4 VOL 35 NO 36 THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017

CONTENTS FOR THE WEEK AUGUST 28-SEPTEMBER 3

COLUMNS
12 Power Point 67 Everyone is a camera
42 COVER STORY Sachidananda Murthy
30 Mani-Festo
Bose Krishnamachari
74 Last Word
Mani Shankar Aiyar Barkha Dutt
SEX, LIES 60 Schizo-Nation
AND DR AGONS Anuja Chauhan

Imagine a television series in which all your

favourite characters are killed off one by one. And, 18 Current events: 56 Infosys: The
Justice Dipak company needs
yet you don't mind waiting an entire year to catch
Misra has his task to set its house in
the next season. Well, that is Game of Thrones cut out as the next order before looking
for you. The series has a strong viewership base Chief Justice of for a new CEO
across the world, and also in India. THE WEEK India
takes a look at the reasons for its popularity 68 Architecture:
26 Security: Sri Lankan
India needs a architect Madhura
forward-looking Prematilleke talks
national security about contentment
strategy and not a in the craft
reactive one

32 Unless the trial

is expedited,
Col Purohit will
remain an accused
in the blast case

NEXT WEEK
A Bodhi tree that travelled back to
India after 2,400 years

COVER IMAGING: BINESH SREEDHARAN

BHANU PRAKASH CHANDRA
SANJAY AHLAWAT
VIBI JOB

38 TAMIL NADU
Despite the two warring camps
40 TRIPLE TALAQ
The abolition of the 1,400-year-old
63 @LEISURE
More and more Indians are ditching
burying the hatchet for now, practice is a step towards bringing social the cities for the quaint charm and
uncertainty prevails in the AIADMK reform in the community natural setting of Goa K

Printed at Malayala Manorama Press, Kottayam, Print House India Pvt Ltd, Mumbai, M P Printers, Noida and Rajhans Enterprises, Bangalore and published from Manorama Buildings, Panampilly Nagar,
Kochi-682 036, by Jacob Mathew, on behalf of the Malayala Manorama Co.Ltd., Kottayam - 686 001. Editor Philip Mathew Focus/Infocus features are marketing/PR initiatives
6 THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017
LETTERS
INDEPENDENCE DAY SPECIAL
AUGUST 20, 2017
LIFE OF
THE
ROYALS
THEN &
NOW
ROYALS
RELOADED
ON THE FACE of it,
it may appear odd to
devote the cover story
of your special issue to
erstwhile kings and their
progeny, but their con-
tribution in formulating
and enriching the destiny
of democratic India is
second to none (King of
all rewinds, August 20).
Even after losing power
and pelf, their persever-
ance and adaptability are
noteworthy.
THE WEEK MAGAZINE
has carried an article
(Simplicity rules, August
20) on the Travancore
royal family to which I
belong. I thank the author
for the considerate man-
ner in which she has
developed the article and
for highlighting a select
few significant events in
the long saga of service of
this ancient dynasty.
However, the statement
about our wealth and as-
sets, which appeared on
page 104 under the head-
ing Travancore Kingdom,
has shocked and horried
us making it inevitable
that we react.
Though not to the
$50
AHMED PATEL
GIVES HOPE
extent of the Britons and
TO CONGRESS
EXCLUSIVE:
STALKED GIRL the Japanese, we, in India,
TALKS OF THAT
DARK NIGHT
have a nostalgic afnity
with kings and their royal
ways.
Raveendranath A.,
0831-CRORE On email.
DIAMOND FOR
PAPERWEIGHT.
ROLLS-ROYCES
FOR GARBAGE
PICK UP.
I THOROUGHLY
70 YEARS LATER,
INDIAS
ROYALS
ENJOYED reading the
SHAPE
POLITICAL AND
CORPORATE
cover story. It was a wel-
CAREERS,
PRESERVE come change from mun-
dane politics. The account
of the regal life led by the
royals and the life of their
descendants made my
week. The snippets sprin-
kled in the stories were
too good to miss.
But the royal family that
caught my attention was
Travancore. Their con-
tribution to society and
simplicity are exemplary.
Dilip Gurjar,
On email.
I ENJOYED READING
the reports on life of the
Indian royals then and
now. However, I found
Estimated wealth
projecting a staggering
amount far beyond our
reach appeared in one
box but what was even
more disturbing and
distressing was the last
box with the heading
Assets Include, wherein
the fabulous wealth of
the Sree Padmanabhas-
wamy temple has been
brought in.
On behalf of my family,
I categorically declare
that we have no claim of
any sort on even a gram of
gold, bit of silver or gem of
this great temple. Noth-
ing of this fabled wealth
is ours and can never be
some omissions. The part
played by Maharaja Hari
Singh in the annexation
of his princely state to the
Union of India, which ulti-
mately pushed the nation
to the present turmoil
in Jammu and Kashmir,
and the circumstances
under which the Union
government abolished the
princely titles, privileges
and privy purses have not
been illustrated properly.
S.R. Gopinathan,
Kottayam, Kerala.
THE COVER STORY
was timely and informa-
tive. Most of these royals
associate themselves with
the Congress, forgetting
that it was Indira Gandhi
who abolished the privy
purse, which is the root
cause for most of their
misery! The Wadiyar
dynasty in Mysore sur-
vived on rental income
because most of the prop-
erty was under litigation.
It was said the Congress
part of our assets. The sole
owner is Sree Padmanab-
haswamy. as our presidents. They
I request you to urgently
correct this dangerously
damaging and hugely
incorrect information
regarding our assets and
ensure that this correction
is prominently published.
Aswathi Thirunal Gouri
Lakshmi Bayi,
Thiruvananthapuram.
IT IS AN established
fact the wealth in Sree
Padmanabhaswamy tem-
ple belongs to the deity. 20). But all its efforts to
We deeply regret the inad-
vertent error.
Editor
was eyeing the prop-
erty. Yet, Srikantadatta
Wadiyar, the scion of the
Mysore royal family, who
died in 2013, was a mem-
ber of the Congress and
represented Mysore four
times in the Lok Sabha. It
clearly shows that most of
the royals dont know who
to believe or are too naive.
S. Sreenivas,
On email.
THE UNION GOVERN-
MENT can play an impor-
tant role in preserving the
royal traditions by using
them to boost tourism.
Moin syed,
On email.
Ingratitude
WHEN HAMID ANSARI
stepped down as vice
president, he expressed
his ingratitude to the
nation which gave him
very high positions
(Mani-festo, August
20). Ansari very conve-
niently forgot to recall
that we had Zakir Husain,
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
and A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
did not have any doubts
on safety of minorities in
India.
T.V. Ravindran,
On email.
Watchout,
Congress
THE BJP HAS perfected
the art of forming govern-
ments after securing man-
dates and of forming gov-
ernments without man-
dates (Old hand, August
defeat Ahmed Patel in
the Rajya Sabha election
came to nought. The old
fox outwitted the BJP and
8 THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017
LETTERS
won a fifth successive
term in the upper house.
The foolhardiness of two
Congress turncoats, who
in their unbridled enthu-
siasm showed their bal-
lot papers to Amit Shah,
tilted the scales, and Shah
and company were forced
to eat humble pie.
C.V. Aravind,
On email.
THOUGH THE
CONGRESS was able
to snatch victory from
the jaws of defeat, Patel
and his party should not
be on cloud nine as the
bigger challenge for it
is the assembly election
in Gujarat. With such a
depleted strength, the
Congress will need a
miracle to snatch power
PRIZE-WINNING LETTER
Open Letter to Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala on
his comments on the stalking incident involving his son
Dear Subhash Barala,
IT IS HEARTENING
to hear that you have
promised action against
your stalker son stat-
ing that the victim is
like your daughter. We
hope you genuinely
mean it and would act
accordingly. Often such
statements are made to
soften the hue and cry
against such crimes and
slowly allow the initial
reactions to subside.
If you really intend
to protect your daugh-
ter from your criminal
son, do not defend his
action but condemn it
and get him the punish-
ment he deserves. This
will be a lesson for the
sons of powerful people
from the BJP.
Bal Govind,
On email.
Protect children
YOUR COVER STORY on
the 10-year-old rape victim
being denied abortion was
really painful to go through
(10 and mum, August 13).
This shows that a child is
not safe today even at her
home. Just about anyone
can assume the role of a
rapist. Parents must keep
constant vigil on their chil-
dren. The need of the hour
is to protect children from
sexual abuse and enact
laws to give stringent pun-
ishment to perpetrators. It
is our moral duty to save
the innocence of children.
K.S. Thampi,
On email.
who believe they can do
anything against law and
go scot-free. Please keep
your promise.
K.R.K. Moorthy
Mumbai
NEXT WEEK's
QUESTION
The Union government
recently ordered Google,
Facebook and other internet
giants to remove links to the
Blue Whale Challenge game
from their platforms.
Write an Open Letter in 200-
250 words to the Centre on
the clampdown order and
stand a chance to to win an
Amazon gift voucher worth
0500. Send in your entries
to youzone@theweek.in with
Open Letter as the subject.
LAST DATE: August 31
EDITOR
PHILIP MATHEW
SENIOR ASSISTANT EDITOR & DIRECTOR
RIYAD MATHEW
EDITOR-IN-CHARGE EDITOR-IN-CHARGE (ONLINE) SENIOR NEWS EDITOR
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NEWS EDITOR DEPUTY NEWS EDITORS
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RESIDENT EDITOR, DELHI CHIEF OF BUREAU, DELHI
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12
power point Sachidananda Murthy
Trump wants more
T
he initial reaction in India to the
enunciation of Donald Trumps
first Afghanistan policy has been
positive, as the American president said
words which were music to New Delhi.
Trump used harsh words to declare
Pakistan as a haven for terrorist groups
which constantly exported anarchy to
Afghanistan. He also gave up President
George Bushs 2002 policy of exporting
democracy to allow Afghanistan develop
its own native systems of governance.
The surge and withdrawal policies of
Bush and Barack Obama were thrown
out of the window. Instead, there was
reiteration that the US will strike at
will, depending on the
ground situation. He
summed it up by point-
ing out that strategically
applied force will create
conditions for a political
process to achieve last-
ing peace, and he gave
greater autonomy to the
generals on the field,
promising to end micromanagement of
the war from Washington.
Yet, there was a sentence which would
make Narendra Modis internal security
team, consisting of ministers Arun Jait-
ley, Sushma Swaraj and Rajnath Singh,
look at the costs to India for implement-
ing the Trump Doctrine for South Asia
and Indo-Pacic region. Trump wanted
the US to develop its strategic partner-
ship with India as a key security and
economic partner. But, he stated that
India makes billion of dollars through
trade with the US and it must pay for the
economic development of Afghanistan.
India has already invested billions of
dollars to build roads, hospitals, dams
and even a parliament building in war-
ravaged Afghanistan. The cabinet com-
mittee on security will have to decipher
what more Trump expects from India.
There was both dread and expecta-
tion in the strategic affairs community in
New Delhi that Trump might ask India
to help militarily in Afghanistan, like
Bush had asked Vajpayee in 2003, during
the Iraq occupation. Bush wanted Indian
police to patrol the liberated zones, but
Vajpayee ensured that the parliament
passed a resolution saying India should
stay out of the conict. Some NATO
countries suggested Indias military in-
volvement in Afghanistan
during UPA regime also.
Manmohan Singh said In-
dia was only interested in
humanitarian and devel-
opment aid to Kabul, with
the exception that Afghan
security forces underwent
training in India. Paki-
BHASKARAN
stan has always resented
Indian involvement in Afghanistan.
Trump omitted naming three key
players with a strong interest in Afghani-
stanChina, which has developed a stra-
tegic partnership with Pakistan and has
invested heavily for the natural resources
in Afghanistan; Russia, which considers
Afghanistan crucial for its Central Asia
policy; and, Iran, Afghanistans major
neighbour on the west, which Trump
accuses of exporting terror to the Middle
East. The US president has obviously
chosen to publicly ignore them in the the
latest edition of the deadly Great Game
being played in Afghanistan.
sachi@theweek.in
THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017
Squad goals was rst heard in
relation to American singer-
songwriter Taylor Swift and
her group of celebrity friends.
Squad goals which is more
often seen as #squadgoals is
a term more popular among
girls than guys. It means those
awesome stuffs one wants to
do along with ones girlfriends.
Your squad goals are entirely
dependent on the members of
your squad; so, it can be a su-
per cool brunch, to conquering
Mt Everest and taking a sele
at the top with your best bud-
dies. Remember, now a squad
goal is not even a goal unless
you update it in all available
social media platforms. Every-
body arriving punctually as
planned for an awesome stuff
could be the biggest squad goal
for any squad.
MILESTONES
Tasty Android: Google said
Android version 8.0 would be
called Oreo. Earlier, Google had
partnered with KitKat after which
Android 4.4 was named, and
android branded KitKat bars were
marketed around the world.
Well deserved: Paralympian
Devendra Jhajharia, who won
gold in mens F46 javelin throw
at Rio Paralaympics, will be
honoured with Rajiv Gandhi Khel
Ratna award. He is the rst Indian
to win two gold medals at the
Paralympics.
Safety rst: Facebook is adding
a dedicated Safety Check feature
on its app and website, with a
dedicated button on navigation
menu. It is designed as a disaster
response system that let the
users inform friends and family
about their safety.
14 THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017
APERITIF party snacks

PICKLED SECRETS
RAJIV MEHRISHI IS a master of home affairs, be
it at the home ministry or in his kitchen. A con-
noisseur of pickles, the home secretary not only
loves the spicy relish, but can also pickle a variety
of vegetables. Bitter gourd, jackfruit, ginger or chil-
liesyou name it, he brines it. In fact, at times, he
makes up to 12 pickles simultaneously. And, as with
matters of internal security, Mehrishi keeps his
recipes top secret.

Late-night drive
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
KIRAN BEDI recently went around
Puducherry at night, incognito and
riding pillion on a scooter, to experi-
ence first hand how safe the place
was for women. She was not pleased.
Apparently, she could not spot a single
cop, but found several speeding motor-
cycles, some of them carrying three
persons. Bedi, however, was stumped
when asked why she didnt wear a hel-
met. Her explanation? She wanted to
look vulnerable.

