JANUARY 2012 `25 An MBD publication R Rni no.: 23870/72
D e m o c r a T i c
w o r l D
BATTLe fOR peAce Debating afSPa:
the army’S roLe in oUr borDerLanDS page 32
Defending Democracy The life & Times
of soli sorabjee Making a case for human dignity
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File : 21.6x28.6 (bleed) Democratic World
edit orial Sonica Malhotra Kandhari | editorial@democraticworld.in
Of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity On nOvember 25, 2011, we formally launched Demo-
eDitor's choice
LOOking back author Kunal Basu’s life has been full of twists and turns. no wonder his books throw up such fresh and interesting stories
cratic World (DW) after months of planning and effort. The evening was a great success and I’d like to thank all you generous people who gave us your time and support. I look forward to continued involvement from our well-wishers, readers and contributors as that is the only way DW will retain its democratic spirit and be a magazine we can be proud of. At the launch, we got great encouragement from the words of the Honourable Chief Minister of Delhi, Shrimati Sheila Dixit and Union Civil Aviation Minister, Shri Vayalar Ravi. Take a look at what they had to say as well as key moments of the launch in our Event Report on page 06. In keeping with Ms Dixit’s advice to focus on the positive and look at the people who have made a contribution to the country, this month we have a special feature on Soli Sorabjee, the former Attorney General of India. In over five decades of practising law and holding posts at the highest level, Soli Sorabjee has been one of the best-known champions of democracy. Amongst those of us in the media, he is known as a fearless advocate for the freedom of the press. In one of his earlier cases, the litigation specialist argued successfully for the right of an Indian citizen to hold a passport unless proved unsuitable. Before that, the awarding of passports was left to the discretion of the authorities concerned. (On a lighter note, those who read our Hitchhiker’s Guide — we take you to Bhutan
this time — or any travel column voraciously, can doff their caps to the man who made international travel easier for the average Indian.) Our Issue section this month also deals with a subject that impacts civil life and liberty in the country. We take a close look at the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act that has been the topic of raging debates in recent times. DW believes that the impasse can be breached only if there is dialogue with both sides involved and to that end, we spoke to the directors from the Centre for Land Warfare Studies and a government interlocutor for Kashmir. Two new columnists grace the pages of our Platform section this month. Santosh Desai and Ashok Malik have been prolific writers and have regular columns in newspapers. Their work is both witty and wise, and I hope you enjoy reading it just as much as we did. After the successful launch of the first issue, this second edition brings me a quiet sense of satisfaction. However, if it is to delve deeper and reach further in the new year, it will need your support. So keep the suggestions coming and have a great start to 2012.
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TOC
Kunal Basu hAD Writing not hAPPeneD, i WoulD hAve beCoMe A PAinter or An ACtor
man of the month
| jANuARy
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cover Design by ANOOP PC | photo by D.R. LOHIA
TA b L e O f C O N T e N T s
reAD More on PAge 36
14 Ashok MAlik
Cover story
14 | The Conscience Keeper
Soli J. Sorabjee, former Attorney General of India, has spent almost six decades fighting for human rights and the freedom of expression
please recycle this magazine and remove inserts before recycling
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CopyrIGht Democratic World is published & printed by M Gulab Singh & Sons (a unit of MBD Group) at Gulab Bhawan 6, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi 110002, India and printed at perfect printers Gulab Bhawan 6, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi 110002, India. Democratic World is for private circulation only. Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of M Gulab Singh & Sons.
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28 | Whither 2012? What is on the cards for India’s future in the new year?
sAntosh DesAi
38 | the PolitiCs of rePresentAtion: And its transformation to an active ideal
32 issue
32 | THe bATTLe fOR PeACe:
Experts talk on the Armed Forces (Special powers) Act gooD kArMA
40 | CRAfTINg fuTuRes
Dastkar puts the spotlight back on traditional crafts and artisans
24 soCiAl AgenDA
24 | Whose Influence Is It Anyway?
A bunch of algorithms seem to be in control of your persona and clout on the social web. But you could take charge...
regulArs
01 | eDitoriAl 06 | event rePort 08 | uP-to-DAte 12 | foreign DesPAtChes 36 | looking bACk 42 | reADing rooM 52 | stiCky notes
life in teChniColour
WArehouse
broAD CAnvAs
hitChhiker's guiDe
30 | guitArs: AMit heri talks of his
44 | gADgets & gizMos: uber Cool
twin passions — Jazz, Blues and fusion music, and his guitar collection
Leica to a Bugatti — take your pick from this new year’s gadget wishlist
46 | Where MAsters gAther: DiWAn MAnnA’s favourite —
48 | MAD Monks AnD Movie stArs: Preeti singh talks of surprising
Chandigarh’s Government Museum — is a must-see
Bhutan: its people, palaces and its heart
January 2012
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EdITORIal
SalES & MaRKETINg
Managing Editor: monica malhotra Kandhari Group Editor: Sonica malhotra Kandhari Editor: Dr chander trikha Executive Editor: aniha Brar Features Editor: rohini Banerjee Sub Editor: manjiri indurkar
mamta Bhatt, arjun Shawney
PRINTER & PUBlIShER General Manager (Production) alok Kashyap
EdITORIal CO-ORdINaTION mamta Bhatt
COPY dESK Managing Editor: Sangita thakur Varma Sub Editor: radhika Haswani
dESIgN Sr Creative Director: Jayan K narayanan Art Director: anil VK Associate Art Director: Pc anoop Visualisers: Prasanth tr, anil t & Shokeen Saifi Sr Designers: Sristi maurya, nV Baiju & chander Dange Designers: Suneesh K, Shigil n, charu Dwivedi raj Verma, Prince antony, Binu mP & Peterson Chief Photographer: Subhojit Paul Photographer: Jiten Gandhi
Democratic world is a monthly magazine published and printed by m Gulab Singh & Sons (a unit of mBD Group). it is published at Gulab Bhawan, 6, Bahadur Shah Zafar marg, new Delhi-110002, india and printed at Perfect Printers, Gulab Bhawan, 6, Bahadur Shah Zafar marg, new Delhi-110002, india. the magazine is edited by Dr chander trikha, Gulab Bhawan, 6, Bahadur Shah Zafar marg, new Delhi-110002, india. material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of m Gulab Singh & Sons. editorial opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of m Gulab Singh & Sons and m Gulab Singh & Sons does not take responsibility for the advertising content, content obtained from third parties and views expressed by any independent author/contributor. (m Gulab Singh & Sons, Gulab Bhawan, 6, Bahadur Shah Zafar marg, new Delhi-110002). email: editorial@democraticworld.in opinions expressed herein are of the authors and do not necessarily reflect any opinion of m Gulab Singh & Sons, Gulab Bhawan, 6, Bahadur Shah Zafar marg, new Delhi-110002, india tel: 91-11-30912345, 30912301 email: subscribe@democraticworld.in
CONTRIBUTORS PREETI SINgh Not all those who wander are lost, said JRR Tolkien, and Preeti — a lifelong member of the wanderers’ club — couldn’t agree more. A complete travel junkie, she loves to write and meet new people. She is also a sporadic blogger, who writes the ‘Truth about Nobody’ and wishes to fly across the world. (You can follow her blog at http:// truthaboutnobody.blogspot.com/)
aShOK MalIK is a Delhi
based independent columnist, who writes across national and international publications like the Hindustan Times, The Asian Age, DNA and The Pioneer. He has been a political journalist for 20 years and has written extensively on a host of social and political issues. His focus areas are India’s political economy and its foreign policy and their rapidly increasing intersection. (To send your feedback you can write to him on: malikashok@ gmail.com)
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SaNTOSh dESaI is the MD and CEO of Future
Brands Limited. Prior to this he was the President of McCann-Erickson, one of India’s premier advertising agencies. Author of the bestseller: Mother Pious Lady — Making Sense of Everyday India, Outlook magazine called him “The nearest thing we have to RK Laxman in prose”. A social commentator, he writes the weekly column City City Bang Bang for Times of India, and also contributes to various other publications like Mint and Tehelka.
January 2012
(From right) Managing Editor Monica Malhotra Kandhari with Group Editor Sonica Malhotra Kandhari at the launch of Democratic World.
For the People, By the People
ladies at the helm
The launch was planned as a quiet affair; however, Democratic World took little time to become the ‘belle of the ball’ as well-wishers and friends poured in. Here are some snapshots from the evening First step: In the presence of the city’s bureaucrats and ambassadors, Chairperson of MBD Group Smt Satish Bala Malhotra, the Honourable Chief Minister of Delhi, Smt Sheila Dixit, and Union Cabinet Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs and former Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Vayalar Ravi, DW was launched at the Imperial Hotel, Delhi. Addressing the well-wishers, Group Editor Monica Malhotra Kandhari said, “We will strive to stimulate the readers’ minds. We want people to be compelled to share their views, so that we can work towards creating a people’s magazine.”
Familiar face: New Delhi Police Commissioner B.K. Gupta shares a joke with Naveen Kandhari.
Venue whispers: New Delhibased artist Anjana Kathulia (extreme right) congratulated the DW team on the maiden issue of the publication.
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event report
dw l aunch e vent //
“I believe that DW will be a magazine with a difference. It will correct negativity in sections of the media with its positive outlook.”
Shiela Dixit The Honourable Chief Minister of Delhi
We spied: Friends of the MBD Group, cricketer Atul Wassan (left), Ferrari India Director Andreas Deges (extreme right) and wife Astrid, were out in strength to show support for the novel initiative. The leaders: (From right) Sanjay Kapoor, MD of Genesis luxury; Shashank Warty, Delhi VP of The leela Venture, with the host, Sonica Malhotra Kandhari.
Vayalar Ravi, Union Cabinet Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs and former Minister of Civil Aviation
Media minds: (left) Co Founder of 9.9 Media, Dr Pramarth R. Sinha shares his thoughts with DW Columnist and international journalist John Elliott.
“Strength of a democracy lies in the unity of its people and the society. I hope DW understands this philosophy and helps this balance.” Official Chit-chat: (From the left) Ambassador of Argentina H.E. Ernesto C. Alvarez, Counsel General of Grenada S.K. Kandhari, Ambassador of Denmark Freddy Svane with his wife and Ambassador of Austria Dr Ferdinand Maultachl were all spotted at the party, chatting with host Sonica Malhotra Kandhari. Talking about the idea behind DW, Malhotra Kandhari admitted that she drew inspiration from her father, late Mr Ashok Kumar Malhotra.
