EDITORIAL

Friends
We are truly into the 11th year of our continuing fruitful and meaningful existence. Having completed our 10th year in Oct. 2010, we had sent out an Invitation to Participate to all our readers, patrons and well wishers. There has been whole hearted response from a section of our well wishers who are also our regular readers. We thank them profusely for their generous response. While it is true that there exist a reservoir of goodwill for our efforts at I & C from a wider section of our readers, their efforts in transferring the goodwill more concretely for the spread and sustenance of I & C as a journal was not forthcoming as expected. It is true I & C is an individual initiative, but no initiative can sustain for too long and indefinitely unless stake holders participate in its useful longevity. At this point it has to be noted that those who became life subscribers by paying Rs. 1000/-, have received the periodical uninterrupted for all the 10 years that has gone by. If one pauses for a while and thinks how this could be possible to write, print, publish and post this monthly I & C for all these 120 months without break with all round improvement for a mere Rs: 1000/-? The magazine survived with hardly any ad.support except some committed support from organisations like BASF, and the M&M outlet Karnataka Agencies, of Mangalore. And then the promise of sending the magazine for another 15 years is till there, to complete the life term of 25 years as it was offered at the beginning. The promise is a serious business, and it shall be kept, despite the cost being a bit of ‘harakiri’. But frankly, does it give scope to our valued readers, especially life subscribers to ponder? One very important way of help can be by enlisting more subscriber readers.
The 10th year function at Bangalore to mark the release of the Souvenir and the Decennial Issue, was an occasion to remember for years to come, for those kind words of all well meaning participants and the honoured guests on the dias. While all speakers profusely commended the efforts of I&C team for being there for all the 10 years, Prof Hegde, in his presidential address reminded the participating audience the famous observation of Nepolean Bonaparte. “Bad things happen in the world, not because of bad people, but because of the silence of the good people”.
Yes, the bottom line is, can each one of us make a small difference by being little better than what we already are? We are all good, but we need to be better. How is it possible? ask the question yourself and answer it.
Month began with a scam- involving Adarsh Housing Society- a 31 storey building in up-market South Mumbai’s Cuffe Parade area. Reportedly the land belonged to Indian Navy, earmarked for a residential building for Kargil war veterans. But politicians and babus, used to their time tested crooked ways, were confident enough to have a smooth sail on sailors land. But that was not to be. There were compromises and high handed illegalities of all kinds, with non-chalance of over-confidence. Every possible rule was broken, and flat allottees were the political, bureaucratic and army glitterati, with hardly any space left for Kargil war veterans & their families, only 3 in 103 flats. Over-heated by the media exposure, Ashok Chavan, the Maharashtra Chief Minister-whose family owned 3 flats-had to quit in disgrace. More actions are likely to follow, with environment minister ordering the partial demolition. Many army personnel who own flats in the building have reportedly offered to surrender. But what surprised many was the fastness with which things happened after the exposure. There was an unmistakable stamp of Congress President calling the shots.
There was this news about a Qatari man, who typed jokingly thrice the word ‘Talaq’ during an internet chat with his wife, asked the opinion of clerics in Darool Uloom in Deoband, supposedly the most influential seminary in Asia. And shockingly the seminary responded positively ‘yes’, not withstanding man’s joking ways. “It reflected the regressive tendency among a section of the clergy to support the practice of triple talaq. This arbitrary form of divorce has no place in a democratic society of modern times.” According to reliable sources, these practices are explicitly proscribed in many countries like, Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan and Turkey. Besides Shia’s do not accept it either. So the question is, what is wrong with Deoband Darool Uloom to think and act to the contrary?
There was this report on the public spat between G K Pillai, Indian Home Secretary and Timothy Roemer, the US Ambassador to India, about the sharing of information on Paki-American terrorist David Coleman Headley (or Dawood Geelani) “They did not share Headley’s name. Had they done so, at least after the horrific Mumbai attacks, he could have been nabbed as he had again visited India in March 2009” was the contention of Pillai. But going to the market Roemer retaliated claiming that America had provided India “unprecedented access”, and cited Washington Post (WP) report to buttress his claim. WP had reportedly stated that ‘U. S. shared intelligence on a regular and consistent basis with the Indian govt. prior to the Mumbai attack'. While both are right, we need to appreciate that, American informations have always been of general nature without specifics. But it is also true that Indian security agencies are known to be generally lax, who are under Pillai. The ‘unprecedented access’ which U.S. claims is also true, since the relationship between the two democracies is at a much higher level unlike the olden days. This is certainly Obama effect. But the bottom line is, Obama or no Obama, it is their own interest that is the priority for the U.S. Hence, on Headley they couldn’t possibly give more details, since he was working for them too in Pakistan as agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration of U.S. It is another matter that his primary interest was to work with LeT against India. That is how Dawood became David to conceal his identity and facilitate his movement in and out of India. But in the overall human interest, it was eminently possible for the U.S. to be better than what they were. Of course, the MEA was worried if this spat could have any negative effect on the Obama visit that followed.
