lar ly called in th e U nited S tates of Amer ica as th e F ootb all. It lau nch es

all th e B allistic missiles and b omb er s and f ig h ter p lanes into th e air towar ds th e

S ov iet U nion. H e does so with ou t knowing wh at it is su p p osed to do. Y ossar ian and all h is f r iends g o u nder g r ou nd to escap e th e onslau g h t of th e R u ssians.

156

STORIES FROM INDIA AND AROUND THE WORLD TERROR IN THE AIR Th e S econd Wor ld War cau sed th e death of millions of y ou ng , b r av e p eop le

with p r omising f u tu r es. E v en th ou g h th e Allies won th e war , it can b e said th at th is

war h ad no winner s, only loser s. Altog eth er , it is estimated th at f if ty million p eop le lost th eir liv es. Among th ese f if ty million p eop le, two b r oth er s, Cap tain B ill S mith and O b er stadtf u h r er R oy S mith stand ou t.

Th e f ath er and moth er of th ese two ex cep tionally g ood p ilots h ad div or ced at

th e time of th e Gr eat Dep r ession. Th e moth er h ad mig r ated to Ger many and h ad taken th e y ou ng er son, R oy S mith . Th e f ath er stay ed on in E ng land with S mith

in h is cu stody . William g r ew u p

to b e a str iking

y ou ng

William

man. E x cep tionally

intellig ent and p h y sically str ong , h e was one of a kind. H is b r oth er in Ger many , R oy was made u p of th e same mou ld as h is b r oth er .

Wh en war b r oke ou t, b oth th ese men tu r ned ou t to b e p r ime ex amp les of wh at

th eir r esp ectiv e cou ntr ies wanted to h av e in th eir ar med f or ces. R oy and B ill h ad stay ed in contact with each oth er f or some time, b u t h ad later lost contact. B oth of th em wer e dr af ted to th e air f or ce of th eir r esp ectiv e cou ntr ies.

Wh en th e B attle of B r itain star ted in 1 9 4 1 , b oth th ese two y ou ng men f ou g h t

v aliantly f or th eir r esp ectiv e cou ntr ies. Th ey b oth g r ew u p to b e ace p ilots and r ose u p th e r anks v er y q u ickly . In a f ig h t f or lif e and death , th e weak g et cu t down q u ickly . In 1 9 4 4 , wh en th e S econd Wor ld War was near ing

b ecame mor e and mor e desp er ate. Th ey

its end, th e Ger mans

of ten sent th eir soldier s and p ilots to

su icide missions h op ing f or mir acles th at j u st did not h ap p en. B oth th ese b r oth er s

157

h ad b ecome leg endar y b y th at time. A mer e sig h ting of th ese two y ou th ’ s air cr af ts wou ld r esu lt in th e op p osing sides not sending th eir p ilots ou t.

B ill S mith h ad b y th at time b ecome a Gr ou p Cap tain and h is b r oth er R oy , an

O b er stadtf u h r er , r ou g h ly eq u iv alent to th e r ank of a Gr ou p Cap tain in th e B r itish Air f or ce. Th e Ger mans wer e cu tting

of f th e v ital su p p lies needed b y

th e r ap idly

adv ancing B r itish Ar my . With ou t th ese su p p lies, th e B r itish tr oop s wou ld b e str anded with ou t f u el and h amp er ed with

no f ood, water and oth er necessities. Th is wou ld

r esu lt in th e Ger mans h av ing mor e time to r eg r ou p and wor ld r esu lt in th e war b eing p r olong ed wh ich

wou ld in tu r n r esu lt in mor e death s, someth ing

H ig h Command was anx iou s to av oid.

wh ich th e B r itish

Th e man wh o was in command of th e Ger man f ig h ter -b omb er sq u adr ons

af f ecting su ch damag e on th e B r itish was R oy S mith . H e h ad b ecome a talisman f or th e Ger mans. With h im, th ey cou ld not lose. Th e B r itish

H ig h

Command r ealiz ed th is. Th ey

sent sq u adr ons u p on

sq u adr ons of p lanes, b u t th ey all wer e annih ilated. In th e end, th ey entr u sted th is mission to th eir b est p ilot, B ill S mith .

S o, on a f atef u l ev ening in th e winter of 1 9 4 4 , Cap tain B ill S mith took of f f r om

one of th e dilap idated old air f ields in Alsace, in F r ance with a mission, to kill h is own

b r oth er . H owev er , h e did not know th at h is op p onent th at ev ening was h is b r oth er . H e only knows th at h is adv er sar y th at day was called as “ Ter r or in th e Air ” . R oy , on th e oth er h and h ad no inkling

th at any th ing

sp ecial was g oing

to

h ap p en th at day . “ J u st anoth er day killing Tommies” , h e th ou g h t as h e sat inside th e cockp it.

Th at ev ening , f ou r teen Ger man Nig h th awk b omb er -f ig h ter s f ou g h t ag ainst

twenty L ancaster f ig h ter -b omb er s led b y B ill S mith . Tu r moil and car nag e f ollowed.