Overheard: Ajay Bijli (left) and Naveen Kandhari discussing the merits of the media at the launch.
Spotted: Vandy Mehra (from left), designer Jattinn Kochchar along with his better-half, and Mannoj Mehra from SBJ luxury.
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Omar abdullah
“I am on the right track and my efforts for the gradual revocation of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act will continue”
they SaiD it
photoS.com
uptodate FDI in Retail — Coming Soon
Centre mulls implementing the Foreign Direct Investment Policy by March 2012
EConomy\\ The Centre’s decision to allow 51 per cent of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the multi-brand retail sector met with protests in Parliament in November. The Centre had also decided to remove the cap on the single brand format which could pave the way for global chains such as WalMart, Carrefour and Tesco to open mega stores in the country. The decision, which was hailed by the corporate sector, managed to create a deadlock in Parliament. The biggest blow came from within the United Progressive Alliance, with allies Trinamool Congress and DMK raising their voices against the issue. Financial experts predict that the entry of FDI in India will help
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generate employment. With global chains entering the retail market, 80 lakh new jobs will be created. However, due to the impasse in Parliament, the Centre has now decided to put the issue on hold. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, however, is hopeful of implementing the policy by March 2012 after the completion of Assembly Polls in five states. Congress scion Rahul Gandhi has come out in full support of the decision, stating that his party will remain firm on the decision. He also slammed the Opposition for trying to “sabotage” a move which will reportedly grant the Indian farmers a high return on their produce.
51% FDI in the retail sector will create 80 lakh new jobs in India, Centre says
up-to-date
from around the world //
Sehwag does a Sachin, Scores a Double Ton
maoist Top Gun Kishenji Killed CRPF-Maoist encounter in West Bengal brings the end of an era PolITICS\\ With the death of top Maoist leader Koteshwar Rao, alias Kishenji, the third
wave of the Naxalite Movement has reportedly come to an end. He was killed in an encounter with Central Reserve Police Force jawans in Jhargram forest in West Midnapore, West Bengal. According to police sources, a tip-off regarding Kishenji’s presence in the area came from the local people. The Naxalite leader had allegedly convened a meeting of staff committee members there. Several Maoists sympathisers, including poet Varavara Rao, have alleged that Kishenji was killed in a fake encounter like Azad, another Maoist leader. Rao has demanded a judicial probe into the matter. After Kishenji’s death, a group of 100 Maoists gathered in Latehar and avowed to avenge their leader’s death. Following which 10 persons, including eight policemen, were killed in Latehar, when the party members attacked the convoy of MP and former Jharkhand Speaker Inder Singh Namdhari, who escaped unhurt. The Maoist top gun’s death may have dealt a body blow to the rebel leadership in West Bengal, but they still have the men and firepower for retaliatory strikes, believes the Subsidiary Intelligence Bureau — a central intelligence agency. Their report details the status of squads active in Jangalmahal (forest areas of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia).
business
SPorTS\\ Virender Sehwag became the second batsman to hit a double century in One Day International cricket after scoring a fast and furious 219 off 149 balls against West Indies. He reached this milestone at the Holkar Stadium, Indore, on December 8, 2011. The dashing Indian opener raced to the elusive mark in 140 balls when he square-cut Andre Russell for a boundary in the 44th over of the Indian innings, thus eclipsing Sachin Tendulkar who had taken 147 balls to reach there. In the process, Virender Sehwag also became the highest individual scorer in ODI cricket — Tendulkar had scored exactly 200 off 147 balls against South Africa at Gwalior in February 2010. It was a typical Sehwag innings which included 23 boundaries and seven sixes. Sehwag lost his wicket in the 47th over miscuing a shot off Kieron Pollard’s bowling. He was caught by the substitute fielder Anthony Martins. However, by that time India were comfortably placed for a total of over 400 runs.
willow wizarD
Cyrus P. Mistry set to replace Ratan Tata in December 2012: Tata Sons appointed Cyrus P. Mistry as its Deputy Chairman. Mistry will take over from Chairperson Ratan Tata after his retirement in December 2012. He was inducted into the Board in September 2006 and his family has 16.5 per cent stake in Tata Sons. January 2012
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up-to-date
\\ from around the world
Hospital of Death (left) the locked up hospital after the fire. (Below) Fire fighters struggle to lower an elderly patient
Kolkata Hospital Fire Kills
Patients Die as Fire-fighters, Slumdwellers Scramble to Save Lives DISaSTEr\\ Approximately 93 people, mostly
patients, lost their lives to a fire that started in the basement of the privately-owned AMRI Hospital, Kolkata. Though the reason behind the blaze is yet to be ascertained, the fire reportedly started in the basement and swiftly spread up the floors. Most patients in the Intensive Care Unit were choked to death. After the incident, the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee confirmed that six members of the AMRI Board, including industrialist S.K. Modi, had been arrested. The members were later produced in the Alipore Court and were remanded to 10-day police custody. Banerjee also ordered a probe into the fire after cancelling the hospital’s licence, which led to staff protests. For now, the hospital has been sealed off by the authorities. The state government has announced a `3-lakh compensation for the victims’ families or
employment to the next of kin. The AMRI authorities also announced a compensation of `5 lakh for the families and promised to treat the injured for free. Allegedly, the fire was first detected at 1:00am by the people in the neighbourhood. When they tried to warn the hospital authorities, they were driven away by the staff and security, who later fled as the fire spread. Reports state that after spotting smoke pouring out of the windows, the local people forced their way in to the hospital to start an impromptu rescue operation, which led to several lives being saved. Some of these samaritans also called the police and the fire brigade. After the fire, reports of the hospital flouting several fire safety rules poured in. Allegedly, the authorities used the basement to set up an oncology department, a medicine shop, a car park and a waste dumping
Six amrI directors are facing a judicial probe. The hospital’s licence has been revoked
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area when they had an NOC to use it as a car park. Also, one of the hospital structures was reportedly an unauthorised building, lacking fire-fighting equipment. However, the hospital authorities have rubbished all claims and have stated that safety equipment was in place, while regular fire drills were also held. The basement was later checked for radiation, but no leakage was found. So far, the government has ordered an official investigation, led by the state Joint Commissioner Damayanti Sen, and a judicial inquiry, headed by retired Calcutta High Court Judge Tapan Mukherjee. Their investigation has allegedly revealed that the centrally airconditioned building did not have a vertical fire stop which could have prevented smoke from the basement reaching the upper floors. In all centrally air-conditioned buildings, the maintenance shaft at every alternate floor is sealed off by the vertical fire stop that allows only cables carrying electric wires and the air-conditioning duct, which regulates the movement of smoke and air.
up-to-date
from around the world //
&
Salt pepper
discOvery
World awaits a Glimpse of the God Particle SCIEnCE\\ In December 2011, scientists at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), Geneva, announced that they had found signs which pointed to the existence of Higgs Boson or the “God Particle”. A boson is a sub-atomic, fun-
damental particle that provides mass to elementary particles. The Higgs Boson is crucial to understanding the origin of mass at the beginning of the universe. Its discovery could lead us closer to understanding the Big Bang. Scientists working on the £5 bn
Large Hadron Collider, said the final result may be revealed in 2012. The Higgs Boson disappears quickly, making the job of the collider’s Gigapixel camera difficult. For the past two years nearly 8,000 scientists have been working on the discovery.
russia Protests against ‘Rigged Polls’: Calls for Re-election
It beCame VIral anD InDIa CaugHt a feVer — DHanusH’s kolaVerI DI Is tHe tune of tHe town...
“how cool is Kolaveri di!!! slamming it LOUD! well done Dhanush and Aishwarya. big up guys!” abhishek Bachchan | actor
“Just heard #Kolaveri after much talk on it ... its so original and catchy...congrats Dhanush and Aishwarya (Rajni’s daughter)” amitabh Bachchan | actor
“#Kolaveri forced people to face their regional biases and drop them. Very pervasive track.” paresh G. | twitterati
Presidential protests: Citizens throng the streets of moscow. though end-of-the-year revelry has put a comma on the angry voices, observers state that russians were still simmering
InTErnaTIonal PolITICS\\ Thousands of Russians flocked to the streets of Moscow and approximately 95 Russian cities allegedly demanding an end to the 12-year-old “autocratic rule” of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin after he registered himself as an presidential candidate. Around 50,000 protestors sloganeering that “rats should go!” or “swindlers and thieves, give us our elections back!” or “Putin is a thief!” took to the streets in Moscow alone forcing the administration to station the riot police. Also the Opposition — Communist Party — also brought out 3,000-plus supporters for a rally in Moscow’s capital on December 18, 2011, a day after Indian PM Manmohan Singh left Moscow after a successful bilateral meeting with Putin. Candidates who may challenge Putin are Gennady Zyuganov of the Communist Party; Grigory Yavlinsky, a liberal candidate from the Yabloko Party; Sergei Mironov of A Just Russia; and Vladimir Zhirinovsky, leader of the nationalist LDPR. But the star of the show may just be third-richest man in Russia and the country’s most eligible bachelor, NBA owner Mikhail Prokhorov, 46, who announced that he would run as an Independent candidate.