Yes, Obama came, saw and conquered. Whatever his earlier success or failure at the recent hustings to the House of Representatives, Obama truly comes out as a good and genuine human being. As Merle Miller, who wrote the biography of Harry Truman, had called Mr. Truman, “The last human being to live in the White House”. Of course our journalists who are used to put the Americans on a higher pedestal than they deserved didn’t mind to show Indians in not so brighter light, without there being any need for self flagellation. Neena Vyas, a columnist writes “Perhaps his (Obama’s) most generous reference to the influence of Mahatma Gandhi on Martin Luther King and the course of American politics was when he said ‘I am mindful that I might not be standing before you to-day, as President of the U.S., had it not been for Gandhi and the message he shared with America and the world’”. The truth is Obama holds Mahatma Gandhi, one of our very own, in far greater reverence than most Indians which include Neena Vyas. There was no need for this Vyas to use the adjective of ‘most generous reference’, when Obama had reportedly made the above statement while speaking to the Indian parliamentarians in the central hall. Having said that Obama came to India only to promote American commercial interest to improve job situation back home. Rest of nice things he said was more diplomacy. Of course, it may percolate into some concrete developments sometime in the future, besides boosting Indian international image.
On Nov.1, 2010, a national daily from Mumbai had three news headlines on its 3rd page. Imran Khan, reported from Patna: “It’s Nitish all the way in Urban Patna”. The other one was “Lalu claims he will be CM after November 24”. “Biharis are shining, not Bihar: Rahul” was the 3rd one. While Rahul can be excused for his inexperience. But for Lalu to dream of becoming CM again was clearly a day dream. “Jab Tak Rahega Samose mein Aalu Tab Tak Rahega Bihar mein Laalu”. Yes, as a commentator observed after Nitish led combine scored a landslide victory, “ab tho Laalu Aloo mein hee rah gaya.” Indeed it was perhaps the best news of the month that Nitish Kumar combine in Bihar has romped home with almost 85% of seats at 206 out of the 243 seats in the assembly. That they have won on development platform is a heartening news coming from the poorest state of India. Two cheers to Nitish Kumar & Co. However the rout of Lalu highlighted by the loss of both seats contested by his wife Rabri, is perhaps the most fitting reply the electorates gave. That Lalu insulted the whole democratic political class by hoisting his semi-literate wife on an unsuspecting electorates, was never in doubt. But it took Nitish Kumar combine to obliterate this sad page from Bihar’s history. Yes, another dimension has been the emergence of BJP stronger than earlier. It increased its tally by almost 70%, from 55 to 91, even better than JD(U) of Nitish. But in fitness of things it should remain the junior partner to perform better and allow Nitish greater freedom. Hope and pray that this combine takes Pataliputra (Patna) to its rightful place in the India of coming years.
“Hamaam mein Hum Sab Nangey hein” was the Rajdeep Sardesai uwaacha in CNN/IBN – But why, beneath the veneer of clothes all humanity is naked, we don’t need to go to Bathroom (Hamaam). Yes indeed it’s a season of scams. If the month began with Adarsh Hsg. Society scam, involving big and powerful of Maharashtra, social activist Anna Hazare has written to PM to investigate the gigantic Lavasa Hill Station development project. The project reportedly involves Narayan Rane, ex-Shiv Sainik Congress heavy weight and Food and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar’s daughter and son-in-law. Then there is this scam involving preferential allotment of 425 acre land for Lime Stone mining allotted to sons of senior Congress functionaries, when Ashok Chavan was Industry Minister. The land was supposedly for the industries of private applicants. Then, there were scams galore in Karnataka involving the CM and his M.P. son Raghavendra and other family members. Common Wealth Games and officials under Suresh Kalmadi, are in the thick of an ongoing investigation of financial embezzlement. Then,of course the Rs. 179000,00,00,000 (1.79 lakh crores) loss to the national exchequer by the Telecom Raja, which appeared to be the mother of all scams. Yes, “Hum tho yunhi nangey hein, bina hamaam ke”!