158

Th e Ger mans and B r itish er s f ou g h t with eq u al enth u siasm and p atr iotism. In th e end, only two p laned wer e lest. O ne Ger man and one B r itish . R oy and B ill. B ill r ecog niz ed h is adv er sar y

and was deter mined to kill h im. In an ep ic

dog f ig h t, th ey cir cled and tr aded sh ots only to see th eir op p onent ev ade th em. Th eir r esp ect f or th eir adv er sar y g r ew. In th e end, R oy saw a new sq u adr on of B r itish b omb er s ap p r oach ing .

Wh ile f leeing , h e h ear d ov er th e p lane r adio th e wor ds, “ Well done, Cap tain

B ill S mith ” . H e was so sh ocked th at h e was not ab le to comp lete th e tu r n p r op er ly

and wh ile h e was of f -b alance, h is b r oth er sh ot th e eng ine away . H owev er , th ey wer e so close to each oth er th at th e ex p losion th at f ollowed a sp lit-second later took b oth

of th eir liv es. J u st b ef or e th ey died, th ey wer e th inking of each oth er , one with sad ir ony and th e oth er with ang u ish th at h e wou ld nev er see h is b r oth er ag ain.

GOPAL’S FRIENDS Gop al was a y ou ng man in king K r ish nadev ar ay a’ s cou r t. H e was a f r iend of

a minister in th e king ’ s cou r t. H e was a p oor and f oolish man. As h e was f oolish , h e

was p r actically a ser v ant of th e minister . Th e minister was v er y r ich and owned lots of land.

O ne day , th e minister asked h im to cu t weeds of one of h is f ields. Gop al went

to th e f ield and attemp ted to p u ll of f th e weeds. Wh ile h e was doing so, h e was so b u sy th at h e did not see wh er e h e was g oing and slip p ed on a b anana p eel and f ell

down. Wh en h e was tr y ing to g et u p , h e ag ain step p ed on anoth er b anana p eel and

ag ain f ell down. Gop al was conv inced th at th e b anana p eel was ang r y with h im. S o h e went cr awling f or war d f or some distance and g ot u p . H e walked a f ew mor e step s

and tr ip p ed on a g r ap ev ine; b u t th is time, h e f ell on a p atch of leav es and du e to h is weig h t, it g av e way . Wh en h e g ot u p , h is j aw sag g ed op en in astonish ment.

159

It was g old, lots and lots of g old!

Gop al took a f ew g old p ieces and went

h ome. Wh en h e was g oing h ome, h e b u mp ed str aig h t to th e minister . Th e g old p ieces f ell ou t of h is h and. Th e minister asked Gop al f r om wh er e h e g ot th e g old.

Gop al b lab b er ed on ab ou t h ow h e h ad g ot th e g old. Th e minister was v er y h ap p y , as all th e g old in th e f ield was h is as th e f ield b elong ed to h im.

H e, as h ap p y as h e was, g av e Gop al lots of money and also some land.

Gop al was v er y h ap p y . Wh en th e king h ear d of th is, h e h onou r ed b oth Gop al as well

as th e minister and g av e to Gop al all th e g old Gop al h ad f ou nd in th e f ield. Th e minister b ecame r ed with ang er ; b u t h is ang er soon cooled down. Gop al b ecame

one of th e r ich est men in th e king dom with all th e g if ts of th e minister and th e g old h e h ad f ou nd.

S oon, h owev er , Gop al made wor th less f r iends.

Th ese u seless f r iends

intr odu ced h im to a kind of alcoh olic dr ink called as madh u p ana. Th ey

also

intr odu ced Gop al to g amb ling and oth er v ices. Gop al, now u sed to g o ear ly in th e mor ning

to th e city ’ s mar ket p lace, and g o to a p u b

star ted losing

th e wealth

h e h ad g ained b y

lu ck.

and dr ink and g amb le. H e

H is wif e and moth er tr ied to

dissu ade h im f r om g oing to th e p u b ; b u t h ab its do not wear of f easily . S oon, like

many oth er r ich p eop le f allen to b ad way s, Gop al b ecame a p oor p er son. H is f r iend,

th e minister , tr ied to h elp th e f amily ; b u t all th e money h e g av e th em f inally came to

Gop al’ s h ands and h e inev itab ly u sed it on g amb ling and alcoh olic b ev er ag es. Th e f amily ’ s condition was deter ior ating . H owev er , it was soon to ch ang e.

F el icita s mul tos h a b et a micos. Gop al h ad lost almost all of h is f r iends. O nly

one f r iend r emained with h im. H e was a man called R aj . R aj h ad b een a soldier in

th e ar my of king K r ish nadev ar ay a; b u t h e h ad lost h is h ands in one of th e nu mer ou s b attles f ou g h t b y king K r ish nadev ar ay a. H e h ad r etir ed f r om th e ar my af ter b eing

awar ded a h u g e b ooty as r ewar d. H owev er , h e too h ad sq u ander ed h is money like

Gop al on v ices. H e u nder stood th e p osition Gop al was in, as h e too h ad b een in th e same state. H e adv ised Gop al to g iv e u p dr inking ; b u t it f ell on deaf ear s.

