Aseema June 2014 by aseema magazine

VOL. 15 ISSUE 11 PAGES 52 JUNE 2014

JYESHTA(JAYA) PRICE ` 30 www.aseema.net.in

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Join your hands to control noise pollution

Dr. Vaman Acharya, Chairman Karnataka State Pollution Control Board

Say No to honking Don’t startle the pedestrians by honking right their behind. Wait till they move. Never honk while going in sequence . Always use dimdip light.

Practice Patience Do not start honking Immediately after the Green signal is lit in the traffic to signal others to move. Instead wait for some seconds allowing fellow drivers to disperse.

Use gentle horns Vehicle Drivers should not use noisy horns at their own wish. Instead they need to use gentler horns (Maximum 65 decibel) prescribed by the government.

Sound limit range Region

Participate in awareness camps (In decibels)

Day (Maximum)

You can participate in several awareness programs about noise pollution conducted by pollution control board, NGOs and other organizations. Thus you help more people to understand noise and its pollution.

Night (Maximum)

Industrial area

Commercial area

Residential area

Noise sensitive area

(School, Court, Hospital etc.,)

Self - control is essential Industry owns should prefer machines, that generate lesser noise.

Reduce the Sound level from speakers Try to keep the sound minimum at public gatherings. High intensity sound is always hazardous to health.

Exceeding the limit - call for the punishment

Rules under the Noise pollution Act: Region consisting Schools, Hospitals, Courts etc. and the region 100 meter around these institutions must be kept noiseless.

Before using loud speakers in public gatherings , taking written consent from concerned Police officials is necessary.

Loudspeakers must not be used in public places from 10 pm to 6 am.

RTO officials can exercise their right to penalise people, who honk needlessly in jam packed traffic and in other public spots.

SAY NO TO NOISY LIFE STYLE Karnataka State Pollution Control Board #49, Parisara Bhavan, Church Street, Bangalore - 560 001

website: www.kspcb.gov.in Facebook: kspcbofficial

IN THIS ISSUE

Protecting the Cyber Space

The Battle of Bacteria

India faces an uphill task

Antibiotics no longer a weapon, says WHO

Islamic radicalisation in China

13 A Soldier Lives Forever

Major Mukund made supreme sacrifice for the country

Sea Level Is Rising 8

Women Empowerment

Something needs to be done NOW

Leadership Crisis Congress Party in a Dilemma

India still way behind other nations

IN THIS ISSUE

Transcending Boundaries Volume: 15

Issue: 11 June 2014 Jyeshta(Jaya)

Published & Printed by NARAYAN SEVIRE for and on behalf of the owners JNANA BHARATHI PRAKASHANA, Mangalore. aseemamagazine@gmail.com / 0824-2497091 Published at JNANA BHARATHI PRAKASHANA City Point, 4 Floor, Kodialbail Mangalore 575003.

Takeaways for Nationalists

Hard Rethinking Where Are the Modi Haters Now?

Printed at DIGANTHA MUDRANA LTD., Yeyyadi Industrial Area, Yeyyadi Mangalore 575008. Editor NARAYAN SEVIRE

Expectations Run High

But the new FM has daunting tasks ahead

Precautions list The new govt. must guard against many pitfalls

A Friend Attacked Move to create chaos and confusion

Tamils protest Invitation to Rajapaksa raises a storm

38 40 43

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e l t t a B The a i r e t c a of B

ntil now, it was considered as an overhyped imagination of an over imaginative science fiction writer. But now, the threat looms larger, closer on mankind. It’s the threat of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. This means the common antibiotics we pop in may not work anymore in the very near future. As a result, the condition of patients may become life threatening. A new report by WHO–its first to look at antimicrobial resistance, including antibiotic resistance, globally–reveals that this serious threat is no longer a prediction; it is happening right now in every region of the world and has the potential to affect anyone, of any age, in any country. Antibiotic resistance–when bacteria change so antibiotics no longer work in people who need them to treat infections–is now a major threat to public health. Antibiotics have been life savers

o n s c i t o i Antib , n o p a e w longer a says WHO

Antibiotic resistance by bacteria has become a serious threat all over the world, says the latest report by WHO. It is now happening in many part of the world. Even for a common cold, antibiotics may not be helpful, resulting in respiratory complications and other health hazards. The biggest question the scientists and doctors now face is, how to fight these antibiotic-resistant bugs. and among the most common prescriptions for common ailments. But since they were used so widely and so readily for almost everything that ailed humans, we got used to them, and so did the bacteria. Now, scientists at WHO fear that most of these bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics and they will not be killed with antibiotics. The report published by WHO focuses on the resistance occurring across many different infectious agents and also on antibiotic resistance in seven

different bacteria responsible for common, serious diseases such as bloodstream infections (sepsis), diarrhea, pneumonia, urinary tract infections and gonorrhea. The results are cause for high concern, documenting resistance to antibiotics, especially the “last resort” antibiotics, in all regions of the world. The report found very high rates of drug-resistant E. coli bacteria, which cause problems including meningitis and infections of the skin, blood and kidneys. It also said there are many

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countries where treatment for the bug is already ineffective in more than half of patients. The WHO’s report also found troubling rates of resistance in other bacteria, including bacteria implicated in relatively common illnesses like pneumonia and gonorrhea, as well as a global resistance to antibiotics for bacteria that cause common but deadly stomach and intestinal conditions. Scientists and the medical community have long been warning about the impeding dangers of resistant bacteria. In fact, many experts even compare this phenomenon to a ticking time bomb, which, when explodes, has the capacity to wreck havoc in the entire world. Although new types of medicines are being discovered quite often, it will be interesting to note that now no new class of antibiotics have introduced in the last 30 years, giving ample time for the bacteria to develop a resistance to antibiotic drugs. WHO said the first step to resistance was to prevent the incidence of infection in the first place. The organization said countries should emphasize hygiene, access to clean water, and infection control in health care facilities in their public health strategies. It also said medical institutions should work on developing new antibiotics and other methods of treatment to stay ahead of the antibiotic resistance curve. But the report reveals that key tools to tackle antibiotic resistance–such as basic systems to track and monitor the problem–show gaps or they do not exist in many countries. While some countries have taken important steps to address the problem, each country and individual needs to do more. WHO also prescribes methods that can be followed by the common people along with the governments. It advises that people should use antibiotics only when prescribed by the doctors. They should complete the full course, even if they feel better. Also, they should never share antibiotics with others or use leftover

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Resistance to Antibiotics in India O

ver 50 percent of bacterial infections in Indian hospitals are resistant to commonly used antibiotics, and surveys show that many widespread bacterial pathogens in India are also resistant to powerful, broad-spectrum antibiotics. In 2010, a team of South Asian and British scientists analysed bacterial infections in a hospital around New Delhi, and found that 24 percent could also resist hospitals’ last-resort intravenous antibiotics, called “carbapenems,” and 13 percent were endowed with a super-resistant gene, dubbed “New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase 1,” or NDM-1, which confers resistance to carbapenems along with at least 14 other antibiotics. Since then, NDM-1 bacteria have been found in drinking water and in puddles around New Delhi, and in patients in over 35 countries, says University of Cardiff microbiologist Tim Walsh. Many of these patients are “medical tourists” who have traveled from Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas to India or Pakistan for inexpensive medical care. There are few new drugs in development to treat the microbes that NDM-1 plagues. In Western hospitals, “grampositive” bacteria, which are structurally vulnerable to antibiotics and disinfectants, tend to dominate. In hospitals in India and other tropical countries “gram-negative” bacteria, which are encased in tough outer membranes that can repel antibiotics and antiseptics, are more common. Effective containment measures may prove difficult to implement in India. The country has one of the world’s highest burdens of infectious disease, and antibiotic use is unchecked, with both rampant overuse and under-use that lead to resistant strains. A common practice in India is to buy just a few tablets of antibiotics, which risk the development of drug-resistant bugs. Elsewhere, the more affluent consume antibiotics for conditions that don’t require them, such as colds and diarrhea, surveys show.

prescriptions. On the other hand, health workers can improve infection prevention and prescribe and dispense antibiotics when they are truly needed. WHO suggests that the government should start with strengthening the

resistance tracking and laboratory capacity. It should also promote appropriate use of medicines along with fostering innovation and research and development of new tools.

Islamic radicalisation in China Uighur separatists pose serious threat

And now it is China which is in the grip of Islamic terrorism. The Uighurs of Xinjiang constituting 40% of Muslims fear that they are being marginalised and so have taken up arms against the authorities in Beijing. The recent stabbing spree in a railways station in which 33 people died, is a stark warning to the Communist giant that all is not well in its vast empire. It is alleged that these elements get funding mainly from the terrorist outfits in West Asia. • Radhakrishna Rao

lowly and surely, the middle kingdom seems to be emerging as a preferred “soft target” of terrorist violence spearheaded by a radical outfit with its alleged links with the notorious Al Qaeda. For communist China, which not long ago was least worried about the devious doings of global terrorist networks, disturbing developments in its hometurf in recent months have brought home the looming threat of terrorism in all its manifestations. Not surprisingly then the violent stabbing spree at Kunming railway station in Yunnan province on March 1 has set the alarm bells ringing in China’s security set-up. Incidentally, the south- westerly Yunnan province, whose capital is Kunming, has had no history of a terrorist attack or social violence. Much to the dismay of Chinese security and intelligence agencies, the knife-wielding attackers who encountered virtually no resistance initially left 33 people dead and 130 injured in one of the bloodiest incidents ever reported in this part of the country. China’s official Xinhua news agency described this pre-meditated violent incident as “China’s 9/11 and a severe crime against humanity”. The authorities of the Kunming Municipal Government were quick to point out that evidence at the crime

scene showed that the attack was organized by the Xinjiang - based Uighur separatists. Significantly, this is for the first time that militants allegedly belonging to Al Qaeda which is fighting for a sovereign Muslim majority Xinjiang country, managed to carry out such a frightening and violent attack outside their home-turf. The suspicion is that the attack could be a part of the long-term strategy of Uighur separatists to hit soft targets deep inside China with a view to creating “fear psychosis” and draw global attention to their on-going struggle for a separate Muslim majority Xinjiang country. The patronage that the banned East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) is said to be receiving from Al Qaeda is considered a major factor behind its rapidly expanding

acts of violent terrorism. Nevertheless, this is not the first act of terrorism mounted by Uighur separatists outside of the Xinjiang province. In October last, a terrorist attack in the capital city of Beijing had stunned and rattled China. This well planned violent attack at the historic Tiananmen Square had resulted in the death of five people. In the aftermath of this incident, the ruling dispensation in Beijing had described this terrorist outrage in the heart of China’s capital city as a “premeditated and well planned suicide attack” aimed at destabilizing the Communist giant. This attack, which was also blamed as the handiwork of ETIM, marked a significant shift in the militant activities of ETIM whose violent activities were for long confined to Xinjiang.