But despite the humongous size of the loss to the exchequer, a thirteen digit figure, the UPA government is resisting the setting up of JPC as demanded by the opposition parties. This clearly shows the unwillingness of the government to see things squarely into the eyes of one of the biggest loot of public money for private gain.
Going, Going, not gone, is the news from Bangalore. The only govt. of BJP in the south displayed a practical approach not to disturb the apple cart of Yediyurappa, allegedly because of the ensuing Panchayat elections. But it was a U-turn for its central leadership. And the fact remains that the party’s image is badly dented by the accusations of corruptions of many kinds. The forthcoming election result, if good, may give a reprieve to the CM, but he has clearly lost face. He has deftly used the Reddy brothers card to his advantage, to stay put. May be, that has put Sushma Swaraj, the Reddy brothers benefactor, in a bit of quandary. So you end up coming to terms with one wrong because of other wrong. But then, in the end truth alone triumphs. Rise and fall of Lalu is a perfect lesson. Is somebody in BJP listening!
Its indeed a sad news that Iraq church seize ended with around 60 dead. It was on Sunday, the 30th Oct., an Al Qaeda affiliated group entered the church in Baghdad and held the congregation of men, women and children hostage to demand the release of Al Qaeda members in Iraq and Egypt. Now these practicing Catholics of Iraq were in no way connected to the release or otherwise of these Al Qaeda militants. But then this is how the logic of Al Qaeda works. Security forces in Baghdad rushed to secure the release of these hostages which probably precipitated the Al Qaeda shooting spree that led to the massacre. Claiming responsibility, the group called ‘Islamic State of Iraq’ reportedly stated that it would ‘exterminate Iraqi Christians’ if Muslim women in Egypt were not freed. How could religious fundamentalism make these men of Al Qaeda so barbaric?
Release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, freed after almost 20 years in house arrest has understandably raised hopes in Myanmar (Burma) of better political life. 65 years old Suu Kyi, who lost her husband in 1999 to cancer, has been in confinement without any of her people allowed to visit her. Even her husband was denied visa to see her before he succumbed to the killer disease. Although she was allowed to leave the country, she always had the apprehension that she may not be allowed to return. She is deeply in love with her people and the country, hence at the cost of her own personal happiness she remained in her motherland. As she was released and savoured the long lost freedom, she apparently bore no grudge or ill will against those who detained her for close to two decades. She admits that the military did treat her well. A relentlessly outspoken Suu Kyi probably realises that it will not be anybody’s case to be strident or offensive with the junta. Yes it does pay to be conciliatory, as is the spirit of modern times. Confrontation shall never pay, especially if you are fighting the state, despite all the support one enjoys from the public. Lets hope, she realises her dream of a democratic Myanmar without causing anxiety and uncertainty to herself, her family and Myanmaren people, and of course without any kind of violence.
The new head of Britain’s armed forces, General Sir David Richards has reportedly stated to The Sunday Telegraph that ‘Islamist militancy can never be defeated’. On the face of it, this is an uncalled for remark from the British General. Militancy of any kind is not good for a society’s health, and if it causes rupture to the human civilisation, it must be fought and defeated. Report informed that general had stated that it can be contained. But excuse me sir, any dogmatically inspired violence can never be contained. It can remain low key under pressure but shall always bide for its time to strike, and strike with vengeance. Therefore militancy anywhere, of any kind has to be defeated in the larger interest of the whole world, including the interest of those, whom these militants are ostensibly fighting for.
Of course, the approach need not always be use of force or violent methods. In fact, one should never give up hope of defeating militancy, including those from Islamists, through peaceful means. Or is it beyond hope?
The news that Calcutta High Court judge Soumitra Sen is to be impeached is a sad one. He is the second judge thus to be grilled for financial irregularities, after Supreme Court Judge V. Ramaswami was also declared to be impeached in 1993. But the then Lok Sabha MPs of Congress, abstained themselves from voting. Thus was Justice Ramaswami saved. It was rather a bad precedent. It has to be seen if the case of Justice Sen would see its logical end. It was in 1984, when he was made a Court Receiver, in a case involving SAIL and SCI (Shipping Corporation of India), while practising as a lawyer at Calcutta High Court. He had misused the funds received, around Rs. 34 lakhs. But somehow managed to get promoted as High Court judge in Dec. 2003. When his financial misconduct was found out, he refused to quit, saying that his offence was as a lawyer and not as judge. Strange logic isn’t it?! But how has this taken over 20 years to unearth the wrong doing? This is India, we have god-fathers who would protect all kinds of tainted people. Now that the Rajya Sabha inquiry committee has submitted its report, there is no room left for Justice Sen to hide. He has to quit to save himself from the ignominy. Or is he confident of being saved, as it happened to Justice Ramaswami, by some of his political friends?