160

Gop al ev en th ou g h lost a lot of wealth , h e h ad not sh ed h is stu p idity . H e was

a v er y stu p id p er son and ev er y one h e met took adv antag e of th is f act. H is moth er

tr ied to g r ind some sense to Gop al’ s h ead, b u t alway s f ailed. S oon th eir condition

was as it was b ef or e Gop al g ot th e g old. Th ey b ecame v er y p oor . H is moth er and wif e soon star ted b eg g ing on th e r oadside. B u t, all th e money th ey g ot was sp ent b y

Gop al on madh u p ana. S oon, Gop al’ s moth er died. Gop al h ad lov ed h is moth er a lot and th e loss of h is moth er str u ck h im h ar d. H e r esolv ed to g iv e u p h is v ices and star t to wor k to ear n some money . H owev er , old h ab its die-h ar d. H e g ot a j ob of cu tting

wood. Th e j ob ear ned h im an amou nt of ten b r onz e coins ev er y day . H owev er , h e sp ent th e coins on alcoh ol as soon as h e g ot it.

H e tr ied h is lev el b est to tr y and stop dr inking . H e star ted u sing dif f er ent r ou te

f or g oing h ome, so th at h e cou ld not smell alcoh ol f r om th e r oadside p u b . S oon, h e stop p ed g oing

to p u b

daily . H e th en star ted g oing

to p u b

only weekly and th en

su cceeded not g o to th e p u b at all. H is wif e, wh o was a sensib le woman, h ad taken ov er th e ch ar g e of th e f inance of th e h ou se and h ad done h er wor k su p er b ly . Gop al

also h ad g ot a new j ob in th e king ’ s ar my with a little h elp f r om R aj and h ad r isen to a h ig h r ank b ecau se of h is h ar d wor k. E v en th ou g h Gop al was a b r av e and f or eg oing

war r ior , h e was only f oolish ly so. H is wif e, wh o was th e dau g h ter of a r ich man, h ad

some edu cation wh ile y ou ng and star ted teach ing Gop al some of th e th ing s sh e h ad

lear nt. Th er e was also an adu lt liter acy p r og r amme and Gop al b ecame a stu dent th er e. S o, Gop al b ecame a lear ned man. H e, soon, with th e h elp of h is wif e, b ecame a r ich man. Gop al h ad lear nt h is lesson. H e lear nt not to enter tain wor th less f r iends wh o sq u ander ed h is many .

Gop al soon b ecame known in h is society

as a man wh o was sch olar ly ,

g ener ou s and g ood to p eop le. H owev er , Gop al h ad one th ing to tell all th e p eop le h e

met and th at was to b e war y of one’ s f r iends and th at one sh ou ld stu dy p eop le f or a long time b ef or e making f r iends, wh o if g ood, can b ecome b lessing s wh er eas wr ong p eop le as f r iends ar e alway s cu r ses and r u in one’ s lif e.

161

F riend sh ip is th e b eg inning of ma ny a rel a tionsh ip ,

T h a t nev er f a il s in th e turb ul ence of j erk s a nd sl ip s;

F riend sh ip is a sw eet commitment, a true f a iry l a nd ,

W h ere p eop l e meet a nd p l a y w ith sw eet ma g ic w a nd .

DINNER IN A FOREST Th er e was a dense f or est. S ing h a, a lion was its K ing . An elep h ant, Gaj a was

h is b est f r iend. S ing h a liv ed in a cav e in th e middle of th e f or est. Gaj a liv ed on th e

b ank of a r iv er in th e f or est. Th e f r iends met each oth er ev er y day ev ening wh en th e

lion went to th e r iv er to dr ink water .

O ne day , S ing h a inv ited Gaj a f or a dinner at h is cav e. It said to h is f r iend, " M y

dear f r iend, y ou mu st attend th e g r and dinner in y ou r h onou r ” . Gaj a h ap p ily accep ted th e inv itation.

Th e dinner was on a f u ll-moon nig h t. All th e animals and b ir ds of th e f or est

wer e inv ited f or th e dinner . S ing h a b eau tif u lly decor ated h is cav e with f lower s and colou r s. A h u g e dining

tab le was set in th e middle of th e cav e. F r esh

f r u its,

deliciou sly cooked v eg etab les and oth er tasty f oods wer e laid on th e dining tab le. A

h u g e ch air was p laced at th e h ead 0 1 th e dining tab le f or th e ch ief g u est. S ing h a waited ou tside th e cav e f or h is f r iend.

Gaj a wor e its b est su it and set ou t in time f or th e dinner . S ing h a saw h is f r iend

coming . It r an to r eceiv e h is f r iend and said, " Welcome my f r iend. E v er y th ing

is

r eady . P lease, come inside" . Th e elep h ant was v er y p leased b y th e welcome of its f r iend. It maj estically walked towar ds th e cav e. It f ollowed th e lion to enter th e cav e.

B u t, alas, th e cav e was too small f or th e g iant b ody of th e elep h ant. Gaj a cou ld not enter th e cav e.