Comrades reply
THE COMMUNIST PARTY of India
(Marxist) Polit Bureau has asked leader
Gautam Deb for a written explanation after
he criticised the party for denying Sitaram
Yechury another Rajya Sabha term. Deb,
a staunch critic of former general secre-
tary Prakash Karat, is reportedly writing a
lengthy reply detailing the events that led
him to criticise the party. But, what will
happen if the party takes action? Wait for
some time, said Deb. This is not right time
to say [anything] about that.

Great orators
WHAT DO MAHATMA Gandhi,
Bal Thackeray and Prime Minister
Narendra Modi have in common? They
all captured the hearts of millions
with merely their words, without any
help from the media, said Arun Jaitley.
The finance minister was releasing
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Rauts booka
collection of a hundred interviews of
Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackerayon
August 19 in Mumbai. Though he
found oratorical similarities, Jaitley
wisely steered clear of discussing the
content of their speeches.
Pic peeve
OBJECTION, SAID RAM
JETHMALANI, not in a court-
room, but at a book launch. The
noted criminal lawyer, 93, was
displeased with his image on
the cover of Courting Politics,
by Shweta Bansal. On August
19, Jethmalani was on stage
with six of the nine lawyer-
politicians the book is about.
They have made me look like a
monkey, he said, but soon for-
gave the author. Veteran lawyer
Shanti Bhushan later quipped
that the book should have been
called Nine Monkeys, as the
title indicated that politics was
a beautiful lady that the nine
lawyers were courting.
|||||||||| HOW TO REACH US ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
GOSOCIAL The Editor,
The Week,
Manorama Buildings,
TheWeekMag P.B. No. 4278, Kochi,
@TheWeekLive 682036, Kerala, India.
They must include the
TheWeekMag name, address and
telephone number
85 89 99 48 69 of the writer.
editor@theweek.in 0484-4447888
http://www.theweek.in 0484-2315745
newmediadesk@theweek.in
THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017 15
Meeting or speech?
BJP PRESIDENT AMIT SHAH, who was
in Bengaluru recently, invited about 500
intellectuals, including academics, indus-
trialists, media personnel, social workers
and film stars, to a meeting. But, after a
delay of one hour, followed by an hour-
long speech by Shah, the meeting ended
abruptly. The audience, who had hoped for
an interactive session, was left speechless,
literally. Reporters, however, had a field day
teasing BJP state leaders, saying that their
boss had mistaken the intellectuals meet
for a party meeting.
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20 THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017
THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017 21
22 THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017
THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017 23
24 THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017
THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017 25
26 THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017
SECURITY
AFP

Defence A
s the Doklam crisis stares
the Narendra Modi gov-
ernment in its face, the
absence of a national secu-

mechanism
India needs a forward-looking national security
strategy and not a reactive one
BY NAMRATA BIJI AHUJA
rity doctrine is telling in more ways
than one. Several drafts have been
made over the last many years, but
none has been adopted. Today, there
is no attempt to even formulate one.
In 1999, the National Security
Advisory Board (NSAB), which
reports to the prime minister through
the security adviser, had prepared a
draft nuclear doctrinemade pub-

lic by then national security adviser
Brajesh Mishrain the midst of the
Kargil war. It generated a healthy
debate, and the doctrine, with a few
changes, was formally adopted by the
government in 2003.
Since then, the attempt had been
to draft a national security strategy.
A few drafts were made during the
United Progressive Alliance (UPA)
government. When I was the NSA, we
worked on it, said M.K. Narayanan,
who was Manmohan Singhs security
adviser during the first term. There
Fire, power: The INS Ranvir during an
exercise drill off the coast of Chennai.
The need for power projection using
naval assets was a recommendation of
the national security doctrine
have been several drafts, but none
was approved. That was probably
because the government could not
come to an understanding on what
constitutes national security policy.
Another draft was made by the
16-member NSAB, headed by for-
mer foreign secretary Shyam Saran,
during the UPAs second term
when Shivshankar Menon was the
NSA. The board made a presenta-
tion before Prime Minister Modi
in September 2014. Saran used his
bilingual (Hindi and English) skills,
which gave a softness to a complex
issue that needed the indulgence of
his audience. During the hour-and-a-
half audiovisual presentation, Modi
asked several questions, particularly
on the recommendations to set up a
cyber command and space command.
This discussion was the boards swan
song. Four months later, the mem-
bers met Modi over a farewell lunch.
The doctrine has since been gather-
ing dust.
A new board was set up in 2016.
Instead of 16 members, there are only
four nowP.S. Raghavan, former
ambassador to Russia, heads it, with
former Research and Analysis Wing
official A.B. Mathur, Lt General (retd)
S.L. Narasimhan and Prof Bimal
N. Patel of Gujarat National Law
University as members.
The Saran-headed board had want-
ed their draft doctrine, a 45-page doc-
ument accessed by THE WEEK, to be
put up in the public domain to gener-
ate discussion and debate. But, noth-
ing has happened. We made the pre-
sentation to the political leadership,
but it is for the leadership to decide
upon implementing the recommen-
dations we made, said Saran. THE
WEEK got in touch with the office of
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval
to seek his response, but Doval gently
excused himself.
THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017 27
The decision-making today, point-
ed out a former NSAB member, is
largely ad hoc. When something
happens in Doklam, we react to that.
When something else happens else-
where, we react to that, said the
member. But the overall way in
which we can deal with these chal-
lenges requires a well-thought-out
strategy. Today, there is an asymme-
try between India and China, and, if
that asymmetry expands, our room
for manoeuvre gets limited. So, how
do we get out of that?
The draft doctrine covered six
dimensionsdomestic, external,
military, economic, ecological and
strategic communications. The point
was that Indias options should not
get limited with a growing asymme-
try. If the asymmetry becomes so
large on its borders with any of its
neighbours, there will be no military
options left, said the member. The
enemy does not need to fight a war
then. So, how do we make certain that
we have at least the minimum capa-
bilities, so that if the adversary wants
to do anything, it is clear to him that
it will be a risk?
The Saran-headed board had made
specific recommendations like the
need to deploy additional air strike
capabilities and attendant ground
facilities to deal with the logistic and
transport asymmetry on the Sino-
Indian border; the need for power
projection using naval assets by giv-
ing priority to the Indian Navy among
the three armed forces; and appoint-
ing a chief of defence staff who will be
a senior authoritative interface of the
armed forces within the government
to promote jointness of military
forces to meet challenges of modern
warfare.
The focus on maritime assets was
explained in terms of expanding
footprints of both India and China in
southeast Asia and east Asia. Though
the Indian Ocean is low on Chinas
priorities at present, given its preoc-
cupation in the Yellow Sea, Taiwan
Strait and South China Sea, the pres-
ence of Chinese navy in the Indian
28
SECURITY
Interview/Rajiv Mehrishi, Union home secretary
Kashmir unrest, lynchings are overhyped
SANJAY AHLAWAT
BY NAMRATA BIJI AHUJA
I ndia may not have a national secu-
rity strategy like the United States
or China, but the unwritten poli-
cy, as Union home secretary Rajiv
Mehrishi puts it, is zero tolerance
to terrorism. In an exclusive inter-
view with THE WEEK, Mehrishi,
who retires on August 31, says the
fundamentals are in place about what
needs to be done to combat terrorism.
Excerpts:
Doesnt India need a national
security policy to give integrated,
cohesive advice to various arms of
the government?
A national security policy, as a single
document, might not exist, but we
cannot say there is no policy. There
are elements of a policy, such as zero
tolerance to terror, not to allow mis-
use of NGOs, and so on. And, we have
a working system where I cant recall
a single instance which can be termed
as half-hearted cooperation. We have
always had wholehearted coopera-
tion from all departments. Whether
a single policy is needed, like in the
case of the US or China, requires a
larger call.
Has the home ministry rejected
the proposal to set up the National
Counter Terrorism Centre?
The NCTC proposal is alive. I think it
is a question of getting various piec-
es of the jigsaw together. Since this
involves the state governments, too,
the effort is to take everybody along as
it happened with the goods and ser-
vices tax. Therefore, it is taking time.
Will the NCTC be a separate body?
Whenever such a body is created in
whatever shape, it will have to be
with the Union home ministry. For
now, we have to address the concerns
of the state governments and vari-
ous agencies and find a satisfactory,
workable and effective solution.
What is the status of the national
intelligence grid which will connect
databases of core security agencies?
The NATGRID is progressing satis-
factorily. I think it would see the light
of day in 2018.
Do you think India needs a law on
the right to privacy?
I think our current provisions have
provided for that. For example, I
cannot intercept a telephone except
by following the due process of law,
so I think there are adequate provi-
sions to avoid misuse. There has not
been any serious complaint of breach
of privacy of individuals by any gov-
ernment agency.
In Jammu and Kashmir, the security
situation has visibly deteriorated.
Some say it is worse than the 1990s.
No, it is certainly not worse than the
early 1990s. The current unrest is lim-
ited to three districts. The other 19
THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017
districts are peaceful. I wont say that
the situation is as normal as it was in
2015 or early 2016, but it is not as bad
as the national media, especially the
visual media, have made it out to be.
Primarily, I think it is sponsored
and funded by Pakistan. There has
been an increase in anti-India activity
across the border and that has been
behind 95 per cent of the disturbanc-
es that we have seen from July last
year. In any case, compared with last
year, this year has been much better.
What is the home ministry doing
about lynching incidents across the
country?
I would again say that there is so
much hype by the media. I will
answer this question with the exam-
ple of Kashmir. Some schoolgirls
once threw stones over a local dispute
with the police. From the media, it
appeared as if every girl in Kashmir
was throwing stones. Similarly, the
issue of lynching, too, is overhyped.
It is a barbaric crime and needs to be
dealt with strictly as per law. And I
dont think there is a single incident
where law has not taken its course,
where arrests have not been made
or investigation is not on. And I am
pretty sure in due course, following
the due legal process, these people
will be brought to book.
How is the counterterrorism
cooperation with the US
progressing?
We have a dialogue in place and we
have joint working groups. We have
better sharing of inputs and a much
greater degree of cooperation on mat-
ters relating to internal security.
The Union home ministry wants
Facebook, Twitter and Google to
maintain their servers in India for
real time information to handle
terror threats.
The national security council secre-
tariat is in talks with the concerned
service providers and we hope to
have an outcome soon.

NATIONAL SECURITY: THE DRAFT DOSSIER
Domestic
z Empower inter-state bodies to
take critical decisions
z Improve communications and
connectivity in border areas
z Legalise third country trade through
borders on a Most Favoured Nation
basis
External
z Make transgression of the
LAC costly for China by forging
alliances with other countries
z Strengthen relations with Saudi
Arabia and Iran
z Improve maritime security by
strengthening ties with maritime
neighbours
Ocean will become more ubiquitous,
Saran told Modi. Indias edge in the
Indian Ocean could be eroded if it
does not build up the quality and
reach of its maritime assets.
Another key recommendation was
on the need to develop nuclear capa-
bilities based on the no-first-use doc-
trine. For a no-first-use doctrine to
be credible, it should be backed with
a robust retaliation capability, after
suffering the first attack by the ene-
my. Unless you have survivable forc-
es, you cannot have that capability,
the board said. India needs to focus
on not only having more nuclear sub-
marines in the next few years, but also
longer-range ballistic missiles that
can be fired from those submarines.
India must also take into account
the possibility of Pakistans nuclear
weapons or dangerous fissile mate-
rial falling into the hands of jihadi
Military
z Setup maritime commission,
aeronautic commission and space
and cyber commands
z Appoint a chief of defence staff
z Integrate defence and civilian
segments of weapons industry
z Nuclear doctrine should be in the
public domain
Economic
z Reduce dependence on import of
crude oil, gas and coal
z Focus on solar energy and nuclear
power
z Set up a National Energy
Commission
GRAPHICS: SYAM KRISHNAN; RESEARCH: NEERAJ KRISHNAN
or terrorist elements who may tar-
get India, the draft doctrine stated.
There was also stress on strengthen-
ing a ballistic missile defence system
against the possibility of a first attack
by the enemy.
The draft had talked about the
importance of strategic communica-
tion. It even suggested making com-
munication a part of each cabinet
note, where it would explain how the
government should use the media to
communicate its policy decisions to
the citizens. The doctrine wanted to
change the all-too-secret image of the
government.
But, why do we need a doctrine?
When the business of the state has
become so complex, not having that
broad picture in front of you can lead
to inefficient decision-making,
explained Saran. What the nation-
al security strategy does is to give
THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017 29
Ecology
z Comprehensive study of Indias
ecological state
z Implement the 2008 National
Action Plan on climate change
z National and sub-national
programmes should include health
concerns arising out of climate
change
Strategic communications
z Use social media to shape public
opinion
z Engage with citizens to align public
perception with states objectives
z Make Doordarshan, Prasar Bharti
and AIR fully autonomous
you a certain degree of coherence
in dealing with the challenges you
face. It comes with a clear picture
of what you are trying to achieve not
in the immediate term but in a five-
year, ten-year or fifteen-year time
frame.
According to Narayanan, a national
security strategy is a combination of
both actionable points as well as
an overarching policy framework.
Definitely, we need a national secu-
rity strategy, which is why it has been
in the works for the last 10-12 years,
he said.
Strategy is about making choices
because you cannot do everything,
summed up Saran. Every country
needs to decide what is important and
what is not, he said, what is a great-
er priority and what is not, so that you
direct the limited resources you have
to what your priorities are.
32
SECURITY
Only trial will tell
Is Lt Col Purohit an Army officer gone rogue or a political scapegoat?
BY DNYANESH JATHAR
R
elief was writ large on Lieutenant Colonel
Shrikant Purohits face as he entered the ses-
sions court in Mumbai on August 22. The
Supreme Court had granted him bail in the
2008 Malegaon blast case the previous day. Dressed in
a white full-sleeved shirt and grey trousers, Purohit,
45, accompanied by his team of lawyers led by Shrikant
Shivde, presented himself before Special Judge S.D.
Tekale to complete the formalities of the bail. I am
happy that I will get to spend time with my family after
a long time, said Purohit.
The Supreme Court order came weeks after the
National Investigation Agency had opposed his bail,
saying that he was one of the main conspirators behind
the Malegaon blast, which killed six people and injured
about 100.
As the legal team was busy with procedural matters,
Purohit appeared calm. After asking the judge for per-
mission, he stepped out of the courtroom to phone his
wife, Aparna. Surrounded by policemen, he had a brief
conversation with her and, as he ended the call, a few
bystanders shook his hand. He reciprocated without
words and returned to the courtroom. I want to get
back to my family. I have two families, the first is the
Army. I do not wish to say anything more, he told the
media during the lunch break. On August 23, he was
released from Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai and taken to
the Colaba military base.
Eminent lawyer Harish Salve, who appeared for
Purohit in the Supreme Court, said charges were yet
HOW THE CASE PROGRESSED
November
2008
z Arrested by Maharashtra anti terrorism squad (ATS)
z Booked under the Maharashtra Control of
Organized Crime Act (MCOCA)
z Right-wing group Abhinav Bharat behind plot
THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017
to be framed, despite him being in jail for nearly nine
years. From an unsung hero, he has now become an
incarcerated hero, Salve reportedly told the Supreme
Court bench of Justice R.K. Agrawal and Justice A.M.
Sapre.
Purohit is accused of forming Abhinav Bharat (a
right wing organisation allegedly behind the Malegaon
blast), collecting funds for it and arranging meetings in
which the Malegaon blast was allegedly planned. Salve
said Purohit accepted that he had, in 2007, attended
meetings of Abhinav Bharat, but had done so as an
Army officer in a covert operation, and had informed
his seniors about the groups activities. He has been
caught in political crossfire, said Salve. He also argued
that no conspirator would ever divulge details of the
conspiracy to superior officers. Salve said that there
wasnt sufficient evidence that there was any conspira-
cy hatched at those meetings.
Born in a middle-class Brahmin family in Pune,
Purohit had always wanted to be an Army officer. His
father, a retired bank officer, encouraged him. Boys
in Pune have a fascination for the Army as they see
National Defence Academy cadets strolling on the
streets on weekends. Purohit was one such boy. He
studied at Abhinav Vidyalaya and Garware College in
Pune and, after graduation, joined the short service
commission. After training at he Officers Training
Academy in Chennai, Purohit opted for the Maratha
Light Infantry regiment in 1994 and was posted in
Kashmir. Around 2003-04, he was transferred to the
January April
2009 2011
Purohit and 14 z NIA takes charge of the case
others named
as key zPurohits aim was to form a
conspirators national Hindu government
by the ATS z Purohit set up Abhinav Bharat claiming
he was a farmer
 THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017 33

