Outlook - 02 July 2012

THE WEEKLY NEWSMAGAZINE
July 2, 2012 `30
RNI NO. 7044/61
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In this issue...
Volume LII, No. 26
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Krishna Prasad EXECUTIVE EDITOR Bishwadeep Moitra BUSINESS EDITOR Sunit Arora SENIOR EDITOR Sunil Menon BUREAU HEADS Saba Naqvi (Political Editor), Smruti Koppikar (Associate Editor, West) BOOKS EDITOR Sheela Reddy FEATURES EDITOR Satish Padmanabhan FOREIGN EDITOR Pranay Sharma ASSOCIATE EDITORS S.B. Easwaran, Manisha Saroop, Namrata Joshi, Anuradha Raman ASSISTANT EDITORS Arindam Mukherjee, Lola Nayar, Sasi Nair SENIOR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS Arti Sharma, Dola Mitra (Calcutta), Prarthna Gahilote, Smita Mitra SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS Rohit Mahajan, Pragya Singh, Chandrani Banerjee, Amba Batra Bakshi, Arpita Basu SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Neha Bhatt CORRESPONDENT: Debarshi Dasgupta CHENNAI Pushpa Iyengar (Bureau Chief) CHANDIGARH Chander Suta Dogra (Bureau Chief, North) HYDERABAD: Madhavi Tata (Sr Special Correspondent) BHOPAL K.S. Shaini COPY DESK Saikat Niyogi (Assistant Copy Editor), Siddharth Premkumar PHOTOGRAPHERS Narendra Bisht (Deputy Photo Editor) Jitender Gupta (Chief Photographer), Tribhuvan Tiwari (Deputy Chief Photographer), Sanjay Rawat, Sandipan Chatterjee, Apoorva Salkade, Amit Haralkar, S. Rakshit (Senior Coordinator), J.S. Adhikari (Photo Researcher) DESIGN Deepak Sharma (Art Director), Ashish Bagchi, Leela, Kuldeep Bhardwaj (Chief Infographist), Devi Prasad, Padam Gupta ILLUSTRATOR: Sorit EDITORIAL MANAGER: Sasidharan Kollery LIBRARIAN: Alka Gupta EDITORIAL CHAIRMAN: VINOD MEHTA BUSINESS OFFICE PRESIDENT: Indranil Roy CFO: Vinodkumar Panicker VICE PRESIDENTS Neeraj Sharma, Johnson Dsilva (Advt) GENERAL MANAGERS Kabir Khattar (Corp), Moushumi Banerjee Ghosh, Swaroop Rao (Bangalore), Uma Srinivasan (Chennai), Rashmi Lata Swarup Arokia Raj (Circ South), B.S. Johar (Subs) NATIONAL HEADS Himanshu Pandey (Business Development) Shrutika Dewan (Brand & Marketing) ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGERS Amit Vaz (West), Chetan Budhiraja, Rajendra Kurup ZONAL SALES MANAGERS Anindya Banerjee, G. Ramesh, Vinod Kumar CHIEF MANAGERS: Gopal K. Iyer, Pankaj Sahni SENIOR MANAGERS Deshraj Jaswal, Mahesh Hegde, Shashank Dixit, Shekhar Pandey, Sumit Chhabra MANAGERS: M. Suneel Raju, Vinod Joshi MENTOR: MAHESHWER PERI HEAD OFFICE AB-10, S.J. Enclave, New Delhi - 110 029 Tel: 011-33505500; Fax: 26191420 Customer care helpline: 011-33505653 e-mail: outlook@outlookindia.com For editorial queries: edit@outlookindia.com For subscription helpline: yourhelpline@outlookindia.com For other queries: queries@outlookindia.com OTHER OFFICES MUMBAI Tel: 022-33545000; Fax: 33545100 CALCUTTA Tel: 33545400; Fax: 22823593 CHENNAI Tel: 33506300; Fax: 28582250 BANGALORE Tel: 33236100; Fax: 25582810 HYDERABAD Tel: 2337 1144; Fax: 23375676 Printed and published by Maheshwer Peri on behalf of Outlook Publishing (India) Pvt. Ltd. Editor: Krishna Prasad. Printed at IPP Limited, C 4-C 11, Phase-II, Noida and published from AB-10, S.J. Enclave, New Delhi-110 029 Published for the week of June 26-July 02, 2012 Released on June 25, 2012 Total no. of pages 64 + Covers
What they said to us

ARUNDHATI ROY, in an interview to Outlook Narendra Modi for Prime Minister! Who in their right mind can even imagine that?
CURRENT A F FA I R S
18 The Sedition War

Outlook examines the shocking, and at times tragic, misuse of sedition laws by the govt to harass citizens who it finds inconvenient. Plus, interview with Arundhati Roy.
12 EDUCATION Kotas Dummy Schools 14 ENVIRONMENT Indias Palm Oil Hunger Wreaks Havoc in Indonesia 38 INTERVIEW Swami Nityanand 36 KALAM The Guy Who Opted Out I N T E R N AT I O N A L
46 Judicial Dictators Now?

Is the disqualifying of Pakistans premier Yusuf Raza Gilani judicial activism gone overboard? 48 TALIBAN Surprise Endorsement BUSINESS
26
COVER STORY
The Modi Division

With the Bihar CM Nitish Kumar having fired the first salvo, will the projection of Narendra Modi as the PM candidate mean the undoing of the NDA? Plus, columns by S.N.M. Abdi, Hamish MacDonald, jump cut by Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay
42 Thats Rich
With its fundamentals not having changed, and in the face of a global slowdown, why are rating agencies like Standard & Poors suddenly turning adversarial on the Indian economy? 44 RAJAT GUPTA Fall of an Icon F E AT U R E S
cost India medals in the Olympics? 50 ARAVIND ADIGA On his favourite book on Bombay, by Yashwant Chittal
54 Jodi Breakers
Will the petulance of Indian tennis players
REGULARS 2 LETTERS 8 POLSCAPE 58 BOOKS 60 FINE LIVING 62 GLITTERATI 64 DIARY

Cover Design: Deepak Sharma
OUTLOOK 2 July WorldMags.net2012
Now, Who is the Ghost Buster?

For all his shortcomings, Nitish Kumar has emerged as the great hope for Bihar, with a certain sincerity and earnestness in his style of functioning (How to Build a Reputation, Jun 18). It would be sad if the aam Bihari sinks back into the cynicism and despair that was the staple of Laloo raj. EBAD, BANGALORE
the ACs in the auditorium to work. There were participants from across the country. Nothing demonstrated before them the story of Bihars growth better. As for education, especially primary, its in bad shape. The large teaching army recruited by the government will ensure the future of students is doomed. The quality of teachers is pathetic, a majority of them recruited via the strenuous efforts of a former advocate-general for vested interests. The much-touted development is nowhere to be seen in the villages or in peoples conversations. They say the governments efforts have only been for the haves. It explains the euphoria from the media and a tiny section of influential people. Why doesnt the government fasttrack the cases of Dalit atrocities? The Bathanitola verdict is a slur on the Patna HC. The governments not yet challenged the perverse order. It just shows whos in the drivers seat. A DALIT SPEAKS, NOIDA, UP Nitish is our own Obama. His biggest asset is, he is not Laloo. His image might be bigger than his achievements, but then hes building on ruins. Give him more time, I say. SANTOSH GAIROLA, HSINCHU The expectations from Bihar have increased after the new government came into power. We seem to think that Nitish has a magic wand that can eliminate all problems in the
state within no time. We should be realistic and not expect a state grappling with 15 years of misrule to be resurrected in five minutes. M. SHEKHAR, NEW DELHI The Outlook cover along with another newspapers attempts to tarnish Nitish and his government points to a sinister campaign by the RJD-Congress combine. What makes these stories less credible is the fact that the ground opinion is solidly in favour of the JD(U)-BJP government. They are relieved to be rid of Laloos jungle raj. If they started believing these planted stories, theyd have to return to the dark ages. SRINIVAS, LUCKNOW Outlooks audacity is amazing. KUMAR VIROCHIT, ON E-MAIL Nitish had won by a landslide, mustering unprecedented electoral support from allupper castes, minorities, OBCs, Dalits, including most backward castes and Mahadalits. However, for his schemes to succeed, he needs a trusted and honest team of bureaucrats in key positions. He also needs to attract industrial investments in Bihar and convince potential entrepreneurs that the state is now free from lawlessness. PRAMOD SRIVASTAVA, DELHI You can debate the quantum and pace of change. But change there is. Visibly so. PRADIP SINGH, STAFFORD, UK
Last month, I attended a national seminar on the Dynamics of Dalit Exclusion in Contemporary India held by the Centre
for Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy at the Patna University. All three days of the seminar, there was no electricity for
Exchange Rates
While hostility killed trade between India and Pakistan, it just moved to the UAE and Saudi Arabia and made those countries more wealthy and important than their oil reserves merit (With Kim, On the Old Grand Trunk, Jun 18). Estimates of trade through Dubai between India and Pakistan range $5-12 billion a
year. Pakistani businessmen I know talk about the Indian goods they like routed from Dubai: cosmetics, tyres, DVDs, CDs, etc. In the end, only trade can bring lasting peace. MEHUL KAMDAR, APPLETON, US Its a good sign that Pakistan has decided to open up trade with India. Coupled with the offer to demilitarise Siachen,
this seems a really serious attempt at peace. RANJIT SINHA, CALCUTTA This is very good news. At some stage, we should also encourage young Pakistanis to come to India as students. ASHOK LAL, MUMBAI
Blood Paths
Apropos the article Along
The Blood Meridian (Jun 18) on modern Indias crime history, the Nanavati murder is particularly fresh in memory. Karanjias Blitz had Bombayites waiting for Friday for updates. However, I vividly recall two murders in Madras in the late 40s/early 50s. One was the Lakshmikanthan murder case, the other the famous Alavandar Kolai case:
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So, Nitish got an overwhelming mandate in 2010 on just a souped up reputation? Im glad the majority of the people in my state read newspapers where Nitishs message is relayed and his faux achievements lauded. People who have no idea of how Bihar had become a byword for utter lawlessness and helplessness can scarcely perceive our comfort at such scant improvement. AMIT, TUCSON This is an extremely irritating article. Nitpicking, unrealistic, illogical. Nitish may not be perfect, nobody is, but this article is clearly motivated. ZAFAR, SYDNEY The poverty rate has not budged an inch during Nitishs rule. Poverty and malnutrition actually had come down in the 15 years of Laloos rule. RAJESH CHANDRA, PHOENIX As far as I know, it was the famous historian from Patna, Arvind N. Das, who coined the phrase, The Republic of Bihar. Arvind ardently loved his dear, dear Bihar. How I wish he was around now to contribute to this interesting debate. G. NIRANJAN RAO, HYDERABAD Contrary to what you think, Bihar ceased to be Indias second-most populous state after the formation of Jharkhand. Now, Maharashtra comes next to Uttar Pradesh in population. RAVI METRE, SAN FRANCISCO
A Vish Fulfilled
The utterly uncritical, overly hagiographic coverage of Anands recent victory by the media is a huge disservice to chess in India. Anyone who follows chess will tell you that this win ranks amongst the most boring, dull and attritional ever played for the World Championship. ASA HARKAVY, HISSAR Apropos The Queens Gambit (June 18), I thought Koneru Humpy was to womens chess what Anand is to mens. Tania Sachdev is very much in the reckoning too, I should think. ADITYA MOOKERJEE, BELGAUM Interesting to note the views held by Anands mother regarding his qualities and interest in the game. A good memory, positive attitude and the ability to plan ahead are crucial to chess play, but hard work and focus are ingredients that go into the making of a champion. BEENA MATHUR, PUNE Why should any parent want to make his child anything? The tendency among service class families to push their kids into technical education has evolved into pushing them into sports and cultural activity. MIKE DESAI, NEW DELHI Not every child can become the next Vishy-level genius or champion. It requires unimaginable effort, luck and providence. SRI RAGHUNATHA PRABHU, ALAPPUZHA, KERALA
Hearty congratulations to Vishwanathan Anand for his third successive title (Whats essential is to keep your love of the game alive, Jun 18). Its only when theres a world chess tournament that our attention turns to the game. In all these years, we havent created an infrastructure to encourage budding chess players. Can we expect this to change in the years to come? NARENDRA M. APTE, PUNE
The Anand interview tells you why hes the undisputed monarch of chess. His replies give important tips about the game, and are uplifting to read by themselves. With his incredible victory, he has proved yet again that he isnt only a genius but also an icon to the youth. K.R. SRINIVASAN, SECUNDERABAD
A fish-eating Vadama Tamil Brahmin! Abhacharam, abhacharam! Tauba, tauba! K. VENKATARAMAN, MUMBAI Its a myth that eating fish will improve ones brain power. On the contrary, the high mercury content will be harmful. SRIKRISHNA BHAGWAN, NY
with its elements of lust, sex and cruelty. Tonnes of newsprint were used on both. M. SANKUNNY MENON, PALAKKAD The superb article on the murders that rocked modern India should have included the Lakshmikanthan murder case. Lakshmikanthan was the editor of a magazine spe-
cialising in yellow journalism. He wrote unverified, even malicious gossip about leading south Indian public figures and took hush money. He was stabbed to death in Madras in 1944. M.K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, the then matinee idol of the south, and seven others were arrested. A long trial whetted public interest; finally, MKT was senten-
ced to jail. The Privy Council, overturned his sentence on appeal and MKT was released after 30 months; his later films were all flops, and he died a broken man in 1950. To this day, the real murderers have not been caught. VENKATESH G. IYER, CHENNAI A few details on the cases you mention. Bollywood, for
instance, took off on the Nanavati case, with the film Achanak. In the Vidya Jain case, the accused accomplice, Chandresh Sharma, was employed in Dr Jains clinic. In the Syed Modi case, when the details of the gory murder started coming out, Amita Modi said Sanjay Singh was like her elder brother. Later, she married him and the Rani
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He is dealing in half-truths. A.K. GHAI, MUMBAI We must sift fact from fiction. Im sure many of those buried in unmarked graves near the LoC are militants trying to sneak into India and gunned down by our security forces. GURUDEV SHOREY, HOUSTON As far as I know, no one has claimed that the 2002 election in Kashmir was rigged. Voting percentage was as high as 70, despite separatist calls for a boycott. As for peoples behaviour, as John Rowan shows in his book The Structured Crowd, even two per cent of a population can convey the impression of being the voice of all. R. SAROJA, MUMBAI Apropos Navnita Chadha Beheras column Will it Finally Be the Valley of Hope?, I think the separatists are making a big mistake by junking the interlocutors report. The latter have suggested the maximum that the Indian government can offer even though it would be difficult to sell their ideas in India. When insurgency started, the militants thought India would give up soon. They did not realise how important unity and integrity is to the Indian State, and the implications of any action in Kashmir in the rest of India. AKSHAY, LUDHIANA
The Silence of the Graveyard

Apropos Mirza Waheeds column (Where 5,000 Graves Dont Speak, Jun 18), I fail to understand why wethe socalled literate middle class of Indiarefuse to accept or even listen to any talk of human rights violations in India. Its high time we set our stereotypes aside and listen to what Kashmiris say, and have been saying for 22 years now. SABIKA, NEW DELHI Waheed would have done well to highlight the point that Kashmiri youth should try to integrate with mainland India and share its economic benefits instead of clambering on to Pakistans terror machine. MOHAN DOSHI, BANGALORE Waheed is rightly distressed and outraged, as are all Kashmiris, whenever in thought we go back to the scene of crime. Kashmir is also rightly known as resh waer, the exalted garden of saints. Can he be bold enough to join me in restoring resh waer status to Kashmir instead of staying in England? P.K. KAUL, ON E-MAIL I happened to tour Kashmir recently and felt our government cant escape blame. Little seems to have been done there, despite claims of huge money spent. The Kashmiris are a courteous and soft-spoken peopleyou could joke that theyd even cheat you courteously. Speaking to my cab driver, with whom I got acquainted over five days, I asked, What do Kashmiris want? He said they wanted azadi, the way Indians wanted azadi from the British. He said they wanted to remain free of both Pakistan and India, though he failed to explain what benefits there would be to being landlocked. He also told me how much Kashmiris hate Indian troops, although he confessed Kashmir was better off being with India than Pakistan. Isnt this sentiment something the government must take a cue from and try to win hearts? SANDILYA, CHENNAI Some dayand not too far people like Waheed will change the situation in Kashmir with the power of their pen. FARHAN, AUCKLAND, NZ Most controversial articles in Outlook are written by people whove recently authored a book. Is that just coincidence? RAJAGOPALAN CHAKRAVARTHY, ON E-MAIL Waheeds deceit lies in his selective concerns. The killing, loot and rape of 5,00,000 Kashmiris to get them to convert to Islam or leave the Valley is a human rights violation too, a genocide. If, in this, some 5,000 get killed and are put in unmarked graves, its sad, isnt it? Waheed seems to be a Kashmiri Goebbels. ASHUTOSH KAUL, TORONTO If Pakistan wasnt compelled by the relentless Indian fightback, international pressure
and its own dismal internal state, the insurgency in Kashmir would have continued unabated. The Indian side of Kashmir is flush with government fundsand perhaps hawala money. For a state that has witnessed two decades of insurgency, it shows amazingly low poverty levels. ALAKSHYENDRA, HYDERABAD Waheed has not had the courage to state the simple fact that Pakistan and ISI have been fomenting jehad in Kashmir.
sahiba of the constituency, (once a princely state), went on to become an MP. R.N. BHAT, GHAZIABAD
dhists and Jains, in the way Muslim kings are portrayed as having destroyed Hinduism. NASAR AHMED, KARAIKUDI According to the article, In neighbouring Karnataka, CBSE textbooks, the MP claims, say Pakistan is part of India. From where does Karnataka come into the picture? CBSE textbooks are written by the NCERT, a central government organisation. KIRAN BAGACHI, MUMBAI
Image Problem
It is a misconception that Gujarat gets more than reasonable grants due to a nexus between Modi and Ahmed Patel (Who is This Man?, Jun 18). Its just another ploy for Keshubhai Patel to remain relevant. BHARAT TRIVEDI, AHMEDABAD Why make Sanjay Joshi, a dedicated swayamsewak and now a saint for the kangres and the media, a scapegoat?
Yours, Surprised
Im surprised that an Andhra textbook says P.V. Narasimha Rao is the PM (A Schoolbag of Biases, Jun 18). My surprise, though, stems from the fact that his name was taken at all. I thought it was forbidden in Congress raj. ABHISHEK DHAANI, SILIGURI
In our textbooks, history has been distorted by Brahmin teachers/writers to suit RSS ideals. Nowhere do they mention the oppression unleashed by Hindu rulers on Bud-
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The idea of doing a spoof caste census on Bollywood was quite hilarious, but the results werent exactly revelatory. Didnt we know all along that Bollywood was an All India Khatri Mahasabha by another name? Still, I think there was something to this analysis that we knew by intuition, but had never managed to translate into concrete thought. Brilliant stuff! KC, ON E-MAIL In Aamchi Pichchur (June 4), Deepa Deosthali has omitted to mention the all-time masterpiece Manus (Aadmi, in Hindi). And in the film quiz, there is a scene from Manus, with Shahu Modak and Shanta Hubalikar, but no question has been asked on it. SURESH DEOLAKAR, HYDERABAD ing the oldest extant urban occupation in the country, with its rich heritage and culture still live. Some of us now may find it infra dig and too dirty and chaoticthe thing to do would be to clean it up, for ourselves, for posterity and, yes, even the tourists. RAMKI, DELHI
Is he instrumental in the factionalising of the Gujarat BJP? DINESH CHAUKSEY, BHOPAL If there are so many cons to Modi, why then is he still so feared? Is he above the party as he seems to be? If so, the BJP can easily forget 2014 and beyond. VINOD KUMAR, DELHI The Joshi-Modi episode has not only divided the party down the middle, but could spawn new political alignments in the near future. HEMAVATHI A., HYDERABAD The media failed in its direct attacks on Modi. Now, it is trying to use Sanjay Joshi. KARAVADI RAGHAVA RAO, VIJAYAWADA All said and done, Joshi proved himself a disciplined RSS man. Neither did he create a hue and cry, nor has he joined a secular party. PANKAJ HEDAOO, MALAYSIA Joshi and Keshubhai, like good partymen, should have accepted that Modi is not only the better administrator, he is honest and smarter. K.C. SHARMA, DELHI While Modi is a major party vote-catcher, it does the BJPs leadership little good to have him call the shots so publicly. MEGHANA A., NEWCASTLE
Fresh Whiff
The film special (Jun 4) was great. Mukul Kesavans claim that Indian cinema has grown its own culture is justified. Its true that realism is at a discount in Indian cinemaour audiences prefer dreams and extravaganzas. MADHU B. THAKER, ON E-MAIL Apropos Which Way to Ramgarh, the alternative critique teased out a hitherto ignored aspectthe role of place in
Typically Us
The cover picture of Outlook (Who cares For Mr and Mrs Dixit?, June 11) is typical of
film. The writers prime concernfilm unfolding in a nonplacewas apt. Or lets say, well-placed. The lack of empathetic engagement with the reality of India is the hallmark of Bollywood. As Menon put it, The locale is sometimes identifiable, but never fully identified with. Evoking the Punjabi male psyche in this context was convincing. But an easier read, maybe? One can stimulate a reader to process at a deeper level. One can also distract a casual reader from content that should make sense to everyone. KRISHNA, NEW DELHI
First Planter
The story about the 330year-old Kerala plant encyclopaedia was superb (Into Rheedes Garden, June 18). My seventh standard history text said Hortus Malabaricus was a Dutchmans book about Keralas flora. Its amazing that the book was not, till recently, translated into Malayalam or English! PRASANTH, MELBOURNE
the Indian middle class family. An average Indian disregards all rules of personal safety, as exemplified by the DixitsMr Dixit is on a two-wheeler with his familynone of them wearing a helmet. Ironically, he is an insurance agent! T.P. SRIVASTAVA, ON E-MAIL
Post of Strength
Srivatsa Krishna gets all this footage since hes an IAS man (Glitterati, Jun 18). I know a lot of Tamil Brahmins who can recite the Vishnu Sahasranamam verses he has tracked for Shanghai. ANSHUL, INDORE
Eternal City
Enjoyed Anil Dharkers Varanasi Diary (June 18). Varanasi is a living miracle, represent-
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MIRROR IMAGE
THE SECRET DIARY OF
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