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Chinese authorities drive home the point that ETIM has for long been engaged in Central, East (By “East” , the Chinese authorities imply the possibility of Uighur extremists having linkages with Muslim separatists in southern Thailand and insurgents in Mindanao island of the Philippines) and West Asia and has joined hands with many of the terrorist outfits with global footprints. ETIM cadres are known to have fought alongside Taliban militia in Afghanistan and rebel forces in trouble torn Syria. Clearly and apparently, China has enough to worry about ensuring its domestic peace and territorial integrity in the face of brazen terrorist attacks. In a well thought out move aimed at psychologically paralysing the terrorist outfits by blocking their funding sources, China’s Central Bank has announced new measures aimed at enabling authorities to freeze the assets of domestic terrorist groups and their “overseas patrons’. Cutting off the source of funding could take the wind out of the sail of a terrorist group. India too needs to take steps to end the “hawala racket” which has become a major source of funding for terrorist outfits, criminal gangs and anti-social networks in the country. Chinese se-

curity agencies believe Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asian Republics offer safe sanctuary to the fugitive Uighur separatists owing allegiance to ETIM. For long there has been a sus-

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picion that ETIM gets funds, training and psychological motivation from Al Qaeda. The Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies had indicated that Uighur separatists from Xinjiang province of China mainly frequent the mountainous North Waziristan, the most turbulent part of the lawless tribal belt. Indeed, Beijing has on many occasions expressed its displeasure over the failure of Pakistan to crack down on Uighur terror groups. Chinese officials in Xinjiang blame ETIM overseas cadres, chiefly those active in camps of Pakistan, for fomenting trouble in many parts of the province. This largest Chinese province in the extreme west of the country shares porous borders with both Pakistan and Afghanistan. Uighur extremists are also known to have forged strong links with radical Islamic groups in the Central Asian Republics. For well over two decades now, the ruling party in Beijing has been blaming the Uighur extremists for acts of sporadic violence and destruction in the sprawling and resource-rich Xinjiang where 12-million ethic Uighurs reside. Currently, Uighurs constitute 45% of the total population of Xinjiang. Uighurs are upset that with the state supported plan to settle Chinese Hans in the restive Xinjiang, they are doomed to end up as a minority group. Since 1990s, Xinjiang has been making it into the media headlines for acts of violence indulged in by the disgruntled Uighurs who see a repressive streak in the policy designed for them by the rulers in Beijing. China is of view that ETIM is trying to insulate itself from the country’s counter terrorism measures by developing robust transnational ties that include alliance with other terrorist groups and safe operational bases in other countries. Uighurs are quite upset that their

religious, cultural and commercial activities are being curtailed by Beijing presumably to put a lid on the separatist sentiments embedded deep in the psyche of the community. In recent years, Chinese authorities have been pressuring Uighur men not to grow beards and Uighur women not to use veil or other Islamic attire. These measures have been justified by Beijing as a cornerstone of the strategy designed to end the spread of religious extremism said do be responsible for the violent separatist movement. Many Uighurs say that they are made to feel like second class citizens in their home turf. Uighurs are upset that the Chinese speaking Hans in Xinjiang have cornered most of the civil service jobs and are forging ahead in business and professions. In 2009, around 200 people had paid with their lives in one of the bloodiest clashes that took place between native Uighurs and Han settlers in the provincial capital of Urumqi. And in April 2013, violent clashes involving Uighurs and policemen in Kashgar had left 21 dead. Further in June.2013, 35 people were killed in an attack against a Police Station in Luquan. Uighurs who follow a moderate version of Sunni Islam are clear that the repressive policies aimed at the community are at the root of the ongoing “unrest and turbulence” in the province. But Uighur uprising has never attracted the global attention the way Tibet has. Strategic analysts believe, however, that Uighur uprising could pose a serious threat to China’s territorial integrity in comparison with that in Tibet. For now, by design or accident, Tibet is on the way to slowly getting integrated into the “Chinese mainstream”. But then the festering unrest and turmoil in Xinjiang has all the potentials of graduating into a full scale and well armed separatist movement that China can ignore at its own peril. It is not for nothing that Xinjiang has been described as China’s emerging West Bank. The author is Visiting Fellow, VIF

Women Empowerment India still way behind other nations â&#x20AC;˘ Raju Shanbhag

n a country that worships goddesses and women in general as Shakti, one would like to believe that womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rights are well recognised. Of course, we are a country that has the proud heritage of some of the bravest, and proudest women the world has even seen; women who fought for their motherland, for their people, and set a standard so high which even men found hard to match. On the occasion of the death anniversary of Lakshmibai, the Rani of Jhansi on 17 June, it would be ideal to take a glance at the much discussed subject of women empowerment in India. Although the alleged intellectuals of our country and the political leaders would like us to believe that the women of this country are empowered, the ground realities are disturbingly different. While Lakshmibai risked everything she had for freedom, a large majority of women today are still struggling for independence; independence to lead the lives the

way they want; the freedom they always yearned for. Even though we had a woman president and a woman prime minister and have several women chief ministers across, India still ranks as the fourth most dangerous country in the world for women. Inequality against women starts right from childhood with the denial of essential rights like education. While the country has grown by leaps and bounds since independence, when it comes to education, the gap between women and men is very wide. While 82.14% of adult men are educated, only 65.46% of adult women are known to be literate in India. Not only is an illiterate woman at the mercy of her husband or father,

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These are the days of women empowerment, but when it comes to actual facts, we lag far behind other countries. In the fields of health, education and job opportunities women are at a great disadvantage. We speak highly of Rani Lakshmibai, her bravery and patriotism, but the same love and respect are not given to our women by the general public. Women still have to live in miserable conditions, home-bond and go through the drudgery of household work. but she also does not know that this is not the way of life for women across the world. Acute poverty in most parts of the country is also contributing to oppression of women on a large scale. Andhra Pradesh accounts for nearly half of all sex trafficking cases in India, the majority involving adolescent girls. According to police estimates, a shocking number of 300,000 women and girls have been trafficked for exploitative sex work from Andhra Pradesh; of these just 3,000 have been rescued so far. After poverty, it’s the health that plagues the women of India in general. In its 2009 report, UNICEF came up with shocking figures on the status of new mothers in India. The maternal mortality report of India stands

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at 301 per 1000, with as many as 78,000 women dying from childbirth complications in that year. Today, due to the burgeoning population of the country, that number is sure to have multiplied considerably. The United Nations Development Programme constituted eight Millennium Development Goals (MDG) for ensuring equity and peace across the world. The third MDG is directly related to the empowerment of women in India. The MDGs are agreed-upon goals to reduce certain indicators of disparity across the world by the year 2015. The third MDG is centred towards promoting gender equality and empowering women: “Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education by no later than 2015” While India’s progress in this front has been brave, there are quite a few corners that it needs to cut before it can be called as being truly revolutionary in its quest for understanding what women empowerment is. Although women face many atrocities and the country needs to go a long way in this regard, the picture of women empowerment is not as grim as some in

the media would like to project. Since time immemorial, many progressive thinkers and even the governments have been trying their best to enforce women centric policies. Women in India now participate fully in areas such as education, sports, politics, media, art and culture, service sectors, science and technology, etc. Indira Gandhi, who served as Prime Minister of India for an aggregate period of fifteen years, is the world’s longest serving woman Prime Minister. Feminist activism in India gained momentum in the late 1970s. One of the first national-level issues that brought women’s groups together was the Mathura rape case. The acquittal of policemen accused of raping a young girl Mathura in a police station led to country-wide protests in 1979-1980. The protests, widely covered by the national media, forced the government to amend the Evidence Act, the Criminal Procedure Code, and the Indian Penal Code; and created a new offence, custodial rape.[35] Female activists also united over issues such as female infanticide, gender bias, women’s health, women’s safety, and women’s literacy. Since alcoholism is often associated with violence against women in India, many women groups launched anti-liquor campaigns in Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and other states. Many Indian Muslim women have questioned the interpretation of women’s rights under the Shariat law and have criticised the triple talaq system. In 1990s, grants from foreign do-

nor agencies enabled the formation of new women-oriented NGOs. Self-help groups and NGOs such as Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) have played a major role in the advancement of women’s rights in India. Many women have emerged as leaders of local movements; for example, Medha Patkar of the Narmada Bachao Andolan. The Government of India declared 2001 as the Year of Women’s Empowerment (Swashakti). The National Policy for the Empowerment of Women was passed in 2001. In 2006, the case of Imrana, a Muslim rape victim, was highlighted by the media. Imrana was raped by her father-in-law. The pronouncement of some Muslim clerics that Imrana should marry her father-in-law led to widespread protests, and finally Imrana’s father-in-law was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The verdict was welcomed by many women’s groups and the All India Muslim Personal Law Board. In 2010 March 9, one day after International Women’s Day, the Rajya Sabha passed the Women’s Reservation Bill requiring that 33% of seats in India’s Parliament and state legislative bodies be reserved for women. Obviously, efforts are being made to empower women and countless women achievers have graced the history of our country’s history. But the condition of an average Indian woman is still way below the ideal expectations and that has to improve.

Rani Lakshmibai in modern culture E

questrian statues of Lakshmibai are seen in many places of India, which show her and her son tied to her back. Lakshmibai National University of Physical Education in Gwalior and Maharani Lakshmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi are named after her. The Rani Jhansi Marine National Park is located in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal. A women’s unit of the Indian National Army was named the Rani of Jhansi Regiment. In 1957 two postage stamps were issued to commemorate the centenary of the rebellion: the 15 n.p. stamp portrayed the Rani on horseback. Patriotic songs have been written about the Rani; one of them includes these lines (translated): “How valiantly like a man fought she,/ The Rani of Jhansi / On every parapet a gun she set / Raining fire of hell, / How well like a man fought the Rani of Jhansi / How valiantly and well!” She is a symbol of woman manhood as the line says in her respect “Khoob ladi mardani wo to jhansi wali rani thi” (Bravely and relentlessly she fought like men). The most famous composition of Subhadra Kumari Chauhan is the Hindi poem Jhansi ki Rani, an emotionally charged description of the life of Rani Lakshmi Bai.