CURIOUS CASE OF
LT COL PUROHIT
Lt Colonel Purohit was granted conditional
bail by the Supreme Court, nine years after
he was sent to jail for his alleged
involvement in the 2008 Malegaon blast.
After completing his education from
Garwara College in Pune, he was
commissioned into Maratha Light Infantry
in 1994.He served in the counter-terrorism
operations unit in Jammu and Kashmir
from 20022005 and was then shifted to
Military Intelligence.

ALLEGED ROLE
Projected as a conspirator in the 2008
Malegaon blast, Purohit is alleged to have
formed a right-wing group Abhinav Bharat
to form a central Hindu government. He
claimed to have inltrated the group as a
farmer on the direction of his superiors,
which the NIA dismissed as false.

Free, ride: Purohit being taken to the Colaba

military base in Mumbai

Military Intelligence, where he continued till his arrest
on November 5, 2008. His wife, a doctor, and two sons,
Kanishka Vikram and Yashovardhan, live in a bunga-
low on Law College Road in Pune.
The NIA, which took over the investigation from
the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad in 2011, rec-
ommended Purohits prosecution under the Unlawful
Activities (Prevention) Act. The NIA said it had evi-
dence against Purohit in the form of audio, video, call
data records and witness statements. We had opposed
Purohits bail application. The NIA has enough evi-
dence on him to show his involvement in the terror
PTI
conspiracy, an NIA spokesperson told THE WEEK.
On May 31, 2014, Purohit wrote an 18-page letter to
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, explaining how the
Maharashtra ATS had used four of his recorded infor-
mants against him. Two of them were made co-accused
while two were made witnesses. He claimed that he
was being made a scapegoat.
While dismissing his bail plea on April 25 this year,
the Bombay High Court referred to a report submitted
by the NIA, which said Purohit had prepared a consti-
tution for a Hindu rashtra with a separate saffron flag,
and had also plotted revenge for atrocities that Muslims

April 15, September April May July 26, August 21

2015 2016 2017 2017 2017 2017

Supreme Special NIA Supreme Court Purohit moves the NIA opposes Supreme Court
Court drops court rejects consults NIA and apex court after the Purohits grants him bail
MCOCA Purohits Maharashtra Bombay High Court bail plea
charges due bail plea government on denied him bail
to lack of Purohits bail plea
evidence
GRAPHICS: SYAM KRISHNAN; RESEARCH: NEERAJ KRISHNAN
34
SECURITY
Im a simple soldier,
says Lt Col Purohit
WHEN THE WEEK spoke to Lt Col Purohit in
the corridors of the sessions court, he clearly
did not want to say anything controversial
on the day of his release on bail. Dressed
smartly, Purohit was polite even as he
stressed that he did not wish to make any
political comments. Asked whether he was
made a scapegoat by the previous political
dispensation (the United Progressive Alliance
government), Purohit merely said, I do not
want to say anything now about politics.
On whether the Maharashtra ATS had framed
him in the case, Purohits response was: I
would not like to comment anything on the
investigations as the matter is sub judice. All
I want to say is that I remain a simple soldier
who loves his uniform and the Indian Army. I
thank the Army for standing by me.
Old wounds: Residents at Bhikku Chowk, near
the Malegaon blast site, in 2008
AMEY MANSABDAR
THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017
allegedly committed against Hindus. The High Court did not
accept Purohits claim that he had attended the meetings as
part of a covert operation.
The Supreme Court, while granting conditional bail to
Purohit, observed that the NIA has submitted a supplemen-
tary charge-sheet which is at variance with the charge-sheet
filed by the ATS, and that the trial is likely to take a long time
and the appellant has been in prison for eight years and eight
months.
Advocate Sanjiv Punalekar, who represents four oth-
er accused, including Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Rakesh
Dhawade, said, We have been saying from the beginning that
the ATS has [been up to] mischief. It is on record that Major
Pravin Khanzode and Subedar K.K. Pawar had informed Army
Headquarters that they had seen ATS inspector Shekhar Bagde
in suspicious circumstances at Sudhakar Chaturvedis house
[on November 3, 2008, when he was allegedly not home].
Said special public prosecutor Avinash Rasal: Currently, we
are arguing framing of charges. Now that Col Purohit has been
granted bail, his legal team will soon move an application to
discharge him from the case. But, we have to fight with the
evidence we have. That is why I am here.
Purohit, in his letter to Modi, had alleged that the ATS planned
his arrest on November 5 after planting RDX in Chaturvedis
house on November 3. The ATS arrested Chaturvedi on
November 4, said Punalekar.
Neela Gokhale, Purohits advocate in the Supreme Court,
said: The bench has referred to the alleged role of the ATS in
36
SECURITY
planting the RDX, which the NIA had noted in
its investigation. This has raised serious doubts
about the investigation. The court has said there
are variances in the charge-sheets filed by the
agencies. Said a senior NIA official: We could
not find any evidence to sustain the charge that
Purohit provided RDX to other accused per-
sons.
Senior lawyer Rohini Salian,
who was earlier associated with
the case, said: I left that brief
after voicing my reservations
about the way NIA was handling
the case. However, as a citizen
of this country, I feel concerned.
It could become a precedent. It
could also become a point of ref-
erence for other accused to apply
for bail. Also, the way NIA has
negated important points in the
ATS charge-sheet is something All smiles:
happening for the first time. Purohit
The UPA government, which and his
had entrusted the case to the wife,
NIA, had called it a classic case Aparna,
of Hindu terror. The BJP had before
rejected the claim. Purohits case, his arrest
however, does not put a lid on the
Hindu terror theory. Interestingly,
during the bail arguments, neither
the prosecutor nor the defence counsel refuted
the fact that suspected Hindu extremists held
meetings in Bhopal. It is now part of the Supreme
Courts records that Purohit was privy to the
clandestine meetings of Abhinav Bharat. The fact
that he attended certain meetings only strength-
ens the argument that Hindu extremists might
have tried to carry out terror acts, of which he
may or may not have been a part of.
There were mixed reactions to Purohits bail.
Thankful Col Purohit finally got bail. His impris-
onment is one of the most dangerous games
played by the Congress to protect Pak backed
terror groups, tweeted writer Madhu Kishwar.
Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, how-
ever, tweeted: It was expected as the present
BJP government is protecting all the accused
connected with the RSS in all bomb blast cases.
Whether Purohit is an Army operative gone
rogue or a man caught in political crossfire will
become clear only if the trial in the Malegaon
blast case is expedited and daily hearings are
held. Till then, he will remain a prime accused
in a bomb blast case, out on bail.
WITH NAMRATA BIJI AHUJA
THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017
Interview/Aparna Purohit
He was doing
his duty
BY NAMRATA BIJI AHUJA
T
he bail to Lt Col Purohit came as
a respite for his family, especially
his wife, Aparna, a homoeopathic
doctor. In an interview with THE
WEEK, Aparna, 42, talks about wanting
a normal life for her family. Edited
excerpts:
Were you hopeful of Purohit getting
bail after eight years and eight months?
I had no idea that my husband would
get bail. We have struggled quite a bit
to even get the Army papers out. In a
court of inquiry in 2009, a lot of positive
statements were made. All the papers were released a year and a
half ago. A lot of my husbands seniors had deposed and shared
what he had reported to them. Even the Supreme Court has said
that prima facie it is seen that whatever he had done was reported
to his seniors. All his actions were in the line of duty.
Was there any delay on the part of the Army?
No, the Army did not delay anything.
Do you believe Purohit is innocent?
Absolutely. I stood by him because I know he is innocent.
The Supreme Court has talked about discrepancies in probes
conducted by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad and the
National Investigation Agency.
The court has acknowledged the fact that the RDX that was alleged
to have been supplied by him and the swabs of RDX found had all
been planted by the ATS.
Do you expect penal action against the ATS officials?
I am not thinking on those lines. I just want him to be free of all this.
The family is so important and your children need you. They need a
comfortable life which we have not been able to provide.
How was Purohits life in custody?
He was subjected to gruesome third-degree torture. He was
beaten up and hung upside down. His feet were tied and pulled
apart. All this was done to get a confession out of him. When he
was produced in court he could not even walk properly. Later, [on
our request to the court] he was taken to the naval hospital in
Colaba and a complete examination was done. The doctors said
two nerves in his hands were severed. When he was serving in
Jammu and Kashmir, he had suffered an injury so his knee had to be
reconstructed. Those ligaments were torn again.
What do you plan to do next?
I am going to be out of this now. Whatever responsibility of the case
is there, he will take it up and fight for himself.
For full interview log in to www.theweek.in
38 THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017
TAMIL NADU
BY LAKSHMI SUBRAMANIAN

T
here were no drum rolls,
no huge posters dotting
the streets of Chennai.
The merger of the two
AIADMK factions, led by for-
mer Tamil Nadu chief minister O.
Panneerselvam and his successor
Edappadi K. Palaniswami, was sup-
posed to bring cheer to the cadre. But
it has only brought more uncertainty,
what with V.K. Sasikalas nephew
T.T.V. Dhinakaran and his support-
ers playing spoilsport.
At the party headquarters on
August 21, a subdued Panneerselvam
said, We have now come together
to follow the path laid by our
revolutionary leader Amma [former
chief minister J. Jayalalithaa].
Palaniswami, on the other hand,
was beaming. The party will
have a steering committee,
led by Panneerselvam, he said. K.P.
Munusamy, R. Vaithilingam and I will
be part of the committee to lead the
party effectively.
A three-time stopgap chief minis-
ter, Panneerselvam got a raw deal. As
deputy chief minister, he has been
allotted the finance, housing and
urban development ministries, and
not a powerful portfolio like home.
Also, not many from his faction have
benefited from the merger; only K.
Pandiarajan found place in the cabi-
net. P.H. Manoj Pandian, son of P.H.
Pandian, who had raised questions
over Jayalalithaas death, might be
made Tamil Nadu representative
in Delhi. The post is now held by
Thalavai Sundaram, who is close to

Camp ght
Dhinakaran. And some Rajya Sabha
members in the Panneerselvam camp
like V. Maitreyan have been promised
one more term.
A few compromises were made by
the Palaniswami camp, too, but with
Uncertainty looms large as infighting little or no inconvenience to the top
leadership. While D. Jayakumar had
continues within the AIADMK to part with his finance portfolio, he
VIBI JOB