“And to all my north Indian Kolaveri fans, thanks for receiving a Tamil song with warm heart and making it a global song. God bless.” Dhanush K. raja | actor & Singer
“Waiting for Pritam to do his version of Kolaveri. Which will sound exactly like the original one!” ramesh Srivastav | twitterati
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foreign despatches \\ Notes from the dia spor a
Dr munish Kumar raizaDa
Mission India is about giving kids a dose of life” Dr Munish KuMar raizaDa: I went to the United States of America in early 2000 to pursue a super-specialisation in Neonatology, a branch of medicine which was not as advanced in India at that time. Settling in to a new environment was certainly difficult. But I wouldn’t say I got a culture shock. It was more about adapting to new norms of living. In several ways it was a welcome change. I admired the fact that the US government had put systems into place for most things, and that they were usually adhered to; people usually abided by the governing laws. Eventually, I got comfortable with this lifestyle. There were times I would compare India unfavourably to the systems here. I would often wish that things were this organised back home. Though I was happy with my life here and was doing well professionally, I always felt the tug in my heart: to give something back to my community and country. This desire grew stronger every day. But how could I execute it all? As the question became a dilemma, I concluded that simply criticising my country for its quality of life, systems of healthcare and hygiene, would get me nowhere. I thought, “Instead of complaining, why not try to change things for the better?” And that is why I started the Mission India Foundation (MIF). The first step to get closer to my goal was sharing my thoughts with others. So, I spoke to a few friends. It felt good to see that I had likeminded people around me, who shared my enthusiasm to change the status quo. We started working on the practicalities and began mapping out an agenda. To begin with, we were not particularly sure of what we wanted to do. I have always believed that one should do something in which one has a certain expertise. Because my background was in paediat-
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Chicago, USA
Dr Munish KuMar raizaDa:
In his own words, Raizada enjoyed a happy and secure childhood in the small town of Faridabad, Haryana. But his safe childhood didn’t make him oblivious to his surroundings. He developed a keen awareness of social issues, a philanthropic bent of mind and a desire to choose the medical profession. He completed his MBBS from the University of Nagpur, Maharashtra. After a specialisation in paediatrics, he worked at Sarvoday Children’s Hospital, Haryana, for several years. It was a super-specialisation in Neonatology that made him fly across continents to the land of opportunities — the US. He has been living in theUS for nine years now. However, he has not severed his ties to his country. In the mid-2000s he started the Mission India Foundation, immunising children. (You can visit their website at http://www.mifusa.org)
rics, child and maternal healthcare came naturally to me, so that is what we looked at. Once the decision was taken, my friends and I began the paperwork. That took months. In the meantime, we formed a board to monitor the foundation. I knew a few doctors of Indian origin who were working here — we met a couple of times and when I elaborated on my plans, they agreed to help put the idea into action. The next step was to establish ourselves at the right place, and take the programme forward from there. After going back and forth between us a few times, we decided on Narnaul, Haryana. Being a native, I had friends living there and I also knew a few doctors, which would make handling the logistics a whole lot easier. There we were — we had an organisation, a board and a plan — and were all set to pack our medical kits and send them to Narnaul. But the crucial question still remained — we still hadn’t decided what we wanted to send to the village. a lot of research and brainstorming later, we decided to work in the vaccination sector. India makes for a very peculiar case when it comes to vaccination. If you look at the immunisation practices in India, the government launched vaccination programmes in 1978 with vaccines against six diseases — tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, measles, typhoid and polio. In 1985, it revamped its processes and launched the Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP). But not a single vaccine was added to the list. At one end was India with just six vaccines for its kids and on the other side was the US, which
foreign despatches Notes from the dia spor a //
“We don‘t want
to immunise every kid in the country, but we want to spread so much awareness that every child is at least taken to a hospital to get vaccinated”
had 13 vaccines; and the kids here were benefiting from them. Therefore, we thought that rather than duplicating the government model, we would focus on the vaccines recommended by the World Health Organsiation’s Indian Academy of Paediatrics. We started working on setting up vaccination centres, which we wanted to run in collaboration with private doctors. We approached them and introduced them to MIF, its ideology, and then asked them to become our partners. One of the doctors in Narnaul gave us space in his clinic without charging us rent and we were ready. We sent our team of nurses, programme managers and officers there and the doctor was available for us on a pro bono basis. Immunisation is just one side of it; we also want to create awareness — the whole initiative means nothing without people becoming aware about basic healthcare. Soon, We began a community outreach programme, which today has become an essential part of our system. Our team goes to designated villages everyday and distributes pamphlets. We talk to people and advise mothers to bring their children to the vaccination centre. And I feel immensely happy when I say that awareness has come. The villagers have been incredibly receptive to our ideas. They understand that it is something that will benefit them. So, they act on it. This is why the vaccination rate in these areas has gone up. So far, we have covered 17 villages in Narnaul, Haryana, and have immunised 10,000 children there; and we don’t plan to stop any time soon. I do not mean that we will immunise every kid in the country. However, we will keep on spreading awareness, so that every child is at least taken to a hospital to get vaccinated and as many times as needed. The Indian government began a “Measles Catch-up Campaign” in 2010. It provides vaccines in 14 states. We come from a school of thought which believes that measles as a disease requires two shots of a vaccine. In India, only a single shot is given at present. So, we provide the second dose. We might have vaccinated over 10,000 children, but given the country’s population, it is not a huge number. So we will continue our efforts and eventually expand to other states. We are planning the next centre in Rajasthan and then move on to neighbouring states. The question to ask here is, “Is that enough?” If the answer is a
no, then we need to ask ourselves what more we can do. I think that India has a huge under-utilised resource in the form of the private sector. And a vaccination programme definitely needs private initiative. Only 44 per cent of the children in the country are immunised, which is a very small number. In Tamil Nadu and Kerala the rate is higher. But in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh the condition is abysmal. Around 90 per cent of the vaccination industry is in hands of the government. Only 10 per cent is with the private sector. But the private medical sector in India is humongous. Why not exploit available resources to achieve the best possible results? The government needs to think seriously in this direction, because it has become increasingly difficult to get things done back home. There are always bureaucratic hurdles that pop up. In the US, the government makes efforts to enhance the non-profit’s profit; it’s a non-profit business here. But in India the attitude is, “Why are they setting up these centres? What are they going to get out of this and, more importantly, how we are benefiting from this?” These are initial challenges but we don’t let these things affect us. So, despite the non-cooperation of the local governing health authorities, we have been cruising along and have been able to find private partners. Then there is the big question of funding, which is always a problem initially. Since we have only been active for about 20 months, people don’t know much about us, and that is an additional hurdle. But we are trying to raise money through charity events. For example, the “Shots for Shots” fund raiser, which was suggested by one of our volunteers, Neerav Patel. We booked a bar and for each dollar that was contributed, Neerav multiplied it by four. He linked this event with his birthday party, so we invited people who bought tickets and we raised money through that. For Another event, we invited the popular band, Indian Ocean. They came for the fund raiser, people enjoyed the event and that fetched us some money. Other than that, we make use of social media and we do have regular contributors as well, many of whom are on our board. The one aspect that might help speed up the process is if we get more volunteers. They are required to handle the various facets of the organisation — whether it is fund-raising, networking or spreading awareness. In the States we have quite a few people working for us and it’s not only the Indian population which is active, but also the locals. We have medical students of American origin who help with the work and we have an American national called Stephen A. Morales on our board, who is just as committed as the others. In the end, all I can say is that it’s a cause that needs major attention from the people back home. And each person there should try and contribute towards it in whatever way he or she can. (As told to Manjiri Indurkar)
January 2012
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cover story
The ConsCienCe Keeper //
The
ConsCienCe
Keeper Soli J. Sorabjee, former Attorney General of India, has spent almost six decades fighting for human rights and the freedom of expression by AnihA brAr photographs by D.r. lohia
January 2012
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bombay,
1950.
A young mAn from a well-off Parsi family acquired his Bachelor’s degree in Economics, but instead of a sense of achievement, he felt only dissatisfaction. In retrospect, he would have preferred to study literature or philosophy. The 20 year old had lost his father the year before, and he found himself alone at the crossroads as he thought about what to do with the rest of his life. Perhaps it is a fitting co-incidence, then, that Soli Jehangeer Sorabjee chose to enter the profession of law in the same year that the Constitution of India first came into effect. Sorbajee’s relationship with the law was destined to be a life-long affair and bring him many laurels. The man who didn’t quite like the ways of commerce and business and rejected the services because there was no scope for individuality, found an immediate affinity with the legal profession. The first lawyer in the family, he says he had no Godfather in the profession though many people advised him along the way. Soli Sorabjee was admitted to the Bar in 1953 and from the very beginning, he found himself absorbed in questions of human rights. As he says, “The constitution was being drafted at the time and we had a chapter on fundamental rights. And they were not just words on a paper, because you could actually go to court and ask for vindication of fundamental rights for the people when they were infringed. That definitely influenced me.” It was an exciting time
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to be a lawyer, as many of the greatest minds in the country —Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, B R Ambedkar (to name a few) — had their roots in the profession. Like many students at the time, it was unlikely that Sorabjee would be untouched by current events. However, he shrugs off his involvement in his characteristic understated manner. “My only contribution was when Gandhiji was having a meeting at the time of the Quit India movement. The police came and broke up the meeting. I didn’t go to jail or anything; just got a baton on my shoulder and went running away.” Sorabjee’s battles would be fought in a different arena — the court rooms.
no ordinAry life It was an era when names like Nanabhoy ‘Nani’ Palkhiwala, Homi Bhabha and Bhulabhai Desai commanded respect and recognition. He joined the chambers of respected lawyer Sir Jamshedji Kanga and counted Palkhiwala and Bhabha among his seniors. A gold medallist in college, he did not have quite the dream start to his career that he had hoped for. “I was supposed to ask for an adjournment on my first case. It was a simple matter — and the court didn’t give it! It wasn’t really of great material impact and no harm came of it, but I was most downcast,” he laughs as he remembers that day. True to form, though, the incident only spurred him on to strive harder and “never get too disappointed.”