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Protecting the Cyber Space India faces an uphill task

• Lt Gen (Retd) Gautam Banerjee

he contemporary era is characterised by what has been described as the ‘information revolution’. This is a phenomenon in which automated processes are activated to marshal and manipulate huge volumes of digitised information as relevant to every field of human endeavours before disseminating that information across a virtually unlimited realm. As human societies across the entire globe as well as the systems governing these become entirely captive to usage of information assets, effective harness of information infrastructure in military engagements too becomes an undeniable obligation. Information infrastructure is a

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Countries like India are facing a new threat which has been termed as Cyber Warfare. Stealing vital information, tampering with the instruments and equipment storing and disseminating such information and causing untold damage to the very set-up of information resource are some of the dangers which many countries are now facing and are trying to guard against. True we have rich talent in the IT field, but are we ready to face the challenge? Here is an in-depth analysis of this key issue by an expert.

chain of high-technology systems made up of sensors, transmission media, data processors, information centres and competent personnel to man these, all of which are coupled to form a most effective regulating medium for all global activities. However, the soul of this infrastructure rests in the all pervasive electronic time-space continuum. Described as ‘cyber-space’, this is the arena in which all exactions of societal progress, peace, stability - and war, of course – must be played out. Cyberspace, therefore, is central to the information infrastructure. Just as it is in case of all other arenas of competitive engagement – land, sea, air, space and perception - the native instinct of usurpation of other’s resources has made it obligatory to protect one’s usage of cyberspace against corruption, subversion

and neutralisation by adversarial powers, or even friendly competitors. When this obligation is sought to be fulfilled in the realm of military operations, the concept of Cyber Warfare crystallises. In principle, the term ‘Cyber Warfare’ should be usable only in military context and differentiated from the term ‘Cyber Security’, the latter term being better reserved for civilian information security functions. This distinction is necessary to avoid intrusion of conceptual ambiguities into the nation’s civilian and military security strategies. The subject matter being vast, in this paper it is proposed to focus the discussion to the basic framework which dictates the terms of engagement in Cyber Warfare. Military security of a nation is cultivated by preparing for, or activating if necessary, such extreme inflictions that make the adversary desist from his unbearable animosity. In the nation’s military security functions, the profound role performed by information infrastructure makes it a key military objective, to be nurtured or neutralised as the case may be. Thus, the activities undertaken to gain ‘Information Superiority’ over the adversary through recourse to various kinds of military operations are termed as ‘Information Warfare’. Notably, while the ‘hard’ objects of information infrastructure may be attacked or protected by physical - active and passive - means, the ‘virtual reality’ of cyber-space needs sophisticated science and high-technology to tackle. Thus, within the overall ambit of Information Warfare, when military operations are carried out in the domain of cyber-space, the term used is ‘Cyber Warfare’. It is, however, important to note that while the adversary may be disabled by Cyber Warfare, he may not yet be induced to submit; whereas Information Warfare, when prosecuted, could achieve that purpose. Measures applied to engage in Information Warfare are classified under two categories, namely, ‘Information Operations – Offensive’ and

‘Information Operations – Defensive’. These conventions help in delineating the military aspects of the information era.

Information Operations in either mode – Offensive and Defensive – are by convention classified under the following descriptions:-

achieve enhancement, degradation, interruption or corruption of radiating wave emissions is classified as EW. In other words, it implies domination of the electromagnetic spectrum. • Psy Warfare: This is aimed at targeting the adversary’s mental orientation and perception, and thereby influence his intention. In a larger context, it may be aimed at

• Command and Control Warfare (C2W): Attacking adversary’s ability to generate and communicate commands to its forces is termed as C2W. It is directed at the adversary’s Defence Information Infrastructure. • Intelligence Based Warfare (IBW): It is the integration of sensors, processors and data-links to achieve profound and near-real time surveillance, reconnaissance, decision support, target selection and engagement, and finally, damage assessment. • Electronic Warfare (EW): Combat in the electromagnetic medium to

demoralising the hostile population. • Hacker Warfare: This is defined as destruction, degradation or exploitation of adversary’s computer data-base. Intrusion into adversary’s systems by ‘virus’, ‘worm’, ‘trojan horse’, logic bomb’ etc. is the mode adopted in this case. • Infrastructural or Economic Warfare. This involves ‘information blockade’ and ‘information hegemony’ to garner undue economic advantage. Under warlike conditions, its extreme manifestation may lead to attacks on the adversary’s core infrastructure

Information Operations

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– railways, power, oil sectors, for example. It is needless to emphasise that the last three kinds of warfare are liable to transcend into the civilian domain.

just as it is in the case of conventional, sub-conventional, manoeuvre or positional, mine and nuclear warfare.

Cyber Warfare

The purpose of Cyber Warfare is to undertake defensive and offensive Information Operations in the cyberspace to degrade the adversary’s sensory, early warning, data analysis, intelligence exchange, decision support, and command, control and communication network – the entire system of military net-centricity in short - while at the same time protecting own information assets from hostile intrusion. In offensive operations, that goal is achieved by intrusion into the adversary’s vast volumes of digitised information that circulate in the cyber-space. Notably however, in defensive mode, besides adoption of general security measures, the effort cannot be so much in locking up own volumes of information simply because in the cyber domain that is impractical to achieve. The effort therefore is to identify the algorithms and processes of the adversary’s offensive Information Operations and neutralise these through corresponding counter-offensive measures preferably proactive. Objective of Cyber Warfare therefore is to gain information superiority in the aspects of surveillance and reconnaissance, data analysis, intelligence exchange, command and control of battle elements and flow of communication, and thereby protect own net-centric systems while disrupting that of the adversary.

To reiterate, Information Warfare is resorted to gain Information Superiority by the means of Information Operations which are executed in Offensive as well as Defensive modes. There are many operating fields of Information Operations, such as human intervention, passive and active protection, weaponised attack, sabotage etc. which are executed in the physical domain. Similarly, the electro-magnetic spectrum becomes the battle field for Electronic Warfare. Lastly, when Information Operations are executed in the cyber domain, the term applicable is Cyber Warfare. Cyber Warfare involves targeting the adversary’s military networks to induce collapse or corruption of his information-based Command, Control, Communication, Co-ordination, Intelligence and Inter-operable Systems (C4I2). Point to note is that the scope of hostilities are liable to transcend into the civil sector too, when the focus would be on the adversary’s societal perception and his national administrative and economic infrastructure. Cyber Warfare is therefore one of the ‘military operations of war’. In the Indian context, it may be used as a purely military term and prosecuted in the manner of a military operation in the same spirit of extreme measures

Science of Cyber Warfare

Automated exploitation of information in the cyber-space covers the entire gamut of communication, computation and transmission networks. In Cyber Warfare, the process of extracting information from vast array of data, converting these into intelligence and then deriving tactical inferences to support decision making is a highly complex matter. Even if humans naturally do so remarkably well, there are limitation of volume and speed that they can handle. Here science comes to the rescue, to define and quantify information, analyse input-data and facilitate decision making. The matter of the science of Cyber Warfare is vast. It would therefore suffice here to just mention the core aspects of mathematical analyses which help in identification, selection and targeting in the cyber-space. This process is carried out through algorithms based on mathematical logic and digitised models, and involves the following defensive-offensive steps in continuum:• Sensor based detection of presence, identification and tracking of cyber-entities (e.g. personnel and equipment, radiation pattern, etc.) by the process of search and intrusion of the cyber-space. This involves mathematical derivation of ‘inductive’ and ‘deductive’ logic to select relevant signatures or datainput. • Determination of inter-relationships and activities (e.g. data-mining, computation, data-transfer etc.) of the targeted cyber-entities. Comparison and templating with

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help of ‘data ware-house’ and ‘data-fusion’ is resorted to chart the adversary’s possible options thus. Application of information theories to sift through the data, identification of the target cyberspace and inference of intelligence are carried out through processes known as ‘abduction’ and ‘deduction’ of information. • Inference of plausible objectives of the adversary (e.g. dissemination of intelligence, command or engagement instructions etc.) through activation of the cyberentities. This is accomplished by means of ‘indicator-data analysis’ of the detected cyber-hierarchy and the deployment pattern of the cyber-entities. ‘Decision theories’ are applied to analyse and evaluate the alternatives. • Determination of the likely courses of Cyber Warfare, reactive or proactive, available to the adversary. This is a technical appreciation, assisted by automated military logic. • Assessment of own possible Cyber Warfare options and objectives. This too is a process of technical appreciation, duly narrowed down by pre-loaded military logic. The assessment is contingent upon right evaluation of the utility of intelligence and its exploitation in effective conduct of Cyber War-

fare. • Decision support, passage of orders and monitoring of Cyber Warfare, and feedback. This may include automated target fixation, selection of the mode and method of Cyber Warfare, media selection, generation of engagement and manoeuvre instructions and fixation of the parameters of time and space (e.g. activation of sensors and other cyber-entities, followed by passage of orders). The point to note is that Information Technology is the creator of cyber-space and also the core resource in the conduct of Cyber Warfare. Obviously therefore, it is also the most lucrative target of Information Warfare, cyber-attack included. Having seen that it is impractical to establish any clear distinction between the conduct of offensive and defensive Cyber Warfare, it would suffice here to touch upon the mutually shared qualifying features. Accordingly, an overview of the likely ‘approaches’, ‘targets’ and ‘points’ of Cyber Attack may be in order.

Approaches of Cyber Attack The approaches that could be adopted to carryout Cyber Attacks could be as follows:• Direct or Penetration Attack: This involves penetration into adver-

sary’s communication links, computer net work or data-base to steal or compromise internal information in favour of the attacker. • Indirect or Sensor or Media Attack: Insertion of false inputs into the adversary’s observation sensors or sources to achieve counter-information will be the objective of attack in this case. • Hybrid Attack: This will be a combination of the above mentioned two types of attacks – a most likely approach. • Cryptographic Attack: This involves one-time intrusion to locate vulnerabilities in the adversary’s system of cryptography, for manipulation when time comes. This aim is achieved by breaking the ‘key programme’ which is the heart of the system’s security. • Net Exploitation: This is an extension of ‘NETINT’ (Network Intelligence) aimed at compromising or corrupting the adversary’s information network. Introduction of malicious software executing agents, data scanners, ‘Radio Frequency Interception’ through wire tapping or remote ‘sniffing’, and software tools to carryout synchronised attack upon multiple cyber-entities are the means to do so. The author is member, Executive Council, VIF

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A Soldier Lives Forever Major Mukund made supreme sacrifice for the country

He was born to fight; and he fought bravely and died like a great patriot fighting the terrorists and killing them. Major Mukund Varadharajan, who died in an encounter with the militants in Kashmir, will always be remembered by a grateful nation for his supreme sacrifice and patriotism. He has set an example for all the others to follow, especially the young generation in our armed forces. May his soul rest in peace! J U N E 2014

e was a brave soldier, and he showed heroic qualities, both in his life and death. Major Mukund Varadharajan (32), a brave son of the country who laid down his life fighting the terrorists, can be a role model for the youth of the nation. Varadharajan’s demise came at young age, but his heroics will remain etched in our minds for the rest of our lives. That’s how a soldier lives, even after his death. Major Mukund Varadharajan was born in Tamil Nadu, and is a native of Paruthipattu near Avadi. Mukund always wanted a career in the armed forces and channeled all his efforts in this direction. He completed B.Com at Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Viswa Mahavidyalaya at Selaiyur and went on to do a diploma in journalism at Madras Christian College, Tambaram. He joined OTA, St. Thomas Mount, and passed out in 2004 to become a lieutenant. He served at the Infantry School in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, and was in Lebanon on a United Nations Mission. Mukund married Indhu in 2009, a friend from Madras Christian College, where he did diploma in journalism after passing B.Com while she did her Masters. His father wanted him to join an MBA course, but Mukund joined Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai, after working in a call centre for a while. He passed OTA in 2004. He had also served the UN Mission in Lebanon. After he was posted in Kashmir, Indhu and Arsheya had stayed in the Army staff quarters in Bangalore. On that fateful day on April 25, the army received specific intelligence about the presence of three militants in Karewa Manloo village, in Shopian district. Shopian is part of the Anantnag Parliamentary constituency and the encounter took place a day after the militants carried out an attack on a polling party escorted by police and CRPF in the district at the end of the voting. The specific group of houses was cordoned after effectively sealing all the escape routes.

