India and Pakistan, after the Mumbai Siege

It has been one month since some ten miscreants from across the border, from Pakistan, emerged in the city of Mumbai via the sea route and held the whole of India under siege for about three days. The audacious attack carried out by the criminals of the terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba had the full backing of the ISI or the ex-officials of the organisation. As a result of this gruesome attack, India and Pakistan are at loggerheads and the diplomatic relationship between the two nuclear states is at a very low level. But instead of going on with deploying army at the border between the nations, India has taken the diplomatic route to pressurise Pakistan to take actions to dismantle the terror infrastructure in Pakistan. But the Pakistan government doesn’t seem to be in a mood to do this or doesn’t have the required power and authority to do this.

There are a lot of reasons to believe that the terror strike by Lashkar in Mumbai is a handiwork of the Pakistan army. Pakistan army is waging an unpopular war in the Afghan border against Taliban fighters of Pakistani origin. Under extreme pressure from the United States, Pakistan is forced to fight alongside NATO forces in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. This is a war that the Pakistan army loathe to fight as they are fighting against Pakistanis against the popular wish. They are in look out for an excuse to retreat from the Afghan border and a war with India will be a great excuse for them to withdraw from the western border and redeploy the army in their eastern border with India. A war against India will be a great morale booster for the Pakistani army that is under great stress fighting their own people in the western border. As it is evident from the present scenario, a war or a prospect of war with India is perhaps the only unifying force for the Pakistanis. Right now we are seeing that all political parties in Pakistan as well as army and even Pakistani Taliban are speaking in the same voice against India. So all in all a war can be a great benefit to the army in the pursuance of their ambitions. This is exactly the reason why India is not keen for a war with Pakistan and this is the reason why the United States is also interested in having a peaceful solution to this impasse.

What India need from Pakistan is pretty simple. We want Pakistan to handover the terrorists behind the Mumbai attack to us so that they can produced under a court of justice. The lone terrorist captured in the attack, Muhammad Ajmal Kasab, has told the interrogators that he is from Pakistan and has detailed them about the training that he received from Lashkar at their centre at Muridke in Pakistan. Moreover the precision and planning with which Mumbai attackers had gone on with their assault show that they had received training from people in the army or ex-officials of the army and the ISI. But Pakistan is going on with their denial that Kasab is not a Pakistani and says that Pakistan has no hand in the Mumbai attack.

The only option available with India to pressurise Pakistan into acting against the terrorist infrastructure in their mainland is by carrying out a diplomatic offensive. India has gone to the security council of the United Nations with the demand of banning the terror outfits in Pakistan. As a result of this United Nations had banned the sister organisation of LeT, the Jamaat-ud-Dawa or the JuD. India is also working with the United States to pressurise Pakistan into taking actions against the terrorists. Indian government is also trying to rope in China as well as Saudi Arabia into its diplomatic offensive to coerce Pakistan into doing something substantial in the fight against terror. India hasn’t taken the diplomatic step of calling back its High Commissioner from Pakistan or stopping the Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) between the two nations. But the Indian government has called off the cricket team’s tour of Pakistan in the wake of the Mumbai terror strikes.

Pakistan is continuing with its denial rhetoric saying that the Mumbai attackers are not Pakistanis and hence they can’t take any actions against them. They say that they want more evidence from India, proving that the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack are from the Pakistani soil. But India is not interested in sharing the evidences with Pakistan as it is known that if we share the evidences with Pakistan they will use these evidences to help the terrorists to escape from international security forces, as is the experience of the past. In the past, when India shared evidences of the crimes committed by Pakistani nationals, Pakistan had taken some actions for the name sake and the acquitted the criminals under pretext of lack of tangible evidences against them.

Pakistan is a failed state where full-fledged democracy is still a distant dream. If someone thinks that with the arrival of democratic government in Pakistan, the grip of Pakistan army on the policy making of Pakistan is over, then they are thinking so only at their peril. Even now the army calls all the shots in Pakistan and this is evident from the way the Pakistani establishment had responded to the Mumbai attack. At first, President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Sardari promised to send the Director General of ISI to India to help in the investigation of the attack, but immediately had to backtrack following pressure from ISI and the army. So India should have no hope that Pakistan will act against the perpetrators of the Mumbai attack who have the backing and support of the ISI and the Pakistani army.

The Mumbai attack of 26/11 and the way in which Indian security forces and Mumbai police responded to it had shown to this world and the terrorists that India is a strong state with brave and courageous people. Though we were shocked for a short period of time, we have come back with more resolve and grit. At this point of time, we should also thank and salute the brave commandos and cops of India for saving thousands of people and for saving the pride of this nation. As an NSG commander has said, we hope that such an attack will not happen again in India, but if at all it happens we will make sure that the perpetrators of such crime will not go back safely. War with Pakistan is not a first option, but if that country is not ready to take actions against the terrorist infrastructure prevailing there, then we will have to resort to that last option. But till then, we have to go ahead with our diplomatic offensive and corner Pakistan and force them to take actions against the perpetrators of this heinous crime.

60th Anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Today, 10 December 2008, marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Back in 1948, on the same day, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the declaration which has since become one of the most important documents of the civilised world. The Commission of Human Rights, a standing body of the United Nations, was composed for the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The commission was broadly represented by the delegates of the global community under the Chairmanship of Eleanor Roosevelt.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims that the inherent dignity and equality of human beings is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace and forms the basis for the peaceful coexistence of different people in this world. The declaration also aims at promoting equality and social justice for all men and women irrespective of their caste, creed, race, nationality, colour, language, religion, national origin, social status, political opinion and birth or other status. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights also aspires to end slavery and other similar inhuman practices as well as cruel and degrading treatment or punishment.

There are 30 articles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the basic principles of those articles are dignity, liberty, equality and universal brotherhood. The articles set forth the various principles of human rights in the realm of individual rights, rights of individuals in the political and civil society, public and spiritual rights as well as social, cultural and economic rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is not a legally binding treaty on the member countries of the United Nations but the declaration had a major influence on the constitutions of almost all countries since 1948. It is also the foundation for a number of universal treaties and has a very important influence on the laws of various international organisations.

Though the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in the year 1948 and 60 years had passed since then, human rights violations are still going on in various parts of this world. Organisations like the United Nations, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch are constantly trying to pressurise governments of various countries for the strict adherence to the principles proclaimed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But there are a lot of rogue states in the world that are continuously violating the basic tenets of the declaration. Such states should be diplomatically convinced by the international community to follow the principles of human rights as envisaged by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

It is not only the responsibility of nations or international organisations, but that of all human beings to understand, disseminate as well as follow the basic principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As the declaration itself advocate, adoption of the various articles of this declaration is paramount to the achievement of international peace and universal brotherhood. So let us make a promise that we will follow those principles all our lives as well as voice our disapproval with courage whenever the basic tenets of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are violated by individuals, organisations or nations.

The Quintessential Lady

A humming bird sings and flies past me,

Then comes back and flies round and round,

Her humming, quite mirthful, quite jocund,

So does my beloved sister speak,

With a sound, quite mirthful, quite jocund,

My sweet, new sister, with whom,

I have vowed to share the stage of this life,

In her affectionate heart, an indelible pain,

On her charming face, an indelible smile,

For she had learnt the art of veiling,

Agonizing incidences of appalling yore,

Under pretexts of affable humour.