V. GANGADHAR
The Mumbai-based satirist is the creator of Trishanku
by Sorit
CROSSINGS
WON The Indonesia Open, by SAINA NEHWAL, who beat World No. 3 Li Xuerue. Indias Olympic hopes burn brighter as Saina banishes the Chinese bogey by smashing two titles.
ARRESTED Disgraced CBI special court judge T. PATTABHI RAMA RAO in the cash-for-bail scam involving ex-Karnataka minister Gali Janardhana Reddy, in the illegal mining case. Rao didnt seek bail. DIED RODNEY KING, 47, black motorist, whose videotaped 1991 beating by Los Angeles policemen, and later the cops acquittal, sparked Americas most vicious race riots in 92. In all, 55 people were killed. . UNVEILED SURFACE, a tablet computer, by MICROSOFTthe IT firms first ever foray in hardware. It runs Windows RT, uses Microsofts Office apps, has a qwerty keyboard. DIED KAKA RADHAKRISHNAN, 86, veteran character artiste/ comedian of Tamil cinema. Since the 40s, he starred in hits like Manohara and Guna, besides introducing Sivaji Ganesan to his theatre group.
ther, I believe small is beautiful, and hence did not keep a diary when I was the President. The Rashtrapati Bhavan, with its 256 rooms, was too big for me. Believe me, I used only seven rooms in my tenure and one reason I did not want to be president again was that I did not want to waste too much of that space. Let me reflect. I really dont know why I was dragged into this controversy. The request, particularly from Mamata Banerjee and some of her political pals, was like a missile with a deadly payload which had gone off course. In the DRDO, we would not have allowed the launching of such a projectile, which proved the superiority of politics over science. As the offer, moving at supersonic speed, hove into view, I recalled a TV discussion I watched involving Mamata. An innocent-looking college girl asked her a question; Mamata glared at her and shouted: You are a Marxist, they set you up with such questions to embarrass me. Youre a paid agent of the Communists, and more on those lines. Then she walked out. The incident made me think. Suppose I agreed to her proposal and somehow became president, I would not have a moment of peace. Whichever party came to power at the Centre after the 2014 LS polls, Mamata would be a powerful figure and I expect she would be leading a lot of delegations to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, moving heaven and earth, demanding this and that. In case I pointed out that many of these were beyond my constitutional duties, she would surely flare up: You are a Marxist stooge... I know everything about you. Such, I feared, would be the daily routine. I spent five days in intense cogitation, then sent the letter declining to contest. Can anyone blame me? Mind you, a stab at the highest office in the land is an honour for every patriotic Indian. Despite having been there once, Im no exception. But the infernal numbers game queered the pitch. I used Newtons law, Boyles Law, Einsteins Law, Oppenheimers law...the numbers would not add up. My conscience told me to keep away from this kind of murky politics cooked up by the likes of Mamata Banerjee. Great lover of Dickens as I am, I just cant quip: Barkis is willin. Knowing Mamata, I am still a bit uneasy (and a bit flattered too) that she wanted me as her candidate because people think I am the best. Suppose, Mamata decided to follow the example of the ancients and do tapasya, standing on one leg, eating once a day, then surviving on water, then nothing and observing maun vrat to pressurise me. But her friends and colleagues assured me that while Mamata could remain without food and water, she could not do so without talking. Anyway, I am breathing easy again. 4
E-mail your secret diarist: vgangadhar70@gmail.com
Y SECRET DIARY IS SMALL, I DONT HAVE THAT MANY SECRETS. FUR-
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NOTES
POLSCAPE
I dont understand his vision for a second term, other than, We suck.
Republican senator from South Carolina Lindsay Graham, saying Barack Obama had few leadership plans, except to survive in office.
Photo Then, Icon Now

WEST BENGAL FOOD AND Supplies Minister Jyotipriya Mallick has taken political fetishism to a new level. He told a gathering in North 24 Parganas that people should keep a photograph of
A Baboo For Raisina

THE PRESIDENT TO BE IS DRESSING LIKE, WELL, THE PRESIDENT TO be. Or a happy Bengali gent about to attend a Durga Puja pandal. Theres been a wardrobe and facial makeover ever since Dada got the nod from Madame, following convolutions that had us transfixed. First, Pranab Mukherjee started smiling, the best therapy for looking and feeling better. According to ministry insiders, hes reportedly stopped snapping at visitors so frequently, is often seen with a wide smile and at times is in an expansive mood. But the dramatic change is in his dress code. Till now, as the most active minister of the UPA, he wore trousers and short Nehru jackets that looked very hot and tight around the neck. He was in this inappropriate attire (for a terrifyingly hot June day) the day Sonia Gandhi announced his candidature. After that Dada has taken to wearing Bengali dhotis, silk kurtas (called Punjabis by Bengalis) and a Nehru jacket. Hes no longer so tight around the collar. 4
Mamata Banerjee in their homes and glance at it before going out for luck. Sighting a CPI(M) worker, he added for good measure, brings bad luck, even death. Earlier, hed asked party people not to marry CPI(M) cadre and to avoid mingling with them. Do not look at their faces. If they are on your left, turn right. They bring bad luck. If you are heading for work and see their faces, you may end up getting crushed under the wheels of a vehicle, Mallick said. Well, in Kerala they might say theres an element of truth to that! 4
president for president, Karunanidhi said: Kalam enbanatharku Tamizhil kalagam endrum oru poral undu (Another word for Kalam in Tamil is chaos).
Chaos Baiter
A.P.J. ABDUL KALAM HAS turned out to be a mouthful for DMK chief Karunanidhi. When Mamata & Mulayam pulled out the name of the former
While Kalam, himself a Tamil scholar, has let Karunanidhis remark pass, the Vellore-based Dravida Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam has smelt an opportunity for publicity. They say that Kalam in Arabic means the Quran, hence Karunanidhi has hurt religious sentiments. Now, the octogenarian who described Pranab Mukherjee as a priceless jewel in the crown of Indian democracy, says he meant that there
was chaos in the presidential polls. He adds that he was not opposed to Kalam and had, in fact, personally met him and asked him to contest again after his first tenure ended. 4
Keen Keeners
JAGANMOHAN REDDYS SISTER Sharmila and mother Vijayalakshmi, who whipped up a massive sympathy wave during the bypolls, were criticised for using tears as a weapon to win votes. Sharmila retorts: What is wrong if we cried? Who stopped Congress leaders from shedding tears? 4
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WorldMags.net
EDUCATION COACHING
TRIBHUVAN TIWARI
Take it down! At a coaching centre
Dummies for IIT

Schools for those who want to stay away
by Chandrani Banerjee in Kota
HE Union HRD ministry says it is trying to ease the pressure on students sitting for the engineering and medical college entrance
exams. But the claim hasnt convinced students so far, going by the scene in Kota, a Rajasthan town that is the mecca of coaching, chiefly for the IIT-JEE, but also for entrance exams to other engineering and medical colleges. Theres no slowdown in enrolments at the towns numerous coaching centres; nor have enrolments slowed at dummy schools, a unique Kota phenomenon, which register students for the Class XII board exams but do not insist on attendance, allowing them to devote all their time to what the coaching centres dole out. The underlying belief is that the bright and hard-working will clear both, the entrance test to a top professional college (their primary goal) and the Class XII exam, a necessity if they seek admission to any professional college. Its a comfortable arrangement for the 50,000-odd students who arrive in Kota
every year, having cleared their Class X board exams and with dreams of making it to the top professional colleges. For two years, its Gradgrinding tapasya at the coaching centres: no regular schooling for them, no sports or extra-curricular activities, not even the relief of occasional mischief at school assemblies or mass drills. For the formality of clearing Class XII, the centres nudge them towards the dummy schools the town is awash with. These schools have few teachers and almost no infrastructure they collect fees but are more or less run on paper, making them a lucrative proposition. Take the case of one such school in Kota: it had as few as 50 students who
No change
Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal wants entrance tests revamped to reclaim ground from coaching centres and improve schools
But coaching centres have shown no slowdown in student uptake In Kota, a coaching town, dummy schools continue to flourish too, allowing students to take board exams without attendance
took the Class X exams, but the enrolment for Class XII, fed no doubt by IIT pilgrims, was a whopping 500. Its a business that has crippled the system. Its like snatching away part of their childhood, says O.P. Changani, director of the Kota Engineering College. And Aruna Broota, a former professor of psychology, says, It affects a childs career and mindset. Coaching cant substitute for the school experience; it can help after the board exams, but lack of formal schooling robs students of their childhood. Schools focus onor are at least meant to focus onclearing concepts and fundamentals. But coaching centres focus only on how to crack entrance exams by working through past question papers and framing new ones based on patterns that show up. They also drill students in hundreds of numericals, so they ace them almost mechanically. The dichotomy is well acknowledged: many who do well in school often fail to crack the IIT-JEE; many who crack the IIT-JEE often do badly in the school board exam. Owners of dummy schools and teachers at coaching centres blame the system. As one dummy-school owner put it, We are here because coaching institutes are here; the coaching culture is growing because our education system is not dependable. Coaching institute owners say most students arriving in Kota are bright, having scored more than 90 per cent at board exams, and all they need is some assistance to realise their dreams which the institutes provide. And in defence, Pramod Bansal of Bansal Classes says classes for those who are in Class XII are held in the evening, so they can attend school; morning classes are for those who have already cleared Class XII. But hardly any IIT pilgrim at Kota attends school. Shivam Singh, a student doing the Bulls Eye programme of Bansal Classes, says hed been told not to bother about Class XII exams. Another student, Vaibhav Sable, says he will go back to his school in Maharashtra when its time to take the board exam. Till then, its the pressure cooker for him and thousands of others who stake everything to take the system on its own terms. 4
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WorldMags.net
INDONESIA PALM OIL EXPORTS
Smoke in Paradise
Indias palm oil appetite is eating up Indonesias forests by its palm oilcos
by Debarshi Dasgupta in Riau province in Sumatra, Indonesia
N a terrain overwhelmed by charred tree stumps and glossy palm shoots that have begun to replace the rainforest that once stood there, Pammus field of corn is more than just an aberration. Its a revolta way to fight back the company seeking somehow to appropriate his 14 hectares and assimilate it into its
much larger adjacent palm plantation. Its as if nothing but palm is destined to grow on this land. Pammu, who like many Indonesians uses only his first name, says excavators had come even last month to uproot his crop in Panchur village in Indragiri Hulu district, Riau. Two neighbouring huts burnt down mysteriously and the occupants had to move elsewhere. Im worried about being evicted from my land, so much so that Im scared of strangers
I live here Pammu on his 14 hectares
who cross my house. He has now placed wooden signs with his name around the perimeter of his land. Fear his constant companion, the 56-yearold regrets he bought the land: I wouldnt even have taken it for free. But why should you, in India, be concerned with Pammus plight in faraway Sumatra? Because Duta Palma, the firm that threatens to take over his land, is a major exporter of its oil to India, a country that has today become the largest global market for palm oil. With little domestic production and its use spanning across productsfrom edible oils to packaged food and cosmeticsIndia is the largest importer of palm oil from the Southeast Asian country, consuming about a fourth of its production. It imported about 5.8 tonnes of its 6.5 million tonnes annual consumption from Indo-
14
Photographs: GREENPEACE
PARASITE INC A palm plantation in Riau; (inset) harvested palm
nesia in 2010. And our appetite for the cheap and unsustainable oil continues to growexports from Indonesia to India rose by 37.48 per cent to 1.48 million tonnes in the first quarter of this year. Perhaps not for long, as criticism from Indonesians mounts, as do the problems associated with the palm oil industry there. India is now being urged to be more prudent in its imports to avoid becoming a direct partner in unleashing woes on Indonesia that range from widespread deforestation to land-grabbing, from killings of agitating locals to species loss in the archipelago known for its immense biodiversity. Because of expanding plantations, land conflicts have become a countrywide and violent phenomenon. In Indragiri Hulu, affected farmers launched a series of protests beginning in November last
year. When the voices refused to fade, a committee of local elected representatives of the district was constituted. It found that Duta Palmas plantations had taken over close to 30,000 ha even before the requisite clearances. We have sent recommendations to higher authorities asking for legal action, says committee member Manahara Napitupulu, but theres been none yet. Maybe the firm is powerful enough to influence the government in Jakarta. Adds committee head Suraji, Unilever boycotted Sinar Mas (another firm) for its unethical practices. Indian firms too should take a call. The firm did not respond to an e-mail query from Outlook. Land records in Indonesia are poor, and farmers find that their land has been handed over by the government, often overnight, to a firm as part of a larger concession. In such a scenario, the state does not acquire the land from individuals; the firms can attempt a negotiated settlement with individual owners. It seldom happens, though. As with Pammu, brute coercion, not civil arbitration, is the preferred tactic. Other means of livelihood too have been disrupted. Locals can no longer depend on collecting minor forest produce, as swathes of rainforests are being handed over to oil firms. Even fishing has become increasingly difficult. This is because drained-out water from peat lands (a kind of marshland and important reserves of carbon), which too are being cleared for cultivation, is dumped untreated into rivers, the acidic and carbon content depleting fish stocks. Local food security too has been compromised, says Riko Kurniawan, executive director, Perkumpulah Elang, a group that works with affected farmers in Riau. Official data shows that around 45 per cent of paddy fields in Riau has been converted into palm plantations. It has become difficult for farmers to irrigate their crop as water resources are overexploited by plantations. This makes rice cultivation less productive, he says. But what is most galling is the colossal deforestation the palm oil industry has engendered. Indonesia is the worlds largest contributor of deforesta-
Palming It Off
MALAYSIA Sumatra Kalimantan Sulawesi
Papua
Jakarta Java INDONESIA

Indonesia is the worlds biggest producer of palm oil, and India its biggest market But the industry is controversial, causing massive deforestation that is killing Indonesias symbolic animals like the orangutan and the Sumatran tiger Some firms have forcibly taken over land from locals. Wilmar and Musim Mas are among the firms that export to India and are involved in land-based conflicts. Killing of protesting locals is not uncommon; there were at least nine deaths in Mesuji (Sumatra) in 2010 in clashes with the firm Sumber Wangi Alam. In February, five villagers were shot and injured in Riau (Sumatra) in a clash with Mazuma Agro Indonesia. Consuming about a fourth of Indonesias production, Indian buyers are being asked to urge their suppliers to become sustainable Major Indian buyers and users of Indonesian palm oil include Adani-Wilmar, Ruchi Soya, ITC, Britannia and Parle
tion-related greenhouse gas emissions and accounts for over 17 per cent of the worlds share. Every year, the country loses around 1.1 mn ha, or 1.2 per cent, of its forests. Under pressure to bring it down, Indonesia signed a two-year and $1-billion deal in May 2010 with Norway and released a protected areas map a year later, promising not to lease out an initial total of 69.1 mn ha of its primary natural forests and peat lands. However, that figure has been whittled down to a little over 65 mn ha. But even this area is not entirely inviolate, as small-scale farmers, often allegedly egged on by palm oil firms they sell their produce to, cultivate in protected areas. Investigations by EIA/Telapak have also shown how this moratorium was breached soon after it was announced by one firm (Menteng) that destroyed peat forests
15
INDONESIA PALM OIL EXPORTS
How We Can Save Their Forests

Indian companies can boycott rogue palm oil companies in Indonesia
ESPITE the concerns associated with the Indonesian palm oil industry, Indian firms say import of certified and sustainable palm oil (SPO) is still not viable. SPO at competitive prices is inaccessible in India due to the lack of infrastructure, which limits our ability to procure it, AdaniWilmar, one of the largest importers and sellers of palm oil from Indonesia, said in an e-mail statement. On the contrary, even the demand for SPO has not been forthcoming in India, even from MNCs which are members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), due to the premium attached to it, it added. The RSPO is an international multi-stakeholder organisation that carries out
a certification programme for SPO. However, it has many critics who allege that it has achieved little of its lofty goals. Hariansyah Usman, who heads the local wing of the Friends of the Earth in Riau, says firms often use its membership as a cover for their bad practices. The requirements (as specified by RSPO) are not really implemented on ground, he says, citing the example of Musim Mas, an RSPO member, still locked in conflict with locals over land in Tambun in Riau. A spokesperson from ITC Limited, one of the Indian
users of imported palm oil, added that its requirements are too little to give it any bargaining capacity to make a difference to the suppliers. Poor traceability of where the oil comes from is another defence, with ITC saying no supply chain currently in India can tell where the oil has come from. For small buyers who do not import directly, it is important that Indian refiners offer palm oil that is RSPO-certified, the spokesperson added. While users can conveniently blame importers and vice versa, Nandikesh SivaAP
lingam, a forests campaigner with Greenpeace, says it doesnt stop them from asking Indonesian suppliers to ensure that the oil they export comes from non-deforested areas. He points to how, under pressure from buyers, major palm oil grower Golden Agri-Resources decided not to convert land with high carbon stock (including no planting on peat land, regardless of its depth) or those with high conservation value. Even major firms like Nestle have already put in place policies to eliminate deforestation from their supply chain. Indian companies too should adopt timebound zero-deforestation policies, otherwise they will be risking their brands, he says. Greenpeace also released a report titled Frying the Forest last week which details the devastation that Indias use of Indonesian palm oil is causing. 4
guards. Moreover, environon the island of Borneo. ment groups claim, even vital With expanding plantations forested areas that lie outside eating into their habitats, the moratorium zone (around some of the archipelagos 50 mn ha) need to be urgently emblematic animals such as protected instead of being Sumatran tigers, orangutans handed over to firms. No and elephants find survival longer can India just import tough. In March, a forest blindly, as Sunarto says. Othhome to around 200 oraerwise, it will be directly resngutans in Tripa in Aceh was Retired hurt Injured orangutan at a palm plantation in Aceh ponsible for the endangerdestroyed in wildfires started by palm oil firms to clear land for culti- flicts have also risen sharply this year; ment of our wildlife. To avoid that, he vation, an illegal but efficient way to until March, two tigers had died and six urges major buyers and users from India raze dense forests. And in the last three other conflicts were reported that to inspect some of the plantations and months, a dozen elephants died in ended in injuries to the animals. Not even engage various local stakeholders to Sumatra due to causes that include poi- surprising, because of the 400-odd establish the exporters credentials. soning. Sunatro, an expert with the tigers that survive in the wild, less than With coal and paper pulp imports from World Wildlife Fund in Riau, says that a third are thought to be living in areas Indonesia also being linked to extensive ecological damage back there, can India around 70 per cent of the prime habitat set aside for conservation purposes. Concerned, environment groups have still shy away from any accountability? 4 of elephants lies outside the protected areas. They prefer flat terrain, which is called on the government to ensure bet(The correspondent was invited to visit also the kind of land palm oil compa- ter management of its protected areas Riau by a local NGO and was their guest. nies prefer, he says. Human-tiger con- and augment its meagre staff of forest An extended version appears online.)
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WorldMags.net
SEDITION LAW MISUSE
SENTENCED Seema and her husband Vijay being taken to jail

RAJESH SINGH
A Stick Called 124(A)

The State finds a handy tool in a colonial law to quell dissent
by Panini Anand and Debarshi Dasgupta
RAKASH Ram, a farmer from a village near Haldwani in Uttarakhand, had never heard of Mao Tse Tung. Ironically enough, his first lesson on Chairman Mao and his ideology came not from some gun-toting guerrilla but the Uttarakhand police. Accusing him of being a Maoist, they arrested him on
tation and will make it difficult for me to get work. Who will pay for this? Will someone be held responsible? The dark days of Emergency, rung in 37 years ago this week, may have become a distant memory for some, but for many others, an Emergency-like situation is a recurring reality. Just as in 1975 and the year after, when the State suppressed
charges of sedition on August 30, 2004. It has taken eight years for the 28-yearold to be finally cleared of the taint, by the Rudrapur sessions court this month. I spent two of the best years of my life behind bars (he was granted bail in 2006) and six more years in my legal battle for justice, he says. I may be free now but this arrest has spoilt my repu-
dissent and abolished civil rights, the democratic republic of India continues to target disaffected voices and accuse of sedition anyone it sees as a threat. Rajinder Sachar, a retired chief justice of the Delhi High Court, thinks the situation today is actually worse. In 1975, he says, the Emergency was more of a political game played by one political party but now everyone is restricted from speaking. One law after the other is passed, stopping one from speaking openly. A situation is being created where anybody can be declared antinational. We are actually going through an undeclared Emergency. One of the latest victims of Section 124(A), a law that deals with sedition
18
Wrong arm of the law