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landmark Cases for soli sorabjee s r bommAi vs Union of indiA (1989): s r bommai was the chief minister of Karnataka in 1989 and due to some legislators withdrawing support for his ministry, had to prove his majority. he was denied the chance and president’s rule was ordered under article 356 of the constitution. the supreme court judgement in the case essentially laid down the conditions under which state governments may be dismissed, and mechanisms for that process. a floor test was made a mandatory condition to test the stability of any state government before getting it out of power. sATwAnT singh vs d rAmArAThnAm, AssisTAnT pAssporT offiCer (1967): till 1967, there was no law enacted to regulate the grant or refusal of passport. the entire matter rested in the absolute discretion of the
That was a lesson well learnt and Sorabjee had little to be disappointed about as he went on to become one of the finest legal brains in the country. A little over 20 years after he first started, he was appointed Solicitor General of India. In 1998, he became the Attorney General of the country, a post he would hold till 2004. He was presented with the Padma Vibhushan in 2002 for his defence of the freedom of expression and protection of human rights. Over almost 60 years of representing the State and in private practice, Soli Sorabjee has left an indelible mark on Indian jurisprudence. As Attorney General during the government of Prime Minister VP Singh, he tackled Union Carbide after the Bhopal gas tragedy. The government of India sued the company and agreed to a settlement for the victims (who numbered in the tens of thousands). However, one of the clauses gave Union Carbide officials immunity from prosecution for actions of the past and the future. Sorabjee successfully overturned these “absurd” clauses which “could not be sustained constitutionally”. In private practice, too, he kept the banner of the “rule of law” flying high. A case he remembers with relish is the now famous S.R. Bommai vs Union of India in 1989, which dealt with the imposition of President’s rule (under Article 356 of the constitution) in an Indian state. Sorabjee successfully defended Bommai and the case set
authorities uncontrolled by any enacted law. after the judgement, the passport act 1967 was enacted to regulate grant or refusal of passports. bAlCo employees Union vs Union of indiA (2001): the government’s decision to disinvest m/s bharat aluminum company limited (balco), was challenged by its employees. among other legal issues, it was said that the disinvestment was contrary to their legal and social interests. the case laid down the principles that the court cannot interfere in matters of policy, unless it was proved to be mala fide. since this was not proved in this instance, the disinvestment went through.
the benchmark for all future dealings between the Centre and states regarding the imposition of President’s rule. In another instance — and one for which all international travellers can thank Sorabjee — he successfully persuaded the Supreme Court to hold that in a matter concerning the fundamental right of a person to travel abroad, the total absence of any law would result in arbitrariness and would violate the principle of the Rule of Law. After the judgement, the Passport Act 1967 was enacted to regulate the grant and refusal of passports. Even today, he justifiably considers this case to be a feather in his cap.
everymAn’s AdvoCATe These are just glimpses at a list of achievements that would fill the pages of a rather thick book. No matter at what post and which case he worked on, Sorabjee’s belief in equality before the law shines through. So what happened in instances where his personal beliefs clashed with his brief, especially when he was Attorney General? “I would have returned the brief. If the case involved arguing against those principles that I believed in and which would go against the constitution, then I wouldn’t do it. Even when asked to be amicus curiae (someone, not a party to a case, who volunteers to offer information to assist a court in deciding a matter) by
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“Jawaharlal nehru had an international outlook and was not at all parochial. i also liked his writings a lot, especially the Discovery of india” —soli sorabjee
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“What really motivated us all was the fact that
we didn’t like the persecution of any minority group” —soli sorabjee
the Supreme Court, it’s not that I would take an antigovernment stand or pro-government stand. I would simply tell the court what the correct position in law is, according to my understanding.” The victims of the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 also found a champion in the diminutive lawyer, who was part of the Citizens Justice Committee that voluntarily represented many of them free of charge. For Soli Sorabjee his involvement with the cause boils down to one simple fact – his sense of injustice. “What really motivated us all was the fact that we didn’t like the persecution of any minority group and in that case it happened to be the Sikhs,” says the man who rues the fact that poor police investigations and insufficient evidence resulted in many of the cases dragging on for years.
CensUring Censorship Apart from his spirited defense of civil liberties and human rights, Soli Sorbajee’s has also been the strongest voice raised against censorship and for the freedom of the press. The roots of his conviction perhaps lie in the imposition of the Indian Emergency in June 1975, which lasted for 21 months. During this period, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi time effectively had the power to suspend elections and civil liberties. The media felt the impact as well, as the press became almost completely muzzled. The very notion of the Emergency went against the grain for the libertarian Sorabjee, and he immersed himself in the representation of detainees and journalists. Many times, this was work done free of charge. He also used his legal mind to good effect and brought ingenuity into play when his path was blocked. In those years even judgements that went against the government were not allowed to be published. He got around the problem by writing a book called The Law of Censorship. It was a sort of treatise on the law — what it was during British times, principles of censorship, etc. — and in the
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tracK tales an avid fan of horse racing, sorabjee once owned 12 race horses himself
process, he referred to all the judgements that were not allowed to be published, thereby documenting them for posterity. Of course, there were social consequences to his actions at a time when even most newspapers lived in fear of reprisals. Even though he chooses to downplay the effects of his work, he does admit that those were difficult times. “I was really looked upon as someone not to be closely associated with. Because I was an opponent of emergency, tracking cases, getting orders struck down, etc., I was not exactly ostracised, but very clearly avoided.” To this date, Sorabjee has strong views on interfering with the press, the banning of books and movies and in fact, censorship in all forms. The recent verdict against a major news channel for erroneous identification of a public personality and awarding of damages of `100 crore, offends his sense of what is right. “It is, to my mind, settled law that excessive damages chills freedom of the press, freedom of expression and offends the doctrine of proportionality and so cannot be sustained in law,” are his final words on the subject. With his long history of defending journalists, he has a predictable response to the current raging debate to bring in laws to monitor the conduct of the press. “I don’t like media being policed. And I don’t like the chairman of the Press Council coming out with all sorts of statements, one of them being that ‘media should not say anything about astrology because that is superstition.’ Now I don’t believe in astrology, but other people do and what’s wrong with that? The other thing that I was astonished about was his saying that there was excessive attention to cricket! Arre baba, cricket is a national passion. So I don’t want anyone's subjective opinions coming in to censoring the media on the grounds of what should or should not be done. Whatever cannot be done is in the Constitution.”
professionAl inTegriTy As you spend time with the man who has been a role model to many lawyers, you find it a refreshing change to speak to someone who actually believes in the causes he represents. Words like ‘rule of law’, ‘justice’ and ‘equality’ hold genuine meaning for the man who has been on an unending quest to defend them. For him, the only alternative being governed by the law is the descent into becoming "a police raj". Though soft-spoken and blessed with the lawyer’s ability to turn a phrase, the passion seeps into his voice as Soli Sorabjee speaks forcefully about the profession he has dedicated his life to.
“What is forgotten is that law is essentially a serviceoriented profession. I always tell people that if they want to make money in a really short time, there’s nothing wrong with that, but then don’t come into the profession of law. Real estate business karo, importexport business karo, law me nahi aana. Lawyers also don’t live on love and fresh air, but if the idea is to make a mini fortune in a short time, then that is a wrong mind-set with which to enter the profession.” He believes that senior lawyers should be asked to attend at least one matter free of charge every
insight | c raj Kumar
“he is deeply committed to the causes he believes in”
i
firsT met mr soli J. sorabjee in 1995 when i was at the Faculty of law, university of Delhi. as the convenor of the constitutional law society, i met him at his office and invited him to our campus. i expected it to be a short meeting, but he spent more than an hour with me discussing a range of issues relating to constitutional law. i was particularly impressed by his humility and simplicity as it was rare for advocates of his standing to give so much time to a law student. the defining characteristic of mr sorabjee is a passionate commitment to human rights, constitutional principles and justice. he has a remarkable knowledge of law, but what distinguishes him is his ability to draw upon strong philosophical and jurisprudential foundations of law. his sharp analytical skills, his excellent oratorical skills and his ability to combine wit and wisdom are all amazing traits that make him a lawyer par excellence. he was also the chairman of the selection committee which selected me as a rhodes scholar. we had an animated argument about a number of issues including human rights, C. rAj KUmAr Vice chancellor, op Jindal torture and prison reforms. it did not feel like an global university interview when it came to questions from him as he was keen to hear my views. i will always cherish that fantastic experience. since then, we have had many opportunities to work together. when i was a student at harvard law school, we invited him to speak at a conference on human rights. he was the attorney general of india at that time and continued to reflect humility and grace. many years later when i was teaching in hong Kong i worked on a book entitled: human rights, Justice and constitutional empowerment. i reached out again to mr sorabjee. every time i have asked him to contribute to any initiatives connected with promoting human rights and justice, he has always accepted with pleasure. this is a remarkable trait, demonstrating commitment to the causes one believes in. this is something i wish young lawyers would take a cue from. i believe the most important lesson to learn from him is his commitment to using public interest lawyering to seek government accountability in all spheres.he has always stood for the lawyer's role as a conscience keeper of society.
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distinguished service soli sorabjee was awarded the padma Vibhushan in 2002 for his defence of the freedom of expression and protection of human rights
month and applauds those who do. He admits sadly that lawyers do not command the respect that they used to and abhors the practice of overcharging clients. He sees this current commercial trend in almost every profession and refers to it as the “Kaun Banega Crorepati” factor, rueing the fact that nobody seems to be asking “Kaun Banega Desh Ka Sewak”. When asked about corruption in the judicial system, he believes in accountability and a strong regulatory body, but asserts that “the higher judiciary cannot be brought under the Lokpal. Lay people and others can’t judge them. Accountability is important, but judicial independence is equally important and can’t be compromised.” Even if the Lokpal Bill was to bring High Court and Supreme Court judges under its ambit, Sorabjee believes that the provision could be challenged. It goes without saying that along with the rest of the nation, he will be tracking the progress of the Lokpal Bill very keenly.
insight | Zia mody
“i realise that my father is a legend. his legacy is a source of pride”
L
ZiA mody partner, aZb & partners
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aw was around Papa at dinner tables, parties or conversations–it was very much a part of him. As a father, he was extremely affectionate, but very distracted. He would often forget how old we were and my mother would remind him. Sunday lunch was often the only meal that we would have together, and I remember them as noisy times. My parents would fight over the merit of the dishes. It was often the only time when my otherwise inattentive father would try to catch up by asking us about the week that was past, homework, our extra curricular activity, etc. He was very physically demonstrative and would always be hugging me and my siblings and pulling our cheeks. He
January 2012
was a typical Parsi father: loud, good spirited and always pulling our leg. I remember the rare holidays that we would take while he was in Mumbai. My father would go for a walk making sure that we were “stuck” in a room with blaring jazz or classical music. Or, he would take us to the woods in Mahabaleshwar and read out portions of Shakespeare's sonnets. He did consciously try to incorporate a love for classical music and literature in us. And he succeeded as well. Despite his involvement in a number of high-profile human rights cases, the only time when I felt a particular stress was during the Emergency. At that time, dad had just written a book, The Law of Press Censorship in India. The times were tense, a lot of people were getting arrested, one of them being former Chief Justice Chawla,
who had voiced his dissent against the government. My father was distressed and doing all that he could to make the situation better. In 1977 he shifted to Delhi and we got to see less of him, though by then we had all grown up. As for him influencing me to take up law, ever since I remember I wanted to be a lawyer. When I completed my first stint in America, I came back to India and entered litigation, just like Papa. Then in the eighties the markets opened up and I decided to switch my sector. My father was very, very upset about that. He wanted me to be a counselor or a judge. He thought that my decision was a financial one and not about making society better. Till today, he sporadically complains about my decision, but we have both learnt to come to terms with our individual decisions.