Back together: O. Panneerselvam and

Edappadi Palaniswami (right)

has retained the fisheries ministry.
His son J. Jayavardhan is tipped to
join the Union cabinet. The AIADMK
is expected to join the National
Democratic Alliance, like the Janata
Dal (United) had done in Bihar.
The government seems to be
stronger than earlier with more num-
ber of ministers, said political ana-
lyst Raveendran Duraisamy. On the
face of it, Palaniswami has won and
Panneerselvam had to settle for less.
Now, Panneerselvam is the leader of
the steering committee. But chances
are that Palaniswami will lead both
the party and the government in the
near future.
This will widen the fissures in the
party at the grassroots level. I was a
district secretary when Amma was
alive. I supported Panneerselvam all
these days. But I dont know if I will
get back my position in the party,
said a member. Also, differences will
emerge right from the stage of quot-
ing tenders, said an office-bearer
from Dindigul. There is no Amma to
control them now.
On August 22, Dhinakaran, the par-
tys deputy general secretary, revolt-
ed. Nineteen legislators of his faction
called on governor C. Vidyasagar Rao,
saying they had lost confidence in the
chief minister. Dhinakaran also has
the support of three other MLAs who
had contested on the AIADMKs two
leaves symbol. In the 234-member
house, the party has 134 members, and
Palaniswami would need the support
of 117 members to prove his major-
ity. Party insiders said Dhinakaran
had asked Palaniswami to concede
demands made by his aunt Sasikala,
who is in jail in a case of unaccounted
wealth. On August 23, Dhinakaran
sacked six office bearers of the par-
ty. One of them, Vaithilingam, had
demanded that Sasikala be expelled
from the party.
The DMK, the main opposition
party, has called for a trust vote. It
had adopted a wait-and-watch policy
while talks for the merger were on.
But once Dhinakaran rebelled, oppo-
sition leader M.K. Stalin wrote to the
governor, demanding a floor test, and
said that people had lost confidence
in the corrupt government. The call
for a trust vote is legal and has a
precedent, said DMK spokesperson
Saravanan Annadurai. In the case
of [former Karnataka chief minister
B.S.] Yeddyurappa, a trust vote was
called within six days [in 2010],
he said. The Supreme Court had
approved it in the interest of justice
and constitutional propriety.
Stalin is also trying to strengthen
the opposition by bringing together
leaders of other parties, like Congress
vice president Rahul Gandhi, CPI(M)
general secretary Sitaram Yechury,
Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi
leader Thol Thirumavalavan and
Leader of opposition M.K.
Stalin of the DMK wrote
a letter to the governor
demanding a floor test,
and said that people had
lost confidence in the
corrupt government.
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra
Kazhagam leader Vaiko.
It is the prerogative of the governor
to call for a trust vote. Palaniswami
should now come up with a solu-
tion, said Congress legislator S.
Vijayadharini. But, it is better that
he steps down.... It is not a majority
government now.
But the DMK does not want an
election now. So if the governor
doesnt call for a trust vote, Stalin
could take the matter to court, which
will be more advantageous to his par-
ty. Also, sources said Dhinakaran and
his MLAs were not interested in top-
pling the government. They are only
threatening to do so to negotiate with
Palaniswami and Panneerselvam.
But, the AIADMKs credibility
THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017 39
has taken a hit. Writer and blogger
A. Shankar said the party no lon-
ger had any strong leader, and the
cadres might not support any of the
three faction leaders for long. The
infighting and lack of a strong lead-
ership could bring down the partys
vote share of 44 per cent in the next
elections. Two or three years after it
loses power, the AIADMK will turn
into a small party like the MDMK or
VCK, said Shankar.
Also, the growing influence of the
BJP in Tamil Nadu politics cannot
be ignored. The merger between the
two AIADMK camps was orchestrat-
ed by the BJP and the RSS idealogue
S. Gurumurthy. Till our Amma was
around, neither [Prime Minister]
PTI
Narendra Modi or [BJP chief] Amit
Shah could make us fall at their feet,
said Rajenthiran Thangadurai, an
AIADMK member from Thanjavur.
BJP leader H. Raja, however,
denied the partys role in the merg-
er. It is the internal affair of the
AIADMK. They fell apart, they have
now come together, he said. I dont
think even the MLAs supporting
Dhinakaran will go to the extent of
toppling the government. Ultimately,
they all belong to the AIADMK and
want the government to go on.
However, the BJPs game plan is to
weaken the AIADMK and run a pup-
pet government. Its cadre base is
growing, and with actor Rajinikanth
eyeing a political role, it is advantage
BJP in Tamil Nadu.
40
CURRENT AFFAIRS
Three cheers!
The verdict invalidating instant talaq could be a
stepping stone to codified Muslim personal law
BY REKHA DIXIT
I
n view of the different opinions
recorded, by a majority of 3:2,
the practice of talaq-e-biddat
triple talaqis set aside.
With this order, a five-member
Constitution bench of the Supreme
Court abolished a 1,400-year-old
practice followed by the Sunnis, the
dominant Muslim denomination in
India. The moment the judgment was
delivered, petitioners hugged each
other outside the court, womens
groups declared that it was Eid for
them, and parties across the politi-
cal spectrum hailed it as historic.
From Prime Minister Narendra Modi
to Congress vice president Rahul
Gandhi, almost all were on the same
page for once.
It was not an Islamic practice; it
had been created by clerics, said
Maulana Suhaib Qasmi of the Jamiat
Ulema-e-Hind, an influential Muslim
body that fought talaq-e-biddat.
For decades, Muslim women had
found scant support for their fight
against talaq-e-biddat, despite earlier
court rulings in their favour. Indeed,
the five womenShayara Bano,
Ishrat Jahan, Gulshan Parveen, Atiya
Sabri and Aafreen Rehmanwho had
moved the Supreme Court against the
practice, found resistance and threats,
not support. Clerics pressured us to
take back the case, said Iqbal Ahmed,
Shayaras father.
It was the grit of the wronged wom-
en, and the joining forces of Muslim
women under several organisations,
that brought about the judgment.
My marriage was a nightmare, and
though I protest at the way it ended,
nothing can make me go back to my
former husband, said Shayara,
who has not met her children
after her divorce in October
2015. But I wanted to chal-
lenge the system. So that the
next generation, at least, is not
so vulnerable.
The Supreme Court,
having received several
similar petitions, clubbed
them together to decide
whether talaq-e-biddat
was central to Islam,
and whether it was
constitutionally val-
id. The petitioners
had raised two oth-
er issuespolyg-
amy and nikah
halala, the prac-
tice of a woman
having to have
conjugal rela-
tions with anoth-
er man, in case the hus-
band, after pronouncing talaq, wants
her back. The court, while saying it
was open to addressing these issues
at a later date, restricted the hearing
to triple talaq.
The talaq-e-biddat case has been
compared to the Shah Bano judgment
of 1985, in which the Supreme Court
had fixed alimony for the woman
divorcee. But the Rajiv Gandhi gov-
ernment negated it by a controversial
legislation that made alimony man-
datory only during iddat, the waiting
period after the initial pronounce-
ments of divorce. Shah Bano died in
penury.
This is not 1985, said Zakia
Soman of the Bharatiya Muslim
Mahila Andolan. Shah Bano had no
support, but Muslim women today
THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017
The ban bench
FOR
Justice Kurian Joseph
Justice Rohinton Nariman
Justice U.U. Lalit
Violates
Article 14 of
Constitution
Arbitrary &
whimsical in
nature
are an organised lot. We will not allow
this verdict to be negated.
In their dissenting judgment, Chief
Justice J.S. Khehar and Justice S.
Abdul Nazeer said the Centre should
legislate against talaq-e-biddat, as it
was not for the court to abolish a prac-
tice covered under Muslim personal
law. They directed the government
to bring in the legislation within six
months, during which the practice
would not be valid.
Earlier, the BJP-led National
Democratic Alliance government
had told the court that triple talaq
was not central to Islam. Now that
the verdict is out, the government

According to the
2011 census, of
the 83.97 million
Muslim women,
about 2.12 lakh are
divorced.
The percentage of
instant divorces is
not known.
does not have much to do on the
matter. Since Khehar and Nazeem
were in the minority, what they said
in their judgment is now only a sug-
gestion. The Centre is not bound to
follow it, said Congress leader Salman
Khurshid, who was amicus curiae in
the case.
Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar
Prasad said existing laws of domestic
violence should be enough to pun-
ish men who pronounce triple talaq.
Others feel that there is now a need
for codifying Muslim personal law.
Farha Faiz, Supreme Court lawyer
associated with the Rashtrawadi
Muslim Mahila Sangh, said it was the
AGAINST
Justice Abdul Nazeer
Chief Justice J.S. Khehar
Doesnt violate
constitution
Practised for
1,400 years
Part of
personal law
Nothing can make
me go back to my
former husband. But
I wanted to challenge
the system. So that
the next generation,
at least, is not so
vulnerable.
Shayara Bano, a petitioner
GRAPHICS: N.V. JOSE; RESEARCH: NEERAJ KRISHNAN
only way to free the religion from the
stranglehold of clerics. The Quran
is in Arabic, she said. Most Muslims
dont understand it, so clerics inter-
pret at their convenience. But the
Medina Charter clearly puts nation
before religion. So why shouldnt
India codify Muslim personal law?
Those fighting for reforms point
out that there is need for rules on
divorce, inheritance and a host of
other issues. We need a Muslim
Marriage Act on the lines of the
Hindu Marriage Act, said lawyer
Chandra Rajan, who represents the
All India Muslim Womens Personal
Law Board. Faiz quoted a couplet by
THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017 41
Iqbal: Sitaron se aage jahaan aur bhi
hai, abhi ishq ke imtihaan aur bhi hai
[This is not the end of the struggle,
there is still a long way to go].
The entire bench agreed that talaq-
e-biddat had to be done away with.
In their majority opinion, Justices
Rohinton Nariman, U.U. Lalit and
Kurian Joseph held that talaq-e-bid-
dat was unIslamic. Joseph held that,
since it was not fundamental to Islam,
triple talaq did not enjoy the immu-
nity granted to personal laws.
Its an avant garde judgment that
could open the door to codifying
Muslim personal laws, said Supreme
Court lawyer Malvika Trivedi. The
minority opinion does not matter.
Making a reference to the 1937
Muslim Personal Law (Shariat)
Application Act, Nariman said triple
talaq was arbitrary and should be
voided. The act also mentions the
other forms of talaq, which are all
unilateral, said Trivedi. By that rea-
soning, all of them should be struck
down. All these issues, she said, will
pop up eventually, resulting in codi-
fied personal law for Muslims.
Shayara, who is still overwhelmed
at how a personal humiliation has
ended up creating history, is keen to
get custody of her children, finish her
MBA and be independent. Please do
not politicise the issue, she said.
But the issue has already been
politicised. The BJP is claiming the
verdict as its victory. Other parties,
too, want to be seen in the right light.
BJP leader Subramanian Swamy says
the next move would be to press for
a Uniform Civil Codean issue that
has been contentious since India
became free.
The All India Muslim Personal
Law Board will discuss the judgment
at its executive body meet in Bhopal
in September, said member Atiya
Siddiqua. Our laws are not man-
made, they are divine, said Siddiqua.
But it is true they have been misinter-
preted and misused. We have already
started campaigns to tell people of
their rights within Islam.
42 THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017
COVER STORY

BASIC IN
Game of Thrones speaks to something primal in the
viewer. The abundance of sex, murders and betrayals
lights up eyes around the world, including a great
many in India. So, as the series wraps up its seventh
season, with the finale titled The Dragon and
the Wolf, THE WEEK looks at the show, its following
and its ever increasing popularity

BY REKHA DIXIT

ILLUSTRATIONS: JOB P.K.; IMAGING: BINESH SREEDHARAN

 THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017 43

STINCT
44
COVER STORY
T
These are funny times. So many
of our friends and colleagues are
talking in strange tongues, utter-
ing totally incomprehensible
phrases like Valar Morghulis
or Dracarys. Sometimes, they
speak in English, but that doesnt
make the utterances any clearer.
Winter is here is right now the
oddest greeting in India, which
is sweating under monsoon-
induced mugginess. Have you
noticed how this phrase lights up
eyes and brings a smile of cama-
raderie on certain faces? But, try
telling these people someone is
VIOLENCE IS
GOLDEN
Jon Snow (right), one
of the main characters,
during a crucial battle
THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017
sending their regards, and see what happens.
Only the completely insulated would not under-
stand what is happening. Season seven of the hugely
popular television series Game of Thrones (GoT) is
on air. While the GoT-ers are living in an alternative
universe, populated by medieval kings and queens
battling for an uncomfortable Iron Throne, the non
GoT-ers among us are putting up with this fan craze
with amazing fortitude. This too will pass, they sigh,
only too glad that this season is an abbreviated one,
with just seven episodes.
Tuesday mornings are perhaps the worst, when,
fresh from viewing the latest episode, this burgeon-
ing fan base discusses the developments in fictitious
Westeros and nearby lands. Will Valyrian steel be
more effective than dragonglass in the war against
the White Walkers? becomes the discussion dur-
ing lunch break. The series is screened on Tuesday
nights in India, but only a handful actually sit up till
11pm to view the sanskari version. True gratification
comes with watching the uncensored onereplete

with blood gushing off slit throats and a delectable
selection of bare breasts and buttocks. On Monday
morning (which is Sunday night in the US, shortly
after it has been aired), the episode gets uploaded
on the internet. GoT is reportedly not just the most
watched television series, but also the most pirated
one. The official figure of 25.1 million viewers for last
season, therefore, may be a far cry from real numbers.
And no, dissecting the events goes beyond swap-
ping review notes on the last episode. People actually
spend an amazing amount of time and energy trying
to understand stuff like what causes Greyscale dis-
ease, a fictitious ailment created by the American
author of the series, George R.R. Martin. He
describes it as a skin infection, creating
scabs over painful pus secretions. The
bodily damage is slow, but the patient
loses his mind rather rapidly.
In the GoT fan world, people have
sat down with actual doctors, trying
to diagnose what pathogen can cause
GODSWOOD
Place of worship
dedicated to the Old
Gods of the forest
THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017 45
the infection. One doctor, noting the symptoms
and method of spread, has concluded it is viral in
nature, not bacterial. Another fan, inspired by a
particularly gross sequencethe highlight was an
acolyte peeling a scab off a patient and cleaning
the suppurating soresactually posted pictures of
a Greyscale-inspired dessert she rustled up. This
dessert is a tart with a dark, scaly exterior, from
which, on puncturing, oozes a yellow custard.
Tempting or appetite killing, its anyones call.
It is a sign of the times that the Bengaluru City
Police Twitter handle uses examples from
GoT to drive in its message about safety.
Dont be overconfident, always wear
a helmet, is one such message,
with the image of the dishy actor
Pedro Pascal aka Lord Oberyn
Martell. Spoiler alert: He was
killed in a fight he was win-
ning as he hadnt worn a hel-
met.
Even Union Minister Smriti
Irani couldnt resist drawing
parallels between Jon Snow of
GoT and Mihir Virani, a charac-
ter in the once popular Kyunki Saas
Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, which was Iranis
ticket to stardom. Both Snow and Virani
came back from the dead.
Just what is it in this make-believe world creat-
ed by Martin, and served on the idiot box through
the genius of David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, that
has driven otherwise intelligent people crazy?
Fantasy is not a new genre. From J.R.R. Tolkiens
medieval magical realms to sci-fis Star Trek and
Star Wars, there are enough alternative worlds
around us. Even everyday London reveals its
magical streetsDiagon and Knockturn Alleys
for those who follow J.K. Rowling. If fantasy isnt
the novelty, then is it the generous servings of sex
and violence? Seriously, if it was just sex, why
could I not sit through Fifty Shades Darker? asks
S. Aishwarya, an ardent GoT follower based in
Delhi. The film, sequel to E.L. Jamess Fifty Shades
of Grey, released this year without making a ripple.
And, there is enough violence everywhere, adds
Aishwarya.
Richa Madhukar, a software professional based
in Delhi, says, I think the appeal is that GoT
pushes the boundary of our perceived values. You
grow up with a certain set of ideas, what is bad,
what is not allowed, and here, you are in a world
where everything is different. How you love, how
you kill, is like nothing you thought before. The
show appeals to the raw primate in you.
46 THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017
COVER STORY