162

S ing h a was ter r ib ly u p set. H is g r and dinner f or h is b est f r iend h ad b ecome

a waste. All f oods wer e car r ied ou tside f r om th e cav e f or th e elep h ant. Gaj a ate th em. B u t, it was not like a g r and dinner .

L ater in th e nig h t, th e king S ing h a called an assemb ly of its minister s. Th e

assemb ly constitu ted a committee of a j ackal and an owl to f ind ou t wh y th e g r and dinner of th eir king went wr ong . Th e committee su b mitted a b r ief r ep or t of

its f inding in a day . Th e r ep or t stated th at th e g r and dinner went wr ong b ecau se th e king f ailed to " th ink b ef or e act" .

THE FISHERMAN It is a stor y

f r om a E u r op ean f olklor e ab ou t a f ish er man wh ose g r eed

destr oy ed h im. Th er e was an old f ish er man. H e was so old and sick th at h e cou ld not

g o to sea f or f ish ing . H e cau g h t a f ew f ish in near b y r iv er s ev er y day and sold it in mar ket f or a liv ing . H e was v er y p oor .

O ne day h e saw a h u g e div ine b ir d with silv er y f eath er s called " K ah a" alig h t

near h is h u t. Th e b ir d f elt kind to th e old f ish er man and said th at it wou ld b r ing a b ig

f ish ev er y ev ening so th at th e f ish er man need not g o to f ish ing ev er y day . Tr u e to its

wor ds, th e b ir d b r ou g h t a b ig f ish ev er y ev ening to th e f ish er man. Th e f ish er man sold th e f ish in mar ket f or h u g e money and b ecame v er y r ich in a sh or t time with h is own cottag e and many ser v ants.

wash

Th e king of th e cou ntr y lost h is ey es and wanted b lood of div ine b ir d " K ah a" to

h is ey es to g et h is sig h t b ack. Th e king

of f er ed h alf of h is king dom and

tr easu r es f or th ose wh o h elp h im to catch th e div ine b ir d " K ah a" .

163

Th e f ish er man h ear d th is and decided to b ecome r ich er . H e told th e king ab ou t

K ah a and asked f or soldier s to h elp h im to catch th e b ir d. Th e soldier s h id in th e cottag e of th e f ish er man. Wh en K ah a ar r iv ed with

a b ig

too smar t f or th e f ish er man and it f lew to th e sky

with

f ish

nex t ev ening , th e

f ish er man cau g h t its one leg , called th e h idden soldier s to h elp h im. B u t K ah a was

th e u ng r atef u l f ish er man

clu tch ing to its leg . Nob ody knew wh at h ap p ened to th e f ish er man later . Th er e ar e two mor als in th is stor y . 1 ) G reed b reed s g reed , a nd l ea d s to ruinous d eed s.

2 ) B a d comp a ny ma k es l if e a sa d sy mp h ony .

KING SHIBI O ne u p on a time, th er e liv ed a king

in Nor th er n India. H is name was K ing

S h ib i. H e was a v er y p iou s man and looked af ter h is p eop le well. H e was th e b est

man in th e wh ole wor ld. Indr a, th e God of th e Dev atas b eg an to f eel j ealou s of h im. H e decided to test K ing

S h ib i with

th e h elp

of Ag ni, th e God of F ir e. Indr a

tr ansf or med into a dov e and Ag ni, th e God of f ir e tr ansf or med into an eag le. Th e

dov e, Indr a, went to S h ib i’ s p alace and asked h im to p r otect h im f r om th e eag le th at p u r su ed th e dov e wh er ev er th e dov e f lew.

K ing S h ib i asked th e eag le wh at it wanted to leav e of f th e dov e. Th e eag le

told th e king th at th e king mu st g iv e it h is own f lesh in eq u al measu r e to th e f lesh of

th e dov e to leav e th e dov e alone. K ing S h ib i smiled and told one of h is attendants to

b r ing a p air of scales. H e th en cu t of f mor e and mor e f lesh f r om h is b ody and p laced it on one of th e scales af ter keep ing th e dov e on th e oth er . B u t, th e scales did not b alance and it went on f or a long time. Ag ni and Indr a p leased with th e sacr if ice of

K ing S h ib i b lessed h im and went to th eir ab odes satisf ied with h is dev otion f or h is su b j ects.

164

STORY OF KIRTISENA Th er e liv ed a v er y r ich mer ch ant. H e h ad a dau g h ter called as K ir tisena. S h e

was a v er y nice woman and h er f ath er lov ed h er mor e th an any b ody else. All lov ed

h er . S h e mar r ied a p er son f r om anoth er cou ntr y . H e was called as Dev asena. H e was also a v er y nice p er son and h e lov ed h is wif e. H e was also a mer ch ant. H e u sed

to g o f r eq u ently on b u siness tr ip s. H is step moth er did not like th e ch oice of h er son and did not like K ir tisena. S h e u sed to p u ll a b r av e f ace wh en h er son was h ome f or

h is sake b u t wh en h e went on b u siness tr ip s, sh e u sed to g iv e K ir tisena a lot of

tr ou b le. K ir tisena comp lained to h er h u sb and ab ou t it. E v en th ou g h lov ed h is wif e, h e kep t q u iet.