During vexatious days, befriended her parents,
And told them, “at times life can get painful,
Yet we mortals have to live on and on,
Like the sun that sets westwards every dusk,
Only to rise in the east every morn afresh”,
And she, my beloved sister, goes on in life,
As a dutiful wife, for her life’s companion,
He, her better half, lives so merry, so easy,
Often proclaims, “Life is simple when she’s near”
She to her son, a mother, so special, so great,
And all mothers are so special, so great,
God wisely sent to build heaven on earth.

In this world, where made are promises,
To be broken, shattered or forgotten,
I, being a poet, possess an emotional heart,
And words so honest, truthful and earnest,
Makes a conscientious promise and swear,
To my sweet, new sister, with whom,
I have vowed to share the stage of this world,
“Even while I would rest in my sepulchre,
Old, decrepit and dead, my sincere soul,
Will be encumbered with a brotherly affection,
Coveted by the angels in the heaven,
And the devils beneath the blue sea.”

I stand upon this world, pleased and awed,
To have done a thing often held implausible,
And now with pride to the world I announce,
I have discovered the quintessential lady.

(Written on and dedicated to my new sister who is perhaps the greatest woman I have ever met in my life, next only to my mother. Her story is an inspiration to all who know her and knowing stories like her's make us understand that this life is worth living, though it is besmirched with pains and troubles)

I Pray for the Victims of Mumbai Terror Strikes

I pray for the victims of the Mumbai terror strikes. This is a time when we Indians should stand united and take a pledge to defeat terrorism in all its manifestations. The spirit of Indians will stand the test of times and we will defeat the heinous ambitions of terrorists of all hues.

President Obama and His Road Ahead

The euphoria that aroused all over the world after the election of Barrack Obama as the 44th President of the United States seems to have ended for now. That the US has a coloured man as the President within half a decade of Martin Luther King’s famous ‘I have a Dream’ speech is in itself a matter of great pride for the Americans. But now its time to analyse the various challenges that Obama has to face at the helm of American Presidency. Let us discuss the various areas where he would have to concentrate if his promise of change has to become a reality.

• The Economy

The international economy is in serious turmoil and many American MNCs are destined to be doomed if there are no immediate financial package to bail them out of the sub prime mortgage crisis that they are facing. So Obama’s most important and urgent task should be to find a solution to the financial crisis. The American Congress has already announced a bail out package for the financial companies that are afflicted by the financial crisis. But now the automotive sector is also asking for a similar bail out package. The financial crisis has been the most important factor in this US election and therefore Obama has no other option left but to confront the gravest financial crisis that is all set to engulf America and the world since the great depression of 1930s.

• Domestic Health Care System

The domestic health care system in the US is in an absolute mayhem. The number of people out of the health care insurance net is increasing day by day and is going to become quite unmanageable in the near future. In a country where the cost of health care is ridiculously high, health care insurance is an absolute necessity. So it is imperative for Obama to take some immediate steps towards normalising this discrepancy. It is a very important step that he has to take for gaining the trust of the middle class as well as the blue collar workers.

• Internal Security

At a time when the gun culture is quite vibrant among the students and internal violence is on the rise, internal security is a very important concern of the Americans. The remarkable electoral victory that the centrist Democrats have won over the conservative Republicans would give Barrack Obama some serious moral authority to establish some fool proof regulations that would put an end to the reckless use of guns by the ordinary people. This would go a long way in making some headway in matters of internal security. At the same time other aspects of internal security will be taken care of by getting advice from the experts in the field.

• War on Terror

Since September 11, 2001, no American President would dare to forget the war on terror. From that day, capturing of Osama bin Laden and his fellow perpetrators of the heinous crime has been the most important task of any US patriot. But Obama has some serious ideological differences with the way George W.Bush had fought the war on terror. He was against going to war against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq under the pretext of Weapons of Mass Destruction, which the Bush regime claimed Saddam had. In line with such an idea, Obama thinks that the real war on terror should be fought at Afghanistan and not at Iraq. He believes that Osama is hiding some where in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and hence pursuance of Osama should be directed at Afghanistan. Obama believes that the war front at Iraq is redundant and hence army should be recalled from Iraq. He also thinks that there should be an actual time frame for the troop withdrawal from Iraq. That is be an action that he is quite keen to take.

• Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib

Barrack Obama believes that Guantanamo Bay prison is one of America’s most loathsome historical mistakes and wants to close it down before it creates more damage to America’s moral standing in the world. The prisoners at Guantanamo are denied even basic human rights and a lot of politicians in America and human rights activists all over the world have been condemning the US for continuing with the prison. Flouting all international rules and regulations and human rights laws, the US administration under George W.Bush has been keeping the terror suspects without any legal trials or legal benefits. If Obama has to keep his promise of change and to show this world that he is a man who keeps his word, he has to act quickly in this regard.

Abu Ghraib and the gross human rights violations that were committed in that prison by American soldiers are fresh in the memory of this world. Though the US administration was able to instil some sense by bringing to book the soldiers that committed the violation of human rights, it is important for US to close down the prison and improve their moral standing in this world. Obama seems to be the right person to bell the cat and he is armed with sufficient public support and congressional backing to do the same.

• Foreign Policy

Barrack Obama has a very different foreign policy outlook from that of George Bush . He is not averse to talking to leaders of countries that Bush thought are too bellicose to talk to. Obama has already made his ideas clear by saying that he will talk to the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad without any pre-conditions. In this regard his ideas were different from both Hilary Clinton and John McCain, who were opposed to this very idea of diplomacy offered by Obama. As Obama has almost decided to make Hilary Clinton as his Secretary of State, it is to be seen how he is going to move forward on this promise he has made.

At the same time foreign policy experts are quite interested in knowing the policy that Obama would adopt against old rivals Russia and China. The relationship between US and Russia that became sour after the recent Russia-Georgia war and the rhetoric that followed needs some immediate remedy. After the war, Russia has become quite confident to impose its supremacy in the Caucuses, where as the US is hell bent not to allow it. In the post cold war era, after the fall of the USSR, there is more or less a unipolar world where the US is the sole super power. Hence the US doesn’t want Russia to again emerge as a world power lest their supremacy would end. But the resurgent Russia, under Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev, is getting ready to usurp their appropriate position in this world as an answer to the US’ hegemonic ambitions. Barrack Obama would do good to reinvent the cordial relationship with Russia, because this world can ill afford another cold war.

The United States consider China as a threat in Asia and are quite interested in countering that country’s emergence as a super power. It is the main reason why the recent US Presidents were quite interested in improving the relationship with India. The US foreign policy think tank believes that economic and political revival of India can effectively defy China’s hold in Asia. The Indo-US nuclear deal should also be seen in this light.

The importance of India vis a vis China makes a lot of experts believe that Obama would continue the good relationship with India that George Bush started. Moreover the growing clout of Indian-Americans in US strategic and economic space makes it absolutely difficult for US Presidents to ignore India and its aspirations. The United States also want to invite India to its strategic embrace, so that they have a larger involvement in this region.