A Letter from the Colleague A

pilot who flew the body of Major Mukund Varadharajan - killed in an encounter with militants in Jammu and Kashmir -- has written a moving letter to his parents. Air India pilot Captain S Srinivasan has confirmed to NDTV that he wrote a letter to Major Varadarajan’s parents, addressing them as “Dearest Father & Mother” while offering them words of comfort. “I had the honour of flying your brave son from Delhi to Chennai,” the pilot wrote. “I send my sincerest condolences and pranams to both of you, please accept them. May God bless Mukund’s soul and give you strength. Please think of me as one of your sons.” The letter has been re-tweeted several times.

The militants were asked to surrender but they resorted to firing, triggering the gunfight. At about 4.30 pm, the militants opened indiscriminate firing on the troops and a fierce gunfight ensued that continued for a couple of hours. Major Mukund and sepoy Vikram continued to lead the assault despite sustaining grievous injuries. Unmindful of the personal safety and being severely wounded, Major Mukund and sepoy Vikram finally engaged the militants and succeeded in killing them. While Vikram was killed at the encounter site, Major Mukund, who had sustained multiple wounds, succumbed to his injuries en route to the army hospital in Srinagar. Prior to this, a polling official was killed and five others were injured in a militant attack during the Lok Sabha election in the AnantnagPulwama constituency. The voters in this region obviously lived in fear, as this election too saw a mere 28 per cent of the electorate turn out to vote, only marginally higher than in 2009. People preferred to stay at home in view of the poll boycott called by the separatists and militant groups and the recent killing of three panchayat workers at Tral in Pulwama.

Most of the areas in Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam and Shopian districts that fall under the constituency observed a shutdown in response to the call by separatists. While pervasive fear dampened poll sentiment in the valley, voters turned out in large numbers in the Jammu region. Udhampur constituency recorded a turnout of 69.08 per cent, 24 per cent higher than in the previous Lok Sabha poll. While the nation lost its brave son, the army lost a brave soldier. A wreath-laying ceremony was held at the Badami Bagh cantonment in Srinagar where the soldiers of Chinar Corps paid tributes to the slain soldiers. A special ceremony was held in Delhi where Northern Command Chief Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra, also the Colonel of the Rajput Regiment, paid tributes to the two soldiers on behalf of the country and the Northern Command. An official statement issued by Jammu-based defence spokesperson Lt Col Manish Mehta said Major Vardarajan, an outstanding soldier and an exceptional human being, attained martyrdom on April 25 while leading in the operation against militants. As his wife said, Varadharajan was probably facing similar situations which other officers were facing. Maybe Varadarajan’s sacrifice is a wakeup call for us who take our safety and freedom for granted. They burn the midnight oil for us while we sleep in the safety of our homes. Probably this is the right time to take a moment from our busy lives and salute this great son of the nation.

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Something needs to be done NOW Climate change has become a reality. With global warming, many devastating developments are likely to take place, such as an alarming rise in the sea level which will wreak havoc on the coastal belt of the country. Cities, islands and mangroves may sink in; much of our land will go under water. What is to be done? Scientists and environmentalists are burning midnight oil thinking of possible solutions. But no one has been able to come up with any viable solution so far.

Sea Level Is Rising

â&#x20AC;˘ Akshatha Bhat

ndia is a peninsula, surrounded by water on three sides. Ancient Indian poets praised this land saying that â&#x20AC;&#x153;her feet are washed and worshiped by the King of Oceans â&#x20AC;&#x153;. But this metaphor seems to be in direct contrast to recent reports of some of the eminent environmental scientists. It is unfortunate that we cannot

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enjoy that poetic beauty any more, given the bunch of threats posed by the rising sea levels in our coastal areas. The sea level rise, which is occurring as a result of global climate change, may engulf 14,000 sq. km of our coast if it continues to rise by one metre. A team, led by environmental scientist Jaffar- ul-Islam studied the impact of the sea level rise by 1 metre

to 6 metres. According to them, out of 48 natural forests, 18 are going to be devastated by the rise in sea level. Some precious ecological hotspots like the Sundarbans, the rainforests of the Andamaans and the GodavariKrishna basin mangroves are in the red list. During the last hundred years, the sea level has risen by 10 to 25 cm.

Sea tide analysis and satellite image studies have obtained information about average 2.2 mm sea level rise per year. We are already facing the consequences of sea level rise and some more are yet to come. It is not a problem only for our species, but for many animals too. Mangroves and coral reefs are also under threat. The sea level rise is a sub-problem of a big problem, which is climate change.

Causes of Sea level rise The rise in sea levels is linked to three chief factors. Mainly, it is induced by global climate change: Thermal expansion: When water heats up, it expands. About half of the past centuryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rise in sea level is attributable to warmer oceans simply occupying more space.

Melting of glaciers and polar ice caps: Large ice formations, like glaciers and the polar ice caps, naturally melt a bit each summer. But in winter, snows, made primarily from evaporated seawater, are generally sufficient to balance out the melting. Recently, though, persistently higher temperatures caused by global warming have led to greater-than-average summer melting as well as diminished snowfall due to later winters and earlier springs. This imbalance results in a significant net gain in runoff versus evaporation for the ocean, causing sea levels to rise. Ice loss from Greenland and West Antarctica: As with glaciers and the ice caps, increased heat is causing the massive ice sheets that cover Greenland and Antarctica to melt at an accelerated pace. Scientists

also believe that melt water from above and seawater from below is seeping beneath Greenlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and West Antarcticaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ice sheets, effectively lubricating ice streams and causing them to move more quickly into the sea. Moreover, higher sea temperatures are causing the massive ice shelves that extend out from Antarctica to melt from below, weaken, and break off.

Consequences When sea levels rise rapidly, as they have been doing, even a small increase can have devastating effects on coastal habitats. As seawater reaches farther inland, it can cause destructive erosion, flooding of wetlands, contamination of aquifers and agricultural soils, and lost habitat for fish, birds, and plants.

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Global warming and climate change are likely to have many other consequences. There would be health implications on account of changes in the range of disease vectors such as mosquitoes and water-borne pathogens, and decreases in water quality and air quality… What is more, fire, drought, pest infestation, invasive species, storms and coral bleaching will lead to severe damage to ecosystems. - Rajendra Pachauri Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Loss in the coastal wetland (Km2) in different possible scenario All the above figures reflect the critical situation we are living in. It is also telling us that sea level rise is not a distant issue any more. Unless we act upon it form this very moment, we cannot protect our planet from sinking in. So this World Environment Day comes with the theme of creating awareness to mitigate sea level raise. Let us all do our share of activities to solve the problem at hand.

‘Clean environment is the most vital’

nly a small margin of our people are aware how pollution can heat up the globe and raise the sea level. Creating public awareness should be the need of the hour. "Raise your voice, not the sea level" is therefore the theme of this World Environment Day. It is sorry to say that people are increasingly fighting over electricity, cleanliness and a strong transport system, but are not much concerned about the impact our current lifestyle is having on environment. Truly speaking, clean environment is the most vital of all comforts. - Dr. Vaman Acharya Chairman, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board

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When large storms hit land, higher sea levels mean bigger, more powerful storm surges that can strip away everything in their path. In addition, hundreds of millions of people live in areas that will become increasingly vulnerable to flooding. Higher sea levels would force them to abandon their homes and relocate. Low-lying islands could be submerged completely.

How far will it go? According to hypotheses, the planet continues to heat up. Oceans will continue to rise as well, but predicting the amount is an approximate science. A recent study says we can expect the oceans to rise between 2.5 and 6.5 feet (0.8 and 2 metres) by 2100, enough to slough many of the cities along the US east coast. More dire estimates, including a complete meltdown of the Greenland ice sheet, push the sea level rise to 23 feet (7 metres), enough to submerge

London and Los Angeles.

Indian coast line and associated problems: Rising sea levels due to climate change are threatening the survival of big cities located near coastal areas like Kolkata, Shanghai and Dhaka, says Dr. R.K. Pachauri, chairperson of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Further, he says, “There is a very high risk in delta cities like Kolkata, Shanghai and Dhaka. They are very vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to sea level rise and coastal flooding. Both people and property would be affected in such a scenario.” A technical report by the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research reflects on the impact of sea level rise on the Indian coastline. It also gives quantities of land we may lose if the same trend continues.

`India can easily afford generating solar and wind power’

ith a lot of sunshine and tropical rainforest, India can easily afford generating solar and wind power to fuel is growth. Time has come to turn to alternative and renewable energy. Deforestation, consumerist lifestyle, excessive energy consumption have all led to the increase in green house gas emission, the key culprit of global warming. Rising temperature is melting glaciers in Polar Regions, which in turn will raise sea level. India is one of the 25 countries likely to be affected directly by the rising seal level. - Vijayakumar, IFS Member Secretary, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board

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Tr a n s c e n d i n g B o u n d a r i e s

Leadership Crisis Congress Party in a Dilemma

Why are the Congress leaders hankering for Priyanka’s leadership? Apparently, it is not her leadership qualities, nor her statesmanship that makes her the perfect candidate to lead the Congress. Many believe that she looks much like her grandmother Indira Gandhi.

he worst defeat in its history handed over by BJP and its allies to the Congress has shaken the party beyond imagination. While it is engaged in introspection and is trying to identify the areas of mistakes, some senior leaders in the Congress have been demanding, though indirectly, that there should be a change of leadership. But the servitude mindset of top Congress leadership is shining in its full glory even at this hour of crisis. They are cautiously demanding a change in leadership; they want Priyanka Gandhi to take over the reins of party leadership from Rahul. Ironically, this demand is being floated even after the Gandhi family led the party to one of its worst defeats in

the history even as Priyanka Gandhi was very much a part of election campaign. The demand for Priyanka to get more involved in Congress is a sorry reflection of the state of mind of Congress leaders. It’s the oldest party in the country and there are many senior, experienced leaders who can be expected to provide some sort of respectability to the party in the coming years. Like Rahul, Priyanka is vastly inexperienced in politics when compared with other senior leaders of the party. So why are the Congress leaders hankering for Priyanka’s leadership? Apparently, it is not her leadership qualities, nor her statesmanship that makes her the perfect candidate to

lead the Congress. Many believe that she looks much like her grandmother Indira Gandhi and this will help the people identify with her easily. The Congress believes that this will also help the party regain its lost glory. But there is a problem. The Gandhis — mother, son and daughter — are an extremely close knit family, and because of Priyanka’s seeming commitment to do anything to encourage her brother’s political career, not many among the top leaders of the Congress think she would do anything that would remotely amount to encouraging a regime change. Priyanka is also extremely sensitive, according to a senior Congress leader, to any talk of sibling rivalry between her and Rahul — any such