Why sedition rings hollow in India 2012
The law Section 124(A) of the Indian Penal Code, 1870; non-bailable offence The definition Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the government established by law in India The accusers Other than the State, even individuals are free to file charges The punishment Imprisonment for life, to which fine may be added, or with imprisonment which may extend to three years, to
which fine may be added, or with fine. The misuse While the Supreme Court has specifically laid down that the provisions of section 124(A) are only made out where there is a tendency to public disorder by use of violence or incitement to violence, the clause has been grossly misused. While convictions are rare, the long and tortuous legal process is seen as a deterrent to others. The victims The law is being used to punish fierce critics of the government, including political dissenters, human rights activists and journalists Global status UK abolished sedition laws in 2010
New Zealand repealed it in 2008
Graphic by LEELA
and which is a handy tool for the government to target trenchant critics, is Seema Azad and her husband Vishwa Vijay. A journalist couple from Allahabad, they had written fearlessly about corruption and illegal mining in Uttar Pradesh. Charged with sedition, the two were sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 70,000 by a sessions court in Allahabad on June 8. Seema and Vijay were arrested in February 2010 at the Allahabad railway station on their return from New Delhi. They were accused of being members of the banned CPI (Maoist) group simply because the police deemed the literature recovered from them to be antinational. Their advocate Ravi Kiran Jain argues that this verdict ignores the observations the two-judge bench of the Supreme Court made in 2011 while hearing the bail plea of Dr Binayak Sen, who too was charged with sedition. If someone has the autobiography of Gandhi at his home, will he be called a Gandhian, the apex court had famously asked the prosecution lawyer. Even in
this case, says Jain, Seema and her husband were simply in possession of some literature on Maoism. This does not make them Maoists. The advocate now plans to file an appeal on behalf of the duo in the Allahabad High Court. Other than Dr Sen and the Allahabad couple, there were at least six other
Mission aborted Salems Piyush Sethia
high-profile cases involving sedition in 2010. They include Arundhati Roy, who was booked under Section 124(A) for making a speech supporting azadi in Kashmir, and Salem-based environmental activist Piyush Sethia, who was accused of sedition for disrupting a Republic Day ceremony in Salem in 2010 by attempting to distribute a controversial anti-mining leaflet. In fact, things took on a farcical turn when Srinagar-based lecturer Noor Mohammed Bhatt was slapped with the sedition charge in December the same year for including a question in an English paper asking if stone-pelters were the real heroes and asking students to translate from Urdu to English a passage that read, Kashmiri blood is being spilled like water, Kashmiri children are being killed by police and Kashmiri women are being showered with bullets. There is no official record of the total number of cases involving sedition, but the sudden spurt in such cases has generated much concern. Civil rights groups have launched a nationwide campaign to have the law repealed. Says veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar, who was in jail during the Emergency, The sedition law is a weapon in the hand of the State which evokes doubts, suspicion and hatred in the mind of the people against whom the charges are made. Such an undemocratic and anti-people law must be repealed immediately. In fact, it should have been done many years back. Most of these cases (see Memories of Another Day) have targeted people who have fearlessly spoken up for the rights of the marginalised, especially the Dalits and tribals. It was for this reason that Sudhir Dhawale, a Dalit rights activist from Mumbai, was picked up by the Maharashtra police from Wardha in January last year for being a Naxal supporter. Still lodged in a Nagpur jail, many speculate the real reason he was picked up was his writings and activities that helped mobilise Dalits for their rights. Like him, Gananath Patra, the 73-yearold convenor of Chasi Muliya Adivasi Sangh in Narayanpatna in Orissa, too was charged with sedition and put behind bars in January 2010. He was released on bail earlier this month due to poor
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SEDITION LAW MISUSE
Memories of another day

Jogendra Chandra Bose The first case, in 1891, when the editor of Bangobasi was charged for criticising the British govts move to raise the age on consensual sex from 10 to 12, and for commenting on the negative economic impact of British colonialism
How a repressive 19th-century law is b

Maoist leaders. Sen had criticised the Chhattisgarh govts support to the vigilante group Salwa Judum. encounter deaths in Karnataka.
Prashant Rahi, Journalist, charged in Dec 2007 for allegedly possessing Naxal literature Bharat Desai Resident Editor, Times of India, Ahmedabad Gautam Mehta Photographer, Gujarat Samachar Charged in Jun 2008 for articles and photographs alleging links between the Ahmedabad Police
the murder of two British officers. Convicted in 1897, 1905, 1916.

Manoj Shinde Editor, Surat Saamna, charged in Aug 06 for using abusive words against Narendra Modi in an editorial alleging administrative failure in tackling the Surat flood situation Kahturam Sunani Journalist, OTV, Charged in May 2007 in Sinapali, Orissa, for filing a
report that Pahariya tribals were consuming soft dolomite stones in Nuapada district due to acute hunger.
in the weekly. Convicted in 1922.

Balgangadhar Tilak The British govt alleges his speeches instigated
Mahatma Gandhi Charged, along with Shankerlal Banker, the proprietor of Young India, for three articles
Binayak Sen Doctor & Human Rights Activist. Charged in May 2007 in Raipur for allegedly helping courier messages to
E. Rati Rao Resident Editor, Varthapatra, charged in Oct 2007 2010 in Mysore, Karnataka, for an article alleging
health but on the condition that he must not engage in any activism. He had earlier helped tribals in and around Narayanpatna take back around 10,000 acres of land that had been forcefully acquired from them. Of course, it is activism in areas under the grip of left-wing extremism that the government is extremely sensitive about. Sethia, the Salem-based activist, found himself in the crosshairs precisely for this. Carrying pamphlets criticising
Operation Green Hunt, he was set to spread his message cycling all the way to Sivaganga, the constituency Union home minister P. Chidambaram represents. However, the Tamil Nadu police arrested him in Salem itself, even before he could distribute the pamphlets at the R-Day ceremony there. Out on bail since February 2010, the sedition charges still hold. The real cause for his arrest though, Sethia believes, is his fight against illegal mining in the region. He
was the main litigant in a case in the Madras High Court that resulted in the closure of a local mining unit that belonged to Vedanta. Funnily enough, there has not been a single hearing in Sethias case so far. Either they should drop the charges, or they should go ahead with the case and finish it off. It is a sort of leash on my activities, says Sethia, whose questioning gaze encompasses areas like the Forests Rights Act and water pollution and privatisation.
UCLEAR energy is another area that the government, including at the state level, has begun to get touchy about. The slightest
PTI
The nuclear flashpoint Koodankulam agitators are viewed with suspicion
whiff of opposition is promptly dismissed as anti-national. Little wonder then that as many as 3,500 protesters were charged with sedition in the aftermath of the Koodankulam protests in Tamil Nadu, where locals were agitating against the construction of a nuclear power plant. Says V. Suresh, an advocate at the Madras High Court and someone who has spent time with the locals, While laws are meant to protect the people, in this case, the sedition law
20
eing indiscriminately unleashed on citizens fighting for the rights of their fellow citizens
Commissioner and the underworld Charged in Dec 2008 in Bhubaneshwar for publishing a booklet on the Kandhamal riots entitled Dharmanare Kandhamalre Raktonadhi (Kandhamals rivers of blood)
Laxman Choudhury Journalist, Sambadh, Charged in Sep 2009 in Gajapati district, Orissa, for allegedly possessing Maoist literature.
Choudhury had been writing about the involvement of local police in illegal drug trafficking.
sovereignty at a book launch function

Piyush Sethia Environmentalist and Organic Farmer, charged in Jan 2010 in Salem, Tamil Nadu, for trying to distribute pamphlets during protest against Chhattisgarh govts support to Salwa Judum Niranjan Mahapatra, Avinash Kulkarni, Bharat Pawar, others Trade union leaders and
social activists Gujarat police allege links with CPI (Maoist).
Kirori Singh Bainsla Gujjar community leader Charged in Jun 2008 in Bayana, Rajasthan, for leading an agitation demanding ST status for Gujjars Lenin Kumar Editor, Nishan,
V. Gopalaswamy (Vaiko) Politician, MDMK, Charged in Dec 2009 in Chennai for allegedly making remarks against Indias
Arundhati Roy, S.A.R. Geelani, Varavara Rao, Shuddhabrata Sengupta, others Private complaint in Nov 2010 in Delhi alleging their speeches on Kashmir in a seminar are anti-India
Noor Mohammed Bhatt Lecturer, Gandhi Memorial College, Srinagar, in Dec 2010 for
setting a question paper for English literature students on whether stone pelters were the real heroes.
Sudhir Dhawale Dalit rights activist and freelance journalist, Wardha. Maharashtra police allege links with CPI (Maoist) in 2011.
Source: Sedition Laws and the Death of Free Speech in India TRIBHUVAN TIWARI
has been clearly misused by the government to further its interests. Anand Swaroop Verma, Delhi-based editor of monthly journal Samkaleen Teesri Duniya, expresses concern at a different level. This crackdown by the State, he says, has been met with only rare instances of media criticism and scrutiny. He attributes this to a media cooption strategy which ensures reporting of sedition cases is largely favourable towards the government. Six years back, the PM, in a conference on internal security with CMs, had urged them to coopt the media and get them to play a more positive role in the fight against terrorism, he adds. The media, of course, often colludes wilfully. Even when filed on flimsy grounds, the legal hassles and harassment the sedition charge involves serve as a deterrent to others, forced as they are to think twice before taking on the might of the State. Ask E. Rati Rao, vice president of the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties in Karnataka. While she was booked under sedition for asking uncomfortable questions on encounter deaths in the Malanadu area in October 2007, the case against her was dismissed in September 2010 after the police failed to file a chargesheet. All
Lost years Prakash Ram, a farmer from Haldwani, accused of being a Maoist
they wanted to do was just terrorise me, and by doing so, terrorise others, she says. This sedition law and democracy do not go together. It is leading the State towards fascism. For a Congress-led government that draws its inspiration and legacy from Jawaharlal Nehru, it would do well to act on what the countrys first prime
minister had to say on the sedition clause in a parliamentary debate in 1951 on the First Amendment to the Constitution. Now so far I am concerned that particular section (124-A) is highly objectionable and obnoxious and it should have no place both for practical and historical reasons...the sooner we get rid of it the better. 4
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INTERVIEW ARUNDHATI ROY
Terrorism isnt the disea

No one individual critic has taken on the Indian State like Arundhati Roy has. In a fight that began with Pokhran, moved to Narmada, and over the years extended to other insurgencies, peoples struggles and the Maoist underground, she has used her pensmanship to challenge Indias government, its elite, corporate giants, and most recently, the entire structure of global finance and capitalism. She was jailed for a day in 2002 for contempt of court, and slapped with sedition charges in November 2010 for an alleged anti-India speech she delivered, along with others, at a seminar in New Delhi on Kashmir, titled Azadithe only way. Excerpts from an interview to Panini Anand: How do you look at laws like sedition and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, or those like AFSPA, in what is touted as the largest democracy? Im glad you used the word touted. Its a good word to use in connection with Indias democracy. It certainly is a democracy for the middle class. In places like Kashmir or Manipur or Chhattisgarh, democracy is not available. Not even in the black market. Laws like the UAPA, which is just the UPA governments version of POTA, and the AFSPA are ridiculously authoritarianthey allow the State to detain and even kill people with complete impunity. They simply ought to have no place in a democracy. But as long as they dont affect the mainstream middle class, as long as they are used against people in Manipur, Nagaland or Kashmir, or against the poor or against Muslim terrorists in the mainland, nobody seems to mind very much. Are the people waging war against the State or is the State waging war against its people? How do you look at the Emergency of the 70s, or the minorities who feel targeted, earlier the Sikhs and now the Muslims? Some people are waging war against the State. The State is waging a war against a majority of its citizens. The Emergency
in the 70s became a problem because Indira Gandhis government was foolish enough to target the middle class, foolish enough to lump them with the lower classes and the disenfranchised. Vast parts of the country today are in a much more severe Emergency-like situation. But this contemporary Emergency has gone into the workshop for denting-painting. Its come out smarter, more streamlined. Ive said this before: look at the wars the Indian government has waged since India became a sovereign nation; look at the instances when the army has been called out against its own people Nagaland, Assam, Mizoram, Manipur, Kashmir, Telangana, Goa, Bengal, Punjab and (soon to come) Chhattisgarhit is a State that is constantly at war. And always against minoritiestribal people,
Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, never against the middle class, upper-caste Hindus. How does one curb the cycle of violence if the State takes no action against ultra-left terrorist groups? Wouldnt it jeopardise internal security? I dont think anybody is advocating that no action should be taken against terrorist groups, not even the terrorists themselves. They are not asking for anti-terror laws to be done away with. They are doing what they do, knowing full well what the consequences will be, legally or otherwise. They are expressing fury and fighting for a change in a system that manufactures injustice and inequality. They dont see themselves as terrorists. When you say terrorists if you are referring to the CPI (Maoist), though I do not subscribe to Maoist ideology, I certainly
22
se; egregious injustice is

NARENDRA BISHT
Indias democracy is for the middle class; for Kashmir or Manipur, its not available. Not even in the black market. Contemporary Emergency has gone to the workshop for denting-painting. Its come out smarter, and more streamlined.
do not see them as terrorists. Yes they are militant, they are outlaws. But then anybody who resists the corporate-state juggernaut is now labelled a Maoistwhether or not they belong to or even agree with the Maoist ideology. People like Seema Azad are being sentenced to life imprisonment for possessing banned literature. So what is the definition of terrorist now, in 2012? It is actually the economic policies that are causing this massive inequality, this hunger, this displacement that is jeopardising internal securitynot the people who are protesting against them. Do we want to address the symptoms or the disease? The disease is not terrorism. Its egregious injustice. Sure, even if we were a reasonably just society, Maoists would still exist. So would other extremist groups
who believe in armed resistance or in terrorist attacks. But they would not have the support they have today. As a country, we should be ashamed of ourselves for tolerating this squalor, this misery and the overt as well as covert ethnic and religious bigotry we see all around us. (Narendra Modi for Prime Minister!! Who in their right mind can even imagine that?) We have stopped even pretending that we have a sense of justice. All were doing is genuflecting to major corporations and to that sinking ocean-liner known as the United States of America. Is the State acting like the Orwellian Big Brother, with its tapping of phones, attacks on social networks? The government has become so brazen about admitting that it is spying on all of us all the time. If it does not see any protest on the horizon, why shouldnt it? Controlling people is in the nature of all ruling establishments, is it not? While the whole country becomes more and more religious and obscurantist, visiting shrines and temples and masjids and churches in their millions, praying to one god or another to be delivered from their unhappy lives, we are entering the age of robots, where computer-programmed machines will decide everything, will control us entirelytheyll decide what is ethical and what is not, what collateral damage is acceptable and what is not. Forget religious texts. Computers will decide whats right and wrong. There are surveillance devices the size of a sandfly that can record our every move. Not in India yet, but coming soon, Im sure. The UID is another elaborate form of control and surveillance, but people are falling over themselves to get one. The challenge is how to function, how to continue to resist despite this level of mind-games and surveillance. Why do you feel theres no mass reaction in the polity to the plight of undertrials in jails, people booked under sedition or towards encounter killings? Are these a non-issue manufac-
tured by few rights groups? Of course, they are not non-issues. This is a huge issue. Thousands of people are in jail, charged with sedition or under the UAPA, broadly they are either accused of being Maoists or Muslim terrorists. Shockingly, there are no official figures. All we have to go on is a sense you get from visiting places, from individual rights activists collating information in their separate areas. Torture has become completely acceptable to the government and police establishment. The NHRC came up with a report that mentioned 3,000 custodial deaths last year alone. You ask why there is no mass reaction? Well, because everybody who reacts is jailed! Or threatened or terrorised. Also, between the coopting and divisiveness of NGOs and the reality of State repression and surveillance, I dont know whether mass movements have a future. Yes, we keep looking to the Arab spring, but look a little harder and you see how even there, people are being manipulated and played. I think subversion will take precedence over mass resistance in the years to come. And unfortunately, terrorism is an extreme form of subversion. Without the State invoking laws, an active police, intelligence, even armed forces, wont we have anarchy? We will end up in a state ofnot anarchy, but warif we do not address the causes of peoples rising fury. When you make laws that serve the rich, that helps them hold onto their wealth, to amass more and more, then dissent and unlawful activity becomes honourable, does it not? Eventually Im not at all sure that you can continue to impoverish millions of people, steal their land, their livelihoods, push them into cities, then demolish the slums they live in and push them out again and expect that you can simply stub out their anger with the help of the army and the police and prison terms. But perhaps Im wrong. Maybe you can. Starve them, jail them, kill them. And call it Globalisation with a Human Face. 4
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WorldMags.net
WorldMags.net
COVER STORY MODI & NDA
SPLIT WIDE
Will the NDA ship start sinking with Nitishs refusal to accept Modi as captain?
by Saba Naqvi in New Delhi and Smruti Koppikar in Mumbai
OES he inspire fear and loathing or does he give inspirational leadership? Is he persona non grata or primus inter pares (first among equals), as one of his admirers describes Narendra Modi? What
can be stated with certainty is that the Gujarat chief minister is the most polarising figure on the Indian national stage, and when such a personality aspires to the most powerful office in the land, there is bound to be a reaction that matches it in scale and sheer force. The first sputters came from within Modis own ideological familythe nasty episode with RSSs Sanjay Joshi who had to leave the BJPs national executive in Mumbai a month ago, the continued campaign by BJP dissidents in Gujarat, and the fact that a senior leader like L.K. Advani has also indicated a disagreement with a projection of Modi as the primary leader. Modis supporters would possibly argue that all these are spent forces, the little people in a landscape where the Gujarat CM is a Gulliver-like figure. But they can hardly say that about Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar who, like Modi, has won three assembly elections, is politically allpowerful in a state that sends 40 MPs to the Lok Sabha, 14 more than Gujarats 26. His JD(U) is the most significant regional player in the NDA, and in an interview last week Nitish made it crystal clear that he would not be part of the alliance if Modi is the PM candidate. He wanted a secular leader, he said. Most critically, as a source close
Bared fangs The camaraderie is long over with Nitish crying foul over Modi as a possible PM candidate for NDA
Cover Photograph: JITENDER GUPTA
26
WRANGLING MODIFIER
Who is wary of Modi?
NDA allies (Nitish Kumar, JD(U); Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena); Gujarat BJP leaders (Keshubhai Patel, Suresh Mehta); RSS pracharaks (Sanjay Joshi); former friends (Gordhan Zadaphia). Many BJP central leaders are also silently worried.
OPEN
Do Modi, Nitish have a history?

In 2009, Nitish refused to let Modi campaign in Bihar. He returned a `5crore cheque Modi had sent for flood relief. He skipped a dinner in Patna where Modi was present after the local BJP unit ran a newspaper ad showing them holding hands.
Why the fresh flare-up?

To check Modis momentum after BJPs national executive in Mumbai where he got Sanjay Joshi ejected. A third straight win in Gujarat could render Modi nearly unstoppable in his march to Delhi. Some BJP leaders are firing from Nitishs shoulders.
Why is this so important now?

Neither Congress nor BJP will get a majority in the next poll. If Modis image is a problem for JD(U), it sends the signal to potential NDA allies like BJD, AIADMK, TMC, who are all wary of displeasing their votebanks.
Does Modi count for so much?

In public perception, yes. In reality, the jury is out. In 2009, Modi campaigned in 300 constituencies; the BJP won in only 25 of those. The constantly invoked development mantra was to have made Modi more acceptable; Nitish shows it has not.
Whose side is the RSS on?

The buzz is RSS did a deal with Modi on Joshi to secure a second term for Nitin Gadkari as president. Nitishs attack on the Gujarat CM has seen RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat spring to Modis support, saying India should have a PM who believes in Hindutva.
Where does this leave Advani?