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“I like Jazz for its
improvisations. it affects my legal practice
because I go with 2-3 pages of notes and then improvise”
he lAw cAn be a hard taskmaster and one would imagine that a man who lives his profession would have little time left over to spend with family. Indeed, Sorabjee admits that he did not go on picnics or interact with his children as much as he would have wished to. His career also necessitated the move away from his family from Mumbai to Delhi, where he lives today. However, some of his ideals and zest for living did filter down to the next generation. Of his three children, his elder son chose medicine “and he is not a mercenary doctor at all”, while the younger son is editor of a magazine on autocars, a passion that his father doesn’t share, “except to ask him which car to buy”. But his daughter, Zia Mody, followed in her father’s footsteps and is now a partner at AZB and Partners, a leading law firm. Though she initially did litigation and went to court every day like her father, she admits that he was “very upset” when she decided to switch to corporate law. Today, the father-daughter duo agrees to disagree on the issue. Reading about Soli Sorabjee, you might visualise an old man, surrounded by tomes and legal treatises, with little desire to think beyond the law. But you would be wrong. Enter his office and, while you will find books lining the walls from floor to ceiling, you will also find stacks of old records on the shelves. Names like Archie Shaw and John Coltrane leap out at the visitor. Ask him about his collection and a gleam enters his eye as a smile of pure joy lights up his face — you know that you are
The Clarinetists a lifelong Jazz enthusiast and clarinet player in his youth, sorabjee counted the great benny goodman oodman (right) as a good friend
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sorabjee speaks… on whAT he reAds: anything by shakespeare, especially his sonnets. his play hamlet is one that i find something new in each time i read it
gillespie with charlie parker arker and then lester young with billie holiday or, of course, John coltrane
on plAying The ClArineT: it’s in the past now, because the clarinet is a difficult instrument in the sense that you must religiously practice. otherwise, you’ll squeak and take out horrible sounds
on food: i like biryani and i like good fish. but the only thing i cook is my own goose!!
on hindi films (being from mUmbAi): i hardly speak hindi so hardly follow the films. i’ve told so many people i want a hindi teacher, but they don’t take me seriously. i won’t be able to read and write now, but maybe conversation? i make such faux pas in this bawaji hindi that i speak half the time on 3 fAvoUriTe reCords: one is a benny goodman. another is a Dizzy
“it was tremendous being in sir Jamshedji Kanga's chambers. apart from a mentor, he was a revered figure” —soli sorabjee
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finAlly, on The meAning of jUsTiCe: where every person, whatever his religion, race or status, can at least live a life of human dignity – and where he can get his due to the extent possible in this imperfect world. oppression: denial of justice. exploitation: xploitation: denial of justice. intolerance: ntolerance: also denial of justice. and nd to my mind the greatest menace and curse of them all is intolerance
in the presence of an avid Jazz fan. As a young man in college, he had the distinction of forming the SS Quartet (no prizes for guessing what the SS stood for!), an instrumental jazz band. With Sorabjee on the clarinet, the foursome even got some time on the airwaves at All India Radio. As he blows the dust off the jacket and lovingly slides out a prize LP, he remembers some of the Jazz greats that he counted as friends, foremost among them being Benny Goodman. “He got me a clarinet at a discount with the promise that I would rehearse and practice regularly. I told him ‘Benny baba maaf karo. You don’t know the legal profession here in India — I can’t do it.’ So he gave it to my grandson.” Small wonder, then, that his grandchildren recall a time when the strains of Jazz would come pouring out of his house in Mumbai. Sorabjee has been a supporter and patron of the cause in India, helping to organise the annual Jazz Yatra to this day. He has had occasion to mix with some of the brightest stars in the Jazz firmament and still remembers a visit that the famous Dizzy Gillespie made to his house decades ago. When it was time for dinner, he offered the singer- composer
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bonding with the bard sorabjee's favourite way to relax is with the works of shakespeare, preferably in a quiet park with few people around
and trumpet player dhansak (a traditional Parsi dish), which Gillespie ate in copious quantities. Sorabjee still remembers thinking, “I hope nothing happens to him because he won’t be able to perform and those fellows will be after me.” Gillespie went on to perform the next day, but the incident still elicits a chuckle from the man who hosted the dinner. For most of us, music is a form of relaxation and food for the soul. For Sorabjee, Jazz is also a source of inspiration. As he explains it, “Actual rehearsals of Jazz are improvisations. And that’s one of the reasons I like it and it affects my legal practice. I don’t make solid notes going into 30 pages. I just go with two to three pages and then improvise. You think you have a good point and then you realise it's not making any headway. So then you improvise.” We leave Soli Sorabjee at the door to his residencecum-chambers, still holding a record in his hands, with a stack of books at his elbow. With impeccable manners, he shakes hands with one person and pats another on the head. As he shuffles back to his desk, we know that though age has slowed his gait, time has not dimmed his ardour for the task at hand. The passionate 20 year old who started this journey still lives on in the older man’s body. The cause of justice is still being served by its strongest defender.
IAm The Coat Fr ench Connect i on AHMEDABAD |AMRI TSAR |BANGALORE |CHANDI GARH |CHENNAI|DELHI HYDERABAD |J ALANDHAR |J AMMU |KOLKAT A |LUDHI ANA |MUMBAI|PUNE f r enchconnect i on. i n
social agenda \\ CrowdSourCing
Whose Influence Is It Anyway? a bunch of algorithms seem to be in control of your persona and clout on the social web. But you could take charge and make it work for you By Mala Bhargava
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social agenda CrowdSourCing //
O
n the social web, everyone is not born equal. And indeed what would be the whole point if they were? Right from the start of the social networks, it has been clear that some people have social influence, while most others just have a presence, sometimes a rather noisy one. But what constitutes influence online is still a question that is being fought over fiercely today. On one side you have those who create social measurement tools; clever applications that track your activity on social networks and the response of people in your social communities, presenting you with wonderful looking graphs and scores that look as if you can’t argue with them. On the other hand there are regular “peeps” or people like you and I, who are getting uncomfortable with their influence being whittled down to a number by a bunch of algorithms.
HIts & MIsses of 2011 tWItter the arab Spring and the anna Hazare movement both made use of twitter to spread the word around. it provided them a platform to mobilise the crowd, keep the world informed and send peace messages. twitter emerged as a hero of the virtual world.
tuMblr who rules the blogging arena? tumblr does! this newbie, with its social networking-like interface and features that let you post text, images, videos, links and audio, is the coolest place to blog or should we say tumblelog.
Apple IpHone 4s “if you don’t have an iPhone, you don’t have an iphone,” a tagline whose worth only an apple user will know. with apps like tweetDeck, a fast and free twitter app and uface, where you create cool caricatures, social networking is not just fun; it’s a joyride!
GooGle+ with intentions of creating “ripples” in the cyber space, Google+ launched itself as the new adda for the hip and the happening. it created a lot of noise, but failed to make an impact. So if you are not on “plus” you are not missing anything!
Dozens of web-based applications measure your social influence. But the big daddy of the lot is perhaps Klout, which defines itself as the standard in influence. Head to klout.com and sign in with your Twitter account. If you’re at all active, you’ll see your K-score. Think of it as a percentile, with 100 being the maximum level of influence possible. Check other peoples’ K-scores using their Twitter handles and you’ll see the differences and it will start to make sense. Graphs will help you make detailed comparisons of your influence style. The day-today progression of your score helps you spot when you were most active and engaged. An analysis of your score quantifies your reach and potential on your networks — you can add Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+. Your Klout dashboard, profile, friends and lists give you additional information you can act on right from within the Klout interface. For instance, you can see who influences you and who you influence. The topics that are most discussed are also presented and you can choose to continue the conversation, leveraging their popularity. Also, rather useful is the set of suggestions on who is influential in your network. You can use this to start up conversations with them, because, after all, engaging with influential people adds to your own clout. The graphs are pretty and the logic seductive. My score of 58, which I suspect is trying to keep pace with my body weight, is not bad. But on closer examination I find that it seems to be influential about politics; a remote possibility since I tend to ignore politics and hope it will just go away. A few random tweets on something that may have made me indignant obviously resonated with a large number of people
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bloG WAtcH
and went viral. That doesn’t mean I am politically influential. Another spike, with a lasting impact on my Klout analysis, happened when I made an unfortunate spelling mistake in one of my tweets. It obviously amused my networks, but surely that does not make me the gold standard in typos? It’s easy enough to ‘game’ the system. A Hollis Tibbetts set up a fake Twitter account, following and unfollowing people randomly and retweeting wholly uninteresting updates. It was a deliberate attempt to have zero clout. Imagine his surprise when he looked in after a few weeks of this, and found he had a healthy K-score of 37 points. Because of Klout’s steadily increasing clout, the K-score has begun to be taken seriously. Recently, they added a perks section where people with high scores get freebies, discounts and privileges of all kinds. Even the chance to pick up equity in startups. Imagine, however, getting an upgrade to business class on an airline based on your K-score, which in turn may be based on a spelling error. Surely, this is influence gone all wrong. You can notch up scores at many other social analytics services — and get an ego boost in the bargain. But true influence will come about when you are in charge of it; when you can take the very same tools and work them with your own understanding of who you are and what you want to achieve via your social networks. Months ago, I found myself unsettled by the description of my style online. Apparently I was an activist. That didn’t come out of the blue but from the fact that I may have tended to tweet more about things that made me indignant and less about my interpretation of happenings in my sphere of knowledge and expertise. Carefully, and over time, I steered the engagement in the desired direction and not only increased my K-score but moved from activist to specialist. So the same system that can be gamed to churn out garbage can also be used intelligently to let you decide the dimensions of your own influence. Mala Bhargava is editorial Director at 9.9 media and is a tech writer. She is also the author of that’s it, a regular column on personal computers in Business world
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Waiting, for Sachin So another day passes without a tendulkar hundred. i’m beginning to understand what one of my grand uncles, a son of a farmer, meant when he spoke of villagers assembling in the main square, gazing up at the sky and waiting for rain. Day after arid day they waited. they all knew it would rain some day; they just weren’t sure when. over the past eight months, as india played against several opponents, tendulkar has been playing a series of his own: against his 100th international ton. He’s got past 50 six times and crossed 90 twice. Some of these innings have come with an irresistible fluency; some have changed the course of games. But when has anything tendulkar done ever been enough? life’s come a full circle. in the ‘90s, tendulkar’s dismissal meant the end of india’s chances. at the wankhede Stadium, in a deadrubber, on a flat pitch, tendulkar’s dismissal stripped the game of context. there was a time when many of tendulkar’s hundreds came in indian defeats; now indian victories ring hollow without a tendulkar century. the last eight months have also given us a peek into the world of Bradman. Since march 12, 2011, tendulkar has been expected to score a 100 every time he walked in to bat, a heist that the Don pulled off every time he took strike. For Bradman, a century was “average”. tendulkar averages a shade above 56, but half-centuries don’t appear to mean much these days — he’s been expected to raise the bar. every time tendulkar is halted at the pearly gates, he tips his hat to
Siddharth Vaidyanathan
the Don, enhancing his legend, his remarkable oddity. it’s only fitting that tendulkar now has 99 centuries and a 94 in his most recent innings. Bradman, though, operated in a different ecosystem. when he began his final innings at the oval, needing four runs to finish with an average of 100, not many people at the ground knew about the possible record. there were no colossal marketing campaigns, no ready editorial packages. there were no hundred gold coins. what makes tendulkar’s journey staggering is that there is absolutely no doubt about where it’s going to end. Sure, he may miss a few chances but we know the moment will arrive. if not this month, the next; if not this year, the next. there’s a timelessness about this, a cricketing clock halted, history suspended. my brother-in-law, a Sachin fanatic, summed it up when he said gloomily: “i wish he had scored those six runs. we could have then continued with our lives.” the wait continues but the result is a given. it has always been. Barring his walk-on-water epics at Sharjah, tendulkar’s achievements aren’t bolts out of the blue; they’re inevitable tidal waves. the hundred will arrive, come hell or high water. ever since he was 16, greatness has been expected of him. there’s been no question of him not delivering on the promise. He knows it. we know it. and history, sure as hell, knows it. (the blogger writes under the name Sidvee. to follow his blog visit: http:// sidveeblogs.wordpress.com/. and to follow him on twitter visit: http://twitter.com/sidvee/)
Food Lounge & Bar
platform Ashok MAlik | Political Journalist
Whither 2012?