Says Canada-based homemaker Surabhi a tie-up in December 2015 and all the seasons were
Dhondiyal, Before GoT, I cannot remember a aired one after another before the worldwide debut
time when watching television was more inter- of season six. In the wait for season seven, several
esting than going to the movies. Before this show, entrepreneurs had learnt to cash in on this pop craze.
you didnt get to see such cinematic resonance on Cousins Kamran and Omar Nissar, GoT fans,
television, in terms of the breadth and scope of opened a cafe by Dal Lake in Srinagar last December
the story, though now there are many. It was like and predictably named it Winterfell (after a castle in
watching a raunchy version of the Mahabharat. the series). Its the best place in the north, quips
Indians love to compare GoT with desi epic Kamran, amazed at the response theyve got to their
Mahabharat or even the new craze, Baahubali. themed cafe, complete with an Iron Throne. The
But, there is a fundamental difference. Whether name was half the marketing, he says. Pressed by an
in Mahabharat, Baahubali or for that matter even equally crazed GoT clientele, he is now planning to
Harry Potter and ancient Greek epics, there is a source GoT merchandise and even replace the crock-
common thread, good and evil are clearly defined. ery and cutlery to resemble what is seen in GoT tav-
There is punishment for wrong, even if that wrong erns. I ask him whether he also serves Aryas special-
is just vanity (remember Narcissus?). GoT is free ity (the child assassin killed her enemies and served
of any such shackles. In fact, one begins ques- them up as meat pies), and Kamran laughs, No, no.
tioning just what is right and what is wrong. A We draw a line there. Kamran has now written to
doting brother who spent a lifetime to avenge his
sisters murder and rape gets his head crushed
like a ducks egg, while his assailant, who is
sadistic without explanation, lives on to kill oth-
ers. Its nothing like what Ive seen before, says
Madhukar, who also watches programmes like
Breaking Bad and Westworld, which, though good,
arent addictive.
Each character is layered, neither saint nor
devil, says Sudha Nair, a Delhi-based
HR consultant. She was intro-
duced to GoT through her
teenaged daughter, Anushka,
who complements the seri-
al with the books. You
never know who is going
to do what. Everything is
so unpredictable, says
Sudha. The plot is best
described in a famous RAVEN
quote from the series Birds native to Westeros
itself: In the game of that deliver messages
thrones, even the humblest
pieces have wills of their own.
Sometimes they refuse to make
the moves you plan for them.
Martin, 68, observed the 20th anni-
versary of his first book of the series, A Song of
Ice and Fire last year, which sold well, but took
off when the first season opened on television in
2011. Its makers knew that a story of this scale
couldnt be dealt with in a film; it needed the
length and continuity of television. Although
India had a niche following for years, with a fan
base from Jodhpur to Guwahati, GoT blazed into
public consciousness when Star and HBO had

HBO about his cafe; he does not want to be flout-
ing a copyright. In Delhis Lajpat Nagar, anoth-
er cafe, Westeros, had opened shop, though its
reviews are not too encouraging.
The current season has also revived interest in
the books. Nagaraj Krishnan, head of the interna-
tional division at HarperCollins India, says GoT
is among their top five brands, with over half a
million copies sold. What is the profile of the GoT
fan? Just about anyone over the age of 16, says
Nagaraj.
Martin, who, it is said, wrote the books to be
free of the restrictions that writing for television
imposed, might not have realised what he was in
for. After his books were adapted for television,
they took on a life beyond imagination and he
hasnt been able to keep pace. The demands of
continuity on television and the reality that the
THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017 47
child artistes were rapidly growing up meant that the
series had to take off on its own, the books could come
later. Season seven is unknown territory, there is no
book reference to fall back on. This season, thus, has
a nail-biting quality to it. Understandably, all actors
have signed non-disclosure bonds.
Thus, the financial stakes were high when hackers
breached HBO servers (it reportedly took them six
months) and stole, by some accounts, 1.5 terabytes of
data. They leaked episode four online, and also some
scripts. The producers have been asked to pay up, in
bitcoins, a ransom of $6 million. Star India leaked
episode five of the current season in early August.
Mumbai Police arrested four persons in connection
with the leak.
The leaks, as well as regular piracy, have cost the
producers dearly. The show is an expensive one,
the scale of production amazing. Shooting is spread
TRICKS AND POLITICS
Daenerys Targaryen, the
Mother of Dragons (right),
and her counsel Tyrion
Lannister discuss plans to
defeat an enemy
48 THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017
COVER STORY

across scenic locales, from Ireland to Spain She compares it with the works of Indian
to Iceland. Google Earth didnt miss a author Amish, where again, there
chance to showcase the actual locales is the attempt to create a certain
where the scenes were shot. When type of macho hero. Such works,
the UK voted for Brexit last year, according to Niranjana, do well
one of the concerns was how it with a certain section of soci-
would affect the shootings. Then ety. I would not call it a rage.
there is the computer graphics There are many other issues
imaging of the fantastic crea- DRAGONGLASS which have occupied the youth,
turesfire-breathing dragons, A form of volcanic glass but which do not get reported. I
dire wolves and the White Walkers. that can be used to kill would call it a very smartly made
India has its own connect with the humanoid creatures called programme meant for television
series, with the costumes designed the White Walkers success.
and weapons forged in desi factories. But, once all the seasons are wrapped
Even the dragons were created in Mumbai. up, how long will GoT be remembered?
With two actors of part-Indian origin this sea- Observers feel that while the craze may ease,
son, Indira Varma and Staz Nair, the Indian touch is the steady fan base will continue. Fan fiction has
complete. ensured that GoT has gone beyond the life and
David J. Peterson has his own role to play. He creates world created by Martin, and Weiss and Benioff.
artificial languages for television and films. With only But there is always need for new stuff to draw in
a smattering of phrases provided by Martin, Peterson newer fans. The Lord of the Rings films revived
has created two fantastic languages, Valyrian and interest in Tolkiens books, which were written
Dothraki, each with extensive vocabularies. Like decades ago, as did the Narnia films with the works
Klingon, which was created for Star Trek, these two of C.S. Lewis, says Krishnan. Even the Mahabharat
languages have a burgeoning following. The Wiki of needs a regular re-telling. So, will there be edgier
Fire and Ice, created by GoT fans, provides as much reinterpretations, sequels and more? To quote from
background material on the places and characters as GoT itself, Old stories are like old friends. You have
you would have on Achilles or Hercules. to visit them from time to time.
Not all, however, are impressed by the GoT craze.
It is interesting to juxtapose the success of such
programmes with the reality in the world. Game of
Thrones on television and Donald Trump in
the White House, a changing Europe, too,
says Niranjana P., a researcher on contem-
porary culture. There is a clear white
supremacy being reinforced, and such
stuff gets popular in the US, which lacks
its own mythology. White America is
creating a heritage through pop culture.

FIRE, FORCE
One of the three drag-
ons on the show; Jaime
Lannister, one of the best
warriors in Westeros

ALL MEN MUST DIE
T
he setting is a medieval world.
Two continents, seven kingdoms
and one Iron Throne. There are
dragons, dire wolves, black magic,
heavy weaponry, manic violence, a lot
of sex and a variety of scheming folk.
It is a fantasy tale that finds resonance
in other popular stories; some have
compared it with Harry Potter and
The Lord of the Rings, even. What sets
apart this tale, however, is the moral
grey area it inhabits. No simple good
versus evil story, this.
There are several warring fami-
lies vying for the Iron Throne. The
main houses are Stark, Lannister,
Targaryen and Baratheon. To simplify
things, lets break the tale into three
parts.
KINGS LANDING
At the beginning of season one, a
Baratheon rules the Seven Kingdoms.
He is soon killed (gored by a boar) and
his son takes over. Throughout the
THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017 49
course of six seasons, Kings
Landing, the capital, sees
several inter-family feuds
for power. Kings come and
go, and several vital charac-
ters lose their lives. Cersei
Lannister is currently the IRON THRONE
queen; there is no king. The seat for which the
families are at war
DAENERYS
In Essos, a continent to the east,
Daenerys Targaryen (daughter of
a previous king) plots her return to
the throne. She soon amasses an
army, along with three dragons, and, the end of season six, only one major
at the end of season six, sets sail for character has encountered them.
Westeros. The culmination would see all of
these separate stories come together.
THE WALL Then, perhaps, Westeros will have a
In the North is the Wall, built to keep long, peaceful rule.
out White Walkers, who are human-
oid ice creatures. Beyond the Wall is
inhabitable ice land. The White Walkers
slowly and steadily build an army of the
dead and plan to attack Westeros. At
50 THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017
COVER STORY
11 24 14
Castle Black

FOLLOW TH
10

13

Winterfell 17
5 19
White Harbor
20 22
6

Gulltown
The Eyrie
Pyke
Riverrun

Lannisport Dragonstone
Daenerys hatches 8 18 23
dragon eggs; the Kings Landing Pentos
beasts, thought to 1 4 9
be extinct, return as 3 Storms End
game changers
Highgarden
Tyrosh

Oldtown
15
Sunspear

Battle of the Blackwater

Tyrion foils Stannis Baratheons
attempted coup of Kings Landing

King in the North

The bastard
unies the North, which
pledges itself to him

The Walkers army of

the dead

GRAPHICS: N.V. JOSE; RESEARCH: NEERAJ KRISHNAN

52 THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017
COVER STORY

INTERVIEW/Ajit Mohan, CEO, Hotstar

GoTs popularity is a
pan-India phenomenon
BY PRIYANKA BHADANI

FOR YEARS, HBOs say Torrent Morghulis (torrents must die, in GoT
Game of Thrones has lingo).
been the worlds most What has been the campaigns impact on
pirated show. In India, viewership?
too, fans who are not We used the GoT campaign to make people who think
content with the shows they can find anything on torrent sites aware that they
censored version airing can now find almost anything on Hotstar Premium
on Star World Premiere [the paid, ad-free version of the service]. And yes, we
have been using ille- have seen a very meaningful surge in the viewership
gal file-sharing sites to of GoT on our platform.
download the uncut ver- There is a paywall for GoT on Hotstar Premium.
sion of the epic, episode Has the Indian audience embraced the subscription
by episode. model?
That, however, seems to be changing. Hotstar, the
homegrown streaming platform from Star Network,
has been streaming the unedited version of the show
since Season 6 last year. A lot of viewers who earlier
depended on illegal torrents are now paying to stream
it. Ajit Mohan, Hotstars chief executive officer, talks
to THE WEEK about the shows booming popularity
here.
Your ad campaign ahead of the current season of
GoT poked fun at those who relied on torrents.
How did you plan the remarkable campaign?
Until last year, when Hotstar started showing Game
Of Thrones, there was no legitimate delivery of the
show on on-demand/digital platforms. We presented
viewers with a completely new proposition: You get
access to episodes without any cuts, and it is aired at
the same time when the US airing happens. From a
fans point of view, it was a dramatic leap. [Earlier] you
had to wait days [to watch an episode], and you didnt
get to watch the original version. Now, you were on a
par with the world.
From a content point of view, we are not competing
with any of our peers in the subscription business.
The competition is with torrent [sites], where a lot of
pirated content is available. The fact that it [the con-
tent] was pirated, and that sometimes it was not even WAR LORD
of high-quality, did not really matter to consumers, A still from the Battle of
because that was the only option available to them. the Bastards, a crucial
We wanted to make a bold statement. We wanted to clash in the series

Yes, it has. We started Hotstar as a no-subscription
model, because we recognised that people were
already paying a meaningful amount for data. And
data is pretty expensive relative to income in India
and to what people are used to paying for traditional
television. But, a year into the service, we realised
that there is a more discerning, affluent audience
who have access to high-quality broadband and who
are willing to pay. That is why we created Hotstar
Premium. In the past 14 months since we launched
Premium, we have seen a steady growth.
The big money-spinners
SEASON 1-5 BUDGET
$6 million per episode
SEASON 6 BUDGET
$10 million per episode
CERSEIS WALK OF SHAME cost 70 horses, 160 tonnes of gravel,
$50,000 a day, for four days
BATTLE OF THE BLACKWATER
$8 million
THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017 53
The trafc on digital platforms is mostly coming
from urban areas. What kind of response has
Hotstar been getting from smaller towns,
specically for GoT?
It [GoTs popularity] is a pan-India phenomenon. It
is one of those shows that really appeal to the audi-
ence just on the quality of storytelling. It is by far one
of the greatest television shows ever made. Its not
that only the urban audience will gravitate towards
it. It has got tremendous affinity across age groups
and geography.
THE BATTLE OF THE BASTARDS
took 25 days to shoot.
The episode also used
600 crew members, 500 extras,
25 stuntmen and 4 camera crews
54 THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017
COVER STORY