Improbably, Advani is now the BJPs moderate face. Upstaged by Modi, Advani began his last yatra from Bihar, not Gujarat. There are whispers about whether he will stand from Gandhinagar again. Advani has led the NDA quest for a presidential candidate to show that he, not Modi, is still the boss.
Photo-imaging: Deepak Sharma; Photograph: PTI
27
BJP should have taken consent of all allies before projecting Modi; its what long-standing allies expect.
Sanjay Raut
Shiv Senas Rajya Sabha MP
With just four parties and shrinking, how does the NDA think it can form a government?
Shivanand Tiwari
JD(U) spokesperson
JITENDER GUPTA
to him says, he has demanded in the interview that the BJP name a PM candidate now so that they do not imagine they can bluff its allies. The Bihar CM has made his moves at a time when the BJP is already demoralised and divided over the presidential elections, with the Abdul Kalam plan sinking before it set sail. And when the party finally settled on backing P.A. Sangma, it was pointedly let down by the JD(U)NDAs liberal faceand the Shiv Senaits hardline facewho both decided to back dyed-in-the-wool Congressman Pranab Mukherjee. Not a good time for the BJP. But it is the NitishModi tussle that will define the future. Trapped between the two powerful bearded leaders from the east and west, the BJP for some days did not field any spokespersons in TV studios on this issue. An official briefing at the party headquarters was cancelled. As a senior BJP leader quipped, We are quite speechless. Sources close to Nitish say that he took a strategic decision on the Modi questionthe Gujarat CM would like to keep the debate on his economic growth agenda; the Bihar CM gave the signal to focus on the taint of the riots and how Vajpayee and other NDA leaders believe they lost the 2004 general elections because of 2002. The planned nuancing of Project Modi began to go awry in the TV studios when words like fascism, communalism, riots, killers, Hindus and Muslims flew around and it was not Teesta Setalvad but members of the JD(U) who were invoking Hitler to make the point. Then RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat jumped in and said that it is wrong to describe a pro-Hindu leader as not being secular. It was an indication both of an RSS endorsement of Modi and of the Sangh trying to run the BJP. Again not quite the way Modi would like his image to evolve. He has projected himself as the strongman who keeps the RSS in place and possibly even rescues the BJP from its clutches; here the sarsanghchalak was sending the signal that he was a Hindu leader who must be supported. It has been a trailer of what is to come if Modi is actually projected as the PM candidate after the Gujarat assembly elections in December 2012. The JD(U)-BJP alliance works well on the ground in Bihar, so having made his point, Nitish will hold his horses till (and if) the BJP makes a formal declaration of Modi for PM. It is recent political history that propels Nitish. In the 2004 general elections, Laloo Yadav, who was losing ground, stemmed the slide when he ensured that CDs and posters
Propped up by the BJP Presidential candidate P.A. Sangma
about the Gujarat riots were circulated. He managed 22 seats, although less than a year later, he lost the assembly polls. After six months of Presidents rule, Laloo lost even more decisively to the alliance led by Nitish in November 2005. The 2009 general elections saw a role reversal when the JD(U) got 20 seats from Bihar while junior partner BJP scored 12 (and Laloo a pathetic four). The next year, in 2010, the JD(U) got close to a simple majority in the assembly, a big achievement in the postMandal fractured polity of Bihar and UP. With the BJP, theres a staggering majority of 206 in a house of 243. With a 16 per cent minority population in his state, Nitish cannot risk a polarisation against him. Lashing out at Modi and keeping him out of Bihar borders is just good politics. That is why Saibal Gupta, a Patna-based economist considered close to the CM, says that Nitish is mentally, organisationally and politically preparing himself for a possible break with the BJP on the Modi question. He has to continue with the secular socialist tradition here. Even the BJPs deputy chief minister Sushil Modi is from that tradition. Sushil Modi too has said that the future NDA leader should be a Vajpayee-like figure. In Bihar, they say that our Modi is different from that Modi. A close aide of Nitish says that since the Modi ball has been flung at him, he will hit it hard because it is good politics for
28
What is wrong with a pro-Hindu leader? Is secularism about minority appeasement?

M.G. Vaidya
RSS spokesperson
No question of supporting Narendra Modi

Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu, a key player in the United Front and NDA, distanced himself from the BJPled alliance after the Gujarat riots. Despite a severe drubbing in the recent bypolls in Andhra Pradesh, Naidu says TDP will always remain a secular party. Excerpts from an interview to Madhavi Tata:
P. ANIL KUMAR
him to do so. The CM, he reveals, had been warning BJP leaders ever since Modi took centrestage at the BJP national executive a month ago. Nitishji, says the aide, told the BJP leaders, aap kaise kaise position le rahein hain. Ab hamara position bhi dekhiye (you are taking such positions, now watch mine). The question that Nitish has brought centrestage is whether the BJP wants to repel allies or attract them. It is something the BJP must confront. It ruled the country with an inclusive figure like Vajpayee. A Modi-centric campaign will take off only if it is proven that he can indeed add to the BJPs kitty and revitalise the party. So far, even that is just a hypothesis.
JPS oldest ally, the Shiv Sena, too doesnt seem enamoured of the national partys moves. Despite an association spanning two and a half decades and concurrence over aggressive Hindutva as a political tool, the
Sena broke ranks over the presidential polls. In fact, the Sena has repeatedly snubbed the BJP lately. First, Uddhav Thackeray refused to attend last Sundays meeting in New Delhi on the presidential poll; a day later, he took apart his allys failed efforts to keep the NDA together; the following day, his father and Sena chief Bal Thackeray lambasted the BJP in party paper Saamna, sayingIf you dont keep a sword, dont go out to battle; and when the BJP endorsed P.A. Sangmas candidature, the Thackerays refused to change their stance. Uncharacteristically again, the Sena surprised everyone by seemingly opposing the effort to project Modi as the prime minister for 2014. The BJP would have been better off taking the consent of all allies before projecting Modi as the next PM candidate, at least thats what long-standing allies expect, says a caustic Sanjay Raut, Senas Rajya Sabha MP. The Sena is ambivalent over Modi. In his ideal world, Thackeray Sr should adore a Hindutva prime minister who could take on Indias neighbours and project the country as a strong Hindu power on the global stage. But between dreams and reality there is realpolitik and human egos. The Sena leadership believes that Modi would bring new elements into a tested relationship. The Sangh parivars projection of Modi as a Hindu hriday samrat is, to put it mildly, offensive to the Sena cadre, given that Thackeray Sr has been referred to with that title since the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992. Says a Sena insider, Modis persona is such that he
Would you support Modi as NDAs PM candidate? I am not going to say anything against NDA now, but ours is a secular party and we cannot unite with communal forces. The Congress is drifting and the BJP is not going anywhere. There is no question of supporting Narendra Modi. Which presidential candidate will you support? The choice is between UPA and NDA. We cannot support a candidate which BJP puts up because it is not a secular party. And Pranab Mukherjee is a Congress candidate. We will have to decide; we will not abstain. What do you think is the cause of TDP poll defeats? There have been 65 bypolls in the state in six years. As an Opposition party, it is really difficult to face so many. In Tamil Nadu, Jayalalitha boycotted bypolls. There is an ongoing discussion in TDP if we too should follow the AIADMKs example and fight only general elections. Will the situation be any different in 2014? I am not a defeatist and will never be. I am 100 per cent confident that people will vote with a balanced mind in the general elections. People will realise that corrupt leaders like Jaganmohan Reddy or the Congress cannot give them good governance. The political uncertainty caused by constant bungling by the Congress has reduced AP to a defunct state. Anything and everything is a scam. In 2014, people will weigh and analyse all issues when they cast their votes. The situation will certainly be different. Is there a rift between the Nara-Nandamuri families? I give due respect to all family members. Some of them are in Congress. Have I ever disrespected them? NTR Jr campaigned for TDP in 2009; Ill welcome him in 2014 too.
Read the full interview at www.outlookindia.com
29
JUMP CUT NILANJAN MUKHOPADHYAY
Not Yet Prodigal Son

Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay is the author of The Demolition: India at the Crossroads
HE relationship between the RSS and its affiliates specially the BJPhas always been tricky. Nagpur may be the Big Brother but has not always been able to shepherd younger siblings and has often had to step aside. The wider their public presence, the greater the problems of managing them. And the moral authority of the RSS top brass has diminished in recent years, as the old guard has given way to younger leaders who are yet to build the domineering presence of their predecessors. In the past decade or so, the RSS has found it increasingly difficult to enforce its will on the BJP. Despite reported advice, L.K. Advani is yet to hang up his boots. The authority of the Nagpursponsored party president has remained weak. The BJP is increasingly looking like a collection of regional parties with strong chieftains and a bunch of aspiring ministers with little political base and no cognition of central authority. The choices before the RSS are limited: either allow the drift to further erode its core agenda or take corrective action through tactical steps. It knows it can no longer monopolise authority but has to share power. It has also known that apparatchiks in khaki shorts have never been a great draw with voters. And Narendra Modi might have begun his career with khaki but shed it the moment the RSS gave him a chance. The Modi-RSS conflict in recent years has mainly been psychologicalabout who gets to call the shots. Post-2002, Modi has paid scant regard to anyone else. If the BJPs national executive meet in Mumbai in May saw the RSS leadership grudgingly accept Modis clout, it
E-mail your columnist: nilanjan.mukhopadhyay@gmail.com
BARRING HIS SCORN AND DISREGARD FOR HIS PEERS, THE RSS HAS NOT MUCH TO DISAGREE WITH MODI.
was becausein the immediate contextthey needed his support to secure a second term for Nitin Gadkari. The truce suggests that for the RSS Modi is an inevitable choiceat least in the future. He is the most credible face, capable of galvanising the cadre and make electoral dents outside traditional support bases. It suits Modi toohe needs a platform beyond Gujarat for his grandstanding. In the long run, Modis success in the coming assembly polls is essential for the Sangh to stage a political comeback. Anything less than a resounding victory will not only hyphenate Modis career, itll also push back the parivars recovery chances by a few years. Besides, Modi also articulates the RSS worldview. He refuses tokenisms like accepting skullcaps from Muslims and remains unabashed about the events in 2002. Modi enacts policies where growth is pursued from a majoritarian perspective and the state prods sections to move on in order to live on. The man remains a diehard Hindutva votary. Barring his attitude towards his peers, the RSS has little to disagree. The Sangh leadership also knows that not all disenchanted leaders will come on board. Modi too may not be keen on resurrecting past ghosts. But hell hope the truce with Nagpur brings back the cadre and allows him a broader stage. Which is not to say that in the event of Modi securing another electoral sweep, his anointment is guaranteed. The second innings of the Modi-Sangh relationship will evolve over the coming monthsmore so once the Gujarat verdict is out. Nagpur has not laid out the wares for Modi yet, but its bear hug is definitely visible. 4
doesnt give any bhav (importance) to other leaders, whereas Balasaheb is used to BJP leaders, from Vajpayeeji to the late Pramod Mahajan, treating him with deference. And its not just the Sena which has mixed feelings over the projection of Modi as PM; sections of the Maharashtra BJP do so too. For decades, the party was broadly grouped under the RSS-Gadkari loyalists and the relatively modernist Mahajan-Munde acolytes; the two groups have slightly different views on Modi-as-PM, though no one dare discuss this openly. The second group and the Sena share the fear that projecting Modi may polarise votes in 2014 to an extent where the NDA will lose its best chance of coming to power. Our PM candidate for 2014 has to be a careful and considered decision, not the BJPs unilateral one, says Raut.
Once upon a time, Chandrababu Naidu gave outside support to the NDA (see interview) and the alliance was a rainbow of regional parties. Over the years, that universe has shrunk. If the JD(U) departs, the BJP would be left with the Akali Dal and Sena as its significant allies. The Akalis are currently engaged in building a memorial to Bhindranwale and friends, an action that can hardly be acceptable in the world according to the RSS. AIADMK chief J. Jayalalitha is said to have an excellent relationship with Modi, but can she alone offset those who would stay away? If the BJP still positions Modi as PM, it would be an exercise in going inward. Individuals often heal themselves by searching within. But it would be paradoxical for a coalition-era political party to attempt that. 4
with Panini Anand and R.K. Mishra
30
WorldMags.net
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PROFILE PRANAB MUKHERJEE
The Quiet Comeback Artist

Loyal he always was, but Pranab has proved he is a survivor too
Rajiv was even given good character certificates post facto by V.P. Singh, who engineered his downfall in the first ARRING the proverbial slip between the cup and the lip, placelong after his tragic death. In conPranab Mukherjee is bound to succeed Pratibha Patil. trast, Pranaba devout Brahmin and Sonia Gandhi, pertinently, is undoing a big injustice by ardent believer in divine justicenot only outlived his tormentor but is now rewarding Pranab with the presidency of the republic in the about to cap what must now count as the twilight of his political life. Her late husband Rajiv Gandhi mother of all comebacks, one that would had unfairly thrown Pranab into the under a much bigger cloud himself soon put Gen Douglas MacArthur to shame. Abhijit Mukherjee, Pranabs 52-yearCongress dustbin. As luck would have it, after. The Bofors scandal destroyed Rajiv too was targeted over the Bofors Rajivs reputation and cost the Congress old son, who left SAIL last year to become deal. The bribery stigma haunted him the 1989 elections. And he was assassi- a Congress MLA in West Bengal and is until his death; he got a clean chit only nated while campaigning in 1991. The now eyeing Pranabs Jangipur parliaposthumously, after years of vilification. Delhi High Court cleared Rajiv of mentary seat, says his father first stepped Pranab has been luckier. He eventually bribery charges many years lateras late into the Rajya Sabha the day Neil Armcrawled out of the Congress dustbin and as 2004prompting Sonias remark that strong stepped on the moon in July 1969. painstakingly proved his loyalty many her husband always said that one day his In 1973, he became a Union minister, and times over for over two decadesbelying innocence would be proved. was re-elected in 1975 and 1981. Indira VIRENDRA PRABHAKAR/HT Rajivs doubts in the bargain. And Gandhi, who had a soft corner for last week, Rajivs widow was left the Bengali babu, made Pranab with no choice but to acknowlthe finance minister in 1982. Life edge Pranabs unwavering loyalty was a bed of roses for Pranab; to the Gandhi dynastySonia Indira frequently picked his includedand life-long services to brains, even as Indias richest men the party by nominating him for paid obeisance to him. But his the countrys highest constitutioworld suddenly turned upside nal post for the next five years. down on October 31, 1984, when Both Rajiv and Pranab bore the Indira was gunned down. brunt of slanderous campaigns. Their Rajiv and Pranab were campaigning in victimisation is a fit subject for research A trusted Indira hand, Pranab West Bengal when Indira was shot dead by political scientists. But the irony is was seen as dicey in Rajivs in Delhi. They flew back to Delhi togetinescapable; Rajiv imperiously expelled time and hounded out. But he her. There are several versions of what Pranab from the Congressonly to come has rehabilitated himself well. transpired between them during the
by S.N.M. Abdi in Calcutta
Photograph: JITENDER GUPTA
33
PROFILE PRANAB MUKHERJEE
Photographs: PTI
He wont be a dynamic figurehead

Pranab Mukherjee is closely related to the meteoric rise of Dhirubhai Ambani, the pivotal character of Hamish McDonalds The Polyester Prince (published in India as Ambani & Sons). Lola Nayar spoke to McDonald. Excerpts: Describe the relationship between Pranab and Dhirubhai. Pranab was a friend of Dhirubhai way, way back, when he was a minister for commerce giving out all the export-import licences, and then as finance minister in the Indira Gandhi governmentit went back to the time of those Isle of Man companies (1979-82) and the mysterious churning of Reliance shares. There were perceived to be preferential treatments of the import duties on the ingredients of polyester. The next big accusation of partisanship came when Pranab was put in charge of the ministerial committee that handled the KG Basin gas fields. People saw Pranab and Murli Deora (who was then petroleum minister) as being friends of the second generation of Reliance. But it was all done in a way that fitted all the norms. So Pranab is seen as having flourished under the patronage of a very wealthy tycoon. Is he closer to Mukesh or Anil? I think he would be seenand Congress also would be seenas more of a Mukesh Ambani friend. Will he chart his own way? I dont think hes going to be a particularly dynamic figurehead. 4
Read the full interview www.outlookindia.com
flight. Apparently, Rajiv asked Pranab who would be the interim PM. Playing with a straight bat, he informed Rajiv that the seniormost minister became interim PM after Nehrus and Shastris death. Left unsaid was that Pranab was Indiras seniormost minister. Pranabs matter-of-fact reply became an albatross around his neck. There are reports that after the fateful conversation, Pranab had retreated to the rear of the aircraft, where he wept for Indira. Subsequently, he was accused of sitting at a distance from Rajiv and plotting. Pranab soon detected ominous signs. First, there were insinuations that he had prime ministerial ambitions. Then, Rajivs drum-beaters in the media announced that Pranab had forcefully staked his claim to the throne. Retribution for the crime was swift. There was no place for Pranab in Rajivs brand new cabinet after the landslide victory. Pranab was branded not only ambitious and scheming, but corrupt and shady; Pranab turned into a pariah virtually overnight. There were orchestrated demands to sack him. And soon enough, Rajiv expelled him from the Congress.
Robed form Pranab, known to be quite religious, at a Durga puja pandal
HERE were reports of Pranabs passport being impounded and his residences in Delhi and Calcutta being raided. Pushed
to the wall, Pranab floated the Rashtriya Samajwadi Congress Party, which contested the 1987 assembly polls in Bengal but didnt win a single seat. Pranabs misery piled up: he was not re-elected to the Rajya Sabha when his term expired in 1987; he ceased to be an MP after 17 long years. Clearly, Rajivs objective was to humiliate and marginalise Pranab, turning 1985-88 into the most depressing chapter of the would-be presidents life. Swapan Ghosh, a Congress worker close to Pranab for 30 years, says that Rajiv-Pranab relations hit such a low that Pranabs letter to Rajiv informing him about his father Kamada Kinkar Mukherjees death was not answered. Pranab waited for a condolence message but in vain. When Pranab met Rajiv
much later, Rajiv said he never got the letter. Swapans surmise is that Pranabs letter was intercepted by the coterie surrounding Rajiv in those days and destroyed lest it evoked Rajivs sympathy and paved the way for Pranabs return. Rasheed Kidwai, Sonias biographer and author of 24 Akbar Road, believes Pranab is far too loyal and steeped in Congress culture to have posed a threat to Rajiv or Sonia. Lets call it a monumental misunderstanding. Pranab became a victim of palace intrigue. Many new faces had infiltrated Rajivs inner circle after Indiras death. Their machinationsand Rajivs tendency to believe themknocked Pranab out of orbit. So it took Rajiv, who probably realised his mistake, a while to pull Pranab back to where he belonged, says Kidwai. According to Abhijit, Pranabs friends, like G.K. Moopanar, whose son G.K. Vasan is now the minister for shipping, played a key role in the rapprochement between Pranab and Rajiv. One fine
34
Molly Needs Coddling

Both Pranab and the Congress tread gingerly on Mamatas path
by Dola Mitra
HEN Pranab Mukherjee visits his home state after filing his nomination for the presidential election, will he be calling on Mamata Banerjee? And will he do so at her home or at Writers Building? Even more importantly, will the gesture be sufficient to placate her and regain her support? The UPA has been working overtime to placate her, publicly snubbing Digvijay Singh for his harsh comments on her. Congress spokesmen have stressed that the TMC remains a valued ally. But Didi remains as miffed as ever. If Pranab could call Prakash Karat in Kerala, and Mehbooba Mufti in Kashmir, why couldnt he pick up the telephone and call Mamata, complain her confidants.
Tightrope walk Pranab and Mamata
But, they agree, the much anticipated meeting in Calcutta between the two will go a long way to melt the ice. But Mamata has pushed herself into a corner. After publicly opposing Pranabs candidature, she had refused to
relent even after the UPA declared him its nominee. The game is not yet over, she had said and tried to persuade A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to be the sacrificial goat. She has, however, made it clear that the TMC has no desire to leave the UPA. If they want us out, they are free to say so, has been her stand even as she nurses her wounds. Although she shares cordial relations with several NDA leaders, she is unlikely to align with the BJP and back P.A. Sangma. The minority constituency in the state may not take it too kindly if she does, specially with panchayat elections round the corner. Also aware that many TMC MPs share cordial relations with Pranab, she may have concluded that the TMC would be better off abstaining. For now, the Congress seems to have ignored her debut on Facebook, where in a post she condemned Machiavellian machinations behind Pranabs nomination; and Derek OBriens tweet accusing Pranab of unethically trying to split the TMC. 4
morning, Pranab was given charge of the AICC media cell. Then, he was made AICC spokesman. Pranab was rehabilitated, but couldnt regain his former glory during Rajivs lifetime. He had to wait until P.V. Narasimha Rao appointed him deputy chairman of the Planning Commission. In 1993, he re-entered the Rajya Sabha and was quickly reinducted into the cabinet as foreign minister. Kidwai says Pranabs political vanvaas was uncalled for: An innocent man was unnecessarily hounded. If anyone wrecked Rajiv, it was V.P. Singh, Amitabh Bachchan and Arun Nehru. For V.P. Singh, loyalty was a means to further his own career. The moment he got an opportunity, he stabbed Rajiv in the back and felled him. Rajiv could never recover from that blow. Similarly, Amitabhs act of vacating the Allahabad seat helped the opposition regroup and attack Rajiv. Amitabh cleared the deck for V.P. Singhs victory in the byelection which sent a clear message that Rajiv could be humbled despite his 415 Lok Sabha seats. And I would go along with Priyanka in her assessment of Arun Nehru as a saboteur
and the enemy within. There is no dearth of analysts who believe that the Bofors scandal wouldnt have extracted such a big toll if Rajiv had reposed his faith in politicians of the Indira school like Pranab, instead of gunning for them for no rhyme or reason. In a sense, Sonia is a far more deft politician than Rajiv. Her astuteness is actually what allowed Pranab to regain his merited niche in the hierarchy. She has the knack of choosing horses for courses. So she gave Pranab the task of eliminating Sitaram Kesri and instructed Jitendra Prasada to provide operational support. The plot to get rid of Sitaramwho wanted to remain Congress president until his death so that his body could be draped in the party flag and crematedwas hatched in Pranabs house, culminating in the March 14,
Pranab has proved himself useful to Sonia time and again. And she has realised he was a man wronged.
1998, coup. Sonia gleefully replaced Sitaram as party presidenta post she still holds, making her the longest serving president in Congress history. A year later, Sonia again turned to Pranab to deal with Sharad Pawar, Tariq Anwar and P.A. Sangma, who had raised the bogey of her Italian roots to evict her from power. Pranab dutifully led the rearguard action against the mutineers. People in the know also acknowledge it was Pranab who helped draft Sonias letters during that period. Pranabs English is not the best in the English-speaking or Hindi-speaking world, but his insight into Indian politics certainly is. The countdown for the coronation of Indias first president with political clout has begun. As heavyweights of various political hues, including staunch antiCongress leaders like Bal Thackeray and Maneka Gandhi, pledge their support to Pranab, one wonders if his sweeping acceptance across the length and breadth of India has set alarm bells ringing at 10 Janpath. Maybe Sonia is just amused as the pace of electioneering for the 14th president quickens. 4
35
PROFILE APJ ABDUL KALAM
Not president or PM, I prefer to be a teacher