The mid-term victory of Republicans is going to create hurdles for Obama and his policies. Before we go into the problems that can come up, it is important to dwell on the result to the House of Representatives where Republicans gained control. People all over the world are same, expecting miracles overnight by the change they give through elections. Like what happened to NDA, despite doing fairly well NDA did not come to power. Media said, it’s the Gujarath factor, India shining ‘only in some pockets’ factor. While these may be two factors, there were others well. But largely the impatience of the electorate. Similar was the case of Obama. Only 2 years into the office, with a legacy of huge problems left behind by the 8 years rule of Bush Jr. it was too much to expect wonders. But Americans failed to see the man at the top, sincere and honest, trying to do his best under difficult circumstances, deserved better treatment. Among the people, who were upset with Obama, is Israel. Grapevine has it that money played a big role in the defeat of Democrats candidates. Did American Jew business lobby play its sinister card in containing the first coloured man at the helm of American politics by huge unaccounted funding? Two of his legislations with far reaching impact, were the Health Insurance Bill to cover poorer Americans and the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia. Both of which, no other American President has tried and succeeded. Both are opposed by Republicans. Unfortunately the global view of Obama is not shared by influential Americans. That’s a sad development.
How many Indians remember Irom Sharmila? Sharmila who?! On Nov. 2 Sharmila completed '10 years of hunger strike’ to protest human rights violation by security forces and to demand the repeal of controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. (AFSPA). She launched her indefinite hunger strike on 2nd Nov. 2000, after she was witness the earlier day, to the killing of 10 people by the Army at a bus stop near her home in Malom, near Imphal. Police arrested her on charge of attempted suicide. Now she is in an isolated cabin at Jawahrlal Nehru Hospital in Imphal. Where is the print and electronic media, who always allege violations in Kashmir, where decibel level is very high? As is the norm, media has no time for low profile cases and neither the governments of the state or centre has paid any attention to the decade old lone voice of conscience. Why are we always like this?
As if India is short of controversies you have this silly barbs of former RSS Chief Sudarshan against Congress President. As one paper termed it as “in extreme bad taste”. Right enough his organisation quickly issued a statement distancing themselves. But unfortunately Congress party instead of attacking Sudarshan, attacked RSS, only to incite its cadres to go berserk and stone RSS office. This is politics of another dirtier kind. But then we are Indians, keep smiling.
‘I am constrained to call Mamata a Liar’ charged Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, the West Bengal CM, while speaking to the media in Kolkata, the other day. Quite frankly, he may not be wrong after all. This mercurial Union Railway Minister, trying hard to be at the helm of Writers Building, is known to be making unsubstantiated statements. Most politicians can be charged of this personal short coming, at least sometime, if not all the time. But Mamata Deedi has a penchant for hurling controversial barbs. The adage that ‘one can fool all the people sometime, and some people all the time but not all the people all the time’ shall certainly comeback to haunt her in not too distant a future. It is true that fed up with communist rule in West Bengal for close to 3 decades, which has failed in many fronts, the people are looking for a Mascot of change in Mamata Banerjee. We should wish her and the people there all the very best, but in the long run truth alone wins, Ms Banerjee must realise.
That Haryana’s disgraced SPS Rathore, who was in jail in the Ruchika molestation case was released on bail is rather a disappointing piece of news. After spending less than 6 months of his 18 month sentence in Chandigarh’s Burail jail walked out of prison on 12th Nov. reportedly with a grin. That grin represented the failure of justice delivery system in the country. That grin represented that powerful people with capacity for machinations can subvert the process of law taking its inexorable course. Closely on the heels of CBI exonerating this policeman Rathore of other two charges the apex court decided to give him the benefit of doubt. Was Apex Court convinced that this exoneration was in the normal course? By hindsight it appears rather clear that there is more to it than the mere clearance by the CBI. Apparently CBI, not known to work faster, has worked faster to clear Rathore, which could be used in the apex court to get a favourable judgement for the bail application. Here it is important to remind both CBI and the apex court what the High Court in Chandigarh had observed in Oct. 2010, while dismissing Rathore’s pleas for bail. “People with privilege and power must be conscious of their prestige. If they prostitute their power and position, punishment should be in proportion to the crime”, and castigated him saying, ‘he betrayed the trust reposed in him as a custodian of law and order’. Apex court needed to have remembered that 65 year old policeman drunk with power, molested a helpless 14 year old girl some 20 years ago, and remained unaccounted for his bestiality, due to the corrupt system that this country was forced to live with, by the well to do civil society.