Obama believes that Pakistan should have a larger participation in the war on terror and is not that happy with its present level of unresponsive involvement. He wants Pakistan to focus more on their western borders along Afghanistan and not at the Indian side of Pakistan border. Hence Obama believes that India and Pakistan should discuss the Kashmir issue among them and find a solution to it. At the same time Obama has also said that he would resort to using force in Pakistan internal territory against the suspected terrorists even without the approval of the Pakistan government. But that would be a decision that he might have to rethink on after discussing with his foreign policy experts because it can cause serious damage to America’s moral standing in the world.

• Non-proliferation

Barrack Obama is a strong advocate of nuclear non-proliferation and believes that a world with no nuclear threats is the best possible option for a peaceful co-existence of various countries. He strongly supports the signing of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and thinks that US should first sign it and then push other countries to do the same. India should not have any problem in signing the CTBT if other countries like the US, China and Pakistan sign it.

Right now the President-elect Barrack Obama is busy making his team for governing the country. The promise that he has made, the promise of change, to the Americans as well as to the world, is a very difficult one to satisfy. The expectations on him are quite high as well. But for the sort of person he is - committed, honest, brave and confident - we believe and trust that he would make some effective steps towards improving the moral standing of the United States as well as the future of this world.

Salute the Dada of Indian Cricket

Sourav Ganguly, India’s most successful test captain has retired from international cricket. This is the time for us to celebrate the cricketing career of this legendary cricketer, whose legacy extends far beyond the runs that he had accumulated in international cricket. The number of brave hearted young cricketers that he offered to Indian cricket, the sense of competitive spirit that he presented and the degree of mettle and self confidence that he imparted to the team are the real contributions made by the Bengal Tiger to Indian cricket. The southpaw, called the “Lord of the Off Side”, for his flamboyant stroke play through the off side had been a terror in the minds of bowlers all over the world. As he retires from international cricket, we can rejoice on his astounding career, as a batsman as well as captain, and wish him all the best for all his future endeavours. But we will surely miss the Dada.

Congratulation to Barack Obama for Becoming the 44th President of the United States

Now it is official, Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States of America. He has made tryst with the destiny and has become the first black President in the history of world’s oldest democracy. The message of change that he put forward reverberated all over the country and gave him a thumping victory over John McCain, the Presidential candidate of the GOP. But as the new chief executive of the United States he would have to confront problems of historic proportions. Issues in regards to ailing economy, awful health insurance sector and increasing terrorism against their citizens to name few, will test his character and ability to lead. Hopefully he will bring the much needed change to US policies which will have a positive effect on all nations of this world. Congratulations to him for achieving this great victory.

I Salute Anil Kumble, One of India’s Greatest Match Winners

I salute Indian test Captain, Anil Kumble as he retires from Cricket after 18 years of supreme commitment to Indian cricket. One of the greatest match winners of all time, Kumble has been a role model for every single cricketer and every single Indian. His legacy is something which will inspire generations of Indian cricketers in the future.

Congratulations to My Hero Sachin Tendulkar

I congratulate my great hero Sachin Tendulkar for surpassing Brian Lara to become the highest run getter in the history of Test match cricket. He has been an inspiration to a whole generation to move forward in their lives with commitment, humility and selflessness. March Ahead, the Master, you have more heights to scale.

Four years is a long time

Four years is a long time,
For an unrequited love,
To disappear into oblivion,
For painful memories of yore,
To become facts for awesome laughter,
For heavenly, divine enlightenment,
To set on minds of boorish thugs,
For a naive, indifferent lass,
To learn blissful lessons of motherhood,
For wise men to become insane,
Out of tragic twists of fate,
And four years is a long time,
For their lewd relationship,
To blossom into passionate love,
And in these last four years,
When they’ve stooped from bad to worse,
I’ve risen from bad to great.

Re-creating Mahabali’s Kerala – Possibilities and Impossibilities

When I was told to write about Onam, the first idea that came to my mind as a subject for the piece was the magnificence of the festival that marks the homecoming of the erstwhile legendary king of Kerala, the Mahabali. A detailed account of Onasadya, Athapookalam and all other related vibrant facts associated with Onam would make a really sumptuous article capable of arousing delighted interest. But let us attempt something different.

Kerala, under the rule of Mahabali was a near Utopia, where social, economic and political justice existed in near perfection and perfect harmony was at its zenith. Any thought, in the present world, about putting efforts towards re-creating such a state might sound absurd, but having such optimism is not entirely out of question, as some civilisations, through their hard work and bravado had often made the impossible, possible. Now, what are the changes that we should envisage to re-create such a perfect society? Is it really possible to make such a revolutionary change?

According to the legendary song Maveli naadu vaaneedum kaalam, equality was one of the striking features of the Mahabali’s kingdom. Establishing a society where there is perfect equality is an impossible task as discovered by socialist regimes like in China and Cuba. Economic, social as well as political inequality would be there as long as human life would be here in this universe. So the effort should be towards reducing this degree of inequality with adequate measures in the governmental level as well as individual level.

During Mahabali’s rule, there were no theft or deceit, nor were there any cheating or lies. All these factors seem to be directly related to economic and social inequality and hence they would be hopefully removed once near economic and social equality is established. And in Mahabali’s Kerala, there was no caste system and all human beings belonged to one single caste, humanity. Hence abolition of caste system is one of the most important pre-requisites for the re-creation of a perfect society.

There is no doubt that the tasks that we have to pursue to recreate a perfect society, like the kingdom of Mahabali, are daunting. Now as we know the things that we have to change to create a perfect society, we should be able to find the method that we should adopt to establish such a society. The good news is that the solution is pretty simple; but the bad news is that it is very hard to implement.

Education and knowledge is the simple solution that is available to us in creating such a perfect society. But the fact is that rendering education and imparting knowledge to the millions of people is a very difficult task, which to our amazement, Mahabali’s kingdom was able to do. A paradigm shift in the nature of education, from creation of possessive impulses like money and power to the creation of creative impulses like art and literature in the minds of the people, is imperative. Minds that become enlightened, after getting such an education, would be instrumental in creating a society that would be similar to one that Mahabali ruled.

Though preposterous it might sound at the outset, on serious thinking we could conclude that this is a novel and sensible thought as something has to be done immediately to stop us from becoming a group of people with scant regard for humanity and human life. So this Onam, in addition to tasting Onasadya and making Athapookalam, let us think about re-creating Mahabali’s Kerala and take our small steps towards achieving the “impossible”. May be in the future, history lessons that our children and grand children would learn, would speak about us as the persons who have shown the guts to think beyond the realm of possibility and have made the impossible, possible.

(Republished from the Onam edition of Pine Mag, the official magazine of Calpine Technologies, the firm where I work )

Presidential Nomination Acceptance Speech – Obama’s Telling Blow to McCain

The final phase of the American Presidential election has been reached with both the Democrats and Republicans announcing their Presidential candidate as well as the Vice Presidential candidate. While Barack Obama accepted the nomination at the Democratic convention at Denver with Senator Joe Biden of Delaware as his running mate, John McCain accepted the GOP nomination at the convention at Minneapolis choosing the Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin as his running mate. The nomination acceptance speech by both Obama and McCain threw some light on the character of these two men as well as the policies that they would pursue if elected the President of the United States.

Anyone who has followed this blog closely will understand that I am a strong supporter of Barack Obama. The reason for the support is based more on the personality and qualities of Obama as a leader and an orator than on the policies he vow he will follow. As Bill Clinton said in the convention, Obama has a remarkable ability to inspire people. And there is no doubt that he is one of the most prolific orators of our time, capable of arousing awe, respect and conspicuous motivation.