Post or no post, the Peoples President will never cease being the crusading ideas man
by Sheela Reddy
OURS after he pulled out of a presidential contest that he was sure of losing, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam bounced back to doing what he loves best: igniting young minds toward building a better India. On Wednesday, he was off to Bangalore, part of his untiring crusade to meet as many youth as possible
(he has met with seven million young people since he relinquished the Presidents chair five years ago) and inspire them to change India by 2020. So then, what was a nice man like him doing getting mixed up in dirty political games? Its not easy to get past the wall of relentless positivity that the former president habitually puts up. It turns out that last weeks political embarrassment when his many non-Congress political friends threw his hat into the presidential ring, seemingly with his consent wasnt really a loss of face after all. It was an opportunity for a challenge. A unanimous election to the presidents post is not possible at any time, Kalam points out. But hes quite clear that he would never say no to a second go as president if he should ever emerge as a consensus candidate. And if any party can convince him that its agenda is only political development, then he is willing to risk it and get into any position. Youd be led to think the man was power-hungry. But his is another kind of hunger: he is convinced that as presid-
ent, he can inspire politicians to abandon their obsession with winning elections and focus instead on what he calls a development agenda. That is his plank: I want one political party to say in its election manifesto, I will develop this country in seven years. And another to say, No, well take only five years to do that. So how come he didnt persuade them while he was president? Its a continuous process, he says. When he was president, he was able to market his vision of an India developed by 2020. The prime minister announced it in Parliament and included it in his Independence Day speech. Definitely, as president I was in a position to put forth the mission to people, Parliament and the political system. And he feels the message is starting to sink in. The time has come
In the years since he left the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Kalam has addressed 2,000 meetings and met with seven million youth.
when people want to hear from our politicians when they will make India free from poverty. Leaders feel the pressure, he says. Wherever theres developmentrelated politics, leaders get elected two or three times. In several states, theyre getting elected again and again because theyre focusing on development. Kalam, of course, is optimistic enough to believe that he can push his agenda, whether or not he is in the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Wherever I am, wherever I go, I can market my ideas. I have only one agenda that I constantly push and market: how to remove poverty in India. I talk to all sections of people across the political system, and wherever I go, I tell them how to do it. No crusader could have been more zealous: in the 12 years since Kalam decided to make it his mission to lift India out of poverty, he has met an astounding 15 million youth, ranging from IIT and IIM students to children from municipal schools, orphans in Wayanad to students from Kentucky, engineers from steel plants to tribals from Chhattisgarh. His is a simple
36
What setback? Kalam, at 80, still keeps a brisk pace

Photograph: JITENDER GUPTA
some would say gratingly simplistic message. His new What Can I Give? programme is typical of the man. When addressing youth below 25, he makes them utter a simple oath: to make their mothers happy, to fight corruption by persuading their fathers to renounce it and to protect the environment. A happy and clean home is the foundation of a prosperous country, according to Kalam. Evidently, the message has appeal, because the invitations from those wishing to hear it havent stopped pouring in. In the five years since he left Rashtrapati Bhavan, the former presidents office estimates, Kalam has addressed 2,000 meetings across India and abroad. That makes for an average of 33 meetings a month! Nor does he limit his messages reach to the youth. There are the innumerable speeches to chambers of commerce, industry, political partieswhoever wants me. He recently addressed, for example, a conclave on the development of Uttar Pradesh, attended by nearly 500 people, including chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.
Sometimes, the vagaries of weather and air travel result in Kalam landing up at a public meeting hours behind schedule. Just last year, for example, he touched down in Wayanad for the launch of an educational portal project well after midnight. But the students gathered at the auditorium still waited up till 1 am until he could finally address them. Is it his still-growing popularity that keeps him goingeven now, at 80? That keeps him tireless despite one of the most punishing schedules on the road? Its not popularity, insists Kalam, but a mutual attraction. Hes drawn to youth, who he believes can change the world, and they also are drawn to me because I have a mission. They want power, they want to see India as a developed nation. That is their dream. I share that dream. But the desire to keep going also springs from Kalams deep-seated need to teach. While he was president, he never lacked for opportunities on that score. He would call over batches of MPs to the Rashtrapati Bhavan and deliver PowerPoint lectures, he would invite
not just school and college children, but also farmers, sarpanches, postmen, the physically challenged, among others. No one went away without receiving a dose of Kalams instruction. He also found time to oversee a couple of research students and guided them through their PhDs. And when leaders of the SAARC countries came for tea, he told them what their mission should be. As he points out: The Constitution does not prevent the president from giving a mission to a nation, or to Africa. That urge to teach still burns. Just last week, for example, even in the midst of the presidential candidature confusion, Kalam dashed off a letter to prime minister Manmohan Singh, urging him to use his economic expertise to hike up economic growth.He is an economic expert and should concentrate on that. Which is probably why when I ask him if he would rather be president or prime minister, he retorts: I prefer to be a teacher. Then seeing my expression, he breaks into an unexpected chuckle: I disappointed you, didnt I? 4
37
E IVW NDA S LURVIE ANA C Y EXINTE NIT I

A W S M
I am not capable of the

conspiracy. Perhaps because I am spreading Hinduism too fast. Some of your supporters say you are being targeted because you are a Tamilian, a non-Brahmin swamy, making a living in Karnataka. I have been targeted for various reasons. Some target me for being non-Brahmin. I wont take names, they are powerful people. By not mentioning the names the suffering is much lesser. To be honest, I never felt that in Karnataka I am a linguistic minority. I was always welcomed, respected and revered by Kannadigas. Is there a possibility that some spiritual leaders were insecure because of you, particularly because you were getting more foreign devotees? First of all, I am not in the spirituality business. Secondly, if someone feels threatened, I want to tell them that there is a vast blue ocean in front of us to partake from. Hundreds of people come and tell me that some or the other swami or spiritual leader feels threatened and are jealous of me. But I never felt it.
Women protesting against Nihyananda
The question marks that hung over Swami Nityananda, 34, head of the Bangalore-based meditation centre Dhyanapeetham, after a sleazy sex video surfaced two years ago, momentarily disappeared when he was named the 293rd pontiff of south Indias oldest Shaivite math, the Madurai Adheenam, in April. But old allegations are back to haunt the controversial godman again, following a spill-all TV interview by a former lady devotee, Arati Rao. Jailed for assaulting a journalist and released on bail, he spoke to Deepak Thimaya in Madurai. Excerpts: Have you let your devotees down and put them in a shameful position? No. Devotees who have experienced spiritual transformational benefits from me are very clear that it is an attack on us. It is a persecution of me and my devotees. All spiritual leaders have gone through such problems at some time. But such persecution was related to ideological differences. Attacks were never based on the spiritual leaders personal conduct or character. Attack on ideology is always how it begins. But then it is the personality that is attacked. Ideology is nothing but the expansion, the extension of personality. Whether the Buddha, the master; or Dhamma, his message; or the Sangha, his organisationall three are ultimately the extension of the same source. One of your disciples, Arati Rao, has gone on record to say that in 2009 she had heard people talking about things not being right in the ashram. Whatever she says is a lie. I wont accept one word of what she said. There may be vested interests. Someone might be using her to defame me. If you listen to Arati Raos words two-three times, you can make out clearly that she is lying. Who are these vested interests? There are many who are fighting our organisation. There are some civil suits, some attempts to grab the ashrams property. She might be used by these people. A part of it, I feel, is Christian
There are attempts to grab the ashrams property...a part of it can be a Christian conspiracy too.
How does it feel to be called the Sex Swami? Because it is a complete lie, I dont bother about it. In 2010, when the sex scandal broke, you said that it was a mixture of conspiracy through video graphics. Four experts who used methodologies of the highest standard in the US said the video was morphed, manipulated and misrepresented. I can give all four reports to you. They are ready to come present the result of their analysis in any court in any country. But cant the video of you and actress Ranjitha together be seen as genuine by even a layman? A simple man can understand it is morphed; cant you understand? It is very clear the scene was created. People who did it confessed to the Tamil Nadu CID. There are many swamis who get physically intimate with their devotees. Could something like that have happened? No. I have not done anything like that. Nothing like that has happened. Is there any possibility? No. I have a healing stick and when people come to get healed I touch their heads with it. Is it possible that in some cases you have touched people a little harder with your healing stick? No, no. (laughs) Its said that Arati Rao was named Nityananda Premeshwari, meaning the person who has the right to Nityanandas love. Was she a sanyasi? I dont change their names. People are named according to their mental setup. A group of devotees select the names. I choose names only for sanyasis. She was not a sanyasi and her name was not given by me. You must ask the group which gave that name. Is it possible that the group saw something that made them think that name was suitable? There are many who are given names. There isnt any special significance.
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se alleged acts
PTI
When Arati Rao made the allegations, why did you flee the ashram? I didnt escape. People who barged into the ashram started beating inmates in the presence of the police. Some ashramites were injured, but the police did nothing. There are eye-witnesses. Are you not playing to the gallery, at times dressing up for role-playing? In Hinduism there is something called bhava. When you enter bhava, an altered state of consciousness, you just
express that energy. It just feels very nice. When you meditate on Shiva it is nice to wear the rudraksha, when you meditate on Devi it is nice to wear kumkum on your forehead. You have been talking about yourself being beyond gender. Personally, my experience is beyond all three orientations. Physically I occupy the male body, but physiologically and psychologically a mutation has happened in my system.
You said you were ready to subject yourself to tests. What kind of tests? Whatever is needed when the right agency asks me to go through. You said that if such a test were to be done, it would be proven that you could not have taken part in an alleged act like that. What does it mean? Whether this body is capable of indulging in a sexual act or not. Arousal, erection and ejaculation? Yes. That, my body is not capable of all those things. Why would it not be capable if it is a complete male body? It is a male body, but some particular spiritual experiences happened when I was 22, which effected a mutation. Is it possible that you may have got one of your devotees to test you? Till now, I have not got any of my devotees to test me. Is it something that you would not like to tell us? I have never asked any of my devotees to test me about this. From spiritual beings to sages to ordinary people, everyone has libido. Are you saying that you never had libido? Because of my spiritual experience, libido has completely disappeared. I never had it; if I did I would have married. Have you ever felt some kind of sexual inadequacy? I have been trained by my guru through some special yogas and lifestyle and this is how my body has flowered. I am happy about it. How do you feel when people constantly call you a rapist, a molester, a sex maniac? That is the reason why the day they arrested me, I requested them to do a medical test on me and present the report. I dont know why they did not. Has anyone shown physical interest in you? Have you ever been approached by a woman to get physically intimate with you? No, no, no, no. I have already made a statement to the public that I am living in a space where it is beyond the body. 4
Read the full interview at www.outlookindia.com
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Madhya Pradesh brings out the ideal time line effortlessly connecting the past with the present. And it is not some old past but a venerable one spanning over 100,000 years; that is how old the Rock shelters of Bhimbetka are!!! In its entirety it brings to light history which invokes the religious with tales from Mythology coupled with rock paintings of early civilizations. Further standing testimony are the edifices of rulers who once ruled Madhya Pradesh - the Holkars, Parmars, Bundelas, Scindias, Mughals each of whom have left behind their mark in the form of archaeological splendours. Add to it the unmistakable influence of the British Raj. It is nothing but a pot boiler of heritage, history and religion which seamlessly blends together with the present tourist facilities. It has some of the most beautiful of places some going back to pre-historic times, each of which whet the appetite of the intrepid traveller.
Bhimbetka
Madhya Pradesh
hot water spring called Dhuni Pani and waterfalls Dugdhadhara help one connect with nature at its unspoilt best. Amarkantak is a wonderful bundle of fables, stories and tales. CHANDERI Yes, where the beautiful gossamer sarees in cotton and silk are woven. They are a pride of place in summer for any connoisseur of sarees. Chanderi sarees were coveted by royalty since time immemorial and today it has once again received its pride of place. The endorsement by cinestars Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor has brought back the spotlight on this village and the looms are busy clanking more innovative designs! The earliest versions were woven on ne indigenous cotton grown in this place. However, this is only a part heritage of the place. Chanderis origin is traced to the 11th
BHIMBETKA - It seems t to start off with the oldest of the places, which is a historical paradise. It gets its nomenclature from the word meaning abode of Bhim or where Bhim lived. It is at a distance of 46 kms from Bhopal. A UNESCO World Heritage site, it is located in the Raisen District. The Rock shelters were said to have been inhabited by humans nearly 100,000 years ago. Some of the rock paintings are more than 30,000 years old! The paintings depict everyday life. What is astounding is that the colours of the paintings are vibrant, alive and have withstood the ravages of time very well. The natural colours used also speak of the knowledge of natural dyes even then. The paintings, hunting scenes, of animals in red, white and occasion greens are a delight to any tourist interested in history. AMARKANTAK This is one place which combines religion with scenic beauty to perfection. Religion thrives along its peaceful environment. The location of Amarkantak is ideal, at the meeting point of the Vindhya and Satpura mountain ranges. This is at a wondrous altitude of 1065 meters. Two of the most important rivers the Narmada and Sone have their source point
40
here. Narmada ows to the West of the country while Sone river to the East. What holds is that it is an important pilgrimage destination for Hindus. Narmada holds an unique place amongst the rivers of India. It is counted as the most sacred rivers and like the Ganges is said to wash away ones sins. Stories abound and it is believed that just the mere sight or darshan of the river is enough to remove ones sins. One of the most important places to visit is Narmada Udgam. At this source point is built a serene beautiful temple which calms the mind. Similarly, Sonmuda is the source point of River Sone. The Arti which take place in the evenings is a sight to behold. Bhrigu Kamandal is another holy must visit centre. The
Amarkantak
Chanderi
century and was a coveted stronghold of several dynasties. It is home to palaces, forts, craft centre, lake and tanks. CHITRAKOOT The abode of Lord Rama and his wife Sita. They are said to have spent 11 blissful years of their life in this forest. It is a place which combines picturesque beauty, solace, peace and tranquility. The forest has been described, eulogised and spoken about in great details in various texts and ancient Indian literature. Spiritual, religious heritage is at its supreme best here. It is also here that Sage Atri and Sati Anusuya meditated and Brahma, Vishnu
2 July 2012 OUTLOOK
WorldMags.net
Heritage at its best

and Mahesh took their incarnations. What has helped Chitrakoot grow is that each of the Holy Seeker added his aura to the place. It is a very Holy place, a religious seekers abode. The river Mandakini ows through and its banks Ramghat provides the ideal spot for meditation and navigating the river. Places to visit in it include: Janaki Kund, the temple complex of Kamadgiri, where the holy Bharat milap temple is located, Bharat Koop where Bharat stored water collected from all over the country and Hanuman Dhara. DATIA Datia is a place where one can get a glimpse of the Bundela art and architecture. At a distance of 70 kms from Gwalior, it is home to some beautiful palaces. Of these the Bir Singh Deo Mahal, a seven storey wonder of stone is considered a brilliant example of Bundela architecture. The frescoes inside are ne
Datia Indore
some stunning structures of the Holkar dynasty. The Lal Bagh Palace is a grand structure done in Western sensibilities and like all palaces is reminiscent of lavishness of royalty. Major star attractions amongst others include the Holkar palace, Indore museum, Kanch Mandir and Bijasen Tekri. DHAR At a distance of 64 kms from Indore it was the capital of the Parmar kings. One of the most delightful places where inscriptions from 11th century are found is the Bhoj Shala. The museum, Jheera Bagh which is now a heritage hotel, old city palace and cenotaphs are some of the other places to see. GWALIOR The erstwhile capital still exudes its charm as the seat of royalty. Popular as the culture capital, it has some of the best palaces and museums to see. Be it the fort, Jai Vilas palace, the current residence of the Scindias, monuments, and museums including the Sarod Ghar and of course the Memorial of Tansen. The magnicent mementoes of a glorious past have been preserved with care, giving Gwalior a unique and timeless appeal.
Gwalior
SANCHI - The famous Buddhist Pilgrim Centre which pays homage to Lord Buddha was built by Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd Century. The attractions are the Stupas which are considered amongst the nest examples of Buddhist architecture. The Great Stupa is one of the oldest structures in India. Additions to the monuments took place till the 12th Century, the monuments date from the 3rd Century to the 12th Century. Sanchi lay forgotten to mankind till it was rediscovered in 1818 by General Taylor. The famous Ashoka Pillar with the legendary four lion symbol as its crown (Indias National Emblem), is a part of the treasure trove from this place. The carved decorations, detailed carvings, the gures, motifs on the Gateway are truly inspirational combining great skill with aesthetics. With 50 monuments on the hills of Sanchi, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is remarkable. The Stupas of
Sanchi
specimens of the art. Another well known place here is Sonagiri a famous pilgrimage center of the Jains and the Peetambhara Peeth. INDORE Indore - the largest city of Madhya Pradesh is steeped in history. It was the seat of power of the Holkar dynasty which included the venerable Maharani Ahilya Bai Holkar. It houses
Sanchi, which one reads in history text books in schools, literally comes alive here. VIDISHA This lesser known not on the tourist circuit place, is known for its rock cut caves. The rock cut temples with other excavations pertaining to the Buddhist tradition are called Udaygiri. It is traced to Chandragupta II around 4th - 5th century. The inscriptions found in it are considered invaluable and it is considered a ne specimen of Gupta Art and Architecture. The Bijamandal is another must see here. The Vidisha Museum has some ne specimens from the 9th century. Madhya Pradesh, is a jewel in Indias crown of historical and heritage sites. The facilities all over Madhya Pradesh include excellent accommodation, good connectivity by road, rail and air, great outdoor recreation facilities, quaint places to pick up souvenirs, ambience to simply chill and commune with nature. So what are you waiting for Go pack your bags!!!! n
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OUTLOOK
2 July 2012
WorldMags.net
ECONOMY RATINGS
Junking The Discreditors

What has gone so wrong with the India story that warrants a downgraded rating? Not much.
by Lola Nayar
S&Ps signals
Jul 11, 2008 Upside and downside risks to 'BBB-' rating are balanced Feb 24, 2009 Outlook revised to negative from stable Mar 19, 2010 Outlook revised to stable from negative Sep 20, 2011 Outlook stable; balances external flexibility, prospects for gradually improving fisc Nov 11, 2011 Stable outlook reflects our expectation of strong economic growth in medium term Feb 6, 2012 Stable outlook. Reflects expectation of strong economic growth in medium term, gradually improving fiscal performance Apr 25, 2012 Outlook revised to negative, signals at least a one-inthree likelihood of the downgrade Jun 8, 2012 India at risk of losing its investment-grade rating
HE end is near. Or so the rating agencies would have us believe. Two leading global rating agencies, Standard & Poors (S&P) and Fitch, downgraded the investment outlook for India this month. S&P recently warned that India could become the first BRICS nation to lose its investment-grade
hit by higher cost of living and overheads, but recent studies have shown that it remains robust in most parts of India. In the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis, the failure of rating agencies to anticipate the crisis and their subsequent actions leading to a snowballing effect has not been forgotten. The erosion of faith in the rating agencies persists. India should not be one grade over the junk grade, it should be at least BBB+ if not higher. Rating is ultimately an assessment of credit-worthiness, says Abheek Barua, chief economist, HDFC Bank. Barua says the model of rating is based on variables that are very general, like the GDP or human development index, and overlooks specific parameters like the debt-to-GDP ratio (which in Indias case has been declining since 2010) or reserves to imports, and so on. Many economists and market analysts share the view
rating if it doesnt step up reforms and improve the investment climate. All these moves have led to familiar cries of gloom, doom and despair about the future of the India story. Such has been the level of negativity that many now believe the economy is in deep trouble. What has suddenly gone so wrong with Indias growth story that has led to such stern warnings about investing in the second-fastest growing economy? There is no denying that overseas investments in India have been showing signs of slower than expected growth. But investments have not dried up despite the periodic outcry from industry and the admonitory notes from rating agencies. Overall, I dont agree with their negative outlook for Indian economy, says Mahesh Vyas, MD of Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). Stressing that where sovereign rating is concerned, rating agencies rely on unreliable government data, CMIEs own data reveals that in investments, we are still doing quite well as $71 billion-worth of new capacity was created in 2011-12 in manufacturing, mining and services, Vyas points out. Whether it was the capacity addition of 18 million tonnes in steel or of 19,000 MW in power generation, 2011-12 set new records. Consumptionled growth in major cities may have been
Pradip P. Shah
Chairman, IndAsia Fund
The symptoms highlighted need to be addressed. If our policies are wrong, we will fritter away Indias advantages.
that there is a lot of interplay against developing and emerging economies that gets reflected in the credit ratings. It is true that Indias GDP growth has slowed down in recent months (it fell to an estimated 5.3 per cent year-over-year in the first quarter of 2012, from 6.1 per cent in the previous quarter) and the country suffered a mild erosion in its economic profile due to a widening current account deficit and the fiscal deficit exceeding the target for March 31, 2012, to reach 5.9 per cent of GDP. Inflation also remains stubbornly high despite the central banks efforts. While understanding the concerns about the Indian economy and the apparent slowdown in policymaking, experts point to the fact that there is nothing to indicate a crisis, the likes of which is being witnessed in the Eurozone. Though employment generation has been negligible, government data indicates growth in self-employment. Pointing to the recent downgrade of the Steel Authority of India (SAIL), Paresh Khandwala, MD of Khandwala Securi-
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TRIBHUVAN TIWARI
Rating rating agencies