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Robert Vadra Controversies M

perception is rapidly squelched — so it is extremely unlikely that she will encourage the clamour for her active participation in the party at this stage. Given the Congress is at its lowest ebb and is facing an extremely formidable rival in Modi, it may not also be wise to unleash, and exhaust, perhaps the only card - Priyanka - the Congress has at this moment. But the clamour for Priyanka Gandhi’s entry into politics is also because of the growing dissatisfaction of party workers with Rahul Gandi’s style of functioning. Dissenting voices in the Congress party have for the first time lashed out at the campaign team of Rahul Gandhi, who led the 128-year-old party to the worst electoral defeat in its history. Milind Deora, a former central minister, said

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any believe that Priyanka is not entering active politics at this time, because the allegations against her husband Robert Vadra may be investigated by the BJP government in full force. Robert Vadra has been accused of taking an interest-free loan of Rs 65 crores and heavy bargains on land from DLF Limited in exchange for political favuors. DLF responded that it had dealt with Vadra as a private entrepreneur, that the loan was business advance which was given, as per practice of trade, to make payments for land purchased from Vadra, that the company did not sell him land at a throwaway price, and that no quid pro quo took place. He had also reportedly started buying properties from 2009 and the value of it rose six times going up to Rs 300 crore. As per their report, Vadra had real estate wealth worth Rs 252 crore in 2012 and had sold property worth Rs 72 crore mounting his total property wealth to Rs 324 crore in the same year. Vadra has been exempted from frisking at airports when travelling with other SPG protectees. The list of such VIPs was compiled and forwarded to the authorities concerned by the Government of India on 26 September 2005. Others on the list include the President, the Prime Minister, former Presidents and PMs and SPG protectees. This move has come under scrutiny since more important entities are on the warrant of precedence.

Gandhi’s secretive coterie of advisers, who had no electoral experience, “did not listen” to party cadres and legislators. Although Deora did not offer names, the remark appeared to be aimed at Rahul Gandhi himself, who rarely, if ever, endures any criticism from party colleagues. Several other high-profile lawmakers have spoken out against the campaign, saying there was a rift between grassroots workers and party leaders. During the campaign, Rahul surrounded himself with a small group of mostly foreigneducated aides who operated out of his central Delhi home, which was often felt to be out of bounds for others in the party. In any case a makeover for the Congress Party is imminent. But the inability of the Congress to think beyond the Gandhi scion may well be the cause of its downfall. Sonia Gandhi and her family have led the party from the front, but were unable to counter the Modi wave that swept the nation. The Congress would be well advised to chose a leadership that are aware of the ground realities of the country and can relate to the common man’s problems.

It was Modi wave all the way. People wanted change and they banked on BJP led by Narendra Modi. With absolute majority the BJP will have a cake walk on almost all the legislation that it wants to pass, but it is far unlikely to relegate NDA to the background. Together, the country hopes that the new government will instil dynamism in the economy as well as in politics and make the country healthy and wealthy.

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â&#x20AC;˘ Narayan Ammachchi

he historic victory of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by BJP heralds the beginning of a new era in Indian politics. For the past thirty years, no single political party had managed to win a majority seats in Parliament. The NDA secured more than 35 percent of votes and won more than 335 seats up for grabs, leaving the Congress-led UPA far behind. The opposing parties could win seats only in states where the BJP has little or no presence, such as Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. Narendra Modiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reputation as a messiah of economic growth and the prospect of a stable government have buoyed the stock market, lifting the benchmark index, Sensex, to a record new high.

Stock market investors, who always look at the future prospects more than that of the current economic climate, are appearing increasingly confident that Modi will breathe fresh life into the economy, whose growth rate has slowed down, partly due to rising interest rate and stubborn inflation but largely due to policy paralysis. The biggest challenge facing Modi is pushing down inflation, which is hovering over 7 percent, and accelerating the economic growth that has slowed down to 4.5 percent from 10 percent a decade ago. Voters appeared to be more drawn to Modi than his party, say analysts because they believed that he would clean up the economic mess created by the previous government and generate jobs for millions of youths across the country. A post-election poll by an Indian television channel esti-

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mated that 26 per cent of those who voted for the BJP did so specifically because of Modi. In Uttar Pradesh, where there is a large Muslim population, BJP won more than 70 seats. With 80 Lok Sabha seats, Uttar Pradesh is the politically crucial state. Changing tax policy or labour and land laws would require the support of the Upper House of Parliament, which the BJP does not control fully. But Modi can bypass the Upper House and put in place measures to create a conducive economic climate. There is little doubt that voters are expecting an immediate economic improvement, and they might soon be disappointed if Modi delayed to deliver. Business leaders and millions of young Indians have thrown their weight behind Modi, trusting in his promises to cut the bureaucratic red tape and make way for the speedy approval of infrastructure projects. Rising prices for every thing people want to purchase is the biggest concern of the common man across the country. Analysts say India has the potential to grow about 10 percent annually in

the next 20 years if Modi pursues the policies he has promised. Let us look at the support the NDA won in states.

Hindi heartland In this election Uttar Pradesh played a key role for the success of the BJP, electing 73 BJP members. Here, Congress suffered a humiliating defeat. BSP, which was ruling the state until a year ago, could not win

a single seat, while the ruling SP won barely five seats. All that Congress won were two seats: While Rahul won in Amethi, Sonia Gandhi retained her seat in Rae Bareli. In nearly seven states, including Uttar Khand, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Goa, BJP won every seat up for grabs. Aam Aadmi Party, which formed the government in Delhi few months ago, was swept out of Delhi. The only state where BJP performed

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poorly was Punjab, where the party managed to win barely two seats. In Haryana, BJP won seven seats while Congress won one seat. Even in J&K, BJP registered victory in three seats. In Gujarat, Narendra Modiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home state, BJP won all the seats. In Maharashtra, it won 23 seats followed by Shiv Sena which won 18 seats while Congress won one seat and NCP four

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seats. In Andhra Pradesh, Out of 42 Lok Sabha seats, Congress has won two, TRS 11, TDP 16, BJP three and YSRCP nine. In Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, where BJP has little or no presence, Jayalalithaaâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;led AIADMK and TMC won a majority of seats. UPA ally DMK could not win a single seat in Tamil Nadu, while PMK and BJP

won one seat each. There were a total of 25 Lok Sabha seats in North East India including Sikkim. BJP has performed well in Assam and has won seven seats out of 14. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has offered to resign, as he realized that the BJP is making inroads into the Congress stronghold.

The Modi-baiters are now forced to do a rethinking. They didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t expect such a handsome victory for a party led by him, nor did they even dream that Modi will one day become the Prime Minister of India. Now both have happened. And the countries that had written off this man are falling head over heels to please him. Among them stands the US is in the front rank. Obama has congratulated Modi and invited him to visit the US, which had earlier refused him visa.

Hard Rethinking Where Are the Modi Haters Now?

oon after the Gujarat riots, Indian media did everything it could to isolate Narendra Modi, accusing him of having done nothing to protect the Muslims in Gujarat. Modi defended his innocence. But he continued to face flak even after the Supreme Court cleared him of all the accusations. The media even went to the extent of criticising Amitabh Bachchan for agreeing to become Gujaratâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ambas-

sador. Such a concerted campaign made a large section of the Western world believe that Modi is a militant and an enemy of the Muslim community. Ten years later, things have changed dramatically. Today Modi is Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prime minister. Frankly, the victims of this media campaign are the Western countries. Today they are worried at the task of befriending Modi. Minutes after it became clear that he

would form the government in Delhi, US President Barrack Obama phoned Modi to congratulate him. And the super power instantly lifted the visa ban it had imposed on the Indian leader. During the conversation, Obama invited Modi to the United States. What a turnaround! Reports say Obama must have felt nervous while speaking to Modi, because the United States had isolated Modi trusting anti-Modi reports on the Indian me-

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dia. Now, warming up with a leader it brazenly hated is a difficult exercise. The US had denied visa to Modi on the grounds of human rights violations. Jennifer Psaki, State Department spokeswoman, said last week that Modi would be eligible for an A-1 visa as a head of government and “will be welcomed to the US”.

What happened to the human rights violations now? In March last year, Wharton School humiliated Modi by abruptly scrubbing out his name in the list of participants for an event. Modi was scheduled to address an audience in the University of Pennsylvania through videoconference. The action was taken after some students and faculty, most of them of Indian origin, protested against Modi’s participation. Now it is not clear how they are bearing with Modi’s grand electoral victory. The West loves to have a weak Central government in India, a kind of government which will do everything it could to please the superpower. It is afraid that a strongman like Russian President Vladimir Putin will make India really strong and build the country into a challenger to the West, economically and politically. The US is particularly upset with the enhanced strategic cooperation among China, Russia and India. Days before the election, a group of renowned Indian artistes and academics, including Salman Rushdie, himself the victim of religious persecution for his acclaimed novel “The Satanic Verses”, signed a letter to the London newspaper “Guardian” expressing their “acute worry” that Modi’s expected victory would deepen religious hatred. This group has fallen silent once the election results started trickling out. US officials are painfully aware that they are at a real disadvantage by not having a relationship with Modi or really knowing him. Now they are rushing to rectify their mistakes.

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Maybe the US had sensed that Modi would certainly turn out to be India’s next prime minister. US investment banks had predicted Modi’s victory several months ago. In February this year, the outgoing US ambassador to India, Nancy Powell, met Modi in Gandhinagar. Other Western nations moved more swiftly to court Modi, with the British and French ambassadors visiting him well before the elections. A confidential US diplomatic cable written during the 2005 visa row, released by the website Wiki Leaks, warned that a BJP led by Modi would be “more anti-American and less cooperative with the US.” That is what is haunting the United States today. The situation is the same in Paki-

stan. For years, Pakistan enjoyed relationship with weak Indian leaders. Recently, Defence Minister AK Anthony defended Pakistani government saying that those who squatted on Kargil hills were terrorists in military uniform. You will wonder what was the need to issue such a statement, because the current Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif himself had conceded seven years ago that Pervez Musharaff had sent in he army to Kargil despite his opposition. Now Nawaz Sharif is expected to attend Modi’s swearing-in ceremony. More interesting still, now there is rising cry in Pakistan to have a leader like Modi.