What is on the cards for India’s future in the new year?
In theory, the arrival of a new year and the opening days of January are meant to signal hope, optimism and renewal. Life and politics don’t always pan out that way. India begins 2012 with trepidation, as it has done several times in the recent past, but also with a new form of trepidation. The gloom of a December or of the final weeks of a year has often flowed into the next. This has happened at least three times in the past 12 years in India. The year 2002 arrived about a fortnight after the terror attack on Parliament, with a war already underway in Afghanistan and troop mobilisation and public anger suggesting the likelihood of an India-Pakistan conflict as well. There was less danger of a formal war in 2009, but the 26/11 attack about a month before the new year began had made India seem really small and vulnerable. And it patently had an impact on our public and political morale. In 2000, the hangover on January 1 was not so much a result of a postmidnight jamboree as of the surren-
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der in Kandahar the previous day and the release of three terror suspects in a ransom game that found India thoroughly trumped. All of the previous examples are related to security concerns. However, if the mood is sombre in the opening lap of 2012, it is not because of fears of terrorism — those are there in the mix, of course, but not quite on top of the mind — as much as due to the economy. In the second half of 2011, India’s economic indices began to sink rapidly. The stock markets, the rupee’s value, the export earnings and FDI inflows: all of these declined. Investment in new capacities not just stagnated but actually contracted in some sectors. Overall, there was pessimism and worry about the future of the India story. India faces perhaps its most severe economic challenge since the beginning of the liberalisation process in 1991. For an entire generation, this is unprecedented. Especially for those who came of age in the past decade and have taken a booming job market and at least eight per cent
about tHe writer Ashok Malik has been a political journalist for over 20 years. He is now an independent columnist living in new Delhi and writing for a variety of publications, both in india and internationally. His area of focus is india’s political economy and foreign policy and their increasing intersection.
growth rates for granted, this is a big shock. No doubt, it will have an effect on politics. Indeed, the efficacy and energy with which the government responds to the economic situation may well be the touchstone that decides its survival. Given the policy paralysis and defeatism that gripped the UPA government in 2011, an observer cannot offer much hope. The likely prognosis, one increasingly popular in the corridors of power in Lutyens’ Delhi, is guided by the belief that the government has lost its nerve and that despite his best intentions Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has lost control of the economy. In this view, the end of 2012 will only take us closer to a midterm election, if not actually host one. It is a sobering thought that there is much that can go wrong with this government even now. The 2G scandal may not have claimed its final target in the Union cabinet. The pressure will expectedly mount on the prime minister in the coming months — how much did he know, when did he know, what did he do
platform
A shok MAlik // Have an opinion about tHis column? WisH to sHare your tHougHts and ideas on tHis montH’s issue?
— Write to us at editorial@democraticworld.in
to stop his former telecom minister implementing a wrong-headed policy or, at best, introducing distortions in a chosen policy? That aside, should the Congress do poorly in the Uttar Pradesh elections in May 2012, it will be a setback for Rahul Gandhi, the party’s future face, and leave it contemplating question marks in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha election. The election of the next president (July 2012) and vice-president (August) will then become an excruciating priority, given that the Congress and UPA may or may not have enough votes in the electoral college — which comprises national parliamentarians and state legislators, each of them with a weighted ballot, depending on the size of electorate — to easily send a trusted nominee to Rashtrapati Bhawan. If this scenario plays out, the government will have no breathing space for economic reform or almost any sort of clear-headed policy. It will be in fire-fighting mode till late summer and inevitably find itself bruised and bloodied. After that it could take only an accident to bring the edifice down and an early election could be upon us, maybe 12-18 months before the scheduled May 2014 date. Is there an alternative and a happier scenario for the UPA government? What if the bad news on the economy has peaked? In December the Reserve Bank halted the interest rate surge of the past 20 months.
What if the bad news on the economy has peaked? In December the RBI halted the interest rate surge of the past 20 months. By March or thereabouts, interest rates may begin to come down. This will reverse the negative mood in business” By March or thereabouts, interest rates may begin to come down. This will reverse some of the negative mood in business, albeit gradually. A loose monetary policy in Europe — where central banks will essentially have to print notes to somehow kickstart economic activity — could see inflows into the Indian capital markets and make the Sensex look up. All of this may not mean much for the real economy in the short run, but could nevertheless boost sentiment. That aside if, as the prime minister insists, FDI in multi-brand retail and in civil aviation too perhaps will be pushed through early in 2012, then the newspaper headlines could seriously change. Finally, of course, much will depend on the Congress’ performance in the Uttar Pradesh polls, where it won 22 seats out of the 403 in 2007 — but the party projected to do better this year. The question is: how much better? If it goes up to, say, 35 to 40 seats or so then it isn’t much of an improvement. If it climbs to 70 odd, as some opinion polls are suggesting, then
the party will have definite cause to celebrate. It could find itself forming a government in Lucknow — even if as part of an alliance — for the first time since 1990. A thumbs up for Rahul Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh, combined with the beginnings of a good news on the economy front, may have the Congress smelling its chances. It could conclude that the next Lok Sabha election is still salvageable. True, that would entail a massive reversal of trends and constitute a complete turnaround from things as they stood at the end of 2011. Even so the UPA government will win crucial time and the fears of a mid-term parliamentary poll will recede. So which of those two scenarios — the Congress tumbling further and further or the Congress looking to recover at least on some grounds under a new leader — will hold true? Making any prediction in January is absolutely hazardous. Yet by the middle of 2012 we should have a definitive answer. The views expressed in this column are of the author alone.
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Life in TechnicoLour
Some of us pick up an odd book or bad habit from our cousins. At the age of 12 Amit Heri picked up the guitar. Fortunately, his infatuation with the “cool instrument” soon turned to true love. The bond grew so deep that after college he decided to pursue music. His businessman father might have been apprehensive, nonetheless his passion and the scholarship to Berklee College of Music, Boston, turned the tide in his favour. It was in college that he was “blown away” by the Blues. Today, the master of Jazz and Blues is one of the handful of Indians who have played at the London, Montreux and Berlin Jazz festivals. So, just how many guitars does this master own? “Between the US and India, I have two homes and 11 guitars.” And, he has a few more on his wish-list.
“I feel at peace while playing the guitar. At the same time, if I am not at peace I can’t really play” 30
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AmIt HerI | Guitarist, Musician
Screaming guitarS Yamaha FG700S Acoustic Guitar (his first instrument gifted to him by his father) Godin (Heri endorses the brand) ES-339 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar (It's a classic and a beauty)
On hiS WiShliSt More Godin (Since he endorses the brand, he is certainly entitled to a few)
PhotoGraPh by sAggove rAdHAkrIsHnA | rePorted by mAnjIrI IndurkAr
issue | a closer look at the AFSPA
the battle for Peace
With the return of calm in pockets, there is a call to repeal the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, in many border states. In the absence of a political solution, experts discuss the role of the army By AnihA BrAr aFSPa in brieF tO uSe force and fire upon offenders, even up to the point of causing them death tO PrOhibit the assembly of large groups of people and the carrying of illegal weapons tO be able to arrest without a warrant any offender or suspect tO enter and search premises and even destroy those that are arms dumps, hide-outs, or terrorist training camps
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March 2000: Unknown people come into a village located in Anantnag district, Kashmir. They round up the Sikh men and massacre 36 of them. Five days later, military forces state that five “foreign militants” responsible for the crime have been gunned down. After allegations of DNA cover-ups and a long-drawn out case, it is proved that this was a “false encounter”. In 2006, five Indian army personnel are found guilty. March 2010: Three civilians are killed in an encounter in Machil sector of Kupwara district along the Line of Control. Shown as an incident of terrorist infiltration, later inquiries by the army itself reveal the culpability of at least two officers along with a Special Police Officer in a case of innocents being killed. The Army conveys its readiness to act against the concerned personnel, however, the state government wishes to try them in a civil court. DeceMber 2010: Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain takes charge of 15 Corps in Srinagar and declares the year 2011 ‘Year of the Kashmiri Awam’. He holds public sunwais, organises sports tournaments and invites locals to iftaar parties. The atmosphere between the military and civilians warms up. OctOber 2011: In the midst of talks between the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and the Centre on the partial removal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act — or AFSPA — three successive grenade attacks injure Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. They disrupt the valley after a long time of peace.