Mild erosion in India's external and fiscal profiles India is nowhere near defaulting on loans; it is extending support to IMF for tackling euro crisis Country's investment climate hit by drift in decision-making Though some sectors are facing hurdles in clearances, investments of $71.5 billion seen in 2011-12 Policy paralysis raises risk of ability to react to shocks Drift in policy space at the Centre is undeniable, but there is no dilution of safeguards particularly by RBI; most states remain proactive Slowdown in expanded role of market forces, private sector Reversal of FDI in multi-brand retail and not freeing up diesel pricing have sent out a poor signal. But the space for private sector remains vibrant. Lower GDP growth Efforts to check high inflation are affecting growth, which at over 6% remains second highest globally
Rating agencies Outlooks view
Dwindling Higher costs of living and overheads have affected consumption-led growth
ties Ltd, says it is a typical case of nonapplication. Faulting the criteria for ratings, Khandwala states the agencies should come out clearly on what assumptions they have downgraded: political stability cant be the criterion for financial stability of a country. Curiously, despite public sector companies enjoying the sovereign guarantee of the government as majority stakeholders, they get downgraded. Many private companies, including Satyam of yore, fail to be caught out. Unlike with India and Indian companies, several US and European companies that precipitated the 2008 financial crisis have never been downgraded or warned. Shashanka Bhide of the National Council of Applied Economic Research does not share the view that there is any pressure tactics being used by rating agencies though they might be going by the book. Pointing to the economic indicators, Bhide says the Indian scenario is
considerably worse than a year back. But still, if they put India in the junk status that would be questionable, he adds. Essentially a guidance for investors to make informed decisions on whether their investments will fetch returns, ratings do have a role to play. But as agencies themselves concede, their ratings are only opinions. According to an investment guide, They shouldnt be viewed as assurances of credit quality or exact measures of the likelihood of default. Pradip P. Shah, founder of CRISIL, Indias
Paresh Khandwala
MD, Khandwala Securities Ltd
Agencies should be clear on what assumptions they have downgraded: political stability is no sole criterion for fiscal stability.
first credit rating agency, however, cautions that investors ignore the rating agency only at their own risk. Pained at the lack of policy push, Shah, who now heads IndAsia Fund, says, No rating agency cares if you dont act. But the symptoms highlighted need to be addressed. If our policies are not right, we will fritter away the advantages India has. The government response to the recent negative advisories was on anticipated lines. But there is no denying an element of truth to finance minister Pranab Mukherjees claim that between April 2012 and now, there are no significant events to indicate that the economys vulnerability to shocks has increased. Sure, one would want more action on many of the Budget promisesincluding pushing on with targeted subsidies, more employment generation and social infrastructure focusbut that is no reason for India to be projected as being in crisis mode. As North Block gears for change, hopefully it will usher in some much-needed vigour. A mood change would be helpful. 4
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The Cultists of Personality

His guilt is pronounced. But there are still more questions asked of the process than the man.
by Pragya Singh
Pramod Bhasin
Vice chairman, Genpact
Im very surprised at the verdict. I do not know how the law works exactly, but I attended the trial and I didnt see this coming.
HE business elite in Indiaa bunch of whom have either worked with Rajat Gupta or watched his rise from close quarterssay they dont understand the guilty verdict handed to the former McKinsey chief last Friday for insider trading. Rajat Gupta has been made an example of. In the US, people are reeling under the financial collapse and though Rajat is neither a Wall Street
guy nor a banker, hes taking the fall for them, says Pramath Raj Sinha, an entrepreneur who worked at McKinsey for 12 years and is Guptas friend. It is a bitter ending to Guptas four-decade-long career during which he stood alongside the mightiest in the consulting world. The muted reaction in India to the verdictGupta will now serve a prison sentence besides paying hefty fines stems from the poster boy status accorded to him as a global Indian. Thanks to
a sentimental belief in Guptas honesty and charisma (and his donations, charity and socially responsible works), a large cross-section of Indian businessmensome 350 top business people had signed an open letter in his support have supported him through an online campaign since December last year. The lesson for all professionals here is that we must be very careful, says Pramod Bhasin, who has never worked with Gupta, but considered him a friend
AFP
RAJAT GUPTA INSIDER TRADING
by Subrata N. Chakravarty in New York
HE courtroom was awash with emotion as the jury delivered its verdict in the insider trading trial of Rajat Gupta, retired head of
consulting giant McKinsey & Co. Surprisingly, the jury had taken less than 10 hours to arrive at its decision after a complex 42-day trial based almost entirely on circumstantial evidence. Reading the first count listed on his verdict sheet, jury foreman Richard Lepkowski announced Not Guilty. He heard exultant screams from Guptas four daughters. But as Guilty verdicts followed on counts three, four and five for securities fraud and a Guilty verdict for conspiracy, the screams turned to sobs. Gupta was very ashen-faced as the verdict came down, said Wall Street Journal reporter Reed Albergotti on television. The jury seemed very shaken as they exited the courthouse. It was a tough decision for them. Indeed, two
The Burdened of Proof

His story evoked sympathy from the jury. But if Rajat Gupta hoped for leniency, he didnt get it.
44
T.V. Mohandas Pai

Manipal Global Education
G. Ramaswamy
Former president, ICAI
Pramath Raj Sinha

Venture capitalist
People are fond of him and regard him well, but that does not absolve him of his crime. No one is sorry for Ramalinga Raju.
The Satyam case was different from Rajat Guptas. In that, Ramalinga Raju had actually confessed his guilt, didnt he?
Gupta has been made an example of. Though he is neither a banker nor a Wall Street guy, hes taking the fall for them.
and mentor. Im very surprised at the verdict. How exactly the law works I dont know, but I attended the trial and I really didnt see this verdict coming. Bhasin and Gupta have been in touch over the telephone through the years though they have not recently met. Indian businessmen accept that the higher you rise, the more scrutiny you tend to inspire. Yet, they say they fear more will become scapegoats until the financial crisis abates. I think the ver-
dict shows that we professionals must be ultra-cautious. Fact is, you really dont know whom you are gong to wind up sitting next to, and where that person will end up in some years, or if he will drag you down one day, Bhasin says, referring obliquely to convicted Raj Rajaratnam, Guptas former friend. T.V. Mohandas Pai, a former member of the Infosys board and now an education entrepreneur, however, says Gupta had definitely gone wrong. People are
fond of him and regard him well, but that doesnt absolve him of the crime. Pai says Indian entrepreneurs are being partisan. Nobody feels sorry for (Ramalinga) Raju, he says, referring to the former owner of Satyam, who confessed in 2009 to having fudged the worlds second-largest outsourcing firms books to the extent of `5,000 crore. Raju, too, wound up in jail for a while, but in that case, not a single verdict has been handed out yet in a court of law. 4
jurors cried openly. For those who believe Americans are quick to attribute to South Asians a greater propensity to crime, this case highlighted just the opposite. The emotion in the jury reflected their reluctance to find Rajat Gupta guilty and open him up to years in jail and millions in fines. All the jurors who spoke to the press said they had hoped Gupta would go free. In an exclusive interview with Outlook, Lepkowski, an executive with the Childrens Tumor Foundation, says: Heres a man who came from India, who was orphaned in his teenage years, put himself through college in India, went to Harvard Business School, became the top person in the worlds most respected consulting company and served in that position for nine years. Its an incredible story, an incredible journey. Lepkowski also expressed admiration for the support Gupta received from his family, who were in court every day. Seeing the way he interacted with his wife and his daughters, the impression was that theirs is a strong family bond based on love and respect, he says. That sent a message not only to me, but to the rest of the jury. We wanted to believe that the allegations were false but, particularly on the counts where we found Mr Gupta guilty, the evidence
was overwhelming and we felt confident of the decisions that we made. I felt, and the jury felt, that if we had erred at all in our decision, wed erred on the side of giving Mr Gupta the benefit of the doubt. We were very comfortable with that and very proud of that. But arriving at the decision also caused much anguish. This man, who has accomplished so much throughout his lifetime was going to spend his twilight years in jail as opposed to spending time with his family, his children and grandchildren, Lepkowski says. That was a powerful weight on jurors, both in our discussions and after delivering the verdict. Swaying the jury against such a defendant took some doing. India-born Preet Bharara, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, has rea-
After a tricky 42-day trial, the jury needed under 10 hours to declare Rajat Gupta guilty. Several jurors had hoped he would go free.
son to be proud of his prosecution team. The prosecutors did a great job, says John Moscow, former deputy chief of the Investigations Division, which prosecutes white-collar crime for the Manhattan District Attorney. They didnt overtry the case. They laid it out clearly and simply, knowing New York jurors are smart enough to connect the dots. So why did Rajat Gupta throw away his carefully built reputation? Most of the jurors think it was greedthe opportunity to make tens or hundreds of millions and, just as important, his belief that he would get away with it. Raj Rajaratnam was a very manipulative man, says Lepkowski. Im not saying greed wasnt involved in this, but Rajaratnam made it so easy for Gupta to share this information and that is what he did. John Moscow was a tad more charitable: I think he may have believed he was just helping a friend. Thats self-delusion of course, but it allowed him to think hed done nothing wrong. Mukesh Ambani wrote (on www.friendsofrajat.com) that Gupta often quoted a shloka from the Gita: You are only entitled to do your duty, not to the fruits of that duty. Perhaps, after toiling for decades for others, very profitably, Rajat Gupta felt he was entitled to a larger share of the fruits. Only he knows. 4
45
PAKISTAN POLITICS
AP
by Mariana Baabar in Islamabad
T was perhaps one of the worst examples of judicial cravenness in a modern nation-state, when their lordships deigned to sentence
a charismatic and democratically elected prime minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, to death in 1979 at the behest of the military dictator, Gen Muhammad Zia-ulHaq. After 33 years, in an unforced and self-generated fit of judicial activism, their successors at the Supreme Court have gone for the jugular and dismissed Yousuf Raza Gilani, another prime minister from the Pakistan Peoples Party. The reactions were sharp and unequivocal. In disqualifying a sitting, democratically elected prime minister, the Supreme Court has taken an extraordinary and unfortunate step, said a disapproving editorial in Dawn. The court, it added, could have steered clear of bringing the judiciary, parliament and executive on a renewed collision course. The judicial coup has disappointed manyit was, after all, another chance gone abegging for an elected Pakistani PM to complete a full term in office. Gilani, who could have become the first one to do so, exits as the second-longest serving premier. The only saving grace this time is, there is no immediate fear of democracy being dismantled, as per Pakistans long-established tradition. SC topples PPP government, Prime Minister is sent packing, Out you go, Mr PM, screamed newspaper headlines on Wednesday morning, with the social media in hot pursuit. All hail the court. Were one step closer to a judicial dictatorship, tweeted senior political analyst Cyril Almeida. The courtswhich have shown more leniency to military dictators while validating their coupsare seen to be in danger of supplanting parliament as the arbiter of democracy. The near-farcical extent to which the courts are weighing in on events became clear after Gilanis disqualification. A meeting of the PPP headed by President Zardari nominated senior party leader Makhdoom Shahabuddin to fill the post
Dismissed Pakistan PM Yousuf Raza Gilani at the supreme court in Islamabad in February
Lights Out On Free Alley

Gilani goes, but the judiciary overreaches
of premier till March 2013, when elections are technically due. But only a few hours later, an anti-narcotics court judge in Rawalpindi issued an arrest warrant for Shahabuddin, in a 2010 case of an illegal import of the drug ephedrine. The courts had struck again, one day before Parliament was to meet to formally elect the new PM. This curious impasse prevailed as we went to press. A constitutional crisis has certainly been created. It may be months before things settle2013 is also the year when COAS Gen Ashfaq Kayani and Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry retire. Surprisingly, during all this, leadership qualities came to the fore from President Asif Ali Zardari, who is admiringly, if ironically, referred to these days as Mr 100 per cent. In the aftermath of Benazir Bhuttos assassination, with Sindh on fire, he had appealed for calm. Pakistan Khapay (We want Pakistan), he had said, when Sindhi nationalists wanted no truck with Punjab. This time too, he graciously accepted the courts supremacy, albeit with reservation, thus defusing the palpable rage amidst seething PPP activists, when a single inflam-
The farce was to deepen after Makhdoom Shahabuddin was named for PM. An arrest warrant was issued for him.
46
Zoom In: Wart That Wasnt

An untrammelled media oversteps the line of ethics
ALL it Mediagate, Pakistan fashion. The new scandal rocking the country has television anchors caught with their pants down, plumbing new lows to accommodate a fixer who boasts he has politicians, generals and businessmen eating out of his hands. Today it is the media that faces up to an unflattering reflection of itself. Soon after action was initiated against Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhrys son Arsalan and his alleged briber Malik Riaz Hussain in a corruption case, Dunya Television anchors Mubashar Lucman and Meher Bokhari were shown in a leaked video talking during commercial breaks, unaware that they were being recorded. Why dont you start talking about it yourself, otherwise it will seem planted, which it is, Bokhari is heard telling Malik Riaz Hussain, the property tycoon, in a special show through which, it now seems clear, he planned to badmouth the judiciary. Say what you want...what questions should we ask? It will appear as
Exposed A video grab from the TV sting
though it is planted. It is, but it should not appear thus, adds Bokhari. In Pakistan, there is no mechanism of self-regulation governing a vocal media, and tales of corruption have been doing the rounds lately. Still, there appears to be no remedy. A brazen Bokhari is back on air. Does it make sense any more in viewers making calls if the show itself is just a farce? Why should one believe in the electronic media: planted questions and hosts, planted guests and callers.... What is the future? asks freelance columnist Qaisar Rashid. He speaks for all of us. 4
There are very serious charges against Chaudhrys son, Arsalan Chaudhry, for receiving bribes worth $3.7 million from a controversial real estate owner, Malik Riaz Hussain, who has admitted that he paid Arsalan so that wheels would be put on files pertaining to his cases in the Supreme Court. Was Gilanis disqualification meant to take the heat off his sons case, as is being believed by many? Surely, with other urgent cases crowding Chaudhrys desk, why rush to reopen the case against Gilani? Was it not judicious to get a verdict against his own son first? One is almost inclined to forget this was the man who galvanised Pakistans civil society and inspired them to defy the might of Gen Musharrafs military in Pakistans cities. One lawyer, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, gave us Pakistan. Another lawyer, Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, will save Pakistan, went a popular chant by his supporters at the time. Those times have passed. Voices now say Chaudhry is guilty by association; many question his integrity and urge him to stop pontificating from the ivory towers of the Supreme Court. Instead, they demand his immediate resignation.
HILST the hurry with which certain political cases have been handled by the Supreme Courtas other
matory statement could have unleashed mayhem in an already fraught country. With this central show starring the judiciary and the government engaging the entire country, there is a real sense that the centre of power in Pakistan has shifted dramatically. No longer is General Headquarters in Rawalpindi the sole arbiter of political fortune. It has to share space with a renascent judiciary and a vibrant media, both of which now see themselves in the role of kingmakers vis-a-vis the prime ministers office. Sniping and sparring amongst GHQ, parliament, judiciary, government and media is the rule of the game, as they all scrabble together for political clout. In a way, everyone expected the SCs
decision on Gilani. His goose was cooked in April, when he was convicted of contempt of court for refusing to write a letter to Swiss authorities as ordered, seeking the opening of money-laundering cases against Zardari. Refusing to appeal the decision, and with his party solidly closing ranks behind him, it was only a matter of time before the court showed him the door. Gilani hasnt been charged with corruption and its unlikely the next PPP premier would ever write that letter, since the Constitution allows Zardari immunity for as long as he holds office. Questions are also being raised at Chief Justice Chaudhrys alacrity in pushing Gilani out just when allegations of corruption have been laid at his own door.
long-standing and serious cases affecting ordinary people languish in its pending trayshas attracted some humble criticism from me, on a whole my lord has had a far better record than the majority of his predecessors. I will say this, though: if my son, instead of driving a six-year-old Civic, suddenly arrives in a fancy limousine wearing a Canali suit, I would certainly ask him where they came from. This was an unwelcome, horrid bolt, comments Kamran Shafi, a former Benazir aide. More pertinently, how many prime ministers does the Chief Justice expect to disqualify till March 2013? In its noble pursuit of justice for all and its fight against corruption, Pakistans fair and free judiciary has irrevocably besmirched its escutcheon. 4
47
PRANAY SHARMA
OPINION
Student-Friendly Terms
The policy the Taliban likes is a sign that New Delhi cant be ignored
Taliban are no longer in a position to ignore New Delhi. India has already invested more than $2 billion towards developing Afghanistans infrastructure and will continue to play a significant role there. However, as a drawdown of the US and western troops begin, India, like many other countries in the region, have also begun to strategise on how best to deal with the scenario after 2014. A power vaccuum in Afghanistan after the withIn the past, Indias efforts and engagements in Afghanistan drawal of western forces is not a favourable situation for have come for praise from many different quarters. But no India. If that happens, it could potentially be a repeat of the decision of Indias, until recently, has drawn the slightest convulsive mid-1990s, sealed with yet another takeover by praise from the Taliban. Yet, a few days back, the Afghan the Taliban. One way of preventing this is by involving key Taliban did something surprisingthey commended India regional players in Afghanistan collectively to ensure stafor what they described as resistance to the United Statess bility and prosperity in the country post 2014. call for greater involvement in Afghanistan. In this regard, Union external affairs minister S.M. KrisThis unusual development has nonetheless forced hnas recent move to make the bemused Indian diplomats to AP Shanghai Cooperation Organisapause and analyse the impulse tion the regional body in charge of behind the Talibans decision and Afghanistans future is significant. the signal they want to convey. At The SCO has China, Russia and four one level, South Block is trying to ascertain whether the remarks central Asian countries that border were made by the Afghan Taliban Afghanistan as its members. India, independently or on being proPakistan, Afghanistan and Iran are mpted by their handlers sitting in part of the group as observers. By Pakistan. In addition, along with 2014 all of them may become fullthe praise, Indian diplomats also fledged SCO members and may play identify the hint of a threat thats a decisive role together to work woven into the statement. They towards a prosperous future for see it as an attempt to warn India Afghanistan. This arrangement not to get involved in Afghanistan, The Talibans return to power would be a catastrophe also provides for a situation where particularly by stepping in on the China not only takes more responsecurity front when the US and other western countries sibility for the future of Afghanistan but also engages India, withdraw their troops in 2014. as it is already doing with Pakistan and Afghanistan, for But, at another level, it is also being seen as an acknowlrestoring normalcy in the war-torn country. edgment of Indias popularity in the country, especially In addition, India is also planning to host an investors among the Afghan people, and recognition of the fact that summit for Afghanistan in New Delhi on June 28. ParticNew Delhi will be a player in Afghanistans future. Even if ipants from over 50 countries from the west as well as the Talibans words of praise are prompted by the Pakistani those in the neighbourhood, including Pakistan and establishment, it clearly signals that in their current faceChina, are likely to attend. New Delhis attempt is to offer off with the Americans, they would prefer a neutral India. a parallel and positive narrative for the future of There are indications that New Delhi has politely refused Afghanistan. If the potential investors are as convinced as the USs suggestion of getting more involved in Afghanistan, India, we may soon see joint ventures and significant especially to fill the gap in the security after the withdrawinvestments pouring in for various sectors in Afghanistan, al of US and NATO troops in 2014. particularly for its minerals and other natural resources. Expanding the number of stakeholders in Afghanistan by But even if India refuses to bolster the security cooperaattracting foreign investors could well be one of the surest tion in Afghanistanapart from continuing to train the ways of ensuring that its foreseeable future doesnt Afghan police force and the Afghan National Armys officer resemble its recent, bloody past in any way. 4 cadresthe development shows that both Pakistan and the
IPLOMATS are in the business of looking gift horses in the mouth, especially when one comes from an enemy camp. A pat on the back from the Afghan Taliban is a rare occasion for India.
48
WorldMags.net
ARAVIND ADIGA
EXPOSITION
The Ballad Of Babel