GUEST COLUMN

GoT scores
with its script
and set design
BY SABU CYRIL

BE IT A REALITY show
or a full-length film, art
direction brings out the
creativity of a script. The
sets and costumes sup-
port the spectacle to a
great extent.
Game of Thrones is a
show that has many dif-
ferent worlds in it. And
all these worlds are very
distinct in the way they
look. The locations are

At Kings
set in different countries and they bring the feel of each
distinct world in GoT.
The set designs in some of the iconic scenes, like the fight
between the Mountain and the Viper in the fourth season,
was full of graffiti. I remember watching scenes of a severe
storm. As an art director, I know how these scenes can be
worked out to achieve 100 per cent perfection.
A seaside town in Croatia has
It is always the script that warrants the set designs. I become the centre of the Game
would say the set designs and the script in GoT hold the
key to its popularity. It is a dense script, but this calls for sets
of Thrones mania
that add visual depth to the story. The detailing of the sets
in GoT, including walls, stones and properties, is visible in BY K. SUNIL THOMAS/Dubrovnik, Croatia
every frame. It also gives depth to each character. If the sets
and war scenes are haphazardly done, there would be no

continuity from one scene to another. In the war sequences
in GoT, the background walls are made of either real stones,
fibreglass or plaster of Paris. The authenticity it brings to
the visuals is what stands out.
I would say perfection depends on the budget. The
sets in GoT can be created cost-effectively, but perfection
demands more money. It is the budget that decides the qual-
ity. The extra money that we spend for the detailswhich
is normally 40 per cent more than the basic costbrings
perfection to the design. Apart from money, art directors
also require time to make the designs perfect. For Bahubali,
for instance, we worked on the set designs for five years,
right from day one of its conception. I did more than 22,000
sketches. It was like working for ten films. And we succeed-
ed because of the freedom we had to bring in details to each
and every set.
Cyril is a National Award-winning art director.
As told to Lakshmi Subramanian.
D
ubrovniks Old Town has always been
a popular tourist attraction in Croatia.
Passengers stepping off cruise liners
loved the charms of this Unesco World Heritage
Site, with its old cobblestone alleyways snaking
around medieval buildings. But nothing could
have prepared the local people for the onslaught
of the hordes of tourists that have been descend-
ing on this town since it became Kings Landing,
the capital of the mythical continent of Westeros,
where George R.R. Martins epic story unfolds.
Tourists with selfie sticks and GoT maps have
been swarming the many spots where the shows
important scenes were shot: where Cersei did her
walk of shame (the naked walk was shot using
a body double, my guide told me), where Tyrion
Lannister peered at hostile ships in the Battle of the
Blackwater, where Daenerys Targaryen walked

SHOW AND TELL
(Left and right) A tourist guide showing pictures of
crucial scenes, at the locations in Old Town where
they were shot; (above) George R.R. Martin
Landing
discussing strategies with Sir Jorah Mormont, and
so on.
Tourist arrivals have gone up ten times since
Game of Thrones began shooting here, said an offi-
cial. One of the bigger attractions is a replica of the
Iron Throne seen in the series (the original
is in a studio in Northern Ireland). Buy
enough souvenirs, and you can sit on it
and have a picture clicked.
And thus happened this August
my brief, Instagram-friendly
ascension to the throne!
A study three years ago found
that 45 million international
tourists a year selected destina-
tions that were locations in a film
WILDFIRE
Highly flammable liquid.
or TV series. New Zealands tour- If ignited, the fire cannot
ism revenue shot up after the Lord be put out by water
of the Rings trilogy was shot there.
The country got $7 billion in 2014 alone.
Northern Ireland, a major GoT location,
estimates an additional revenue of almost $200
million to local businesses. Its total tourism rev-
enue would be much higher.
This can only be good news for Croatia, where
tourism is the biggest earner. It has been focusing
on Indian tourist arrivals in a big way this summer.
THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017 55
Tourist guides walk around in Dubrovnik with
pictures of crucial scenes from GoT and pictures
of the actual location. Only from this juxtaposition
do many tourists realise that the scenes have a fair
amount of special effectslike the high towers of
the palace added to the castle walls in Dubrovnik,
or the crowd at Cerseis walk of shame.
Among the other GoT locations in Croatia are
the Trsteno Arboretum, where Lady Olenna holds
court (a few kilometres away from Old Town); Fort
Lovrijenac, where King Joffrey Baratheon holds
court and competitions; Pile Gate, where
Littlefingers meetings with Cersei and
Sansa take place; and Gradac Park, right
next to the Old Town walls, where
Joffreys wedding feast happens.
Many other scenes, like the ones
showing Daenerys in Meereen
and Slavers Bay, were also shot
in and around Dubrovnik and
areas in Split, a town north on the
Adriatic coast.
But, people in Dubrovnik are far
from thrilled with the GoT craze and
the tourist dollars flowing in. Local
people recently held protests against
the swarms of tourists crowding Old Town.
(Cruise liners drop thousands of passengers
into the city every day.) The mayor, who was elect-
ed two months ago, has promised to cap the num-
ber of tourists in Old Town at 4,000 a daymuch
lower than Unescos recommended 8,000 visitors
a day.

V
ishal Sikka looked tired
when he addressed the
media persons assembled
at Infosys headquarters in
Bengaluru through a video call from
Palo Alto in California on August 18.
Abruptly, the first non-founder chief
executive of Indias second largest
IT company said he was quitting. I
had left India as a teenager and got
an opportunity to come back many
decades later through Infosys. It is a
very sad day, he said.
Sikka had been unhappy about
the persistent criticism of his style
of functioning by N.R. Narayana
Murthy, co-founder and first CEO of
Infosys. The director board of Infosys
placed the blame squarely on Murthy
and seemed to be set for a battle with
him. The bigger challenge before the
board, however, would be finding a
successor to Sikka and safeguarding
investors interests. The day Sikka
resigned, around 023,000 crore of
investor wealth was wiped out as
Infosys stock plummeted 9.6 per cent.
A major allegation Murthy kept
on making was that corporate gov-
ernance was compromised by the
Infosys board when the company
acquired the Israeli firm Panaya.
Infosys paid $200 million for the
company while the latest valuation
was $150 million. He also questioned
the high severance package (018
crore) given to the former chief finan-
cial officer Rajiv Bansal.
Sidhant Rastogi, partner at Zinnov
Management Consulting, said there
was no merit in the argument that
corporate governance was compro-
mised in the Panaya deal. A deal
of this magnitude does not happen
lightly and there was a full process
and that was followed by Infosys. A
third party agency, which in this case
is reported to be Deutsche Bank, was
Happier times:
N.R. Narayana Murthy with Vishal Sikka
A major allegation
Murthy kept on
making was that
corporate governance
was compromised
by the Infosys board
when the company
acquired the Israeli
firm Panaya.
involved in the valuation and the
whole process of approval did take
place at the board level, he said.
Panayas solutions are expected to
help Infosys free up its workforce for
higher skill processes. Panayas val-
uation at $200 million is negligible in
comparison with the $30 billion valu-
ation of Infosys. Such small acquisi-
tions require clearance only from the
board, not from shareholders. It is
said that the Securities and Exchange
Board of India has looked into the
acquisition. A problem will arise only
if the acquisition was facilitated to
satisfy the personal agenda of Sikka,
which looks impossible, said Aditya
Mohan Jadhav, professor (economics
and finance) at T.A. Pai Management
Institute, Manipal.
It is said that Bansal had to go
because Sikka did not get along well
with him. The severance package was
decided in October 2015 after negoti-
ations with the Infosys management,
board representatives, Bansal and his
legal team from AZB and Partners.
THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017 57
Severance is paid during involuntary
separation of an employee. There is
no law governing severance pay at
senior levels. Typically, at the execu-
tive level, there are always clauses
and restrictions around employment
post the current role. I feel that a two-
year severance package (which had
been offered to Bansal) for a senior
executive is well within the globally
accepted standards, said Rastogi.
After paying Bansal about 05 crore,
Infosys suspended the payment. He
has invoked the arbitration clause in
the severance contract asking for the
rest of the money.
While no one is doubting Murthys
right to question the board and the
chief executive, experts say he should
have been discreet. Every sharehold-
er had a right to question a company,
said Subramanyam S., CEO of Ascent
Consulting, but the forum he used
the media and open lettersappeared
to be a sticky issue between Murthy
and the board. Given his role in
making Infosys what it is, Murthy
rises above the board when it comes
to questioning practices of manage-
ment or governance, which is a new
standard by itself, he said.
The road ahead for Infosys is
expected to be bumpy, and finding
a new CEO in the current muddled
environment and governance struc-
ture would be a big challenge. The
board and the founders, especially
Murthy, would have to agree upon
and jointly publish a credible and
clear working mechanism between
them and the executive team, said
Rastogi. Once the house is set in
some semblance of order, there may
be hope to get a good external candi-
date. My opinion is, an external CEO
is not an imperative to Infosyss long-
term growth, said Rastogi.
The founders still hold significant
58
INFOSYS
stake in Infosys, and these holdings
make much of their wealth. Murthy
and his family, for instance, hold
3.44 per cent stake in the company.
It was worth about 08,068 crore a
day before Sikkas exit, and it
declined to 07,040 crore when the
stock crashed after his resignation.
These holdings must be a reason the
founders are reluctant to complete-
ly give up the control. However,
many experts say it would be diffi-
cult for the board to find an outsid-
er CEO who will step in and be able
to perform under the glare of the
founders. Interestingly, this has
put some founders on the back foot.
If they decide to join back, it will
be assumed that they forced Sikka
out to get back into the company. If
any of the founders children join
the company, it will be viewed as
nepotism, said Jadhav.
While the bitter battle has defi-
nitely dented the image of brand
Infosys, it is unlikely to be a lasting
one. Boardroom battles, as long as
they are resolved with resoluteness
and speed, do not hurt client-end
relationships. Yes, they remain a
talking point, but they dont hurt
business that is ongoing, or new
business that is being considered.
To that extent, the brand takes a
temporary scar, and quickly the
scar is erased and it is business as
usual, said brand expert Harish
Bijoor.
The disturbances at the top level
are unlikely to hit the functioning
at the ground level. Most IT com-
panies have excellent processes
to manage customer satisfaction,
said Rastogi. At the same time, if
the current instability and infight-
ing persists over a few more months,
then there will be an impact on the
win rate of new, especially large,
competitive deals that need top
management attention.
The internal dissension would
be the biggest challenge before the
new CEO. But the lofty standards
that the company had set for itself
from the beginning would guide
THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017
The Infosys pie
Non Promoter-Non Public 0.49%
Promoters slice
Employee Trust 0.49%
Murthy Family 3.44%
Nilekani Family 2.29%
Public 86.76%
among 7,29,506 Shibulal Family 1.86%
shareholders
Dinesh Family 1.22%
Gopalakrishnan Family 3.19%
Promoter & Promoter Group
12.75% among 19 shareholders
Bones of contention
Rajiv Bansal severance pay
Board: No impropriety, needed for amicable exit
Founders: Doubts on whether this is hush money
Vishal Sikka compensation
Board: Has shareholder approval, linked to performance
Founders: Ratio of CEO to next level salary should be 1:2
David Kennedy severance pay
Board: Severance pay part of contract for the former legal counsel
Founders: Severance pay concept unprecedented for Infosys
Punita Sinha appointment
Board: Appointment based on credentials, shareholder approval
Founders: Conict because she is married to Union Minister Jayant Sinha
Sikkas extravagance
Board: No impropriety; Sikka paid company when family used private
jet once
Founders: Use of private jets, expanding ofce space in US is an
extravagance
RESEARCH: NEERAJ KRISHNAN; GRAPHICS: N.V. JOSE
him to overcome this. Infosys is
not just a large company, it is an
institution, said Alok Shende,
The road ahead for director, Ascentius Consulting.
Infosys is expected The institutional gravity offers a
tailwind that helps new CEOs sail
to be bumpy, and easier. Along with the new CEO,
finding a new CEO in Infosys should also recast its board
and get a new set directors who are
the current muddled in greater sync with the exacting
environment would values that Infosys has espoused
through the course of its history.
be a big challenge. In the long term, the recent events
will be a small blip on Infosyss his-
torical map.
 THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017 61