Obama used his acceptance speech to explain his policies and to counter the criticisms that McCain campaign has been pouring on him. He spoke about his Kenyan father and Kansas mother and their aspirations, spoke about his grandmother who sacrificed her pleasure and time to make sure that Obama got a good education and also spoke about how his mother argued with insurance companies for getting insurance while she was suffering from cancer. Thus by explaining in detail the struggles he and his family endured, he counter attacked McCain’s campaign, which often ridiculed Obama as a celebrity rather than a politician, by saying that “I don't know what kind of lives John McCain thinks that celebrities lead, but this has been mine.”

Barack Obama, who had often been criticised for his lack of offensive capabilities towards the McCain campaign, chose the occasion to show that he too has the gladiatorial daring which the Americans want in their President. He said that if John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament, and judgment, to serve as the next Commander-in-Chief, that's a debate he is ready to have. While praising McCain for his record as a brave soldier in the American army during the Vietnamese war, Obama derided him by saying that he voted for President George Bush’s flawed policies ninety percentage of times and therefore by choosing McCain as the next President he don’t want to take a ten percent chance on change.

The major policy initiatives that Obama want to pursue include a cut in taxes, investment in affordable energy, investment in childhood education, providing accessible healthcare to all, close corporate loop holes on taxes, end the Iraq war responsibly, direct diplomacy to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and to curb Russian “aggression” and fix the economy which is inching towards a recession.

Obama or McCain, the American foreign policy is not going to see a paradigm shift from the policy the country has been following for a very long time. But as we continue to despise the malevolent foreign policy that the Americans follow, we can hardly help ourselves from admiring the democracy prevailing there and the academic intelligence, acumen and quality of the politicians of various parties. The mutual respect with which Obama and McCain competes with each other is worthy of emulating in the Indian system of democracy as well.

If we Indians get jealous on the quality of politicians that the Americans have, one cannot find fault with us, especially when we are having a lot of politicians who are neither educated nor well behaved. As if this is not enough, we also have a lot of rogue politicians amidst us, who are not at all averse to making ghoulish comments even on the tears of a mother who had lost her son in a tragic event, as depicted recently by a boorish politician in Kerala.

Going back to Obama and his American promise, one can only hope that his aspiration to bring change to Washington will happen sooner rather than later. We can also hope that there will be some change in the warmongering nature of the United States under the Presidency of Barack Obama and peace and tranquillity will prevail in Iraq, Afghanistan and in the world in general. But for all these things to happen he has to win the Presidential election due on 4th November to be the first African-American to become the President of the United States.

A Valediction

Aimless life's long meander,
Destined to the ultimate tomb,
Arguments can hardly prosper,
An awry mind's desolate tread.

I have grown old for love,
And old for any youthful delight,
But once I had squandered my words,
For a beauty's worthless praise.

Why we men, I do ponder,
Stretch some bonds to eternity,
And pursue with expectations,
Rewards for our solicitude.

An advice for the senseless hearts -
Eternal bonds are bothersome,
And now I've this valedictory rhyme,
For my absurdly affectionate heart.

Abortion – The Ordeal and The Argument

After days of discussions on worthless matters of Indian politics, the people of India, for a change, discussed one serious issue. The issue divided Indians into two different and distinctive poles. The issue on discussion was the legal battle that two young couple from Mumbai fought for getting sanction to abort their 25-week-old foetus, as it was diagnosed with severe congenital cardiac problem. The Mumbai High Court denied the couple permission for abortion, as laws in India does not permit abortion after 20 weeks.

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act specifies that an abortion after 20 weeks can take place only if the foetus presents any grave medical risk to the mother. Experts say that there are serious flaws with this abortion law in India, which was made in 1971. Since then much water has flown under the bridge and the medical science has achieved many a serious milestones in diagnosing the health condition of a foetus. Gynaecologists point out that some of the serious health hazard that a foetus may have can be diagnosed and ascertained only after the completion of 22^nd week. So a law that doesn’t allow abortions after 20 weeks have serious imperfections. They also refer the laws followed in other countries like the United Kingdom, where abortions up to the 24^th week are legal.

It is quite imperative to take into perspective the mental agonies and physical worries that parents of children having congenital physical or mental afflictions undergo. The scene of your beloved child suffering under despairing pain is not something any parents would want to see. When medical science has improved so much, it is the responsibility of the human beings to use it in such a way that it reduces the distress and anguish that the mankind would face. Isn’t it right that we use advancement in medical science to improve the lives of people? Do we want to bring disabled people to this churlish world when we can avoid that? This is certainly not an argument in favour of bringing only the so-called “perfect babies” to this world. Even after such great advancement in the field of technology there are areas where human beings become helpless in making everything perfect in this world. So even if one tries to make “perfect babies”, there would be the invisible hands of this nature at work that would thwart his or her attempts. But as far as possible we can use technology to stop the occurrences of disabled children. This is not because we want only “perfect babies”, but this is because we want to create a world where there is less misery and desolation, both for children and for grown ups.

Are there any laws in India that would see to it that all medical and social needs of a disabled child would be met? The answer is a very categorical no. The parents of the disabled children have to carry the whole financial and emotional burden of the disability. As long as state does not have the resources to provide such financial aids to such children, it does not have the moral authority to say no to the abortion of foetuses with abnormality.

One of the harshest comments on the couple Niketa and Haresh came from a section in the society who ridiculed them for going to the court with this issue. They commented that the couple is so merciless that they don’t want their disabled foetus because they don’t have the interest to bring up their child with serious cardiac issues. Such sorts of comments are suited only to a barbaric society with scant regard to the emotional state of a mother-to-be, faced with such a distressing ordeal. It is not because the couple has less interest to bring up the child that they went for the legal battle, but because they were worried about the quality of life that there child would get if born with serious congenital disorders. It is also quite sure that they would take care of their child when it is born, the same way any other parents would take care of their child.

The most obvious thing that came out of this legal battle is that there are some serious defects in the abortion law prevailing in our country, which needs serious amendments. There should be a law that would allow parents to abort foetuses with serious disabilities, as a baby with chronic diseases would reduce the quality of life of the baby and the parents. At the same time there should be efficient mechanisms in place to make sure that people are not abusing this law to abort unwanted foetuses based on the gender of the foetus. The authorities may constitute a panel, of doctors and jurists, who would be in charge of determining the legality of any abortion. So any requests made by parents-to-be for abortion of foetuses can be discussed in detail. The medical and legal aspects of every individual abortion requests should be discussed in this panel and based on their recommendations the request for abortion can be approved or rejected.

The courage showed by the young couple, Niketa and Haresh should be appreciated and so should be the hospitals that offered free medical treatments to the about-to-be born child. Let us hope that our politicians and legislature would take adequate interest in this issue and would make changes in the abortion law to make it more compassionate as well as more sensible, taking into account the improved technological aspects of our medical system.

This is Bad Economics, Mr. Issac

What is the similarity between the Finance Minister of Kerala, Mr. Thomas Issac and I? - We both did our graduation in Economics from University of Kerala.

What are the differences between him and I? – Firstly, I am still only a student of Economics, while he is an expert Economist with years of teaching and research experience in the subject. Secondly, despite being an Economics graduate I pursued another stream and did my post graduation in management from University of Kerala, where as he did his higher studies in Economics from the JNU. Thirdly, I know that an increase in bus fare is not the right option to reduce the losses that KSRTC face, but he doesn’t know.