The Booker winner finds a novel that pierces through Mumbais masquerade, capturing its miasmic heart
okwalas treachery, he finds himself the victim of another act of betrayal. Nagnath, an orphan who educated himself with a scholarship from Bombays Saraswat Brahmin community, discovers that Srinivas, a childhood friend, is spreading word that his mother was a low-caste woman, and that hes been masquerading all these years as a Brahmin. Srinivas has even gone all the way to Goa, the ancestral home of the Saraswats, to collect information about Nagnaths true lineage. Instead of fighting back, Nagnath goes into a shell. We learn that Nagnath (much like Chittal himself ) has been writing Kannada short stories when he is not at his day job. Now in his crisis, he responds as a writer would: by jotting down a series of notes, possibly raw material for a novel, in which he records his growing anxiety. When a genial old man, a stranger, whom he sees at Shivaji Park, inexplicably strikes fear into him, he runs into his room and writes: Am I running because Im frightened? Or is it that the fear is generated in me because of the physical act of running? Must remember to read William James again. Nagnaths erudition only serves to highlight his increasing coarseness. Asked about his mothers origins, he responds: Get your hand out of my genealogy, you son of a bitch! If the swearing occurs equally in Kannada and Hindibehenchods alternate with bolimagasthe novel is also full of English abbreviations and phrasesDMD, MD, R&D, Manager, Special Assignment, Personal & Confidentialthat give us a flavour of the Bombay corporate world of the 1970s. Entire sentences sometimes appear in English, pitch-perfect in their sensitivity to the novels mix of farce and existential angst, as when a Parsi executive tells Nagnath (in English): Sorry for being so coarse. But I am sure you will agree with me when I say that the prime mover of the organisationthe motive force beh-
truly first-rate novel of the corporate workplace hardly exists in Indian literature; equally rare is a novel of sustained psychological intensity. A book that combines these qualities, hence, should
be greeted by much acclaim. The odd thing is that there has been just such a novel around for years, and hardly anyone seems to know about it. Published in 1979, Yashwant Chittals Kannada novel Shikari tells the story of Nagnath, a migrant from north Karnataka who has risen to a high-ranking position in a chemicals corporation in Bombay. When the novel begins, Nagnath has just been plunged into the biggest crisis of his adult life: he has been suspended from his job for an unknown offence. Eventually, he discovers that he is accused of complicity in a fire that has killed three people in the companys factory in Hyderabad. Nagnath is a brilliant, if somewhat eccentric, chemical engineer, who has been warning his superiors about safety issues in the factory: someone has set him up for a fall. This is the shikar of modern-day India, where Darwinian instincts of aggression and self-preservation have migrated into the business world. As he slides into a world of corporate intrigue and paranoia, rife with accusatory letters, secret alliances, and messages of sympathy from unexpected sources, Nagnath becomes convinced that he has been framed by his firms deputy managing director, the aptly named Phiroz Bandookwalaalthough why Bandookwala wants to destroy him is still a mystery. Shikari explicitly acknowledges its debt to Kafka in its first few sentences; then it goes to places that Kafka had never dreamt of. Even as Nagnath is coming to terms with Bando-
BOMBAY OF THE LATE 70S: A CITY OBSESSED WITH STATUS, CLASS AND PROFOUNDLY HYPOCRITICAL ON SEX. SHIKARI, WITH ITS COARSENESS AND ERUDITION, GETS IT.
50
AMIT HARALKAR
much of his early life, is shrouded in obscurity. ind the facade of its evolving structure and all that Watching the waves crash into Chowpatty beach, four letter jargon is the ambition of the individual Nagnath wonders if he should plunge himself into to climb its tall ladder. The multi-lingual dexterthe water, much like his father had done. ity of the novel is one of its great charms. Warned Beer is one way to stop thinking about suicide. that he might be cast out of the S.B. (Saraswat BraNagnath drinks, prodigiously: in the Sher-e-Punhmin) community of Bombay, Nagnath welcomes jab restaurant, in his home, in corporate guesthouhis expulsion from your S.B. (S.O.B.) society. ses, and even in Irani cafes without a permit that Shikari has magnificent descriptions of the teemserve him beer behind a curtain. When that does ing and multicultural life of inner city Bombay: not help, he starts using barbiturates. Unexpectefrom his flat in a Khetwadi chawl, Nagnath stares dly, he finds another kind of relief: suddenly, all the out at bhaiyyas carrying milk in aluminum cans, SHIKARI boys selling newspapers, Udupi restaurants, the by Yashwant Chittal women he meets, whether its the Christian secretary from his company or the Irani air-hostess on printing press of the Communist Party that stands the flight to Hyderabad, start propositioning him. Is this reaat the entrance to a galli, and an old man sitting in front of a lly happening, or has he started hallucinating under the portrait of Dattatreya and singing loud bhajans. (Why such influence of beer and barbiturates (as he himself suspects)? a successful executive continues to live in a congested chawl By shifting between Nagnaths first-person notes and a is one of the mysteries surrounding Nagnath, as are the third-person narration, the novel undercuts the objectivity strange burn marks on his chest, and the question of why he of its protagonists perceptions. Yet, it never relinquishes its is avoiding the comfort of his mistress during such a crisis.) power to pass judgment on the Bombay of the late 1970s, a Bombay is a source of food and drink for the bachelor Nagsociety obsessed with status, class, and profoundly hyponath, but it is also a beacon to suicide. We discover that his critical in matters of sex. In a powerful scene, Nagnath disfather killed himself, and that his mothers death, as is so
51
Concrete jungle Behind its giddy skyline, Mumbais is a harsh land
ABHIJIT BHATLEKAR
covers why his friend Srinivas has been investigating his origins. Srinivas confesses that he has heard a rumour that Nagnath plans to write a novel about his lifea novel that will be serialised in the Illustrated Weekly of India and will tell people that Srinivas, though a successful businessman and a respected member of the Saraswat community, began life in extreme poverty. This is an India before Dhirubhai Ambani, when self-made men did not brag about their originsin this India there is no greater shame than the shame of having once been poor. Going down on his knees, Srinivas begs Nagnath not to expose his past, because he is planning to run for office in the upcoming Municipal Elections. Now Nagnath understands why Srinivas and Phiroz Bandookwala have been gunning for him: in their eyes, he is the shikari. He turns and runs for his life.
feels. Then the beer arrives, all of them start drinking, and things become very surreal inside the Taj Mahal Hotel. Shikari is rich with references to existential Outlooks top reads philosophers like Camus and Erich Fromm, but on Bombay its in a parallel series of images drawn from SALMAN RUSHDIE Hindu mythology that Chittal maps his protaMidnight's Children gonists transformation into a man who rejects SUKETU MEHTA his former existence in the corporate world, Maximum City: Bombay even when he is given a chance to clear his Lost and Found name and go back to his job. On his way to the VIKRAM CHANDRA dreaded inquest, Nagnath catches his own Love and Longing in image in a mirror in the Taj hotel. He is halfBombay expecting that his inner crisis has transmuted GILLIAN TINDALL him into a Shiva or Buddha: Outwardly there City of Gold: The was no change: no horn had sprung on his Biography of Bombay head, no new eye had opened on his forehead. KATHERINE BOO An even more poignant image comes at books Behind the Beautiful end. Running out of a brothel, Nagnath arrives Forevers at an epiphany that is both surprising and log ANITA DESAI ical, unexpected and triumphant: he understaHERE is no escape. A rich Baumgartners nds what he has been suppressing since his chiBombay: A Note array of antagonists gang up ldhood, and what he must do with the rest of ROHINTON MISTRY against Nagnath, including the his life. His Vanvas has just ended, were told. Family Matters The Ajnatavas still lies ahead. It is the most staunchly anti-Brahmin literary JEET THAYIL moving finale to a novel that Ive read in years. Narcopolis journalist who is convinced that the Yashwant Chittal is one of the Kannada SONIA FALEIRO poets, short story writers and novelists who anonymous letters besmirching Nagnaths Beautiful Thing: Inside flourished in Bombay after Independence. caste origins are a conspiracy launched by NagThe Secret World Of Some of these writers are dead; some, like the nath himself to win the sympathy of anti-BrahBombays Dance Bars short-story writer Jayant Kaikini, have gone min literary journalists. One morning, Nagnath back to Karnataka. Chittalnow in his eightfinds himself driven in a Mercedes Benz to the iesis still here. Thousands of Mumbaikars gather every Taj Mahal Hotel, to face an inquest headed by three execevening at the Bandra Bandstand, but even the most literutives who will determine his future in the company. For ary among them are unaware that they are right outside the some reasontypical of the absurd yet inevitable way in home of a novelist who has captured their city as well as which events unfold in the novelNagnaths inquisitors Suketu Mehta or Salman Rushdie. Shikari is my favourite have decided to order chilled beer instead of tea, even though it is morning, and they have gathered on official Bombay book; with its blend of learning and raffishness, business. As they wait for the beer, Nagnath observes that black comedy and existential anxiety, its obsessive inquiry all three of his inquisitors are Parsis, the community to into ethnicity and the urban experience, it reminds me of which his nemesis Bandookwala belongs. His heart sinks. Saul Bellows great novels. Given the right translator, and On the other hand, Parsis are famous for their sense of juseven moderate backing from a publishing house, it will tice and fairplay, arent they? There is still hope, Nagnath establish itself as a classic of modern Indian fiction. 4
Blurbs Prima In Indus
52
in partnership with
and
invites you to take part in the search for

GAVASKAR BEFORE SHASTRI?
Sajan, United States: Isnt it a travesty to exclude Lal Bahadur Shastri from the list of the greatest Indians? How myopic can we get? And by what measure can Sunil Gavaskar be placed above Shastri? Kamlesh Maheshwari, Bangalore: Shastris contributions to the country are undeniable. He stands tall because he owned responsibility for a train mishap and resigned as railway minister, whereas leaders today do not seem to have any accountability. Chittaranjan, Bangalore: The greatest Indian after Gandhi? Its J. Krishnamurti, of course. G. Niranjan Rao, Hyderabad: Jawaharlal Nehru R.K. Singh, Gurgaon: Touch and go between Nehru, Patel. Pramod Srivastava, New Delhi: The exclusion of Anna Hazare appears unjust and biased. C.P. Nair, Kerala: Surely A. Raja should have gured in the list? Our ancestors might have discovered Zero but it is Raja who has taught us to count the zeroes.
The Greatest Indian after Gandhi
Santosh Gairola, Taiwan: Both Dhirubhai Ambani and Ramnath Goenka on the same list? Should the parents of R.K. Narayan and R.K. Laxman be called Indias luckiest parents? After all, two of their children made it to the list. Mukund, Pune: Why does the search for the greatest Indian resemble TV shows like Indian Idol and Big Boss with contestants pleading for votes?
ITS GANDHI
Soumya Saxena, Germany: People who are wondering why Gandhi is rated the greatest Indian are the ones who have never bothered to read about him or his writings. Comparing him with Bhagat Singh, Savarkar or Netaji shows people know little about these people. Bose was an ardent supporter of Gandhi; he chose a different path but never lost his respect for the man. Some people are yet to get out of the spell of Rang De Basanti.
thegreatestindian.in
Three-way voting process
Our 26-member jury has nalised the 50 top nominees from a list of 100 Readers and viewers can vote online at thegreatestindian.in till June 25 From July 1 to 31, a nationwide opinion poll will be held to choose the top ten The name of the Greatest Indian after Gandhi on August 15
A. RAJA, SURELY?
Kiran N. Jadhav, Pune: The will be announced book The Makers of the Universe (Oxford University) lists 100 people who have inuenced the world over 10,000 years. The rst name on the list is that of Gautam Buddha and the fourth name is that of Dr Ambedkar. But the elitist Indian media refuses to acknowledge what the world has accepted. Sumirti, Salem: The search should have been for the most popular Indian after Gandhi. How can you have Mother Teresa, JRD Tata, Homi Bhabha, Dhyan Chand, Rajnikanth, Nehru and Patel on the same list?
Sandilya, Chennai: Gandhis greatest contribution was to keep Netaji and his brand of politics away from the mainstream. Netaji was a patriot but was emotional and impractical. His radical functioning would have led to more chaos. Ranjan Mondal, Calcutta: There is not one in the list of nominees who comes anywhere near the life and work of Mahatma Gandhi.
Last date for online voting: July 2 WorldMags.net
V. KRISHNASWAMY
PAES-BHUPATHI SPLIT
Of Backhanded Volleys And

Synonymous with Indian tennis for nearly two decades, have Paes-Bh
UST try to imagine Virender Sehwag and Mahendra Singh Dhoni ganging up to keep Sachin Tendulkar out of
the side. Or Sehwag and Sachin pushing Dhoni out! Imagine the scene if the scores of star footballers and basketballers, who hate the sight of each other, hold their coaches and management to ransom, saying Me or Him. Take it or leave it. Even billionaire F-1 drivers dare not do that. If threats became the buzzword and tantrums the way to select teams, you would never need selection committees of federationsnot that that is such a bad idea! Negotiations of the kind that went on between the players and the All India Tennis Association (AITA), with the sports ministry as a mute line umpire, cannot be a process of selecting national teams. It matters not whether its the Olympics, the Davis Cup or a local tournament. It does not even matter whether you win medals or not. There has to be a sense of decorum. We may not like selection committeesmost of them are not very pleasant, anywaybut we need some authorised bodies, and not individuals who have an axe to grind or wish to hold the sport to ransom. This saga of Paes
vs Bhupathi, dad vs dad, coach vs coach, business vs business, Paes en Sport vs Globosport cant be allowed to go on. Fifteen years ago, when Lea-Hesh burst onto the global scene and took it by storm, making all four Grand Slam finals in 1999the first team anywhere in the world to do so since 1952they were seen not just as saviours of Indian tennis, but possibly as saviours of the dying art of doubles tennis, leading singles stars crossed out doubles from their playing schedules. In one single year in 1999, they won three titles, including two Slams, and became the No. 1 tennis pair in the world. But, before you knew it, they had split up. Lack of trust, they said. That was 12 years ago. It would become a recurring theme. They kept becoming unstuck and coming together; winning titles, pouting and hugging, scowling and screaming. They won Davis Cup matches, professed love, respect and admiration for each other. And before you could recover, they and their camps were calling each other the choicest of names. Noses were bloodied, egos were bruised, ears were ringing and hearts crying. It would happen time and time again (see box below). It started in 2000. It occurred (again) this week. They began with chest-butting. Both Leander and Bhupathi began by talking how they could read each other and how they could sense each other on the court. But soon the chest-butts turned into left hooks and upper cutsthrough friends, through the media and, if
Anatomy
1996: PaesBhupathi play their first Olympics together; lose second round to Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde
year, win two Grand Slams, reach finals of all four. End the year as World No.1
SPLIT NO. 1
2000, May: Paess
father announces a break-up, saying there was lack of trust. Bhupathis coach Rico Piperno is cited as cause of the split.
mpics in sight, they come together, lose in second round to the Woodies.
SPLIT NO. 2
2002: Bhupathi and
Paes move on to play with different partners. Bhupathi wins US Open doubles with Max Mirnyi. Paes has little success.
the Asian Games in South Korea and win the mens doubles gold.
2000, JanApril: Bhupathi is injured. Paes hints he might look for a new partner.
2001: A great year with five titles, including a second French Open title 2002: Paes camp claims Bhupathi walked out after Delray Beach loss
2003: Bhupathi does well with Max Mirnyi, wins five more titles. But Paes fares poorly.
REUNION NO. 1
2000, September:
With Sydney Oly-
2002, November:
They are back briefly together for
REUNION NO. 2
2004: In the year of the Olympics, they
1999: The
pairs greatest
54
Broken Serves
upathi come to an intractable fault?
rumours mills were to be believed, there were even a few real punches exchanged. Then came salacious rumours of the kind that chase Hollywood and Bollywood dramas; stories of fights in hotel corridors over the affection of an actress/model. Those stories were never confirmed nor denied, but spoken about only in hushed whispers.
UT beyond all this, they also played some brilliant tennis. Brilliant enough to win 26 titles together between 1997 to 2011. They also won
another 24 each with other partnersfor a colossal figure of 50 mens doubles for both. If Bhupathi has a dozen Grand Slam doubles titles, Paes has 14. And in between their now hot, now cold relationship, they won two Asian Games gold medals and 25 of the 27 Davis Cup doubles matches they played together. They were, check that, still are good. Never mind their ages. Paes turned 39 on June 17 and Bhupathi turned 38 on June 7. Hell, they even share the same Zodiac sign! Gemini. On a more serious note, an AITA official who has been keeping a close watch over the current controversy says, They may choose (teammates or
partners) if it is the ATP Tour, where they represent themselves, but not if they are representing the country. When it comes to Davis Cups, Asian Games or Olympic Games, a selection committee must take an impartial view and put forward the best players. Sports reporters should have given up on them long ago, allowing sleuths and private detectives to take over. Was Paes still with Bhupathi when he first spoke to Bopanna about London 2012? Did Bopanna breach the confidence of one or the other? Who backstabbed whom and did anyone backstab anyone else? Then, there is this small matter of who will pair up with the Indian tenniss golden girl Sania Mirza. The reason for the conundrum is simple enough: a medal in mixed doubles is more doable than in mens doubles. Ah, therein hangs a tale. And while the Lea-Hesh, and now Rohan Bopanna, controversy continues to play out on TV channels and newpapers, where does that leave Indias hopes of an Olympic medal in tennis? Even if things are sorted out and Leander-Mahesh do come out and say they have let bygones be bygones and will play for the country, can we believe them? It is said that a doubles tennis match calls for better understanding and thinking in unison between the partners than almost any other team event. Don Budge, the first man to win a Grand Slam in 1938, when asked what kind of a doubles partner he liked, said: Theres nothing worse to me than a doubles partner that cant talk it out. There are always times when things arent going well in almost any match, and if you can talk about these with your partner in an honest way, you can usually circumvent them. But even if there is, however unlikely, a getting around this latest spat, can Leander and Mahesh ever again play as one? 4
of A Split
come back together. But at Athens, they lose the bronze medal playoff. They play together at Doha Asian Games. the doubles gold, Bhupathi said hed never play with Paes.
SPLIT NO. 3
2007: They stay away from each other; play with other partners. 2008: There is much
speculation if PaesBhupathi would play at the Beijing Olympics together.
2004-2006: At Doha,
Paes, in an interview after a tough match, questions Bhupathi's commitment; within hours of their winning
They finally do, but crash out early.
but continue to come together for Davis Cups. Both miss the Asian Games in 2010, but play at the Commonwealth Games, where they win bronze.
REUNION NO. 3
2011: With 2012
Olympics approaching, the now-ageing
2009-2010: They go
back to playing with different partners,
pair decides to come together for a shot at the London Olympics. They have an excellent run, winning three titles in Chennai, Miami and Cincinnati and getting to the finals in Australia Open.
intrigue, they split at the end of 2011 and Bhupathi starts 2012 with Bopanna and Paes plays with Radek Stepanek to win Australian Open.
2012, July: Mahesh

refuses to partner Paes at the London Olympics; Bopanna refuses as well.
SPLIT NO. 4
2012: Amidst much
55
WorldMags.net
WorldMags.net
books
AP
A Mushroom-Shaped Doubt
Indias nuclear management is hopelessly addle-brained. Koithara shows up the cracks and ways to repair them.
MANAGING INDIAS NUCLEAR FORCES

by Verghese Koithara
Routledge | 294 pages | `795
by Shashi Tharoor
OR a variety of political and organisational reasons, India is saddled with a nuclear force management system that is seriously inadequate for the work it needs to do. With these bluntly uncompromising words, Verghese Koithara begins his eye-opening tour de force, Managing Indias Nuclear Forcesa book that needs to be read not by the armchair pundits who proliferate on our op-ed pages, but by the policy-makers at the helm of our national security establishment. Koithara, a retired vice-admiral with a remarkable mind, and who has applied it to Indias strategic challenges in two outstanding booksSociety, State and Security and Crafting Peace in Kashmir takes on the dysfunctionalities in our nuclear defence. He is rightly critical of the militarys exclusion from the policy levels of nuclear force management, and the perpetuation of a system of technocratic management, created before we had nuclear weapons, that undermines both effectiveness and accountability. Seeing nuclear weapons as a source of national pride or international prestige is now largely irrelevant. Our nuclear weapons are a vital part of our deterrence strategy, particularly against a Pakistan which (because of its over-
whelming disadvantage in conventional terms) is overly reliant on its own nukes in any future conflict against us. Nuclear deterrence is also needed against China, not in the immediate future but just in case a change in that countrys domestic situation tempts its leadership to engage in brinksmanship on its borders. Yet the details of operationalising our nuclear weapons are hazy, and largely neglected. Indias preparedness, Koithara says, is lackadaisical. And our overall defence management system needs a revamp. We cant leave our nukes to the tender mercies of the scientific community, to the exclusion of our armed forces. Its no longer enough to see them as sources of security in themselves, unless they are integrated into serious strategic policymakingcivilian-led and militarily-supportedto make deterrence operationally effective. Koithara argues that our current system, treating the operational role of nuclear weapons with nonchalance, distorts our policy-makers strategic understanding and therefore limits the deterrent effect of our nukes. It is dangerous, Koithara argues, to ignore the issues involved in managing our nukes effectively. Our political leaderships relationship with its own military is barren, leading to the exclusion of the armed forces from the very area of their expertisenational security planning. If we want to be taken seriously as a nuclear weapons state, we need to develop a serious nuclear strategy, buttress it with effective organisational capacity, make necessary procedural and institutional changes and professionalise our operational decision-making. Koithara marshals an impressive case, taking into account global geo-politics,
theory and comparative history and a detailed analysis of our nuclear capacity and force management systems. His approach combines the rigour of a scholar with the intimate knowledge of the practitioner. His analysis of our organisational and attitudinal pathologies is balanced and fairthough he does take a few swipes at the DRDO, which has long had a reputation for over-promising and under-delivering. Koithara compellingly recommends a better system which has the Union defence minister as functionally powerful as his US counterpart, in the drivers seat, with downstream management in military hands, as in other nuclear weapons states. He advocates the resurrection of both the defence committee of the cabinet (with service chiefs present) and of the defence ministers committee, meant to make the military and civilian leaders discuss key issues systematically and collegially with the minister. Such an organic interface between conventional and nuclear forces is catered for by other countries with nuclear weapons. India should not court disaster by acting as if it can be a global exception. Using inadequately prepared nuclear forces to generate deterrence, Koithara writes, will be similar to the inadequately-supported forward policy that India had adopted along the Tibet border in 1959. Since we know how that ended, it is a sobering analogy. To avoid such a fate, Koithara calls for broad based public pressure, emanating from a good understanding of the issues and the high stakes involved. This book is a wake-up call to those in charge of Indias nukes. It is a call that must be heeded, in all our interests. 4
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BIBLIOFILE
Freehand Writing
The Lady Dances In The Dark