Takeaways for Nationalists There are many myths around nationalism

Several myths dictated the dynamics of public life in the past decades. Identifying them and taking precautions not to perpetuate them is the takeaway for nationalists from the Lok Sabha elections 2014. â&#x20AC;˘ K. Neeraj

olitics and public life in India are driven by big political parties such as the Congress and the BJP and many other regional parties. There are some unwritten and sometimes unexpressed views and perceptions on the important political decisions taken by the government concerned. For nationalists from the era of British Raj to the present day, these perceptions have posed additional difficulties to access power and contribute to positive change. The term nationalism used here may refer to Indian nationalism, cultural nationalism, Hindutva or Hindu nationalism. The political parties that may be considered are Indian National Congress (INC), Hindu Maha Sabha

(HMS), Bharateeya Jana Sangh (BJS) and Bharateeya Janata Party (BJP). A national party coming to power at the Centre would lead to disaster. This is a common myth created and sustained by political parties vouching for secularism fighting against the BJP in the last four decades are so. But it is interesting to note that the same point of view was supported by INS against BJS before 70s and British against INC before independence. As an extension of this myth, analysts and supporters of secular parties would propose that a national party cannot come to power on its own. Not just regional parties, even the BJP was anxious to expand and strengthen NDA preparing for the elections. The BJP faced the dilemma in severing its

ties with Nitish Kumar of JD(U) as an evidence of sharing the same perception. The diversity of India was attributed to such a conclusion. The argument was that a single political party cannot represent the entire diversity of the country and coalition is inevitable to form a government. Some leftleaning analysts would even go to the extent of arguing that nationalism is an unsustainable ideology.

Myths around organisations A second category of myth was about the nature and dynamics of organisations used as tools for social change. Since the political party is a platform based on which electoral wars are fought, to win an election and form a government, the political party was important. Building a political party takes a very long time. In addition, sustaining a credible political platform is not easy. The main technique in the recent decades was

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‘The BJP faced the dilemma in severing its ties with Nitish Kumar of JD(U) as an evidence of sharing the same perception. The diversity of India was attributed to such a conclusion. The argument was that a single political party cannot represent the entire diversity of the country and coalition is inevitable to form a government. Some leftleaning analysts would even go to the extent of arguing that nationalism is an unsustainable ideology.’ to capture key positions and the centre of control of the political parties and hold on to them for better times to taste power. This tendency was not restricted to political parties alone. This pattern is seen even in trusts, societies and other social organisations. Performance of the office bearers was effectively assessed. Splits and dissentions within the organisations were neglected by the rest of the office-bearers as on average the impact of such disturbances were minimal. The platform/organisation is more important as a brand in elections and public affairs. Ideological clarity and adherence were not of much importance in practical politics of coalition era. Grassroot consolidation was repeatedly rejected by established political parties and social organizations as a puritan approach not required in practical life. Intra party politics and corruption to some extent wereinevitable with these myths. Narendra Modi led BJP winning Lok Sabha elections and Aravind Kejriwal led AAP winning Delhi elections busted many of these myths.

Takeaways What are the takeaways from the verdict? Nationalists could move on and stop spending their energy and time to convince others about their capability to represent diverse populations and gain electoral success. No one can now say that Nationalismas a liability in electoral politics. Nationalism could be as well a strength while fighting an election. Recognition, promotion in nationalistic political parties could be based more on merit

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rather than on the electoral calculations. So far, acceptability to secularist standards, was a key criteria along with the merit. Ticket selection,

grooming of next generation leaders, and selection of coalition partners may be based on factors that are more rational and less influenced by the myths stated above. Similarly, now, initiating a solution from a new political party may not be a bad idea. Such an approach may require hard work. Golwalkar Guruji may not be requiredkick start such an approach. A personality like ArvindKejriwal may be sufficient. Problems such as corruption, consumerism, and commercial values may require a change in approach and platforms to tackle effectively. There should be less hesitation and more openness to initiate a new response – in the form of a movement, a platform, an organization and a political party. Examples of JP movement-Janata party, Anna Hazare – AAP, and Ramdev Baba-BJP are now available.

Origin of Myths N

ationalism is termed as divisive and retrogressive. Sometimes, this is being done overtly and in many occasions, this is implicitly assumed in subtle forms. During the British era, by labelling nationalism as Hindu communalism, the authority of Congress party to represent Muslims and Christians was questioned. Consequently, the India was partitioned but nationalists in India continued to face the same criticism in the post independent India. Hindu Maha Sabha and Jan Sangh were accused by Congress as communal and BJP is facing the same criticism from many other co-existing political parties. Interestingly, the ‘communal’ and ‘parochial’label was attached to apromising nationalistic party capable of winning elections. Typically, the accusation is levelled by the party that runs the government. A parochial party can not represent all sections of the society, especially minority communities. The minorities have no option other than voting for a secular party. They also have to oppose political parties pursuing anti minority policies. The minority mindset of maintaining isolation is exploited by politics of secularism. British were wearing the hat of secularism when they were accusing Congresss as communal. Advani was a communal leader compared to moderate Vajapayee twenty years back. Now, L. K. Advani is acceptable to Nitish Kumar as a moderate leader compared to Narendra Modi who is termed as communal. Regional parties interpret the Indian Constitution as federal in nature, because they want more freedom in administering the

states. They need more power at the Centre – so they would like to see a coalition government at the Centre. This is the reason why regional parties would insist that Congress and BJP are not capable of representing the entire nation. The myths around nationalism are plenty and intractable. Established political parties such as the Congress and the BJP have a long history. Their stake in the present day political system is relatively high. Similarly, there are many prominent regional political parties having longer history. These parties are competing for power but there are similarities among them. There is an implicit consensus among political parties about nature of some prominent problems and solutions for them. For example, corruption is perceived as unavoidable by most of the political thoughts. Since there is a consensus on most aspects of corruption among political parties, there are no new solutions offered by any of the political party. According to one theory, effective media management with the present organizational set up would bring desired social impact. According to another theory, the present organizational maturity is at optimal level in practical terms and the crises in politics (public affairs) that we are witnessing are inevitable. Suggestions to rebuild organizations or build new organizations is considered often. But there are no explanations available why these new experiments would not be repetitions of the old efforts. The theory of TINA (there is no alternative) has gained wider acceptance and has become a myth of our times.

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Loksabha Election Result 2014

BJP 282 Congress 44

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It is not going to be an easy task for the new Finance Minister to tackle the various problems that the economy is facing today: Huge fiscal deficit, inflation, slowdown in the industrial sector, high rate of interest and many other issues. And it is quite unlikely that the new government will initiate any step that will anger the electorate that has been given large promises by the National Democratic Alliance. One of the immediate tasks that the Modi government will have to address is inflation. And the other is cutting down on subsidies.

Expectations Run High But the new FM has daunting tasks ahead

he new finance minister has tough tasks ahead: Setting right the economy that is almost in a shambles. The UPA government, with its wrong policies and wrong priorities, has left it in a sorry state. The growth of the economy was a mere 4.5%; fiscal deficit has widened and so has the trade deficit. Exports have come down; the manufacturing sector is in near paralysis. No fresh in-

vestment is in the pipeline. All this has made the investors lose confidence; foreign investors fled and inflation soared. But, with the BJP coming to power there are great expectations. This is reflected in an unprecedented rise in the Sensex which has been rising to all-time highs ever since there were indications that the NDA, led by the BJP, is going to win the general elec-

tions. And their expectations have not been belied. Nevertheless, the new government will have to face the daunting task of stimulating the economy and taming inflation. Adding to the worry is the possibility of a weak monsoon which will only aggravate inflation because of shortage of farm produce. The El Nino effect is a phenomenon that every country fears, especially India, where it will

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have a direct impact on the southwest monsoon. There are other sources of worry too: the US and Chinese economies have slowed down, which will have an adverse impact on our exports. The US economic growth was just 1% in the March quarter. China also has predicted a slowdown and this too will affect the Indian economy as we have sizeable trade with both these countries. China’s think tank, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, has revised its 2014 GDP growth forecast down to 7.4% against the official 7.5% target. The economy is already in downswing with retail inflation going up to a three-month high of 8.6% in April against 8.3% in the previous month while factory output declined in March. This will pose a huge challenge to the new government. In order to ease price pressure, the government will have to use all the tricks up its sleeve. As for industrial output growth, it fell by 0.5% in March compared with an expansion of 3.5% a year earlier and a 1.8% fall in the previous month. The manufacturing sector fell by 1.2% in March compared with an expansion of 4.3% a year ago. The mining sector too remained under pressure declining by

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0.4% in the month of March. Understandably, inflation will be the key issue that the new Prime Minister’s (PMO) office will have to tackle as it was one of the main issues on which Modi fought the elections. Tough measures will be needed to hold the reins of inflation, one of the suggestions being to cut down on the doles such as subsidized supply of LPG and diesel. But this will definitely

prove unpopular to the middle class that voted Modi to power. Investors have welcomed the victory of the BJP as was evident from the unprecedented rise of the Sensex by nearly 1400 points in intraday trade on May 17 to cross a historic high of 25,000. The index closed 24,122, its highest ever close, taking the inves-

tors’ wealth to Rs.81 lakh crore. The shares that shone on the day were those of the Adani group, Ambani’s Reliance ADAG, HCL group, Bajaj group and Hero group. ADAG turnover was estimated at Rs.76,000 crore, while that of HCL was Rs.99,000 crore and Hero group’s was placed at Rs.49,000 crore. The boom in the stock market helped to strengthen the rupee by 51 paise to an elevenmonth high of 58.98. But the Sensex settled on Thursday, May 22, at 24,298, 79 points lower in view of weak trends in global markets. The export front continues to be gloomy, while imports have risen marginally. The RBI has eased curbs n the import of gold by allowing trading houses to import the metal for sale in the local market. The RBI had banned the imports in July last in order to bring out down the current account deficit. The latest decision will bring down the prices of gold. Jewellers see this as a “Modi gift” though the decision was prompted by the strength of the rupee during the last few weeks. The currency was at a 9-month high of 59.67 on May 14 because of the huge inflow of foreign funds following the exit poll results predicted that the NDA led by Narendra Modi will come to power.

There are great expectations from the new government. It should have an efficient team capable of leading the country to prosperity and security. The Prime Minister will be the prime target of terrorists and so it is absolutely necessary to ensure his safety. Other precautions relate to Home, Defence, Finance, Education and other spheres that affect the lives of the citizens. Here is a list of precautions to be taken in these fields.

Precautions list

The new govt. must guard against many pitfalls After the Lok Sabha elections, a new government headed by Narendra Modi is at the helm of affairs. Here is a list of precautions to be taken by the new regime.

1. Attention to personal safety of the leader of the government Lal Bahadur Shastry died in an alien country on the same night after a historic war pact with Pakistan. Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a woman human bomber who garlanded him during an election campaign. Subhash Chandra Bose died mysteriously. Afghan leaders, Tamil leaders of Sri Lanka were assassinated. The head of the new government should be careful about his personal safety. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the most important target of retrograde forces of the world, including the jihadi elements.

2. Guarding against conspiracies to weaken the morality of the government Internal conspiracies such as terror attacks, communal riots as well as external conspiracies such as hijackings, abductions and assassinations could weaken the morale of the government to a great extent. During the VP Singh government, kidnapping of the daughter of Mufti Mohammad was a setback to the new government. The flight hijack was a setback for the Vajpayee government.