If you are someone who travels a lot in Indian railways, like me, you will have definitely noticed that after the bus fare hike in Kerala, there has been an unusual increase in the number of people travelling by train. This is because the cost incurred on travelling by bus is much higher than the cost on train travel. For example, if you want to travel from Kozhikode to Thiruvananthapuram in a KSRTC bus, then you have to give a fare of Rs.271, whereas it is only Rs.100 in a train. To understand that travelling by train is a more sensible option than using the KSRTC service, you don’t need any Economics knowledge, but only need a very little economic common sense.

The government says that the hike in the bus fares is to accommodate the increase in fuel prices and it is the only way I which they can reduce the burden on KSRTC. But with the increase in bus fare the number of people using the service got reduced, but the number of service remains the same. With this there will be a decline in the revenue, but the expenditure will remain the same resulting in an increased loss.

Now, what is our eminent economist-Finance Minister doing? Has he forgot his basics in Economics, or is he feigning blind and deaf to this situation, or is it so that he has no say in this decision taken by the KSRTC and it’s Minister with the acknowledgement of the Cabinet?

The increase in bus fares is helping only the Indian railways, whose income is going to increase manifold with this decision of the Kerala government. What KSRTC has to do is to decrease the bus fare so that there is at least one incentive for the travellers to use its service – reduced fare. Otherwise why should a common traveller use the service of KSRTC, what incentive he or she has to use it? Is there any great comfort in travelling in any of the debilitated KSRTC buses, especially through the pathetic roads of Kerala or is there any guarantee on the punctuality of the bus service?

The economics behind the logical option of reduced bus fares to increase the profitability of KSRTC is pretty simple. With a decrease in bus fares, more number of people would use the KSRTC service and with that there would be economies of scale for each individual bus service. In the long run, the average cost of operation for each individual service will get reduced, which in turn will add up to the reduced cost of operation of the entire KSRTC bus fleet. So there is the double advantage of increased revenue from increased number of travellers and reduced long run average cost (LRAC) of operation or reduced expenditure. Increase in revenue and decrease in expenditure, certainly means increased profit or reduction in loss.

The only way out for the KSRTC to reduce their loss is by a reduction in the fares and by increasing the number of travellers. It would also be a big relief for the large number of people who have no other option but to depend on the bus services of KSRTC for their travel. The earlier Mr. Thomas Issac recognise this simple idea, the better for KSRTC and for all travellers, like me, who expect to travel in a train with reduced rush and some minimum level of comfort.

An Ordinary Indian’s Take on the Indo-US Nuclear Deal

For an ordinary Indian, absolutely oblivious of the intricacies of nuclear energy and national foreign policy, the Indo-US nuclear deal is just another issue concocted by political parties to impose their supremacy on their ideological rivals and to earn some mean political brownie points. The deal is signed or not signed, his economic dilemma caused by inflation, weak monsoon and low agricultural production would remain the same. But at the same time, this deal has a bearing on his future, as it has some implications on the energy security and sovereignty of this nation where his children and grandchildren have to live even after he become a deceased soul.

It is a widely recognized view that the ultimate aim of any political party is to win elections and to acquire power. Helping the poor and the needy and envisaging the economic growth and development of the country etc. are mere pretexts with which they try to allure the common man to vote for him in a democracy. The arguments and disputes between the political parties in India over the 123 agreement and the nuclear deal is yet another example that shows how they use cheap political manoeuvres and place ideological barriers to feign incognisance for a need for effective discussions on an issue in the national interest. When India is going through such a crucial phase of its evolution as a global power, the political parties are fighting with each other on trivial ideological elements and personal egos.

It seems that the Congress Party, particularly, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is rather obsessed with the commitment he had made to the US President on signing the nuclear deal. The Prime Minister was quite reluctant to go to the G8 Summit at Japan and meet Mr.Bush without a real breakthrough in the nuclear deal as he had given a commitment to the US President about finalising the deal. But such reluctance from the Prime Minister had been quite childish. Everyone knows that, in a democracy it is not possible to make a strategic decision without making a consensus among the majority. So if he had given some word to the US President without pondering about how democracy works in India, it is only naïve of him to do so. Again I believe that the Congress government has no legitimacy to move forward with the nuclear deal as it has only the support of a minority in the Parliament. After the cessation of left’s support to the government, it is trying to get enough members support for the continuation of the government. Though the Congress party might find the bare minimum of 272 members’ support to continue in the government, ethically speaking, such low level of numbers shouldn’t be enough for moving forward with such a strategic decision.

The University of Edinburgh educated CPI (M) General Secretary, Prakash Karat is, without doubt, a man of conviction. He believes, by virtue of his strong sense of anti-imperialism, that the nuclear deal is an attempt by the United States to engage India in the strategic embrace of that country in a bid to expand their military presence. He knows that the US wants to shift the geopolitical balance towards its favour by roping in India. So the CPI (M), with other left parties viz. CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc is quite adamant that it won’t allow the nuclear deal to move forward. But even after their resolute resistance, the Congress party and its UPA allies have taken the nuclear deal to the IAEA. Annoyed by such a move the left parties have withdrawn their support to the government with the complaint that UPA is not following the Common Minimum Programme or the assurance given to them on the nuclear deal. Now the left parties shouldn’t have anything to complain as they have enjoyed the fruits of the UPA rule like no other political party in India did. They grabbed the credit for all pro-people policies of the UPA government by claiming that it was their unrelenting pressure that had made the government to take such policies. When the government took some policy decisions that were against the will of the people, like the petrol price rise, the left parties asserted that the government had taken the decision without consulting them. Thus without any political price, they enjoyed a lot of acclaim from the people. Considering this aspect the left should be happy about what they are having right now at their hands.

If about the main opposition party, the BJP, they have no ideological differences on the nuclear deal with the government. They are only opposing it for the sake of opposition, as what we Indians are used to in our democratic set up. It was the BJP who started aligning India’s foreign policy towards that of the United States and to their credit they are not contradicting it even now. But they say that they would re-negotiate the deal if they come to power after the elections. Also they are pretending to be that “utopian” political party by saying that, if they were in power they would have placed the nuclear issue in the backburner and would have given more importance to taming inflation and other pro people policies that would benefit the ‘aam aadmi.’

When it is about doing frivolous and comical deeds, our Kerala government led by the CPI (M) is never out of innovative “ideas.” In the same way that our Chief Minister VS and Minister Sudhakaran make outrageously farcical and absurd comments, the LDF had adopted a resolution against the Indo-US nuclear deal in the Kerala legislature, as if there are no other issues in the state that warrant a discussion in the legislature. To understand that it was just an act by the government to avoid facing the opposition UDF on the embarrassing situation of the hike in bus fares needs no level of immense intelligence. Please, someone save us from this idiotic government that is insensitive to the problems of the state.

And now, if about the pros and cons of the nuclear deal, I must confess that I am no expert. But I have real faith in the scientific community of our country that have negotiated the deal with the Americans. There are no reasons to doubt their excellence, acumen or patriotism and hence I presume that the nuclear deal that they had negotiated would be a beneficial one for our country. At the same time I strongly believe that the UPA government led by the Congress party has no ethical right to move forward with this deal as it just don’t have the enough numbers in the parliament that is needed to carry forward the epic deal which has several implications on our future – your future, my future and our great nation’s future.