In th e nex t tr ip

th at th e son went on, th e step moth er b et K ir tisena and

imp r isoned h er . S h e was g iv en v er y little f ood. K ir tisena escap ed th e clu tch es of h er

step moth er and j oined a g r ou p of tr av eller s. Th e tr av eller s wh ile p assing th r ou g h a j u ng le, th ey

wer e r ob b ed and killed. L u ckily , K ir tisena escap ed b y

h iding

in th e

h ollow of a tr ee th er e. S h e wander ed f or some time th er e u ntil sh e met a sadh u and th en b ecame h is discip le.

K ir tisena u sed to g et u p ear ly in th e mor ning and th en u sed to g o to th e r iv er

to take b ath . O ne day , as sh e stood on a clif f , sh e saw th e S u n and saw th at it was v er y

g r and. S h e th en saw a r aksh asi ( demon) coming

K ir tisena r an away

along

with

h er ch ildr en.

f r om th e p lace and climb ed a tr ee. Th e demon, u nawar e of

K ir tisena’ s p r esence, was talking to h er ch ildr en. S h e told th em th at sh e h ad g one to

g et th em f ood b u t h ad not f ou nd any f ood. S h e descr ib ed h ow sh e h ad g one to L or d

S h iv a and asked h im to assist h er to g et f ood and th at S h iv a h ad asked h er to g o to a

p ar ticu lar city , wh er e th e king of th e city was su f f er ing f r om a disease and wou ld die soon and th en th ey cou ld eat th e b ody of th e king .

Th e ch ildr en asked h er wh eth er th er e was any way in wh ich th e king cou ld b e

cu r ed. Th e r aksh asi told th em th at th e king cou ld b e cu r ed if h is ear s wer e tied to a

165

b amb oo stick with one end of th e b amb oo stick tied to a b owl. K ir tisena h ear d th is and went to th e city with a sh ep h er d af ter th e r aksh asi lef t th e p lace.

K ir tisena r each ed th e city and was v er y tir ed b ecau se of th e long j ou r ney . S h e

asked th e p alace g u ar d to let h er th r ou g h as sh e h ad come to cu r e th e king . S h e was

let in th r ou g h . Th e K ing wr ith ing in p ain inf or med K ir tisena th at if sh e su cceeded in cu r ing h im, h e wou ld g iv e h er h alf th e K ing dom as r ewar d. K ir tisena th en did wh at sh e h ad h ear d f r om th e r aksh asi at th e f oot of a tr ee. Th e K ing

was h ealed. As p r omised, K ir tisena was g iv en h alf th e K ing dom,

h eap s of g old coins and many elep h ants and h or ses. H owev er , K ir tisena was waiting only f or h er h u sb and and told th e king to keep th em with h imself f or th e time b eing .

p assing

O ne day , K ir tisena g ot th e inf or mation th at h er h u sb and, Dev asena was th r ou g h

th e K ing dom. S h e was v er y h ap p y and met h im. Dev asena was

su r p r ised and immensely h ap p y to see h er th er e. It was a h ap p y r eu nion. K ir tisena told h er h u sb and th at sh e was th r own ou t of th e h ou se and asked th e K ing to g iv e h alf th e K ing dom and th e wealth to h er h u sb and. Th ey liv ed h ap p ily ev er th er eaf ter .

THE JACKAL AND THE WAR DRUM O nce u p on a time, th er e liv ed a j ackal in a f or est. It h ad b ecome v er y old. It

h ad to catch f ood f or liv ing b u t th is was imp ossib le now b ecau se of its ag e. O ne day , wh ile sear ch ing f or some f ood, it came to a b attlef ield. Th er e it was sear ch ing f or

f ood wh en it su ddenly h ear d a lou d noise. It tr ied to locate th e sou r ce of th e lou d

noise and saw a dr u m near b y . It was q u ite a f oolish j ackal and th ou g h t th at th e dr u m was str ong and p r ov ides f ood match ing its lou dness and siz e. It went near th e dr u m and b ang ed it. A lou d noise came. It tr ied to slash it op en. B u t th e dr u m was v er y

tou g h and th e j ackal f ou nd it dif f icu lt to slash it op en. H e tr ied f or some time. Af ter some time, th e dr u m op ened.

166

Th e j ackal was v er y h ap p y at th is f eat. It th en p eer ed inside th e dr u m and saw

noth ing th er e ex cep t some leath er th at h e cer tainly cou ld not eat. It cou ld not b eliev e its own f oolish ness and walked away f r om th e scene cu r sing its f oolish ness.