IN FOCUS

The Punjab Public School, Nabha

takes the lead in excellence
S
tarted in 1960 and formally inau-
gurated on April 11, 1961 by the
first President of India, Dr Rajen-
dra Prasad, The Punjab Public School,
Nabha has emerged as a model of excel-
lence in the field of education. Nurtured
in its infancy by the legendary Headmas-
ter, Mr J.K. Kate and now being led by an
equally dynamic and nationally known
Headmaster, Dr Jagpreet Singh, the
school is well on its way to set new stand-
ards. Maj Gen O.P. Nandrajog, VSM, Rear
Admiral J.S. Bedi, AVSM, VSM, Maj Gen
J.S. Lidder, UYSM, AVSM, Mr Gurinder
Singh, IPS, Dr Darshan Singh Dhaliwal,
an entrepreneur, Mr Arvinder Singh Bub-
ber, Chancellor, Kwantlen Polytechnic
University, British Columbia, Canada, Mr
Pawan Kant Munjal, MD CEO, Hero Mo-
toCorp Ltd, Prof Jagmohan Singh Raju,
Joseph J Aresty Professor, The Wharton
School, University of Pennsylvania, USA,
Vice-Admiral Satish Soni, PVSM, AVSM,
NM, ADC, Flag Ocer Commanding-
in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command, Gen
Bikram Singh, former Chief of Army Sta,
PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC,
Lt Gen Rajinder Singh Sujlana, PVSM,
AVSM, VSM and Lt Gen TK Sapru, PVSM,
YSM are a few of the outstanding alumni
of the school.
The last one year has seen The Pun-
jab Public School scale new heights.
The school won the 53rd All India IPSC
(U-19) Athletics Championship trophy
for the fifth time in a row. A team of four
boys comprising Ekamveer Singh, Robin
Singh, Kunal Demla and Sahilpreet Singh
bagged the first price in the My Innova-
tion event during a Robot Expo as part
of RobotzIndia V4.0 Competition held
at Anna University, Chennai in February
this year. The school recently organised
the ICT Conclave in which ten prestigious
schools of the country took part. It had
competitions like Robo Soccer, Obsta-
cle Avoidance Robot, the Path Finder,
the Dirt Racer.The school added yet an-
other feather to its cap by lifting the IPSC
Dr Jagpreet
Singh (right),
Headmaster,
The Punjab
Public School,
Nabha
presenting
memento to
Shri V.P. Singh
Badnore,
Honble
Governor of
Punjab and
Administrator
of Chandigarh.
From the ICT
Conclave
organised by
the school in
which ten top
schools of
the country
took part
Equestrian Championship held at Mayo dynamic Headmaster, Dr Jagpreet Singh.
College, Ajmer. Besides, they romped He has won a number of awards includ-
home with a massive haul of 47 medals11 ing Bharat Vidya Shiromani Award, Rajiv
gold, 11 silver, 6 bronze and 19 copper at Gandhi Education Excellence Award,
Delhi Horse Show. While Harkamal Sin- Derozio Award, Best Principal Perfor-
gh and Balkaran Singh got cash prizes mance Award, Asia Pacific Achievers
worth Rs21,500/- and Rs1500/- respec- Award, Best Public School with Excel-
tively, Gurnawaz Singh was adjudged lent Faculty in Punjab, Bharat Vibhushan
the Best Rider of Group-I. Besides, the Samman Puraskar and Education World
school lifted the All India IPSC Hockey Award. Besides, he is Director, Sports,
Championship (Boys U-19 & Girls U-17) Indian Public Schools Conference and
held on its campus in July. Joint Secretary, School Games Federa-
The man behind these successes is its tion of India.
62
forecast By K.K. Vamanan Nampoothiri
AUGUST 29 - SEPTEMBER 4
Aries
March 22-April 20
Hard work and determination
will make you successful. Do
not count on luck in business
deals. Banking and insurance
bring gains. Your charming nature will
win you many more buddies. An elder in
the family will leave you a legacy. Events
and concerts will keep you busy. A timely
health check-up is the need of the hour.
Lucky dayMonday: a surprise
Cancer
June 22-July 23
Romance sails smooth with
no obstacles. Your impressive
administrative and advisory
skills will be put to test. You
will build contacts with people in power. A
busy and enjoyable week ahead for lecturers.
Dont let your family down; they will stand by
you and bring you gains. Be friendly with your
seniors at workplace.
Lucky dayWednesday: overseas travel
Libra
September 24-October 23
Despite the rough weather,
you will keep your emotions
and temper under control.
Your stress levels will ease.
Dodge your partners efforts to drag you
back to your past; instead, be optimistic
about the future. It is also the time to forgive.
Keep your land and estate in good condi-
tion. Life at this point may evoke poetry.
Lucky dayTuesday: persuasive best
Capricorn
December 23-January 20
Your gift of the gab could be
put to use this week. Work
will up your popularity. You
will become much more
popular on the social front. A change of
job or residence is likely. You will be praised
for your organising skills. A legacy is on its
way. Medical students will do well. Software
professionals get a high-paying job abroad.
Lucky daySaturday: gains via partners
Taurus
April 21-May 21
If some important work gets
delayed, dont be disappoint-
ed. You must not disappoint
others either. Pay attention to
your childrens education. Women will pur-
chase building and property. Some of you
might change jobs. Be friendly to all. Dont
squander away your wealth. Lecturers and
sportspersons have a gruelling week.
Lucky daySaturday: gains via partner
Leo
July 24-August 23
Think twice before taking any
important decision at work.
Watch what you eat as you
are prone to stomach disor-
ders this week. Take care to avoid arguments
with members of the opposite sex. Musicians
will have opportunity to showcase their tal-
ent. Keep your parents happy as you stand to
gain from them. Journalists will do well.
Lucky dayMonday: a gift from mother
Scorpio
October 24-November 22
Your well-informed and disci-
plined nature will help achieve
your goals. You may land in
trouble if you dont mind your
words. Be extra careful with money this
week. Those of you planning to marry will
get a prudent and faithful partner. Time is
not favourable for travel. There will be finan-
cial gains on the domestic front.
Lucky dayTuesday: a gift
Aquarius
January 21-February 19
Be ready to face false accusa-
tions. Be less critical of others.
Your versatility will aid you in
your career growth. Ensure you
use the right means to attain your goals.
Your courteousness will be appreciated. It is
an ideal time to invest in farm and oil seeds
business. And, wear that smile always this
week.
Lucky dayMonday: increase in income
THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017
Gemini
May 22-June 21
Prosperity and success are
predicted. Do not take things
too lightly. Be serious when
a situation so demands.
Politicians should get engage in more social
activities rather than being laidback. Dont
mince words; be on the up and up. Your
critical views may not endear you to close
companions.
Lucky daySunday: new starts
Virgo
August 24-September 23
Your eloquent and liberal
nature will contribute to trans-
forming the work environ-
ment. Your buddies will be
your source of strength and your spouse will
bring luck. Your charitable nature will help
you gain more admirers. You will be in the
pink of health. Your optimism will pull you
through many problems this week.
Lucky dayThursday: a dream comes true
Sagittarius
November 23-December 22
Avoid arguments with wom-
en. You will help the needy.
Travel could prove a good
change and might prove to be
a learning experience. Legal issues could
land you in a spot, so take extra care.
Success awaits those in public service
and educational research. Poultry owners
will do well.
Lucky dayMonday: dad brings news
Pisces
February 20-March 21
You will be innovative, and
your job skills fetch you a pro-
motion. Make sure you invest
in real estate; huge profits are
guaranteed. Teachers, journalists and writ-
ers will bring home a heavier purse. Some of
you might shift to a new house or buy a new
car. Try not to be too critical. A favourable
week for writers and lawyers.
Lucky dayTuesday: the Midas touch
64
G
aurav Arya remembers
talking to his bike the first
time he rode the old BSA
from Delhi to Goa. We are
here together, we made it, the hotelier
and vintage bike restorer said to his
bike. Gaurav moved to Assagao in Goa
in 2007 after studying music in London.
In those days, in Delhi society, it was
definitely a big step, recalled Gaurav,
36. People assumed that one moved to
Goa only to do techno and trance par-
ties. But his father wasnt among them.
I dont want to trap your soul, do what-
ever makes you happy, he told Gaurav.
Now, Gaurav feels vindicated
because many people who said nasty
things about the move either have
houses in Goa today or dream to have
one. Some are even planning to move
here, he said. Though he shied away
from the word trendsetter, he said he
and his friends were definitely pio-
neers in doing it, at a time when it was
a taboo. Now, it has become trendy in
the rest of the country to move to Goa.
Many people from different walks
THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3 , 2017
Riding high: Gaurav Arya,
who owns The Tamarind
hotel near Anjuna beach,
was among the first few
people to move to Goa
from Delhi
of life and with different philosophies
have made Goa their home in recent
years. Also, things have changed for
the better in Goa. The roads, the
connectivity, everything is better
now, said Gaurav, who has a bou-
tique hotel, The Tamarind, and Caf
Cotinga near Anjuna beach.
Rahul Malaney, who comes from
an entrepreneurial engineering fami-
ly in Mumbai, studied philosophy and
art in the United States, but moved to
Mandrem in Goa with his partner Jill
Ferguson to start a water sports cen-
tre and caf, Vaayu. Anushka Nadia
Menon, 32, beauty and fashion pho-
tographer, DJ, singer and produc-
erafter living in Muscat, Australia
and Delhisettled down in Siolim
because she got sick of the city life.
Textile designer and weaver Poonam
Pandit, also an Army kid and a bit of
a free spirit, shifted to Siolim from
Delhi almost eight years ago after get-
ting an offer from Goa-based fashion
designer Wendell Rodricks. The
42-year-old had earlier worked with
 THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3 , 2017 65

export companies, but now works on

traditional textiles of Goa for her own
brand, Kalakar.
Antima Nahar, 39, graphic design-
er and illustrator from Rajasthan,
studied and worked in London and
Mumbai. She moved to Siolim two
years ago to run her own branding
and brand communications com-
pany while trying to focus on her
health after a bad attack of rheuma-
toid arthritis. Smita Singh Rathore,
cofounder, Magnetic Fields Festival,
after studying and living in Milan,
Italy, for a while, moved to Assagao
from Delhi where she was designing
and running restaurants with her ex-
husband. The beauty of Goa, said the
39-year-old, brings out the creativity
in her because it allows you to zone in Making waves: Rahul
and do your work. Malaney, from Mumbai,
To Rahul, Goa seemed like the right moved to Mandrem
place because the ocean is cleaner to start his own water
here, and it has a really nice commu- sports centre and cafe,
nity of international people. If it is Vaayu
windy, we will go kite surfing. If there
are waves, then we will go surfing. If

there is no wind, no waves, we will go

Sun, sand and song: Fashion
photographer and singer Anushka
Nadia Menon moved from Delhi to
Siolim because she was sick of the
city life
wakeboarding and kayaking. But the
idea is to always appreciate whatever
Mother Nature provides, he said.
Anushka is enjoying being in
nature in Goa, especially consider-
ing Delhi was getting very polluted
and [she] was having a hard time
breathing. As somebody already
set up in the business of beauty
and fashion photography for the last
12 years and being quite well-known
in the industry, she now travels to
Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi only
for the bigger assignments that pay
well, be it photo-shoots or gigs.
Poonam discovered Baburao Babaji
Tidwe, who comes from a traditional
weaver family, making kashtis (loin-
cloths) and dhotis like the joda pan-
cha. He was the last guy weaving
saris, once a flourishing industry in
Goa, and was about to shut shop for
lack of demand when Poonam sug-
gested they try out something new.
Taking the same weave and construc-
tion of the joda panchas and kashtis,
66
they now make trendier designs using
natural colour, ayurvedic dyes and
organic cotton. I am making scarves
currently, and will move on to bigger
sized sarongs as well, she said.
Antima, whose body just broke
down in Mumbai after her illness,
said, I felt Mumbai just wasnt the
place to heal, not to mention [spend-
ing] a lakh on rent and basics, which
didnt make any economic sense.
That prompted her to move to Goa
where she now makes the most of vid-
eo-conferencing and Skype when she
isnt travelling to Delhi and Mumbai
for meetings. She also documents
her arthritis journey through doodles
under her brand, Antz Doodles.
For Smita, Goas serenity was experi-
enced in a paddy field one early morning
where she could hear the dewdrops
falling from the palm trees. Within five
months of that experience, she moved
to Goa with her two kids, aged six and
eight, and a nanny, Seema. Smita is not
oblivious to reality and knows that she
is speaking from a position of privilege.
Though it was smooth sailing for her,
it wasnt the same for Seema. It was
a new place for her and much harder
for her to make friends. So Smita asked
her to return to Delhi.
Warm, urban, multicultural and tra-
ditional are some of the words used to
describe Goa. It is relaxed. People are
fun. As long as you respect them and
understand that this is their home, they
are pretty cool with you and dont have
any issues, said Rahul.
Smita, who had a few skirmishes
initially thanks to the Delhi num-
Design element:
Textile designer Poonam
Pandit shifted to Siolim
from Delhi for work
Natural drift:
Smita Singh Rathore,
cofounder, Magnetic
Fields Festival, moved
to Assagao from Delhi
ber plate on her car, said she is still
peeling the layers of living in Goa.
We are buying up their properties,
increasing their rent, gentrifying the
place and making it hard for them to
live in a place where they have lived
forever. But the minute you go in
and take yourself a notch down and
see things from their perspective
they are simple, open and friendly,
she said. She loves the richness and
abundance that Goa offers. It is a
prosperous state and you can feel
it in a lot of ways, said Smita. In this is not something that you can have
Delhi, for instance, it is so important
to make money so that you can live in
a beautiful place, eat clean food, drink
clean water, but for that I have to be
away from my home and my kids and
employ people to take care of them. It
seems like it is all in reverse because
food, clean water and fresh air should
be something that I should have any-
way. And, here it is there! Every house
is beautiful, every part is natural and I
dont have to make money to spend on
THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3 , 2017
the basics. She has happily sunk into
a village community life that involves
trips to the farm and growing her own
food.
Though Anushka took some time
getting used to the pace of Goa
because everything is super slow,
unlike cities where everything is
done promptly, she has adjusted
well by slowing her own pace down.
It has worked well! I am enjoying it,
she said, while showing us around her
expansive bungalow. See my house,
in Delhi or Mumbai. Antima echoes
Anushkas sentiment. Coming from
crammed spaces and paying so much
money, this is like heaven, she said.
That was the reason why she bought
her holiday home in Goa even before
she moved there.
Also, exercisebe it yoga, pilates,
running or swimminghas become
a part of their lives, as has catching
the sunset. While Gaurav, Anushka,
Poonam and Antima have found their
permanent base in Goa, for Rahul
and Smita, it may well be a stopgap
arrangement. For now, it is definite-
ly Goa. I want to be here for about ten
years and then maybe move to the
Andaman Islands or Puducherry or
Varkala. But none are as rich as Goa
in terms of diversity, complexity and
the vibration, said Rahul. Where
will I go next, mused Smita. Maybe
the mountains. You can only go deep-
er into nature. I have to go through
a place like Goa which allows you a
little bit of both.
 THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017 69

about specificity, a marriage of art 1

and technology.
He almost personifies architecture
and talks as though it is something BY DESIGN
thats living and breathing. And per- Some of

KESARA RATNAVIBHUSHANA
haps, to him, it really is. To a good Madhuras works:
architect, design is so much more than
1. Hidden House
how something looks. It is something
2. Anuradhapura Portal
that moves you emotionally. It is a
3. Long House
way of transforming the mundane, of
4. Villa Maggona
making peace with yourself and, most
5. Urban Garden
of all, of seeing the world. And this,
says Prematilleke, is something that
needs to be taught at a young age. I 2 3
observed this when I was living in
Finland, he says. Learning how to
appreciate good design was part of
the school curriculum there and so, it
got ingrained in the children. A strug-
gling student there would rather buy
one designer spoon than six regular
ones. They also have a culture that
celebrates architects. It is the only
country I know of whose currency
note features an architect.
RANITRI WEERASURIYA