January 2012
These are incidents picked at random from decades of military presence in civilian areas along the borders of India. This is also the atmosphere in which the AFSPA is being hotly contested and defended. From politicians to journalists and military forces to human rights organisations, everyone is part of the debate. In times when traditional warfare has been replaced by cross-border infiltration and terrorism, it is no easy matter to decide whether the presence of the army — and therefore, the Act under which it functions — is a draconian measure or a functional necessity. The AFSPA was passed in September 1958 for seven North Eastern states — Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura. It was later extended to Jammu and Kashmir in 1990. In essence, the Act provided army officers and other senior ranks special powers. The provisions in the Act are commensurate with many provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) provided to police personnel. However, the Act also states that no prosecution or other legal proceedings can be instituted except with the previous sanction of the Central Government, against any person for anything done in the exercise of the powers conferred by this Act. This clause has been the most vigorously attacked by civil rights groups and the most strenuously defended by the army. DW spoke to a government interlocutor and experts from the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (jointly) for their perspectives on the Issue of the month.
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A cloSer look At AFSPA //
raDha Kumar
Trustee, Delhi Policy Group
Prof radha Kumar is one of the three appointed interlocutors in the J&K area. a specialist on ethnic conflicts and peace processes, she is also on the india international centre’s Programme advisory Group for Security and a member of council for Security co-operation in asia Pacific, india raDha KuMar// We (the interlocutors) were appointed by the Government of India through the Home Ministry and reported to the Home Minister. Our interlocution description was that we were to hold the widest possible dialogue with every section of public opinion in the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), and to come up with ideas on how a political solution could be found. We spoke to the major political party leaders and the dissident groups, community groups, clerics, media, trade unions, intelligentsia, women and youth. By and large they desperately want to move into a peace-building phase. That ranges from not wanting checks, curfews, ID production — all that business of being a suspect in one’s own milieu. I want to be practical rather than ideal on the matter of the AFSPA. First of all, every democratic country has special protection
for its armed forces, especially in the line of combat. What is out of the ordinary is that it is a law that was crafted specifically for internal domestic duties. And it was meant to be a temporary law when it was first passed for the Northeastern states. And in that sense, I feel that it ought to be reviewed, because the powers that you have for the armed forces should be contained in the Army Act itself or in the core permanent legislation that applies to the military. On the issue of internal duties, it’s an abnormal situation and it needs to be looked at as such. We have left our army in place for decades in these domestic situations. In the North-East, we’re talking 50-60 years and in Kashmir, around 20 years. That’s much too long for a temporary Act and we need to see why it has been so difficult to find a lasting political solution to some of these conflicts.
This is a phase in which the army has progressively withdrawn from many of the domestic duties in J&K. That is good news and it is a fact that militant attacks are at an all-time low compared to even five years ago. You could argue that the state is prepared to move into a peace-building phase. But when it comes to the partial removal of the AFSPA, there’s no doubt that the army is justified in having operational concerns. If the army has to pursue counter-insurgency, then it has to be understood that it is not limited to one area alone. In principle, I do believe that armies, by virtue of the nature of their profession in democratic countries, have the right to special protection. But they have to be seen to be completely fair in taking up cases of human rights abuses and other offences, which it has not proven itself to be thus far. The army has also perhaps been maligned to some extent, but it will still have to do better. At the high point of the armed conflict, it would be unrealistic to expect that there would not be all sorts of violations. But in the present case, while we know that infiltration has increased this year, you do not have much armed conflict. Therefore, it would be possible to make sure that there are absolutely no human rights violations. It is a fact that they have done between 80-100 courts martial, approximately, in J&K alone. That’s a very large number for any army and is something to be justifiably proud of. But it’s also true that there are famous cases of people who are at large. The army has been a little slow in trying two very famous ‘fake encounter’ cases — the one in Pathribal and the one in Machil. They are now stuck because the cases are in the civil courts and they are not being allowed to do the courts martial. In recent times, Gen Hasnain’s hearts and minds policy in the valley has won enormous support and the army is now focusing on developmental activities. Also, they do take action on complaints of human rights violations almost immediately. So this year you have hardly had any as far as the army is concerned. But you have still had two or three and the army needs to think about how to avoid even those. It’s true that other wings of the security forces are equally bad. Last year’s tragic deaths
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issue
\\ A cloSer look At AFSPA
BriG Gurmeet Kanwal (Retd)
occurred at the hands of the police and initially the CRPF. Though for the CRPF it was 17, the J&K police was more than a hundred. But that was also because they were not trained to deal with this situation, they did not anticipate it and thus panicked. So yes, you would need to have a legal framework for the army to operate but it could be tighter and also, could be in the form of temporary agreements like special orders or some such instrument. The AFSPA was passed by Indian parliament so it is up to them to amend or repeal it. Now comes the other problem. My impression is that the people of J&K definitely want counter-insurgency operations to continue. In J&K, like Manipur, you don’t have the armed groups agreeing formally to end the armed conflict. And it does pose risks that if you cease or withdraw all operations, will you have a remobilisation of armed groups? It’s a complicated business but the AFSPA needs a separate review. The recommendations made by the Jeevan Reddy Commission need to be revisited. It would help a great deal if the army was allowed to do the court martial in the Machil, to give exemplary punishment and to be very transparent and time-bound. Gross cases could be taken up at the civil court level, but it would be tricky if made into a daily practice. A political settlement is the crux of the issue and the military questions are ancillary. My two colleagues and I believe a solution could be found if there were compromises from all sides. It’s not very clear to me that the political will is present for it within the state and in mainland India. Attention is divided among so many problems that it is difficult to reach a consensus. And then, there is the whole Pakistan question. After all, quite a large part of the state is under Pakistani administration and that has to be a part of it if you want a lasting solution. I still think it can all be done if you are ready to accept a working beginning. It comes right back to this — develop the political will to start from the common areas of consensus and push for it.
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brig Kanwal// All aid to civil authority rendered by the army is at the specific request of the state government. They send a request to the Ministry of Defence, which has to approve it. If it involves counter-insurgency operations, like in Kashmir and the North-East, then the area has to be declared disturbed and the AFSPA has to be invoked. In India, we have been in counter-insurgency operations for 50 years and we have not had a massacre like Mai Lai (during the Vietnam war). We don’t have prisons like Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo Bay, where the army can interrogate civilians and keep them under detention at will. Given the Indian army ethos, we don’t see it going terribly wrong. However, there are aberrations and when they occur, the violator is taken to task. He is court martialed and given the most severe punishment. And this justice is meted out in a week at most. The perception that the Act allows army men to do what they like is wrong. In fact, the Indian army is one that has suffered the maximum officer casualties. Troops are under very strict supervision, they have very high levels of training and are given all kinds of briefings. I think the AFSPA has got a bad name due to aberrations like Pathribal and Machil. And these trials are held up not because the army is not willing to try them. It’s because the civilian court is not willing to hand over the case. I don’t quite see, then, how the laws are permitting excessive use of force or why civilians should oppose them. The National Human Rights Commission has undertaken to investigate every single act that has been reported and out
Brig Kanwal is Director, centre for land warfare Studies (clawS). he has commanded an artillery regiment in counterinsurgency operations in the Kashmir Valley and served as military observer in untaG, namibia. he has written for several newspapers and journals of over 1,100 such incidents which were investigated, 35 were found to be genuine, and 64 personnel had been court martialed. In Kashmir, one of the three government interlocutors told us that the people are, by and large, in favour of the deployment of the army. So it is more a political issue than a social one. Ten years ago the government, through a decision of the cabinet committee on security, approved the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) as the primary strike force for counter-insurgency operations. The CRPF has raised umpteen new battalions. What have they done with that? Why is there no accountability? They need to upgrade
issue
A cloSer look At AFSPA //
their standards of junior leadership, levels of training and the equipment they hold. There used to be a Frontier Administrative Service in the North-East. Why was it done away with when it was doing a good job? The primary role of the Indian army is defence of the land borders and that is what it wants to train and prepare for. If you call the army in for internal security then it should have the protection that the police forces have through the CrPC, and it must be given. Now if you want to do away with the AFSPA and incorporate those provisions within the Army Act of 1950, then it’s even better. But without protection, it cannot operate. lt gen KatOch// When the constitution was made by the founding fathers, they did not visualise a situation in the country where the army would be required to operate against its own people. Now when the
phenomenon of counter-insurgency came in and the army had to be deployed, there was no constitutional power given to the army to act. Every country requires a legal framework for the army to operate and in India this was given under the AFSPA. When it comes to those opposing the Act, I think someone like Irom Sharmila deserves great respect and we do not doubt her commitment or beliefs. The AFSPA has been removed from Imphal, but if people feel that things have since then got better, then it is an incorrect statement. In that particular situation, the police are in a position to control what is happening and in many ways it has become survival of the fittest. The Act has nothing to do with violations per se. In a million strong army, there will be some occasions where things go wrong. To the best of my knowledge, when the cases have come to the army, it has never been lax in taking action. There have been very few times when action was not taken. No other lt Gen DhruV c organisation has Katoch shown so much SM, VSM (Retd) commitment. The bigger problem is that if people have been put behind bars, dismissed from service, etc., it doesn’t make it to the national news because the army does not publicise it. Perhaps the army could look into perception management and let people be informed. Compared to the most advanced armies in the world, our human rights record is a thousand times better. If people call this Act Draconian, I disagree with them. Even if you look at what happened
lt Gen Katoch is additional Director, clawS was awarded the Sena medal while in command of his battalion in Jammu and Kashmir. he has vast experience in subconventional conflict and writes on defence and security issues
at Pathribal, the army was accused of killing innocent civilians. But what actually took place on the ground? There were intelligence officers and police personnel who told the army post that there were militants in that particular area. You blame the army, but where are those police officers? And there is this sentiment that ‘this law protects army personnel so that they can just go in and shoot anyone and nothing will happen’. That is not true. The provision is only in case you are absolutely certain that you are going to be attacked; that people are coming with weapons; and that is the only time you can open fire. You do not find a situation where a cordon and search is taking place, someone is dragged out, shot dead and is still protected from that. This protection only exists where you take these actions on a bona fide duty. The army came because the local police failed, the armed police failed and perhaps the BSF or the CRPF also failed. The terrorists have complete control over the polity, economics and many aspects of society. That is when you call in the army. I am absolutely certain that civilians will be inconvenienced but weren’t they being inconvenienced by the terrorists? I think the time has come to reorganise the way this country is administered and policed. You need to change the Indian Administrative Service and the Indian Police Service in their culture and their method of recruitment. The system of having IPS officers in its present form must be done away with. The local state police forces should be recruited there, manned by their own cadre and should retire from there. That way they have continuity of their own area and the central police officers should be organised accordingly. With regard to the IAS, you need to put in professionals who know how to administer. It is a shame that Jammu and Kashmir, Northeast and 169 districts are affected by extremism. All of them have a District Commissioner, an IAS officer and a Superintendent of Police who are from the Administrative services. They have failed in their duties and we need to consider a new model of administration before the whole country gets engulfed.