THE CRAB THAT KILLED THE STORK O nce u p on a time, th er e liv ed a stor k in a p ond. It was a v er y cu nning stor k. It

killed th e f ish es th at wer e ab u ndant in th e p ond and ate th em. H owev er , as time p assed, th e stor k b ecame old and cou ld not catch any mor e f ood. It th ou g h t h ar d f or

a way to catch th e f ish es p r esent in th e p ond. Af ter some time, it str u ck u p on an idea. It walked along th e b ank of th e p ond and looked v er y sad. It told th e f ish es th at

it was v er y u nh ap p y th at some f ish er men h ad seen th em ap lenty th er e and wer e

p lanning to come th er e to catch th em. It th en told th em th at it knew a p ond wh er e

th ey cou ld g o to liv e saf ely . Th e stor k took th e f ish es one on each day , took it to a r ock th at was f ar away and killed it to eat in r elish .

O ne day , its v ictim was a y ou ng and str ong cr ab . Wh en th e cr ab was p u t on

th e r ock, it twisted th e neck of th e stor k and killed it. It th en r etu r ned to th e p ond and told th e oth er f ish es of th is ev ent. Th ey all th anked th e cr ab and th e God f or sav ing th em f r om th e ev il desig ns of th e stor k.

THE HARE WHICH TRICKED THE LION O nce u p on a time in a j u ng le, th er e liv ed a lion. It was a v er y b ad lion and it

u sed to kill lots of animals ev er y day . To su r v iv e th e onslau g h t of th e lion, th e oth er

animals told th e lion th at th ey wou ld send one animal ev er y day to th e lion. Th e lion was v er y h ap p y with

th is ar r ang ement, as it wou ld not h av e to h u nt f or its f ood

ev er y day . It ag r eed to th is ar r ang ement. Th e animals u sed to ch oose th e day ’ s animal b y dr awing lots.

167

O ne day , it was th e tu r n of a clev er r ab b it. Th e r ab b it was b r ooding near a well

on th is b ad tu r n of ev ent. It saw its r ef lection on th e water of th e well and th is g av e it

an idea. It went to th e lion late and told it th at it was late only b ecau se anoth er lion

h ad ch ased it and claimed to b e th e king of th e f or est and not h im and ch alleng ed it to a b attle. Th is made th e lion v er y ang r y and it told th e r ab b it not to f eel af r aid and asked to lead it to th e p lace wh er e th e oth er lion was p r esent. Th e lion on seeing its

r ef lection on th e water of th e well r oar ed lou dly th r ee times and j u mp ed to th e well to attack th e oth er lion and met a water y end th er e.

THE MISTAKE OF THE BEDBUG O nce u p on a time, th er e liv ed a king . In th e b ed of th e king liv ed a b edb u g .

Th e b edb u g was th e h ead of a v er y b ig f amily and was v er y p r ou d of it. It u sed to wait ev er y day till th e king came to sleep and was f u lly asleep and only th en u sed to

attack h im, and all its f amily u sed to f ollow only af ter th e h ead f inish ed su cking th e b lood. O ne day , th e h ead saw an insect. Th e insect was also a b loodsu cking insect. Th e insect told th e b edb u g its v er y sad stor y .

Th e insect it seemed was liv ing in a ser v ant’ s camp . Th er e, it cou ld only su ck

th e b lood of th e ser v ants and th eir b lood was v er y salty . It did not like th e b lood b u t it

h ad to b e contented with th e b lood to su r v iv e and so it did so. O ne day , it h ear d th e comments of th e ser v ants on th e king th at h e ate deliciou s f ood. It was th en f illed

with a sense of long ing f or th e king ’ s b lood and h ad th u s come th er e to su ck th e b lood of th e king . Th e b edb u g

f elt v er y

sad on h ear ing

th is stor y

and g av e

p er mission to th e insect to su ck th e b lood of th e king . H owev er , th e insect su cked

too ear ly and th e king awakened b ecame v er y ang r y . Th e insect was ab le to escap e b u t th e f u r iou s king killed th e b edb u g with its f amily .

168

THE FLUTE OF ENGTA “ Th e F lu te of E ng ta” is a stor y

wr itten b y

a wr iter called P oor nach andr a

Tej aswi. P oor nach andr a Tej aswi liv ed in th e state of K ar nataka in India and son of K u v enp u , r enowned p oet and K annada sch olar of th e 2 0 th

centu r y . It is a stor y

ab ou t a p er son called E ng ta, a snake ch ar mer , wh o liv ed b y ch ar ming snakes and ear ned h is liv elih ood. F lu te was a mu sical instr u ment h e u sed to ch ar m and catch

snakes. Th e stor y is in f ir st p er son as th e inter actions of th e wr iter with th e snake ch ar mer . E ng ta was alway s af ter money . Th e f ir st time P oor nach andr a Tej aswi saw

h im was wh ile E ng ta was ly ing close to th e dead b ody of h is wif e. H e claimed th at someb ody h ad killed h is wif e. Nob ody th er e b eliev ed h im. Th ey th ou g h t th at scor es

of snakes E ng ta h ad collected in h is h ou se sh ou ld h av e killed h is wif e or h e wou ld h av e killed h er f or r easons u nknown. Th ey h owev er g av e h im money to b u r y th e dead b ody all th e same. P oor nach andr a Tej aswi also g av e h im some money .