The legacy of an architect is his

work and for it to endure, it must
merge with the native and the natu-

ERESH WEERASURIYA
ral. As a policy, well only build on
half the allotted land, he says. The
rest is for planting trees, receiving
rain and making the building a part 4
of the natural system. At the same
time, Prematilleke is also a realist.
Conservation can only survive when 5
SEBASTIAN POSINGIS

it goes hand in hand with commer-

cialism, he says. Every aspect of life
is commercialised, he says. If you
want something to survive, it has to
have commercial viability, at least
partly. The key is to control the man-
ner in which the two are balanced
and to draw a line demarcating where
commercialism ends and conserva-
tion begins.
If a thing of beauty is a joy forever,
then that joy should not be a privi-
lege but rather a right. Thats why
Prematilleke and his colleagues have
proposed to implement what they
balcony. Architects need to pay heed
to these factors when they are build-
ing homes for the disadvantaged and
poorer sections of society as much
as they do when they are catering to
the needs of those who can afford it,
he says. Can you catch a glimpse of a
sunrise or a sunset from a window?
RANITRI WEERASURIYA

call a bill of rights for users of archi-
tecturethe right to look into the
distance from a building, the right
to fresh air and the right to access
open spaces, even if it is only a tiny
Can you let the light turn magical and
form patterns on the ceiling? These
are the joys of architecture, says
Prematilleke. And everyone should
have a right to joy.
70
SANJAY AHLAWAT
ADVENTURE
The half dozen
Navika Sagar Parikrama is as much a
test of team spirit as it is of human spirit
BY REKHA DIXIT
I
magine being all alone for
months on end, cruising
through vast oceans in a sail-
boat, with not a human in sight
for days together. Now imagine being
in these waters for months on end, in
a sailboat, and always in the compa-
ny of five others. If handling loneli-
ness requires a certain kind of men-
tal make-up, living in close confines
within a group requires another set of
mental skills.
Navika Sagar Parikrama, the
Indian Navys third circumnaviga-
tion expedition, may initially appear
much easier than Captain (retd) Dilip
Dondes solo circumnavigation and
Commander Abhilash Tomys non-
stop circumnavigation (both record-
making voyages). After all, this time,
the crew is six member strong. But,
think again. Just how long can it be
before tempers fray and even the sight
of another crew member becomes
intolerable. In a boat that is just 17m
long, there isnt really much place to
get away.
Human behaviour will be the big-
gest challenge on this voyage, said
Lt Commander Pratibha Jamwal, 28,
one of the six women officers who will
take the Navys latest sailboat, Indian
Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini,
on a voyage of over 21,000 nauti-
cal miles, hoping to become the first
all-women naval team in the world,
THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017
Conquer the sea: The all-women Indian
Navy team who will take INSV Tarini on
a voyage of over 21,000 nautical miles
as well as the first all-women Asian
team to achieve this feat. But, we
have systems to deal with these issues,
so it should not become an impedi-
ment, said Jamwal. She explained
that though on adventure voyages,
the level of camaraderie is higher
than during regular sorties, there is
still a hierarchy to be observed. The
chain of command and the authority
of the skipper are systems that help
curb squabbles. Weve also trained as
a team for two years, and we under-
stand each other, she said. The lon-
gest the crew has sailed together is
from Goa to Cape Town, a voyage of
43 days.
These women are a spunky lot. For
each of them, a naval career meant
going to sea, but the Navy does not
allow women on board its warships.
I am from Manipur, for me navy
means the sea. I wouldnt let off of
a chance like this, said Lt S. Vijaya
Devi, 28. Handpicked from 20, they
were trained by Donde himself. It is
said that initially the plan was for a
three-member crew, with a backup
of three. But, later, the Navy decided
that six is better than three.
 THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017 71

Six set sail..

Navika Sagar Parikrama is the rst Goa
circumnavigation attempt by Asian women
and the rst such attempt by an all-women
naval team. They will set sail from Goa in
Port Stanley
September and are expected to be back (The Falklands)
in March 2018. The voyage will have
ve legs, with stopovers in Fremantle Cape Town
(South Africa)
(Australia), Lyttelton (New Zealand), Fremantle
(Australia) Lyttelton
Port Stanley (The Falklands) and (New Zealand)
Cape Town (South Africa) INSV Tarini
Crew z 55ft vessel, with a suite of six sails
z Built by Aquarius Shipyard, Goa
Skipper: Lt Cdr z Inducted into the navy in February
Vartika Joshi z Has an RO plant that will give 30 litres of water an hour
Crew: Lt Cdr z 130hp Volvo Penta D5 engine for auxiliary power
Pratibha Jamwal and z Inmarsat network system
P. Swathi, and z Superwind wind generator
Lieutenants z Raymarine electronic autopilot and one wind-driven autopilot
S. Vijaya Devi, z Emergency position indicating radio beacon, and a
B. Aishwarya and search and rescue transponder
Payal Gupta z HF/VHF radio with digital selective calling
GRAPHICS: SYAM KRISHNAN; RESEARCH: NEERAJ KRISHNAN

Skipper Lt Commander Vartika
Joshi, 26, a hill girl from Rishikesh,
has already made history, being the
first woman to command a sea unit
in the Navy. Having sailed exten-
sively on INSV Mhadei, Tarinis
older sibling, shes already an old
hand at sea. Our route will be simi-
lar to Captain Dondes 2009 voyage,
with stops at Fremantle (Australia),
Lyttelton (New Zealand), Port
Stanley (Falkland Islands) and Cape
Town (South Africa), she said.
Aishwarya Boddapatti, 28, is a sea-
soned adventurer, having done bun-
gee jumping, river rafting and deep-
sea diving, too. It was natural for her
to volunteer, Only later, I realised
that this was much more than an
adrenaline rush, she said. Officially,
she is the technical expert, but she
says her unofficial role as the temper
diffuser is more important. Im good
at making jokes, lightening the situ-
ation, she said, her eyes twinkling.
Her fiance is waiting for her to finish
with the nautical knots so that they
can tie the marital one.
The voyage is scheduled for early
September, the date depending on
wind and weather favourability. A
nautical circumnavigation means a
round trip along the equator (where
the earth is at its widest), but since
there are continents on the route,
a voyage that covers the distance of
the equator (21,600) nautical miles,
is considered a circumnavigation.
There are other criteria, too. For
instance, the voyage should cross the
equator twice and touch two antipo-
dal points. The boat should be pro-
pelled by sails alone.
It will take around eight months
for the round trip from Goa. A trip
that will take these girls through
Southern Ocean, and through the
Roaring Forties and Furious Fifties,
winds that can humble the most
seasoned navigator. The seas will rise
up in certain stretches, waves several
metres high crashing on the deck,
tossing the boat like a cork. Further
south, the cold polar bite will be felt
on every wave and every gust, with
temperatures of 4 to 5 degrees Celsius
being the norm.
Yet, these girls have a disarming
manner. Its not too difficult, even
you can do this if you start training,
Lt Payal Gupta, 26, the baby of the
group told me. Agreed Jamwal, We
are not superheroes, we are ordi-
nary people. Boddapatti chipped in,
Once you get the basics, its easy.
Lt Cdr P. Swathi, 26, insisted that
this expedition should not be viewed
from the limited scope of a female
achievement. I am proud to be a
woman, no doubt. But Id rather be
known for my actions as a human
being, she said. Swathis family has
overcome more challenges than the
others. Her parents are semi-lettered,
her father was a defence civilian in
Visakhapatnam. We were three sis-
ters, everyone would tell my parents
how theyd manage the dowry. They,
however, decided to educate us rath-
er than dower us, she said.
It is an investment that has
already paid dividents several times
over, as their daughter sets off on a
voyage of glory.
72 THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017

PEOPLE

BILLBOARD BOOK
The art of billboard painting seen
in Bollywood movie posters of yore
is nearly extinct. But Priti Paul of
Oxford Bookstore has attempted
to revive it in the form of paintings
in her book ABC Desi, seemingly
to teach the letters of the alphabet
to children, but really as a collec-
tors item. She was inspired by
French books so it was fitting that
Alexandre Ziegler, the French
ambassador to India, launched it at
the French embassy recently.

COURTESY: INSTAGRAM

YUMMY MUMMY
Kareena Kapoor Khan recently threw a glitzy baby shower
for her sister-in-law Soha Ali Khan, who is expecting
ng her first
h the pres-
baby in September. It was a star-studded affair with
ence of actors like Neha Dhupia and Konkona Sen Sharma.
reena
Stars also adorned the identical jackets worn by Kareena
and her sister Karisma Kapoor. Soha, who is married d to actor
Kunal Khemu, looked delicious in a peach ensemble. e.
 THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017 73

COURTESY: TWITTER

TOILET T
TROUBLE
After the Quality Council of India declared
Mumbai open defdefecation free, Twinkle Khanna
tweeted a picture of her standing in front of
a man defecating in the open. Good morn-
ing and I guess he
here is the first scene of Toilet
Ek Prem Katha papart 2 #WhenYourWalkGoes
DownTheToilet, she tweeted. The recently
released film Toil
Toilet Ek Prem Katha, starring her
husband Akshay K Kumar, dealt with the subject
of open defecation
defecation. The tweet went viral and
was retweeted mo
more than 2,000 times.

PRINCESS
PRIN
DIARY
DI
Princess Dian
Diana: Tragedy or Treason?,
a three-hour d documentary on Princess
Diana, will be
b aired on Discovery on
her 20th death anniversary on August 31. MUSIC TO THE EARS
Viewers will h hear exclusively from famed Sir Karl Jenkins, reportedly the most-
Princess Diana b biographer Andrew Morton, performed living composer in the world,
statemen from the channel. Other
read a statement will be the star at this years Symphony
interviews include two of her personal friends, Orchestra of India (SOI) season in
Mary Robertson an and James Colthurst, Princess Mumbai at the National Centre for the
Ke Wharfe, royal biographer
Dianas bodyguard Ken Performing Arts. Jenkins has a formi-
Ingrid Seward, royal his
historian Kate Williams and dable repertoire, the crowning glory of
reporters Tamron Hall and Deborah Norville. which is The Armed Man: A Mass for
The documentary will reportedly give Peace, which has been performed over
inside informatio
information about her life as 2,000 times. The autumn season of SOI
a royal wife and mother. will be hosted from September 13 to 28.
The Welsh-born conductor will perform
the The Universe (international pre-
CONTRIBU
CONTRIBUTORS: VIJAYA PUSHKARNA miere), which he has composed himself.
AND REKHA
REKH DIXIT
AP COMPILED BY ANJULY MATHAI
74
last word Barkha Dutt
Constitution above codes
N
otwithstanding the inter-
esting irony of an all-male
bench passing a historic
verdict on an issue that Muslim
women have fought for on the front
lines, the Supreme Courts deci-
sion to strike down the retrograde
custom of triple talaq, or instant
divorce, must be welcomed without
any equivocation.
I have long argued that liberals
who qualify their endorsement with
ifs and buts or bury the issue under a
mountain of political arguments get
it wrong. Feminism must trump faith
and the principle of equality must be
placed ahead of which party you like
or dislike.
That said, there is no denying that
the long shadow of Shah Bano contin-
ues to fall over the Congresss claim
to secularism. With one eye on the or-
thodox Muslim vote, Rajiv Gandhis
government infamously overturned
a 1985 Supreme Court judgment
that mandated alimony for Muslim
women. Women have every reason to
celebrate the courts avenging
of that legislative blunder.
But, as women mark this
moment, let us stop and ask,
has the court gone as far as it
could have? And, will the gov-
ernmentwhich has made it a
point to underline the differ-
ence between Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and Rajiv
Gandhi on the issuenow
show the gumption to work on
a progressive bill of rights that
is neither Hindu nor Muslim,
but based on the rst principle
of individual freedom?
A closer reading of the verdict
shows that we are nowhere near that
point. Two judges dissented arguing
that it was for Parliament to frame
a new law. The three judges who
scrapped triple talaq have differing
reasons to make their case, with one
arguing that the custom is bad in law
because it is frowned upon even in
shariah. That, frankly, should have
been irrelevant.
What we had hoped for was a legal
precedence that would allow us to
argue that whenever constitutional
principles collide with religious
codes, the constitutional notion of
equality must win every time. The
court has done well to strike down
one atavistic custom, but going for-
ward, it doesnt given women enough
ammunition to apply the verdict
generally to all such cases.
The truth is that traditional rituals
and practices of all religions militate
against equality for women. For
instance, studies show there is little
difference (in percentage) between
BHASKARAN
THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 3, 2017
Hindus and Muslims when it comes
to marrying off their girls before
adulthood. According to the last
Indian census, nearly eight million
Indian girls were married before they
were ten years old. Despite a Law
Commission report suggesting an
automatic annulment of all marriages
below the age of 18, the courts are yet
to resolve how to treat weddings that
may take place between the ages of
15 and 18. Under personal law of all
faiths, age is not an automatic basis
for ending such teen marriages.
Then, there is the stranglehold
of social conservatism. Parliament
has refused to legislate on marital
rape, almost suggesting that mar-
riage is a license for sexual abuse.
Once again this appalling cover for
sexual violence applies even to minor
girls, if the wife happens to be
above the age of 15. The courts, too,
have declined to get involved. So it
is a bit premature for us to celebrate
feminist freedom based on the talaq
judgment alone.
And then, there is the
peculiar contradictions of the
courtteenage girls of 15 are
treated as autonomous adults,
but a recent case involving the
conversion of a 24-year-old
woman has been heard as a
complaint of love jihad even
resulting in a court-ordered
NIA investigation.
The triple talaq verdict is a
one giant step towards gender
equality. But for women, the
road to freedom is still a long
march ahead.
editor@theweek.in