CPI (M), Have You Forgot? – India is a Democracy!

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) is not at all bemused with the Prime Minister over the Indo-US nuclear deal and they have told him, in unequivocal terms that they won’t allow the Government to move forward with deal without a political consensus on the issue. And the reason they put forward is the fact that India is a democracy and hence any decision that has an implication on the future of the nation can be taken only with the approval of all political parties considered to be the will of the people - Fair Enough. But in Kerala, the same political party is perhaps feigning ignorance about India being a democratic country or, that is what we ordinary people come to understand after seeing the behaviour and deeds of the members of CPI (M) and their different sister organisations, including the DYFI and the SFI.

For the delight of the opposition parties in Kerala, may it be the Congress led UDF or the BJP, there is no dearth of political controversies in the state. They are voicing their concern, anger and disgust over the issue in both violent and non-violent ways. We are taught that, in a democracy everyone has the right to protest on any issue in non violent ways. So not only the political parties, but also you and I have the right to protest any decision of the ruling government. But things are not working in that manner in Kerala when the CPI (M) led LDF is governing the state. Here, if you protest, against the government, you will be “taught a lesson” by the party cadre and the sister organisations of the party. If you dare to criticise the party, you will be tortured and tormented by the police and by the wild minions of the party. In the recent days, people ranging from activists of the opposition political parties, people from the media and the poor and weak people who were protesting against the land acquisition drive of the government, have all faced the ire of the party and its workers.

Never in the history of the state had there been an occasion where the protesting activists of a political party were confronted by the party activists of the ruling party. But we witnessed that happening in our state some days back. Of course it is natural that the police sometimes have to resort to the use of force to confront the violent protesters, but it is only ludicrous that a party has told its activists to tackle all those who criticise the party in such an uncivilised way. Media people were not spared either by the CPI (M) party activists. It would be good if the CPI (M) Polit bureau members, who recite the mantra of democracy at the centre, take due concern in knowing and stopping deeds of the state party members that are against the spirit of democracy.

Dislike for criticism seems to be in the genetic code of the Communist parties all over the world. They always follow this unique way of wiping out criticism through brute use of force, may it be in China, the undivided USSR or say in West Bengal as what we saw on March 2007 at Nandigram. The Communist parties, it seem, have not undergone the mutation to be able to prosper peacefully under a democratic set up. If you take the political environment of countries where Communism has prospered, you would find that they all have an autocratic style of Communist rule where there is less opposition for the policies that they undertake. In China, though they say there is a democracy, there is no freedom of press and no genuine freedom to criticise the policies of the government. In Russia, though there are four political parties, they all are creations of Kremlin and are working more or less under the guidance of the ruling party, United Russia. During elections, only United Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, gets the coverage from the state media and other parties are allowed to participate in the elections only for Russia to claim that they have a democratically elected government. Things are not any different in the countries like Cuba and Venezuela either.

In Kerala, this is the best time to be a CPI (M) supporter and the worse time to be a critic of the party. Party supporters can do any crime and can walk freely, unperturbed by legal actions against them. They can attack their critics, even if he or she is in the police van or in a police station, and can even give vent to their rage on any policeman and can still walk unscathed. Party critics should keep a very low profile and should never dare to voice their opinion against the party lest they will be subjected to harassment and life threatening ordeals.

It would be wise for the CPI (M) to always remember that India is a democratic country and hence we Indians have the constitutional right to resort to lawful protests against any policies that their governments take. Crushing such protests with brute force won’t augment well for the party as they have found out during the local body elections in places like Nandigram after the genocide committed by the members of the party. The CPI (M) in the state should jettison such violent attacks on the people and should understand that they are not the opposition party but is the ruling party and hence responsible for the life and property of the people. Even now it is not late for them to prove that they are capable of good governance, though I have no such hopes.

Fuel Price Hike and Beyond

The most worrying news for the Economists in India is that the inflation rate has increased to a new high of 8.24% on 6^th June. But for the common man, the reason for worry is not this mathematical figure but the trouble this figure has caused to his family budget. The cost of the food items has increased, the price of petrol and diesel has increased, the rate of cooking gas has increased and as a result his family expenditure is taking a serious pounding.

Increase in prices is not a phenomenon that is seen only in India. Prices are on the rise all over the world owing to the increase in crude oil prices and decrease in food production. While the former creates an economic problem, the latter creates a socio-economic problem. Conflicts at certain African nations as a result of food scarcity are an appalling reminder to all nations of the world that failure to contain the food shortage can lead to disastrous consequences. Supply side constraints are forcing all nations to increase the prices of all items including fuels. India, a major consumer and importer of fuels, is also feeling the heat of this cost-push inflation.

The Indian government, after days of deliberations, decided to increase the fuel price some days back. The price of petrol was raised by Rs.5 and the price of diesel was raised by Rs.3. A rise in fuel price can never be a popular decision and this time it was no different. There had been a huge hue and cry on the same and the opposition parties and the left allies of the UPA confronted the government with stiff actions. With the skyrocketing of global crude oil prices, it seems that a rise in the price of petrol and diesel is the only sensible decision the government would have taken.

The opposition BJP and the left parties are saying that they had a magic wand in their hand that could have saved the people from this fuel price hike, had the government asked for their advice and ideas. But their advice had nothing new than reducing the excise duty and sales tax on the fuels. No one put forward the idea of reducing the advertisement expenditure of oil companies to reduce their loss. It is quite irrational that petroleum companies are resorting to high ad spending for their products as there is only a very small competition from the private players in this field. This means that the major petroleum companies, who are all PSUs, are competing with other PSUs without earning anything logically substantial from it.

The central government has reduced some of the taxes on petroleum fuels and has advised the state governments to reduce some state level taxes as well. But reducing the taxes beyond a certain level is not going to be practical as there would be a lot of negative economic implications. A reduction in taxes would mean that there is an increase in the fiscal deficit of the economy and this would result in reduced economic resources with the government to continue its development works and other socio economic tasks. Such a situation would certainly end up in a reduced rate of economic growth and development of the nation which would put a lot of burden on the future generations.

The summit of the G8 nations in Japan has decided not to pile up pressure on the OPEC nations to increase production; instead the G8 countries have decided to increase domestic efficiency in fuel consumption by focussing on technology, conservation and diversification. This is certainly the best measure that can be taken for improving fuel efficiency in a long term basis. But the problem with the rising fuel prices still exists in the short term for which there is no answer available with any of these nations.

So the only option available with us is to take forward the austerity drive about which our Prime Minster is talking about, whereby we should be using less fuel, less electricity and less of other energy sources. We can also think about making use of bio fuels and other conventional energy sources like solar energy or the wind energy. It seems that these times of utter despair is the best opportunity that we have got to pursue some new habits of fuel and energy conservation and for that a concerted effort from all parties and stake holders is imperative.

I Congratulate Barack Obama on Claiming the Democratic Presidential Nomination

Senator Barack Obama of Illinois has secured the Democratic Presidential nomination in the United States. I would like to congratulate him on this great achievement. But his job is only half done; now he has to compete with the Vietnam War veteran and the presumptive Republican Presidential candidate John McCain, to become the first African-American President of the United States. Let us hope that he would win and bring the “change we can believe in.”