RHYTHMS OF DARKNESS
by Anjana Basu
Gyaana Books, 2011 | 247 pages | `295
by Abhijit Gupta
N 2007, Anjana Basu wrote Black Tongue, a searching examination of political and moral bankruptcy in West Bengal, set against the background of the threedecade long Communist rule of the state. Rhythms of Darkness is a sequel of sorts, but holds up equally well as a stand-alone work. In it, Basu takes up the story of one of the characters introduced towards the end of Black Tongue, Shyama, who comes of age and becomes the woman who destroyed Bengal. Most readers will find a more than passing resemblance between Shyama and the politician who heads the current dispensation in West Bengal. Rhythms of Darkness swirls together a heady cocktail of regime change, Maoist violence and civil society politics to produce a compelling political novel, a genre which has perhaps not received its due from Indian writers in English. Basu is an honourable exception, though, and both her novels negotiate a devilishly difficult terrain with great skill and narrative imagination. But while Black Tongue was recent history in slow-motion, a painstakingly detailed look at the fault lines between urban and rural Bengal, Rhythms of Darkness is history spee-
The narrative weaves together regime change, Maoist violence and civil society politics, creating a compelling political novel.
ded up, even hurtling towards a violent, retributive climax. Some of the plot elements in Rhythms of Darkness may appear implausible, and they would indeed be flaws in a realistic novel. However, Basu has treated contemporary politics not as straightforward narrative datum but as basis for a fable, where the same story is told over and over again from many perspectives. In Black Tongue, this elliptic form of address serves to build a sense of numbness and stasis, where political and civic will is flattened by the juggernaut of one-party rule. But in the sequel, the real-life process of regime change is mirrored in a more urgent, vivid style of story-telling. As the novel progresses, the figure of Shyama occupies more and more of the narrative space, much in the same way that Mamata Banerjee has come to occupy the political space in contemporary Bengal. One of the most intriguing features of Rhythms of Darkness is the portrayal of Shyama, and the ability which propels her to the highest echelons of politics. Shyamaanother name for the goddess Kali and literally meaning darkis a compulsive dancer, one who is able to dance up a storm wherever she goes. She dances by herself, in front of party functionaries, for the Maoist fugitive-turned-party boss who meets her in the forest, even at press conferences. It is tempting to read her dance as a metaphor for regime change, and as a reworking of the myth of the goddesss dance, but it works equally well as something which Shyama does really well and works hard at, from being an anonymous face in a conga line to the raucous energy of an item number. And while the world around her tries to make sense of the new didi, the ghosts of old politics still linger in the background, refusing to fade way, biding their time. The more it changes, the more it remains the same. 4
THE grand old man of letters, Khushwant Singh, touching 100, is all set to come out with his new book, A Freethinkers Prayer Book. Editors working with him say he is as excited as always before the launch of a new book, his memory is sharp as ever, but only that he gets tired soon. And if you thought he has sobered up, sample these lines from the book: Old age is a nuisance. It buggers up your life. Though I have not yet gone senile and I have been spared the indignity of bedpans and nurses wiping my bottom, it is now time to go.
Bookworms Beware
AARDVARK Media is the latest start-up in publishing, led by former managing editor of Outlook Sandipan Deb. Aardvark is betting big on e-publishing, which is still taking baby steps in India. Apart from print, it will publish e-books, smartphone books and audio books, expecting a shift in reading habits. The first title, Kismet 3.0, a straight-fromthe-gut tale of a 25-year-old techie is out, and is available on Flipkart; the Kindle version is on Amazon.
Of Lasting Value
OUP has come out with a fine set of important books in their series Oxford India Perennials. There is Romila Thapars Asoka and Decline of the Maurya Empire, Girish Karnads Tughlaq, U.R. Ananthamurthys Samskara, C.A. Baylys Rulers, Townsmen and Bazaars, among others, in the first lot. In all, there will be 14 titles launched this year. The books in the series have never been out of print, and have new forewords, introductions and prologues by authors and editors. They cost between `200 and `500.
59
reco
CULTURE VULTURE
mmendations
NATIONAL BOOK
Invisible Art
When The Princes Preened
WHAT Art aficionados trooping into Hayward Gallerys Art of the Unseen, 1957-2012, which opened last week, had only empty galleries, blank canvases and vacant sculpture plinths to contemplate. No, the organisers did not get the opening date wrong. The absence of tangible works explores how the unseen and the invisible figure in art. WHY The works are hewn from unseen colours and brainwaves, energy, light and worries collecting and releasing. There is a huge bronze monument that didnt get cast, a blank paper that its artist spent 1,000 hours staring at, an invisible car. A great way to turn imagination into a fine art, that.
HOW TO
Exit a hall
Head straight for the edges of the crowd, because the fringes move faster than the middle. Studies say people bump into each other when crowd density reaches 7-10 persons per square metrejust what you would find at the centre. Keep your eyes peeled on the exit door: your focus, say scientists, is a mental command to others to get out of the way. People naturally form lines, so join one. Dont jump the queue because you will only end up breaking the flow.
MIND
POSING FOR POSTERITY: ROYAL INDIAN PORTRAITS BY PRAMOD Kumar KG provides an interesting insight into what went into getting the angles for royal frames just right. In the photograph of Prince Sardar Singh of Jodhpur (above left), we see the five-year-old heir staring confidently into the camera lens, seated on a low chair. In the facing photograph, the prince appears in the same position with a court official, this time in a long shot, revealing how his chair was propped up on a high table to get a good angle. The rest of the book similarly captures a large section of princely India, tracing not just their journey during the Raj but of photographic technology and experimentation of the time. Roli Books, `1,975 4
NATIONAL DESIGN GURGAON THEATRE
Graphically Ours
MEET THE INFOnauts, three young designers who want to create powerful visuals and illustrations to convey complex information and data. Put simply, they create eye-catching wall art, products, posters, branding, merging them all with infographics and statistics that reflect Indias complex growth story, or rather the lack of it. The bag in the photograph, for example, contains tidbits about the Indian education system. There are lamps and silk cushions with infographics, too. Check infonauts.in to shop 2 July 2012 OUTLOOK WorldMags.net
Friends From Bombay
Turn the following string of words into something meaningful by only adding punctuation, without adding, subtracting, or rearranging the words: that that is is that that is not is not is that it it is. That that is, is. That that is not, is not. Is that it? It is.
EIGHT MONOLOGUES STRUNG TOGETHER TAP INTO the lives of eight characters in Bombay Talkies, an English play written/directed by Vikram Kapadia. Though laced with humour, the diverse tales of survival, ambition, disillusionment, chaos, hope, has dark undertones. Performed by Darshan Jariwalla, Zafar Karachiwala, Rasika Duggal and others. Epicentre, Jul 7-8
60
fine living
MIND YOUR BODY KITCHEN IQ
Buckwheat Stands For Brains
Tempeh
by Rujuta Diwekar
Himalayas may seem no more than an adventure activity that burns off tons of calories, but for me, its a journey that drives home the philosophy of simplicity, or eat local, think global. I just got back from Jolingkong, at the base of Adi-Kailash mountain in Kumaon, right on the Indo-Tibetan border, where I stayed in the wood-and-stone village of Kuti for a couple of nights, mainly to acclimatise to the high altitude. It is here that I tasted the same rotis that sage Vyas, who authored the Mahabharata and lent the valley his name, ate every single day, centuries ago. Made out of kuttu ka atta (buckwheat flour), they were not only rich in calcium, mag-
REKKING IN THE REMOTE
nesium, iron, fibre, essential fatty acids and Vitamin B, but were also flavourful. I ate them with curd that had a tadka of jeera, and local greens simil ar to mustard leaves. It is pretty much this food which nourished the sage, who is revered for his understanding of not just the Vedas, but warfare, geography, ethics and politics. Little wonder then that men with real insights have the wisdom to eat simple, local food. Kuttu ka atta has all the nutrients to keep the brain sharp, joints lubricated and skin protected from dryness and sun damage. Also, the phytonutrients in kuttu
strengthen arteries and lower blood pressure, thus aiding acclimatisation. Theres a reason why local food is better than its exotic avatar: it helps you cope with local environmental challenges, be it altitude, heat, cold or humidity. So take a leaf out of rishi Vyass book and go back to eating local. 4
TEMPEH, A FERMENTED SOYabean cake, dominates Javanese vegetarian cuisine. Made from dry soyabeans which are soaked, dehulled, cultured and wrapped in banana leaf to ferment until they reach the right stage of ripeness, tempeh has a nutty, meaty mushroom-like flavour. Its texture and taste might take a little getting used to, but once the high-protein, low-fat tempeh sits easy on your tongue, its yours to grate, slice and fry for healthy curries, salads and fritters. History has it that Chinese traders visiting Java introduced the natives to tempeh during a soy saucemaking demonstration. Quick learners, they made it their own. It was only in the 20th century that tempeh came to be eaten outside of the island. 4
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movie 1 0
REVIEW QUESTIONS
Richa Chadda
Mastering a Bihari dialect, managing a prosthetic stomach, and living her dream at Cannesactress Richa Chadda did all that and more with Gangs of Wasseypur
1 2 3 4
How did Gangs of Wasseypur happen? I had auditioned for Dev D. That didnt work out, but Anurag (Kashyap) told me, I will work with you in the future.
As a newcomer, how was it like working with senior actors like Manoj Bajpai? Totally unnerving, but I made friends for life. How did you prepare? I didnt. Anurag wanted me to be instinctive. I just worked on the dialect. That must have been tough. Manoj helped me with the dialect. He told me, Sh ko s kar do, f ko ph, aur z ko j. So it was Phaijal Khan, instead of Faizal Khan. It became simple after that. He supported me, being around after his shots got over, and gave me cues. What was the biggest challenge in this role? I had to go from being 16 to 60, and had no reference point for older characters. I had to thicken my voice. And the make-up, complete with a prosthetic stomach, would take two hours to put on and an hour to take off. Id just lie in my innerwear and let the make-up artists do their job. It was embarrassing! The film is five-and-a-half hours long. How will it be screened? Only the first part, which is two-and-a-half hours long, is releasing now. How was Cannes? Anyone you met who got you starry-eyed? Very beautiful; a dream come true. Jean Dujardin crossed my car, looked at me and winked!
6 7 8 9
FATHER-SON duo Rusy (Sharman Joshi) and Kayo (Ritvik Sahore) are the sort of earnest Mumbaikars whod gladly hop off their two-wheeler to assist helpless traffic cops manage jams, and insist on paying the fine when they accidentally jump a signal. A humble RTO clerk and widower, Rusy also has big dreams for his cricket-crazy son, and wants to send him to Lords for a training camp that he doesnt have the bank balance for. But wait, Rusy may have found a way out, a very tempting, nutty way out of his dilemma. And so begins the classic underdog tale that involves Rusy putting to test values hes always stood for. His disgruntled, bumbling father Behramwho once had a promising career in cricket that went sour isnt supportive of investing in his grandsons talent at first, but relents once he discovers just how well Kayo wields the bat. The twist in the tale involves the lively, motor-mouthed wedding planner (Seema Bhargava) who promises Rusy the funds he needs
Ferrari Ki Sawaari
Starring: Sharman Joshi, Boman Irani, Ritvik Sahore Directed by Rajesh Mapuskar
Must See
Good
Watchable
Avoidable
to send his son abroad in return for no less than Sachin Tendulkars gleaming red Ferrari. Without the Ferrari, a wedding shes organising is likely to fall apart. Its a heart-felt, amusing story about a simple, middleclass Parsi household caught wrong-footed, in a corrupt world, a stolen Ferrari their albatross. But for a comedydrama film, Ferrari Ki Sawaari just doesnt have enough fuel; too few laughs, too little spark. A limp script and a wholly forgettable soundtrack is disappointing from the Munnabhai series team. Its the performances that make it watchable. Sharman Joshi puts in a sincere effort, despite his sligh-
tly tiring earnestness, while child actor Ritvik Sahore is bang on as the gentle, talented Kayo. Peripheral characters, like the pair who play Sachins house help, add a bit of fun to the mix. Paresh Rawal is excellent as Behrams old friend and former fellow cricketer Dilip, now a slimy cricket bureaucrat. A meeting between the two old friends is easily one of the best scenes in the film, with Boman Irani and Paresh Rawal playing out the all-toosubtle friction between the pair effortlessly. The punch, however, should have been in the cat-andmouse chase involving the Ferrari, but this ones stuck in second gear. 4
Neha Bhatt
HIGH FIVES
BOLLYWOOD
1 2 3 4 5
Rowdy Rathore Men In Black 3 (Eng) Ishaqzaade Men In Black 3 (dubbed) Vicky Donor
You are shooting in Delhi currently. For Tamanchey, a love story of two outlaws.
HOLLYWOOD
Madagascar 3 Prometheus Rock Of Ages Thats My Boy Snow White and the Huntsman
ROCK
Burn It Down (Linkin Park) Gold...Ceiling (The Black Keys) Somebody I Used To Know (Gotye) Tongue Tied (Grouplove) Days Go By (The Offspring)
Will you do an out-and-out commercial film? I would do any good role. My only criterion is that I shouldnt be a prop.
10
62
Looking at international projects? Yes, one will be made out of Berlin, the other out of New York. Arpita Basu
Courtesy: BoxofficeIndia
glitterati
Tiger Trails Lead To Lords

KAREENA might term her and Saifs a fairytale romancefair enough, that relationship has withstood some mighty odds en route to an October plunge-takingbut theres a more storied bond that the nawab is custodian of. That between the House of Pataudi and the MCC, which honoured his late father with a memorial dinner.
Photographs: PTI
Sloppy Tackling
RARELY is Dhoni so overshadowed on home turf. The tone for this friendly, though, was set early by Drogba claiming ignorance of the captains name. And Baichung neednt smirk, the ex-Chelseaman didnt know India had a national footie team.
Epic... Fail?
IF Priyanka-Shahid appear a tad over-eager in promoting Teri Meri Kahani, their first post-Kaminey collaboration, perhaps it is because what befell that other Kapoors trans-generational love saga has set off alarm bells. Timeless love. Dangerous...
Movable Fixture
CANNES is no stranger to hangers-on; its red carpet isnt known to be particularly discerning. Relegating Mallika Sherawatmore Magdalene than Madonna in the habitwas a start. Really, who gets ashenfaced in the French Riviera?!!?
REUTERS
VINOD MEHTA
DELHI
diary
Vinod Mehta is editorial chairman, Outlook, and its founding editor-in-chief
The Glad Tidings Cacophony Do

you get the feeling that things are falling apart, that the Centre cannot hold? The country appears to be directionless, rudderless, on the verge of collapse. Each day, our democracy suffers a further indignity, not in the here-is-one-more-crisis sense, but in the sense of all-round dysfunctionality. In these long, hot days, with tempers short, the nation seems to be in free-fall. When our rulers tell us the fundamentals of the economy are still strong or the India story is still intact, one doesnt know whether to laugh or cry. They tell us: dont worry, in six months, we will be back to double digit growth and inflation will be under six per cent. The rupee will recover to `45 vis-a-vis the dollar, pending reforms will be swiftly ushered in, the new finance minister will restore investor confidence. Perhaps, some of these good things may happen. That is not the point. What seems to have vanished is faith, the conviction which reassures the citizen that the situation is retrievable. Hope is the biggest casualty. The Congress is convinced that if it can stay in office till the very last day, some miracle will occurin other words the BJP will selfdestruct. That is the solitary expectation they are riding on. The BJP is convinced the Congress is unpeelingwhich it undoubtedly isand will hand over power on a platter. In the meantime, the name of the game is obstruction. Take the ongoing presidential poll. Every party proclaims we should pick a person who best represents the whole country, an individual who is beyond party politics, a man/woman who is a symbol of national cohesion. Yet when someone close to the specification is found, the BJP insists on a contest because it is in their short-term interest. Then, a frantic search begins to find their Rashtrapati. When they claim they have found such a person, he politely declines to become the sacrificial lamb. A new name is conjured up and put on the table. Alas, he belongs to the other side and is under threat of expulsion from his own party, if he continues with his indiscipline. If somehow God agreed to stand for the NDA or UPA, the alliance He is not promoting will find some reason to oppose Him. Sorry for these dark thoughts, but I cant come up with any cheery ones!
wanting to discover why she is behaving the way she is. Even for someone who responds to crises emotionally, there has to be some logic, some calculation of self-interest. Of course, politicians like Mamata are in their element when they are in the attack-dog mode. By instinct, theyre breakers, not builders. (Raj Narain, George Fernandes, Subramanian Swamy are others in the distinguished list.) If you think back to the 48 hours after Mamata, along with Mulayam, announced Kalams name, she was beaming, in top form: sardonic, self-assured, voluble, the ring-master. The Congress, on the other hand, seemed stunned and speechless. Yet, when the inevitable happened and she was betrayed by Mulayam, many must have felt a bit of schadenfreude: shed got a taste of her own medicine. Mamata, understandably, has sensible and urgent priorities: destroy the Congress in her state, try and force a mid-term poll, keep the CPI(M) permanently unsettled. In this task, how does it matter if Pranab or Kalam or someone else is on the Presidents chair? Can someone please explain?
Low Country Bleus The French are no

believers in bourgeois morality. And rather proud of it. Still, the sleeping arrangements of the new President are bizarre and complicated. Francois Hollande lived out of wedlock with Segolene Royal, 58. She was his partner for 30 years and his boss in the Socialist party till recently. Thirty years in anybodys book is a long time. The partnership resulted in four children, the eldest is 27. Meanwhile, Hollandes present partner Valerie Trierweiler, 47, has three children from a previous marriage. So, altogether Hollande is father to as many children as Laloo Prasad Yadav. President Hollande came to office on the promise of being Mr Normal. At the moment its his predecessor who seems normal. Hollande has enough problems, but the hot topic in Paris is whether hell marry his mistress or continue with this unusual set-up in the Elysee Palace. I believe it was a wise Frenchman who said, When a man marries his mistress, he creates a vacancy.
LAST WEEK: Thanks to the scorching heat in Delhi, I spent some quality time with Editor
A Streetfighters Wont
Ever since this kaun banega Rashtrapati tamasha began, Ive been trying to get inside Mamata Banerjees mind,
Flawed Stone A lovely story I read during Elizabeth Windsors Diamond Jubilee celebrations concerns the only time Elizabeth was seen quarrelling in public with her mother. Who do you think you are? the Queen Mother was overheard saying. Im the Queen, mummy, Im the Queen, replied the daughter.
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Outlook - 02 July 2012

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THE WEEKLY NEWSMAGAZINE

July 2, 2012 `30

RNI NO. 7044/61

What they said to us

18 The Sedition War

46 Judicial Dictators Now?

The Modi Division

REGULARS 2 LETTERS 8 POLSCAPE 58 BOOKS 60 FINE LIVING 62 GLITTERATI 64 DIARY

OUTLOOK 2 July WorldMags.net2012

Now, Who is the Ghost Buster?

2 July 2012 OUTLOOK WorldMags.net

OUTLOOK 2 July 2012 WorldMags.net

The Silence of the Graveyard

2 July 2012 OUTLOOK WorldMags.net

2 July 2012 OUTLOOK WorldMags.net

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

Y SECRET DIARY IS SMALL, I DONT HAVE THAT MANY SECRETS. FUR-

2 July 2012 OUTLOOK WorldMags.net

Photo Then, Icon Now

A Baboo For Raisina

2 July 2012 OUTLOOK WorldMags.net

Take it down! At a coaching centre

Dummies for IIT

2 July 2012 OUTLOOK WorldMags.net

INDONESIA PALM OIL EXPORTS

I live here Pammu on his 14 hectares

2 July 2012 OUTLOOK WorldMags.net

PARASITE INC A palm plantation in Riau; (inset) harvested palm

Jakarta Java INDONESIA

OUTLOOK 2 July 2012 WorldMags.net

INDONESIA PALM OIL EXPORTS

How We Can Save Their Forests

2 July 2012 OUTLOOK WorldMags.net

SEDITION LAW MISUSE

SENTENCED Seema and her husband Vijay being taken to jail

A Stick Called 124(A)

Wrong arm of the law

Mission aborted Salems Piyush Sethia

OUTLOOK 2 July 2012 WorldMags.net

SEDITION LAW MISUSE

Memories of another day

How a repressive 19th-century law is b

the murder of two British officers. Convicted in 1897, 1905, 1916.

in the weekly. Convicted in 1922.

The nuclear flashpoint Koodankulam agitators are viewed with suspicion

2 July 2012 OUTLOOK WorldMags.net

sovereignty at a book launch function

social activists Gujarat police allege links with CPI (Maoist).

OUTLOOK 2 July 2012 WorldMags.net

INTERVIEW ARUNDHATI ROY

Terrorism isnt the disea

se; egregious injustice is

OUTLOOK 2 July 2012 WorldMags.net

COVER STORY MODI & NDA

2 July 2012 OUTLOOK WorldMags.net

Do Modi, Nitish have a history?

Why the fresh flare-up?

Why is this so important now?

Does Modi count for so much?

Whose side is the RSS on?

Where does this leave Advani?

OUTLOOK 2 July 2012 WorldMags.net

COVER STORY MODI & NDA

Propped up by the BJP Presidential candidate P.A. Sangma