The Modi Government should take additional precautions to avoid such incidents.

3. Precautions while engaging in diplomacy with an enemy country Tactics such a peace talks and confidence building diplomatic measures may be initiated or encouraged by enemy countries simultaneously heralding backstabbing measures such as Kargil, Arunachal incursions and China war of 1962. Enemy countries such as Pakistan and China are capable of masking hostile preparations with friendly gestures.

4. Guarding against the influences of the enemy Enemies of the country would be interested in influencing cabinet ministers, senior bureaucrats and diplomats, journalists and security specialists. Tilting a policy initiative to favour foreign powers, misleading public with biased opinions, influencing government decisions towards an enemy country and diverting discussion in Parliament undermining Indian interests are to be guarded by the new regime.

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5. Keeping a watch on internal political conspiracies The new government should guard against losing time in crises management, failure to seize initiatives and lack of proactive measures. They should also run the government smoothly avoiding situations such as shortage of commodities, sting operations around financial and sexual affairs – creating instability – distrust and suspicions among the party members and governing teams.

6. Shield against global market forces The government should take immediate steps to control inflation, reduce unemployment and make education, health, housing and clothing affordable. It should be able to foresee the design of developed countries to preserve their interests at the cost of India, slowing down the Indian economy by adopting policies aimed at destabilizing the Indian system.

9. Negligence of universal values Not able to highlight Dharma as the highest concept encompassing the principles of the all other concepts of the world is a lacuna. Harmonisation of value systems aligning towards the universal values would lead to a truly peaceful ‘world order’.

10. Watch the composition of the Council of Ministers The government should select efficient ministers having a good character having right mix of capabilities. Finance/Commerce ministers should be committed to Swadeshi concept. Defense/Home ministers should be courageous and strategic. Education minister should be capable of aligning education system with universal values.

7. Not able to correct distortions Distortions have crept in social, cultural, and other systems affecting individual and public life. These distortions are affecting social harmony – interreligious – inter lingual - inter caste interactions. Simple, effective steps are to be taken consistently to correct distortions of our systems.

8. Monitoring complacency and ensuring compliance While complacency may lead to lower compliance levels, inability to adhere to follow rules and regulations leads to systemic failures. Level of compliance is to be on the rise to ensure / sustain good systems. Watching setting in complacency must be guarded.

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Move to create chaos and confusion

he Modi government has a foreign affair complication to be dealt with even before it takes over. Afghanistan, a country where violence, including attack on foreign nationals, is becoming disturbingly commonplace, has witnessed an attack on the Indian Consulate. Some gunmen attacked the Indian Consulate in western Afghanistan’s Herat province from a nearby home on May 23. Fortunately, the attack did not cause any injury to the diplomatic staff. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Three gunmen were killed, one by ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) and two by Afghan police, out of the four attackers who struck the consulate which houses two buildings. Herat lies near Afghanistan’s border with Iran and is considered one of the safer cities in the country, with a strong Iranian influence. In September 2013, Taliban gunmen launched a similar assault on the US Consulate in

The latest attack on the Indian Consulate in the Herat province of Afghanistan is a stark reminder of the fact that the enemies of stability in India-Afghan relations will always be active to create problems for both the countries. Though no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, the accusing finger points to Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Haqqani group. The hand of Pakistan also cannot be ruled out since the Pak army doesn’t want normalisation of relations with India.

the city, killing at least four Afghans but failing to enter the compound or hurt any Americans. Foreign embassies and consulates remain a favourite target of insurgents in Afghanistan, but many are protected by high walls and multiple gates, as well as security forces. Although no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, Lashkare-Taiba may have been behind these attacks. Lashkar-e-Taiba has always been targeting India and Indians, as seen in the 2008 attack on Mumbai that killed 166 people. It has been active in Afghanistan in recent years, often teaming up with insurgent groups operating in the eastern part of the country near the frontier with Pakistan. In 2010, two Kabul guest houses were attacked, killing more than six Indians. India blamed that attack on the group. Another prime suspect is the Haqqani network, which is based in Pakistan’s lawless tribal areas along

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The Pakistan Angle T

he Indian government officials suspect Pakistan’s hand in the latest terror attacks on the Indian Consulate, and they have good reasons to think in that angle. Pakistan always had a problem with the growing ties between India and Afghanistan. It has been alleging that the Indian intelligence agency RAW is working in cover to malign Pakistan and train and support insurgents, a claim rejected strongly by India and the United States, the latter historically being a strong ally of Pakistan. Pakistani media sources exaggerate the number Indian consulates in Afghanistan, accusing them of orchestrating acts of terrorism in Pakistan. Lt. Gen. Abdul Qayyum (Retd.), for example, has alleged that there are dozens of Indian consulates along the Pak-Afghan border. In reality, like Pakistan, India has four consulates in Afghanistan. They are located in Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif, Kandahar and Jalalabad.

India was the only South Asian nation to recognise the Soviet-backed Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and the Soviet Union’s military presence in Afghan territories. It had also provided humanitarian aid. Following the withdrawal of the Soviet armed forces from Afghanistan in 1989, India continued to support the Najibullah’s government with

humanitarian aid. After its fall, India together with the international community supported the coalition government that took control, but relations and contacts ended with the outbreak of another civil war, which brought to power the Taliban, the Islamist militia supported by Pakistan.

the border with Afghanistan. The attack could also have been carried out because the Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has said that he will be attending the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi. There is also speculation that the attack was a well-timed one meant to scuttle Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif’s India visit if he decides to attend the swearing-in of the Narendra Modi government. In many ways, terrorists in Afghanistan are biting the hand that feeds them. India’s development assistance programme for Afghanistan currently stands at USD two billion, making it the leading donor nation among all the regional countries. India has invested in some major infrastructure projects in Afghanistan,

like Salma hydroelectric dam in Herat province and the Afghan Parliament building in Kabul. One of India’s important infrastructure projects in south-western Afghanistan, the highway from Zaranj to Delaram, was inaugurated by President Hamid Karzai and India’s External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on January 22, 2009. Built at the cost of precious Afghan and Indian lives lost in the course of its construction, the highway is a symbol of India’s commitment to Afghanistan’s development. Since 2006, the rising spectre of terrorism and violence has targeted Indian developmental projects in Afghanistan. The effectiveness and popularity of these programmes have led to attacks on them by the enemies of Afghanistan’s progress and stabil-

ity. A number of Indian technicians along with an even larger number of their Afghan colleagues have been killed in such terrorist attacks. The Indian Embassy in Kabul was itself directly attacked on July 7, 2008, leading to the death of a number of embassy personnel and scores of Afghan nationals waiting to receive visas to travel to India. India is determined to continue the work of these martyrs to India-Afghanistan friendship. India’s commitment to the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan remains unwavering. Other initiatives by India include construction of 218-Km road from Zaranj to Delaram to facilitate movement of goods and services from Afghanistan to the Iranian border and, onward, to the Chahbahar Port (completed).

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Tamils protest

Invitation to Rajapaksa raises a storm

arendra Modi may not have expected this. His efforts to foster good relations with the neighbouring countries are met with dissent within his own country. Modiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s invite to Sri Lankan president Mahindra Rajapaksa for the swearing-in ceremony has apparently angered Tamil sentiments. While leaders like Jayalalithaa, who are the allies of the BJP have kept mum on the issue, others like the MDMK general secretary Vaiko have been highly vocal in expressing their displeasure. Various governments in the past have tried to pacify the Tamil vote bank by not inviting Lankan presidents to important government ceremonies in India. The NDA government in 1998 and 1999 and the UPA government in 2004 and 2009 put aside the protocol and did extend an invitation to the Lankan presidents. The anger of Tamils over Sri Lanka is mainly based on its alleged treatment of Sri Lankan Tamils. Since 1948, successive governments have adopted policies that had the net effect of assisting the Sinhalese community in such areas as education and public employment. These policies made it difficult for middle class Tamil youth to enter the university or secure employment.

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It seems the new governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efforts are meeting with resistance in different corners of the country. While the extremist elements are busy hatching conspiracies to scuttle efforts to normalise relations with neighbours, a section of Tamil population in Tamil Nadu has protested strongly against the invitation extended to Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa as they allege that his government was responsible for a number of human rights violations.

The individuals belonging to this younger generation, often referred to by other Tamils as “the boys” (Pudiyangal in Tamil), formed many militant organisations. The most important contributor to the strength of the militant groups was the Black July massacre, in which between 1,0003,000 Tamils were killed, prompting many youths to choose the path of armed resistance. By the end of 1987, the militant youth groups had fought not only the Sri Lankan security forces and the Indian Peace Keeping Force, with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) eventually eliminating most of the others. Except for the LTTE, many of the remaining organisations transformed into either minor political parties within the Tamil National Alliance or standalone political parties. Some also function as paramilitary groups within the Sri Lankan military. Human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, as well as the United States Department of State and the European Union, have expressed concern about the state of human rights in Sri Lanka, and both the government of Sri Lanka and the rebel LTTE have been accused of human rights violations. Although Amnesty International in 2003 found considerable improvement in the human rights situation, attributed to a ceasefire and peace talks between the government and the LTTE, by 2007 they reported an escalation in political killings, child recruitment, abductions, and armed clashes, which created a climate of fear in the north and east of the country. In August 2009, the civil war ended with total victory for the government forces. During the last phase of the war, many Tamil civilians and combatants were killed. The government estimated that over 22,000 LTTE cadres had died. The civilian death toll is estimated to vary from 6,500 to as high as 40,000. This is in addition to the 70,000 Sri Lankans killed up to

Invitation to Pakistan W

hile Narendra Modi is extending a friendly hand towards our neighbours, it seems they are in a dilemma to accept that invitation. While the invitation to Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa is embroiled in controversies, Pakistan is still unsure whether to accept or not the invitation sent to Nawaz Sharif for swearing in ceremony. While the Pakistan foreign office confirmed the invitation had been received, no formal announcement has yet been made. The foreign office maintained late Thursday that the matter was still being considered. Pakistan media has suggested that Sharif should accept India’s invitation to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Modi on May 26 in New Delhi. Pakistan’s ambivalence on the invitation to Sharif is seen by observers in New Delhi as a manifestation of the tussle between the elected government and the all-powerful Army establishment in Islamabad. The establishment may not be wanting Sharif to travel to New Delhi. The invitation to Sharif has sparked a debate in that country on whether it should be accepted or not, particularly in view of strains in bilateral ties and non-acceptance of a Pakistani invitation by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh earlier.

the beginning of the last phase of the civil war. Over 300,000 internally displaced Tamil civilians were interred in special camps and eventually released. As of 2011, there were still few thousand alleged combatants in state prisons awaiting trials. The Sri Lankan government has released over 11,000 rehabilitated former LTTE cadres. The newly formed BJP government in the Centre is looking at a larger

picture of keeping friendly ties with its neighbours. Inviting the head of a neighbouring country is just adhering to the protocols on such occasions. It does not mean that the BJP government supports the alleged massacre of Tamil people in Sri Lanka. In fact, this invitation could open new avenues for a meaningful and fruitful talk between the countries, which may result in better treatment of Sri Lankan Tamils.