Dogs of the World Unite; You’ve Nothing to Lose But…

If dogs were to have a political association, capable of political pressure tactics, they would have definitely resorted to agitations and protests to remove an expression from the dictionary and from the general conversations of the English speaking folks. Of course, I am referring to the expression “dog’s dinner”, which always means a “mess.”

It is only natural that dogs have such a grievance, as from time immemorial, human beings have been using this expression to mean a mess or absolute disarray. A lot of canines who are living merrily with affluent human families would definitely take a lead in such a protest since, for them, life is a very easy task, where tasty food and comfortable shelter are guaranteed and the only thing demanded in return by the master, is discipline. They are taught to stay at the home in a disciplined manner, without creating any sort of messy situations and hence any reference of their name with “mess” could obviously be annoying for them.

There is one such wealthy home in my neighbourhood where there are two big dogs with some names similar to Tommy or Jimmy (these are always the names of every second dog that you would have the occasion to know the name of in our place). Lives of those dogs are so effortless and cheerful that it made one of my acquaintances to quip that if she has another birth, she would definitely prefer to be born as a dog in the same house. They don’t have to do any arduous work to “earn their living”, other than waging their tail to their master and to follow him when they are told to do so.

One of the important advantages (or disadvantages?) of my occupation is that I have to write articles on keywords or subjects about which I am least aware of or sometimes, absolutely oblivious about. One such keyword I confronted recently was “dogs welcome pubs.” While searching on the Internet to find some more information about the subject I found, to my amusement, that there are a lot of pubs in the United Kingdom where dogs are welcomed as esteemed guests together with their masters. And now, if you are someone, like me, who have never visited a pub in your entire lifetime, then hold on; make sure that you would never come in the view of an affluent dog, lest you’ll be ridiculed.

Coming back to the agitations the dogs would have resorted to, had there been a political association of dogs, they would have been efficiently supported by the animal rights activists and the dog lover community at large. They are people, who have to be respected for their special, though not rare, disposition of loving dogs the same way (at times more than) they love human beings. There is one of my relatives, a very respectable lady, who always have interesting tales to tell us about her dogs, the same way mothers talk about the feats of their children with great degree of admiration, zeal and pride.

When such people are in abundance in this world, the day is not far when we would hear an appeal similar to this – “Dogs of the world unite; you have nothing to lose but chains of ridicule, scorn and disdain” - and then we would learn to live and talk, without using the expression “dog’s dinner.”

Its Time for the Political Parties to Mend Their Ways

We Indians have been inflicted with a disorder from time immemorial; we feel that when we have political power in our hands, we can commit any degree of loathsome violence against the weak sections of the society who have no strength to challenge the gruesome might of the perpetrators. It seems that there is no remedy available for this ailment and to make matters worse, generations after generations are getting affected with this problem. This was visibly evident from the attacks carried out by some of the members of CPI (M) and its sister organs some weeks back in Kerala

The most important reason for this condition is the confidence these perpetrators have on the government machinery and its nepotism. The seriousness of the crime and the trouble that has befallen on the victims are not of any serious concern for the government or for any political party. Law and order is a mess and anyone with money and power can commit any crime and can walk freely in our state. If he has some contact with some leaders of the political parties, then he has no one to worry about, not even the judicial system. And of course, political leaders of all hues have long lost conscience and ethics is something which is as rare as a solar eclipse.

As Bertrand Russell had opined, the aim of politics should be to make the lives of individuals as good as possible and there is nothing for the politician to consider outside or above the various men, women, and children who compose the world. But politics and political parties have become a real bane for the society. Any relationship with them, good or bad, has got the potential to land you in trouble and danger as discovered by the jailer at Vellore jail recently with the arrival of Priyanka Gandhi at the jail to meet one of the conspirators of her father’s assassination. The beleaguered jailer was told by the Congress politicians to keep her visit as a secret, but later made it public to publicise her magnanimity. Now the jailer is in trouble as he hadn’t kept any record at the jail about the visit of this prominent guest.

Democracy is perhaps the most powerful device, so far invented, that has the potential to create a society where equality and personal liberty are guaranteed to the majority of the people. And for democracy to continue, political parties are necessary and hence we would conclude, yet again, that political parties are a necessary evil. At the same time, it is again a truism that political parties in India have to mend their ways, sooner rather than later, if the economic and societal development of this great country has to go on, unabated, unchallenged.

IPL – Boon or Bane

One of the most important topics of discussion in India and in the cricketing world elsewhere is whether IPL or the Indian Premier League is a boon or a bane to the game of cricket at large. Opinions vary, as is the case with any cricketing question in India and the number of opinions is equal to the number of people. And as ever, everyone would conclude that there are both sides to the question and therefore it is hard to reach a consensus. Whatever may be the end result, one must admit that there are going to be no difference in opinion on the fact that this IPL is going to be a place where there be a lot of horse trading, betting and all other forms of money making foul games.

One of the most important advantages of the IPL is that we can see a lot of international cricket players playing in India and for Indian teams. The likes of Gilchrist, Pollock, Hayden, Jayasuriya, Gibbs, etc. playing for Indian teams is certainly an amazing deed. We, Indians have to learn to cheer for Mathew Hayden and Andrew Symonds, who are playing for Chennai and Hyderabad respectively and who are incidentally players that we liked to hate, till recently. The Indian players, the youngsters, would certainly learn a great deal from these international players, who are thorough professionals. Seeing Mike Hussey, the Chennai Super King batsman, blending comfortably with players like the Chennai born – Badrinath, is a real treat to watch. A lot of other players, who were foes while playing international cricket, are now good team mates and are enjoying each others company, thanks to the IPL. Some players, who are now forced to reveal the best-kept secrets about the strengths and weaknesses of their international teammates to their IPL teams, are finding it difficult to cope with the new situation is what we should understand from the comments made by Andrew Symonds recently.

There are a lot of problems also with the IPL and the most important one being the dangerous probability that the BCCI would itself resort to loathsome practices like match fixing to make the IPL matches more interesting and exciting. This is just a very distant probability and hopefully such things won’t happen, but we have to be wary about such weird attempts by the BCCI. This is mainly because the BCCI and the Chairman of IPL, Lalit Modi are both quite frantic about utilizing every opportunity to amass wealth and money with IPL, by any means. If such a thing happens, then it would be quite ludicrous for the game of cricket. Yet another problem with the IPL is that there is increased probability that players in different countries would look to retire from their international responsibilities to take part in IPL, as the latter is more lucrative than the former one.

Whatever may be the qualitative effect of IPL on cricket at large, one must confess that IPL is a very exciting form of cricket and is quite an amusement for the millions of cricket lovers in India and the world over. There is already some discontent among a lot of purists of cricket about the form of cricket that is being played in the IPL and there is also some dissatisfaction on the involvement of “cheer leaders” in the IPL matches. But IPL and the 20-20 cricket format followed in this league are really exciting prospects and anything that adds to the colour of it should be accepted, if it is legal.

China’s Terrible Human Rights Record and Tibet

The recent crackdown on the peaceful protests of the people of Tibetan origin in China, India and Nepal is a matter of serious concern and is an act of grave state-sponsored human rights violation. These countries have the obligation to protect the freedom of expression and assembly guaranteed under domestic law and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Protesters including monks, nuns and children were arrested, detained and tortured using harsh measures by the government forces of these countries.