Af ter a f ew day s of th e incident, E ng ta g ame to th e h ou se of th e au th or and

told h im th at h e wou ld catch snakes in and ar ou nd th e au th or ’ s h ou se. Th e au th or

was scep tical ab ou t th is and th ou g h t th at E ng ta was a f ake as seeds of dou b t h ad cr ep t to th e mind of th e au th or af ter h e h ad seen E ng ta ly ing b y th e side of h is dead

wif e. H owev er , th e au th or was wr ong and E ng ta cau g h t many snakes th at day . Th e astonish ed au th or told th is incident to h is f r iends. Th e au th or th ou g h t of v ar iou s way s b y wh ich

E ng ta mig h t h av e f aked th e cap tu r e of th e snakes. H e decided th at h e

along with h is ser v ants, M ar a and P y ar a wou ld watch E ng ta wh ile h e was catch ing

snakes nex t time and see wh eth er h e was p lay ing any tr icks. Th e au th or f ou nd no su ch tr icks p lay ed b y E ng ta and p aid h im f iv e r u p ees f or h is ser v ices. Af ter a f ew day s, th e au th or met E ng ta ag ain. Th e au th or h ad still not lear nt b y h is mistakes and told E ng ta to catch snakes wh ile h e wou ld b e taking p ictu r es. E ng ta r ef u sed th e of f er

and told th e au th or a stor y of h ow h e h ad near ly died wh ile someone h ad taken a p ictu r e of h im catch ing snakes. Actu ally , E ng ta f ear ed th at h is tr icks wou ld b e ou t if h e catch es snakes wh ile th e au th or was taking p h otos and ev aded th e of f er .

169

MANITOR Th is is a small stor y p r ov iding a ser ene slice of th e r u r al lif e of India. O ne day ,

an au th or was r esting in h is estate. Th e sky was dar k and th e au th or was r eading a b ook in th e lig h t of a lamp . S omewh er e deep in h is estate, h is dog , K iwi was b ar king . H e did not know wh y K iwi was b ar king . H owev er , h e wanted to know wh y K iwi was

b ar king , as b y ex p er ience, h e h ad lear nt nev er to ig nor e dog s. H e went to th e edg e

of h is estate. H e q u ickly weig h ed h is op tions. H is tor ch was not wor king well and h e h ad to h it it on someth ing ev er y time it went ou t so th at th e lig h t wou ld come ag ain.

H is wif e came ou t of th e h ou se and asked h im wh at h e was doing . H e told h er th at h e wanted to see wh y K iwi was b ar king and tie it inside th e h ou se. H e took a stick

with h im so th at h e cou ld h it K iwi f or b eing a b ad dog . H e went to th e f or est with h is

tor ch and stick. H e also f ollowed K iwi’ s b ar king so th at h e mig h t f ind it. F inally , h e

came near to th e noise. S u ddenly , h e h ear d a lou d h iss. H e was v er y scar ed as h e

th ou g h t th at K iwi was f ig h ting with a snake. H e wish ed th at h e h ad b r ou g h t h is g u n.

H e h owev er , went b r av ely near b y and saw K iwi dr ag g ing some th ing . H e f ou nd ou t th at it was a liz ar d. H e saw th e b attle b etween th e dog and th e liz ar d f or some time.

Th e dog was tr y ing to p u ll th e liz ar d with its teeth . Th e liz ar d was looking b ack and was h issing . Th e au th or th inking th at th e liz ar d can b e u sef u l f or h im cap tu r ed it and b r ou g h t is to h is h ou se wh er e h e tied it with a r op e in h is h ou se, and named it as M anitor . It b ecame h is g ood f r iend in cou r se of time.

170

LIFE AND POETRY L if e and p oetr y

p r ocess with

aemu le each

sensib ilities f u nctioning

oth er : th ey

ar e dif f er ent f or ms of th e same

as th e u mb ilical ch or d b etween th em. Th e

r ealities of lif e intener ate to incony imag er ies and p leasing ex p r essions wh en p ass th r ou g h th e cr eativ e b eing of a p oet and sp awn a new wor ld of delig h tf u l ex p er ience.

In th is sense, p oetr y is lif e: p oetr y is p oetic ex p er ience of th e lif e, and p oetr y is th e sp ir it of lif e in its tr anscendent f or m. It r ef lects lif e not only in f or m, b u t also in sp ir it and sou l. A g ood p oetr y soar s with lu r king nu ances of su g g estiv e meaning s b eneath th e ou ter f or m, op ens u p

new wor lds of meaning

ev er y

sensitiv e, imag inativ e and r esou r cef u l mind can f u lly

time it is r ead. O nly

a

comp r eh end all th e f iner

asp ects of p oetr y . A g r eat r eader , in th is sense, makes p oetr y , g r eat. P oetr y sans a g ood r eader is as du mb as a wild f lower . Th is is wh y p oetr y needs g ood r eader sh ip .

Th e g r eat p oet R ob er t F r ost wh ile talking ab ou t p oetr y said th at p oetr y ‘ takes lif e b y

th e th r oat’ . P oetr y is th e ar t of cap tu r ing lif e in wor ds. It is not j u st th e ken of lif e, b u t also

a dir ect r ealiz ation of

th e lif e.