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ENGLISH MONTHLY ON ISSUES THAT MATTER THE NATION

aseema Tr a n s c e n d i n g B o u n d a r i e s

Published by Jnanabharathi Prakashana Trust, Mangalore, Karnataka

@ https://www.facebook.com/AseemaMagazine www.aseema.net.in

aseemamagazine@gmail.com ASEEMA YOUR FUTURE COMPANION IN NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Another Life Lost to Terrorism

he body of Parchuri Swathi (24), who was killed in the bomb blast at Chennai Central railway station, was laid to rest in Tamil Nadu recently. Swathi’s parents -- Ramakrishna and Kamakshi Devi -- brought the body from Chennai after completing the postmortem formalities late on Thursday. Top officials led by Collector S. Suresh Kumar and Super intendent of Police (Guntur Urban) Gopinath Jatty paid their homage and consoled the family members. Mr. Suresh Kumar said it was most unfortunate that a promising young IT professional was killed in the terror attack. Mr. Gopinath said the dastardly attack had taken away the life of a woman who could achieve much in a young age. Swathi had booked the ticket through Tatkal since the reservations were not available. Her father was supposed to leave to Vijayawada and bring her back. “My daughter was looking forward to the visit since she wanted to finalise plans for her wedding with a close friend and classmate from JNTU, Hyderabad,” said Swathi’s father Mr. Ramakrishna. Swathi had already informed the family members about her plans to marry Nagaraju, an IT professional, from Warangal. Both had known each other since their college days. Swathi studied up to Class 10 at KLP Public School, completed Intermediate from St. Ann’s College and later pursued B. Tech (EEE) from JNTU, Hyderabad. She got through GATE and pursued M. Tech from the same institution. Her parents, who hail from Jagarlamudi village are from agricultural background. They moved to Guntur to provide better opportunities for their children and have recently bought an apartment. Family sources said Swathi had intended to settle down and told her parents that she would be marrying her class mate from Warangal. Swati was residing in Whitefield in Bangalore. Before boarding the train, she had called up her family on Wednesday

night and asked her grandmother, P Rajalakshmi, to make her favorite food, saying she would be home by Thursday afternoon.

SC Delivers a Judgment Against Karnataka Govt.

n a major judgment, the Supreme Court has struck down a Karnataka Government order that imposed Kannada language as the medium of instruction in all primary schools in the state. A Constitutional Bench of the apex court said mother tongue as the medium of instruction will not be made mandatory. The ruling came in response to the Karnataka Government’s appeal against the division bench judgment of the Karnataka High Court. In July 2013, a two-judge bench of the apex court had said its Constitution Bench will examine whether the Government can impose mother tongue or regional language as the medium of instruction at the primary education stage as it has a far-reaching significance on the development of children.

An association of private schools has been fighting the imposition of the order and their advocate KV Dhananjaya argued that the government had wholly erred when it assumes that a parent’s preference for English medium education is a rejection and devaluation of Kannada language. Kannada is a

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language of immeasurable greatness. A child could learn through English medium in his school and still be perfectly wedded to Kannada culture and hold it with the greatest respect and regard.” Dhananjay, representing more than 1,800 private unaided English medium schools in Karnataka, said that knowledge of English language is essential and that children should not be deprived of it. He further said that since language is not ingrained in the human brain, teaching in the mother tongue in primary classes cannot do much to improve career prospects. This ruling came against Karnataka Government’s 1994 order which made the ‘medium of instruction’ from 1st to 4th standard in all schools recognized by the State Government as either Kannada or mother tongue. Writ petitions were filed before the High Court against this order. Full bench of the High Court quashed the disputed clauses of the Order with its application to schools other than the schools run or aided by the Government.

Putin Honours Loyal Journalists

oon after Russia annexed Crimea to great fanfare, President Vladimir Putin has strategically signed a decree honouring more than 300 journalists for their “objective coverage” of the region’s seizure from Ukraine. The awards made under decree 279 to television, radio and newspapers, who are obviously loyal to Putin underline the importance of media in stirring patriotic sentiment over Ukraine. However, the decree’s initial secrecy suggests Putin wishes to distance himself from the powerful Kremlin policy tool of the media onslaught. In the official gazette, there was a gap between decrees 278 and 280. Decree 279 remained unexplained until a Russian newspaper reported its contents, a fortnight after the event, offering a glimpse into how sensitive the use of propaganda has become in the East-West standoff over Ukraine. A Kremlin source, confirming that Putin signed the decree making the awards on April 22, said only: “It was for internal use, not for public use.” To an outside observer, the propaganda war seems to have reached such a scale that it is all but impossible for Russians or Ukrainians to discover what is

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really going on from their national media. Many events are seen through a mist of disinformation or just confusion, a situation that suits Putin in what his critics believe is his attempt to undermine the Ukrainian authorities by portraying them as unable to control the country. The veracity of events is increasingly hard to check. When Russian media reported heavy fighting in the town of Kramatorsk this weekend, Reuters journalists on the scene shortly afterwards found a sleepy town with no evidence of clashes. Russian media deny they are part of a propaganda campaign and accuse Western journalists of bias, a charge that has found fertile ground in eastern Ukraine where some reporters have already been taken hostage or beaten. The Facebook page of Pavel Gubarev, a detained pro-Russian protest leader, has described journalists as “catalysts of intolerance, hatred and violence”.

Row Over Sharia Law

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah

he Muslim Sharia law has its share of followers and opponents all over the world. Celebrities including Virgin group founder Richard Branson have vowed to boycott a hotel chain linked to Brunei’s sultan after he introduced a controversial Islamic penal code in his country. Brunei’s all-powerful Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah

recently announced that he would push ahead with the sharia law that will eventually include tough penalties such as death by stoning. Branson said on the weekend that Virgin employees would not stay at the Dorchester Collection luxury hotel chain, which includes The Dorchester in London and the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles. Others who have called for a boycott include comedian Stephen Fry, TV host Sharon Osbourne and comedian Ellen DeGeneres. The US group Feminist Majority Foundation said it had also pulled its annual Global Women’s Rights Awards, co-chaired by Jay and Mavis Leno, from the Beverly Hills Hotel in protest. The Dorchester Collection is reportedly owned by the Brunei Investment Agency, a sovereign wealth fund under the oil-rich sultanate’s Ministry of Finance. The sultan’s move has sparked rare domestic criticism of the wealthy ruler on the Muslim-majority country’s active social media, and international condemnation including from the UN’s human rights

office. But the sultan has defended the implementation of the law, meant to shore up Islam and guard the Southeast Asian country against outside influences. “We have never thought ill of others. We have never relied on them to accept us or agree with is but it is enough if they respect us the way we respect them,” he said last week when announcing the law’s implementation. The initial phase introduces fines or jail terms for offences including indecent behavior, failure to attend Friday prayers and out-of-wedlock pregnancies. A second phase covering crimes such as theft and robbery is to start later this year, involving more stringent penalties such as severing of limbs and flogging.

VIF MoU with Vietnam

ten-member Vietnamese delegation visited Vivekananda International Foundation on 16

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April 2014 for discussions and signing of an MOU between the Institute of Foreign Policy and Strategic Studies (IFPSS), Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, and the VIF for academic exchanges. Dr. Hoang Anh Tuan, Director General of the Institute, and Mr. Ajit Doval, Director VIF, signed the MOU in the presence of visiting Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam H.E. Pham Quang Vinh The principal objective of the MOU is to promote intellectual and educational exchanges and enhance cooperation between the think tanks of the two countries in the areas of international affairs and establish a long-term collaborative relation in the areas of regional and international security between the VIF and IFPSS. Both the think tanks will organize international conferences, workshops, seminars on issues of common interests. After the signing of the MOU, Mr Doval reviewed the status of India-Vietnam relations in the light of emerging strategic environment in the Asia Pacific region. He noted that while ties between the two countries have become strong, yet there is scope to enhance the relationship in economic and security fields. Dr Hoang Tuan pointed out the need for further political, economic and security dialogue between the think tanks of the two nations as the regional situation continues to be in a state of flux. Vietnam’s Deputy Foreign Minister also stressed on strengthening the Indo-Vietnamese relationship and stated that he would support the efforts of cooperation between both the think tanks in any manner he could.

Ilmi and Gopinath Leave Aam Admi Party

ournalist-turned politician Shazia Ilmi and founder of India’s low-cost airliner, Deccan Airways, has resigned from Aam Admi Party, complaing that the party is full of cronies. The news comes barely a day after Delhi police arrest AAP cheif Arvind kejriwal on defamaton charges. According to Ilmi, who announced her resignation in a press conferece, said the cronies take decision and inform others later. Considering her words, cro-

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nies are almost ruling the party, who created a history in Indian politics by forming a government in a state within a year after its formation. The serious squbbles prove that the party AAP is also prone to bickering, something that has destroyed several political outfits in Indian politics. Ilmi lost in the parliament election held recently. She also said the party does not know where it is heading to, and needs to introspect why it suffered loss in recent parliamentary elections. She said the party needs to get beyond agitationery politics. Kejriwal was arrested because he did not pay the hefty bail amount. Ilmi is in pain because she lost even the deposit in the election. Gopinath also criticised party boss Kejriwal and said some of the party’s recent decisions had dealt a heavy blow to the party’s future. Gopinath said the head of a party cannot indulge in “shoot and scoot politics.” he said he is resigning because he disliked some of the recent policy decisions. It appears clear that several AAP leaders are now realising that party’s agitationery politics will only attract the attention of the media. People want those who can administer, not just complain.

Child Marriage VS Child Pregnancy

ndia has been subject to great Western scrutiny over the prevalence of child marriage. The child

marriage incidence is highlighted as an outcome of backwardness associated with “Hindu” religion/culture. However, it is interesting to take a look at this issue from a different perspective – that of adolescent pregnancy. According to the UN “The adolescent birth rate measures the annual number of births to women 15 to 19 years of age per 1,000 women in that age group. It represents the risk of childbearing among adolescent women 15 to 19 years of age. It is also referred to as the age-specific fertility rate for women aged 15-19.” Again going back to the UN country statistics it is interesting to note that for the latest years that figures are available (2009) India has a lower ado-

lescent birth rate (38.5) than USA (39.1). Over the previous 10 years from 2009 i.e., 1999-2009 India’s adolescent birth rate has been comparable to that of USA. This begs the question – is a child bearing a baby inside wedlock (due to child marriage) better off than bearing a baby outside of marriage? What development indicators are more informative – child marriage or child pregnancy? And is it not strange that while child marriage among the others is studied and ascribed to their religion/culture, child pregnancy in USA is glossed over and thought of as a secular phenomenon?

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