We, the people of India, often claim to be the champions of freedom of speech and expression, but often forget about the need to enhance that sense of national identity by constant efforts of judicious endeavours. But the recent crackdown of the Tibetan protesters, who were demonstrating peacefully against the Chinese aggression on Tibet and its religious and cultural identity, is an act of shamelessness and a sign of utter disregard for the protection of freedom of expression. It is a deed that undoubtedly shows how India is buckling under the Chinese pressure and is a sign of political weakness of India’s present day administration headed by the Congress led UPA and supported by the China’s dearest allies, the Left parties. The Indian Government is facing a real predicament vis-à-vis it’s foreign policy these days and is ruefully incapable of making any strong decisions in this regard. It is not competent in voicing it’s concern on the United States’ bad human rights record in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, and is impotent in taking on the Chinese government over their mishandling of Tibetan protestors or on the Chinese aggressive claim on the parts of Arunachal Pradesh.

China’s boorish attitude towards Tibet and on its unique religious and cultural identity is shocking and disgusting. It is totally unacceptable that a strong country, by virtue of its military and economic might, is exerting undue power to dismantle the religious identity and practices of an inherently weak group of people. It is high time for China to understand that it is always possible for a country to accommodate people of diverse beliefs and convictions, yet possess and maintain a unique national identity. India in itself is a grand example of such a relatively flawless model of heterogeneous existence.

The protesters of Tibet and the human rights activists all over the world have found out a very effective method to protest against the human rights abuses of the Chinese government and it is to demonstrate against China during the Olympic torch relay all over the world. This initiative got an impetus when French President Nicolas Sarkozy declared that France might boycott the Olympics if China won’t stop its human rights violations at Tibet. The Olympics can be used as an occasion to make people aware about the Chinese government’s terrible human rights record. In India, the national football captain, Baichung Bhutia has already made it clear that he won’t be carrying the Olympic torch as a symbol to protest against the grotesque human rights violation of the Chinese government on the Tibetan people. At the same time a lot of people have ridiculed his decision, but it must only be considered as a personal decision of the person and a natural extension of the freedom of speech and expression that the Indian constitution gives to each and every individual citizens of this country.

There is some discussion in the country on the subject that the Tibet issue is an internal problem of China and hence the other countries all over the world have no moral or legal right to interfere. But it can’t be forgotten that mistreatment and excesses on human beings by any establishment should be a matter concern for all human beings. Human rights violations and abuses can’t be tolerated and in this regard no political or geographical boundary should be a matter of impediment as human rights and human dignity are the corner stones on which an equitable and ethical world is built.

Beijing 2008 Torch Relay Truth

Fifth Anniversary of an Inherently Flawed War at Iraq

Dana Perino, the White House Press Secretary, in a press conference last week said that the President of the United States, George W.Bush, spends a considerable time of his day in lamenting the death of US soldiers at Iraq and is grieved on every lost American life in the war. This is perhaps the most extreme childish remark that I’ve heard this year, since it is nothing but a ludicrous political rhetoric aimed at painting a noble picture of the President in front of the people of the United States and the world over. But such pretentious utterances of concern on a war initiated by his willful misjudgment can hardly prevent George W. Bush from gaining the dubious distinction of being the most incompetent of all American Presidents.

The world observed the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war last week. As of now there are 1,40,000 US troops located at Iraq and the death toll of the US soldiers had reached a very ghastly number of 4000, and this is a very serious situation. From the beginning itself this war is a flawed one with officials in the Bush administration showing an insidious and evil swiftness in kick starting the war. Some of the administration members, especially the Vice President, Dick Cheney and the Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, had sexed up evidences against the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein accusing him of keeping sinister designs of waging a nuclear war against the United States. They came up with concocted evidences that suggested that Saddam Hussein had links with the al-Qaeda and it’s leader, Osama Bin Laden, which has never been proved up to now. The Vice President, Dick Cheney pressurized the CIA to come up with evidences that would prove that Saddam Hussein and his Iraqi administration is having Weapons of Mass Destruction or the WMD. He was skillfully supported by Ahmad Chalabi, the leader of the Iraqi National Congress in coming up with false evidences to support the claim and persuaded the US President and it’s allies to announce a war on Iraq. So the President of the United States declared the war on Iraq on 19th March 2003 christened “Operation Iraqi Freedom”.

Saddam Hussein was not a saint as being portrayed by a lot of Leftist political organizations in India. He was an autocratic ruler, a despotic tyrant who had committed some of the most serious and appalling crimes of genocides in the history of mankind. Saddam was the perpetrator of the heinous crime of massacring 1,80,000 Kurds in the 1980s for suppressing a mass upheaval against him and it was during this period that he had used the notorious poison gas to kill 5000 Kurds at Halabja in Iraq. A majority of Iraqis were against Saddam and his acrimonious administration and this was evident from the celebration that was witnessed at Baghdad on the fall of Saddam’s regime. There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein had to be brought under justice for his crimes against humanity, but the fact of the matter is what moral authority did the United States had in bringing Saddam under justice and under judicial courts and jurists handpicked by themselves.

One of the most important reasons for the Iraq war getting awry was the power struggle in the Bush administration. There were serious differences in opinion between Colin Powell, the former Secretary of State and the duo of Vice President Dick Cheney and the former Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld. While the former was for diplomatic efforts and UN resolutions for bringing Saddam under justice, the latter team wanted war at any cost to bring Saddam Hussein down. Cheney’s and Rumsfeld’s exceptional interest in engaging in a war with Iraq has always been a big mystery for the political gurus.

Now that the war is on for five years, humanitarian crisis is increasing day by day. With the fall of Saddam Hussein there has been a huge increase in the number of terror strikes by the insurgents and this is creating a lot of human loss to both sides, military and civilian casualties are on the rise, starvation and hunger is prevalent; killing, looting, rape and arson are on the increase and there is the big trouble of handling and managing the criminals and detainees of the war. The inhuman treatment of the detainees by the United States administration at different prisons including the Guantanamo Bay and the Abu Ghraib are subject of serious and fiery discussions in the international arena with the human rights organizations and the Bush administration at loggerheads. While Colin Powell wanted PoW status for the detainees of the war so that they would get human treatment based on the Geneva conventions, Cheney and Rumsfeld didn’t thought so and they wanted abhorrent and brutal methods of torture to be adopted for interrogation of the detainees or what they call the “enemy combatants”.

Now Iraq is a mess, made of destructed buildings and obstructed peaceful life, an agonizing place for invidious ethnic conflicts, a safe haven for treacherous insurgents and a breeding ground for gross human rights violations. The US troops are a confused lot, oblivious of any available strategies to counter insurgents and unaware of any policies on how to get out of the quagmire at Iraq. There are no exit strategies at hand and the sabotage of human lives and properties by the rivaling Shia and Sunni militants are on the rise, with the Mahdi army, loyal to the Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and hostile to the US army and its allies, continuing its assault on various cities in Iraq, particularly Basra. There seems to be no end to this unjust war and its implications on the world economy and world polity is quite alarming. And this war provides a very uncomfortable challenge to the US administration and to the US President whose popularity ratings are on an all time low. We could only hope that the new President of the United States – John McCain, Hilary Clinton or Barack Obama – would take some effective steps to stop this incendiary combat.