It is an ex er cise of

su b consciou s, concinnou s

inter p r etations of th e lif e th at intensely su r f ace th r ou g h th e consciou s awar eness. E r g o,

r eader s mu st ex p er ience p oems th r ou g h su b consciou s ex er cises to cap tu r e th e intensity

of th e lif e, war ming u p in p oetr y . No consciou s nisu s and analy ses can lead one any -

wh er e in f u lly r ealiz ing th e inner ar cane tr easu r e of b eau ty and meaning s h idden in th e

p oetr y . Nor any oth er p er son can do th e wor k f or a r eader of p oetr y . Ap p r eciation of

p oetr y

inv olv es th e r eader tu ning

su b consciou s sig nals th r ou g h

h is su b consciou s p er cep tions to r eceiv e th e p oet’ s

th e j uste-mil ieu of th e p oetr y . A p oet can tr ansmit h is

ex p er ience of sh ock of p leasu r e or g r ief dir ectly

to h is r eader sans its consciou s

awar eness in b oth . Th e incantation is cast th r ou g h th e selection and ar ticu lation of wor ds,

not only in th eir wor d meaning s, b u t also in th e sy ner g y of wor d r h y th ms, wor d mu sic,

wor d p ictu r es, wor d f or ms and ob liq u e wor d h u es and sh ades in th e p oetr y . No consciou s

ef f or ts can do th e mag ic eith er in wr iting p oetr y or in ap p r eciating it to th e lev el of a welltr ained su b consciou s ex er cise in th e u nknown h or iz ons of th e mind.

ex er cises of p oetic cr iticism ar e f or th is r eason, b adly limited.

All consciou s

171

Th ou g h p oetr y is ab ou t wh at af f ected th e p oet most intensely , it is p ossib le

th at h e may not alg ate b e consciou sly awar e of all meaning s and th eir ob liq u e h u es in h is p oem alth ou g h h is su b consciou s mind ex er cised on all asp ects of th e p oetr y in

its p ar ts and in its entir ety . Th e p oet, T.S . E liot was once asked b y a stu dent to ex p lain th e meaning of one of h is p oems. Th e g r eat p oet r esp onded to th e stu dent

b y r eading th e p oem and said no mor e. Th e same stu dent made th e r eq u est encor e to wh ich T.S . E liot r ead th e p oem encor e and f ell silent, ip so f acto deliv er ing th e v ital

messag e of a tr u e p oetr y th at p oetr y cannot b e r estated in a f or m oth er th an more suo with ou t p oetic distor tions.

Th e ra ison d ’ etre of p oetr y is th e p leasu r e of th e sh ocks of discov er y ab ou t

th e lif e. It is th e f r aich eu r of th ou g h ts in p oetr y th at endear s it to its r eader s; it is th e intensity , th e u ndiv ided attention with wh ich th e p oet ex p er iences th e d ej a v u th at

war ms u p th e p oetr y to its r eader s; it is th e concentr ation of th ou g h t and f eeling s wh ich

b r ood to b eau ty and r ich

sh ades of meaning

in p oetr y . Th e ar t of wr iting

p oetr y is th e p r ocess of g r adu al r elease of th e sh ocks of coalesced th ou g h t and f eeling s in r elax ed contemp lativ e leisu r e of a r ef lectiv e mood. Th ose wh o attemp t

th e r elease th r ou g h th e car ef u lly ch osen lang u ag e ar e p oets and th eir ex p r essions, p oetr y . Th e dev elop ment of p oetic imp u lses h elp s su ch r eleases to b e str eamlined

to car ef u lly ch osen lang u ag e as an assu etu de to p r ev ent wastes b y dissip ation. Th e

tr u e p leasu r e of r eading p oetr y is in h av ing an ar cane p eek to th e su b tle u nknown h or iz ons of th e p oet’ s mind, th ou g h t and p er sonality .

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Born in Bangalore as the son of Jayashree and Praveen Kumar, Pratheek Praveen Kumar completed his ICSE at Bishop Cotton Boys’ School, Bangalore. He is pursuing science and technology career in ISC. Brilliant as he is in studies, he uniformly excelled in school performances and was recognized for his oratory skills. He is also a recipient of prize in Information Technology Competition. An ardent player of cricket and football, he was honoured by the Principal of his educational institute with a special prize in open assembly for his writing skills. Stemming from varied facets of his lively far-ranging interests that have impelled him to write on diverse subjects in poetry, these poems make interesting and refreshing reading by their simple themes and simple treatment. The topics on which the author wrote are all on topics he saw, heard, read and thought, and felt important from the world perspective. They are his thoughts, analysis and impressions on various events, actions and important people from all over the world. Stress is on political and cultural turmoil across the globe, world political dynamics, science frontiers, prospects of the 2 1 century, life and literature, stories and events from India and such matters. Objectivity and nec dex trorsum, nec si ni strorsum without losing the world focus are the motto of the author in analysis and treatment of the past and present world events and other subjects in this work. MY TIME, MY WOR LD is his second published book. The author presently lives in Bangalore.

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