As against that we have Maharashtra DGP Shivanandan reportedly dismissing a senior police inspector of state cadre from the Mumbai suburbs for assaulting a 15 year old girl, invoking provisions of a State Police Act, in matter of weeks. But this Rathore kept getting promotions despite there being this pending criminal case against him. Of course, so late in the day, High Court is seized of this issue of promotion. Yes better late than never!
Policemen too are humans isn’t it! As human beings are same every where, so shall be the policemen. If the earlier stories pertain to Haryana and Maharashtra, this reference is for a Keralite. A Thiruvanantapuram date lined news informed “Ex- Kerala Cop Convicted for Naxal Killing”. Four decades after Naxalite leader A Verghese was killed, CBI court in Kerala convicted a former IGP K Laxmana, who was DSP 40 years ago, for murder. Verghese was seen hand cuffed before being killed, but police had closed the case as ‘Encounter death’. “Truth by its very nature does not yield to be kept hidden for ever. It has by now, though belatedly, been discovered. “Truth triumphs, truth alone” the CBI judge was reported to have observed. The case was reportedly reopened in 1998, when a former constable Ramachandran Nair confessed in a bid to clear his conscience that he had shot dead Verghese from point blank range on the orders of DSP Laxmana. Yes Satyameva Jayathe! Though accused, Ramachandran died in custody some years ago.
Some of our papers give undue importance to people like Geelani and Arundhaty Roy, who only have a nuisance value in our socio/political discourse or national life. But a very serious and far reaching initiative in Kochi, Kerala was just a piece of news for most papers. Recently held conclave on Community Policing, earlier this month, at the initiative of the state government in Kerala, shall have significant effect in galvanising the people-police efforts in addressing social issues. Police are supposedly the law and order managers and its protectors. How effective they have been is a question not many in the media or in politics tried to raise and debate. Every time media reports about the failure of police, either because they became lumpen due to political patronage or brazen interference and their wholesale usage by their political masters .
But there have been hardly any debate, how this extremely powerful tool of the state can be used for the benefit of all. In this kind of a background, the efforts of the Kerala government need to be highly commended. The Janamaithri Suraksha Samithis, started as an interactive group between police and public are rewriting the role of responsible citizenry. If taken to logical ends, it can have its footprints on every facet of public life. Although in Kerala, these Samithies are involving in night patrolling, traffic safety, blood and organ donation, besides legal awareness classes for women, there appears to be no reference to social harmony, or what media likes to call as communal harmony. It is here this Police-Public Partnership (another version of PPP) can leave its footprints of far reaching difference. Yes, all state governments should take a leaf out of this Kerala experience to enrich itself and its society in general.
Controversy involving Karnataka Lokayukta and the Chief Minister and his men is a development all could have lived without. Compared to all states, there are more problems in Karnataka, at least according to available information, when the state is already going thru different scams of different nature, if the intention of CM is to come clean, it is in the best interest of BJP as a national party so also that of the state government. In the long run its the image which will help you remain in the reckoning. Look at Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar, despite best effort of the central government they have won repeatedly. Something Yediyurappa need to learn. His supporters can only help in the short run. In the Long run it is always the public who will return you to the seat of power repeatedly. So leave everything to Lokayukta and do some sacrifice as surrendering the benefits of power acquired in quick succession, Patience strong. Respect, power, and money, all will come to you, provided do not try to become powerful and rich quickly-by illegal short cuts. Hope better sense prevails to all concerned.
26/11 came once again and lapsed into the pages of modern Indian history. Despite all rhetorics, America and the rest of the world failed to force Pakistan to act. However, it can be reasonably assumed that Pakistan shall never act. Only option available to India is to isolate Pakistan within SAARCcountries' block. Our powers that be, in Delhi, need to realise this aspect. There has to be some meeting of minds across the national political divide under the honest leadership of both Dr.Manmohan Singh and some opposition leaders cutting across party line, without media poking its nose everywhere.
With the kind of selective media hype on freedom of speech, it was imperative that some honest introspection on the malaise of dramatic pronouncements vis-a-vis rational discourse in the media had to be undertaken. We have attempted to address this issue under Focus. Hope readers find it worth their time. Do revert with your response. Rest of the issue are as usual.