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looking back \\ Kunal Ba su
A Writer unbound Life’s a series of happy chances for writerteacher Kunal Basu By Manjiri indurkar
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looking back Kunal Ba su //
DoSSier
name: Kunal Basu, University of Oxford, United Kingdom Books: Has authored four novels and a collection of short stories. His latest is called The Yellow Emperor’s Cure amBition: Was to become an actor. The acting career was cut short by his mother after he fell ill while shooting for a film.
Yet his love for cinema remains. He made a cameo in a film made on his book The Japanese Wife.
M
y first day on this planet was chaotic; I was born on the fourth day of May in 1956, while my mother was still trying to finish a manuscript. She was a famous Bengali author, while my father was in the publishing business. Born into a ‘bookish’ family, I was surrounded by tomes. And I was a bookworm with a reputation of being a naughty child. The best way to keep me out of trouble was to give me a piece of paper and paint brushes or crayons. As a child, I dreamt of becoming a painter. That plan never materialised, but the love for art did leave an impact on me. In those days, a lot of great people would visit my family at our north Calcutta home. One of them was the legendary Mrinal Sen. That is how the two movies I acted in as a child artist — Punascha and Abasheshe — happened. I was young, and needless to add, very mischievous. Sometimes I would hide before a shot, forcing the crew to go on a hunt. That’s one of my clearest memories of those days. And, I remember the dank, dark studios with their looming cameras. My ‘career’ was abruptly brought to its end by my mother. Jokes aside, while shooting one day, I fell ill. My mother put her foot down to end all manner of shooting at home. With my rather short acting career behind me, I had to look for alternatives. Unfortunately, I was a good student. So, I chose all the wrong subjects — science and math — driven by grades, rather than interest. Later I took up engineering, though I felt no love for it. In my confused state, I thought of pursuing Masters in the subject. I applied to universities abroad, received some scholarships and took a flight to Florida, USA. My only thought at that time was, “I wish to travel the world on somebody else’s money.” Then the opportunity came up to study management. Again, I was not interested, nonetheless I grabbed it. I thought it was better to study the theories of social sciences
“i don’t believe in the external markers of success. i don’t care what the world says about me, if i write something good i wake up as a happy soul. if i feel something’s amiss, my mood is spoilt automatically ” than spend life with numbers. I have always moved in the direction that life has taken me — the only constant has been the love for literature and writing. Perhaps that is why I took up teaching, because it gave me time to write at leisure. My life has been serendipitous. My first book happened by chance. Being a Calcuttan, I have a fascination for the past and love looking back. Once, I was reading a book on the opium trade, a topic which had never caught my attention. The book mentioned my city as the world’s one time “drug capital”. I was taken aback. How could a ‘thoroughbred Calcuttan’ not know about this important period in my city’s history? Possessed, I read more and more. That is how The Opium Clerk took shape. Yet another encounter led to The Japanese Wife — the film. I was drinking tea with Aparna Sen, when I narrated a short story that had been lying on my desk for the 10 years. She liked it so much that immediately she offered to translate it into a film. So I was brought back to the magical world of cinema, and the experience was enthralling. Though I did not attend the whole shoot, I visited the sets once. And I have to admit that the time in between shots were a bit of a bore but once the camera started rolling everything came alive and the whole process became interesting, exciting and artistic. When I am writing I am not driven by themes. I derive inspiration from my surroundings. Years ago, while visiting China, I went to a museum of traditional Chinese
medicines. That’s when the idea behind The Yellow Emperor’s Cure, my latest book, hit me. The Yellow Empreror’s Cure is about a Portuguese doctor in the 19th century whose father suffers from syphilis. Unable to cure his ailing father, he’s assuaged with guilt and decides to travel to China to learn the cure. There he falls in love with his teacher. The two find themselves trapped within the summer palace during the Boxer Rebellion. The novel has just been released in India. As much as I enjoy writing, I am not a man of numbers. I don’t believe in the external markers of success. If I write something good I wake up as a happy soul. If I feel something’s amiss, my mood is spoilt automatically. Statistics of sale are inconsequential for me.
I Wish I Could Be I guess with the kind of influence my parents had on me I was destined to become a writer. But had writing not happened, I would have become a painter or an actor. These two are the most dominant aspects of my cultural personality. It is difficult to say what I might have done because by now I have learnt that most of the things that happen to you in life are by accident. And these accidents take you through various paths in life. But I always thought that I wanted to become an artist. This is how my mind works. It is very responsive to colours, shapes and patterns. That is the first thing I notice and I am most expressive while describing them.
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platform SantoSh DeSai | Columnist
The Politics of Representation
And its transformation to an active ideal One of the recurring themes in the debates that have surrounded the Anna Hazare-led movement against corruption is the supremacy of the Parliament by virtue of its being the only genuine representative of the aspirations of the people of the country. This is a powerful argument, for in a country as large as India, the danger of letting individual groups assign to themselves the right to speak for the country is a particularly real one. The danger of conflating the issues facing a particular constituency with those of the nation at large, and using strongarm tactics to put these issues at the top of the national agenda can seriously distort the country’s priorities. In a nation where the ability to be heard is skewed so sharply towards the elite, it is easy for this to happen, and without genuine representativeness, the risks on this score can be very high. It is also true that the biggest success of democracy in India has been its representative character. In the post-Mandal world, this ability has
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grown very significantly, and elections today do genuinely throw up leaders that come from all strata of society, with the hitherto backward classes coming into their political own. The power of the traditional elites has been blunted, and movements like the anti-corruption crusade are in part a reaction of this loss of pre-eminence. The sense of being politically diminished, and electorally insignificant, has given an edge to the fulminations of the middle class, and has spilled over into the streets in a manner that is unprecedented. The middle class feels unrepresented, and thus is increasingly losing faith in the political system as a whole. The anti-corruption flag hides, not too successfully, a larger contempt for politics and politicians, and yearns for solutions that lie outside the fabric of the polity. It is worth asking if democracy in India is truly representative. The only yardstick for representativeness cannot be that people of all classes find themselves in power. It cannot only be about who gets elected and how
Author
Santosh Desai is the author of the bestseller mother Pious lady: making Sense of everyday india. He is a columnist, media critic and social commentator. He is the mD and ceo of Futurebrands, a branding services and advisory company and serves on the boards of inG Vysya Bank and mumbai Business School.
representative they are of the entire population, but must necessarily be about how they represent their constituencies and what actions they take on behalf of their constituents. It is striking that during the entire anti-corruption movement, the protestors did not once turn to their representatives, nor did the legislators in question, MPs and MLAs from the larger cities, feel remotely obliged to speak for their constituents. It is as if both parties instinctively understood that their elected representatives had no role to play. The role of the legislators is to act the part, to don the trappings of power, to grace billboards that greet us on festivals, and to agitate for lal battis on their cars. The one-to-one correspondence between a local representative and his or her constituent does not exist in a meaningful sense. That is not to say that the legislators have no interest at all in the electorate, but the form in which it manifests itself most commonly is by acts of patronage. Elected representatives seek to build an electoral base, a bloc
platform
SantoSh DeSai //
It is difficult to find impetus for change to come from within, since the system has evolved around a distorted intent — that of coming into and staying in power rather than governance”
of some kind that can be persuaded to vote for them en masse in exchange for acts of subsidy or preference or in the name of identity. The other acts of representation involve selectively helping some constituents “get their wok done” — finding ways of working through and around the local bureaucracy, often greased by some reciprocal consideration. The idea of direct representation, of actually standing for a cause held dear by the constituents and working towards institutional action in support of it is much rarer to come across. In a larger sense, the indiscriminate use of party whips means that individual representatives have little room to express themselves legislatively, and this severely compromises their ability to pick up specific issues and stand up for them. The devaluation of the individual legislator, who is often treated as being part of a nameless herd, and needs constant shepherding, goading, instruction and protection, restricts his or her role quite dramatically, and compromises the ability to genuinely
represent the voter. Over a period of time, the system has adjusted in a way that for most elected representatives, this is not really experienced as a problem at all and is accepted as a matter of fact. What has made the Anna Hazare movement so significant, despite all its shortcomings, is the fact that it focuses attention on concrete legislative action. It is seeking not a grant or subsidy, but a mechanism that provides an incentive for the system to work as intended. The current political system has become self-perpetuating and self-contained, and has become increasingly impenetrable to outside intervention. The existing pillars of democracy too have been co-opted to a significant degree, including the bureaucracy, media and even the elements of the lower judiciary. It is difficult to find impetus for change to come from within, since the system has evolved around a distorted intent — that of coming into and staying in power rather than providing governance. The successful separation of governance and
electability has ensured that politicians do not need to perform acts of representation in order to get elected. The argument that Parliament, by virtue of its representative character is already playing the role that the Lok Pal Bill suggests it play, does not stand up to scrutiny, given the nature of the representation being provided so far. It was important for our democracy to have become more representative in character. It is now time for it to convert the idea of representativeness into a more active ideal, one in which the political system feels pressure to perform; a causal link between performance and electability needs to be etched out in stronger terms. Measures like the Lok Pal Bill are never going to be solutions by themselves; if the system does not change in a fundamental way, this mechanism too is likely to get co-opted. The onus is on the voters to send clearer messages. Only then can we hope for change that is sustainable. The views expressed in this column are of the author alone.
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good karma \\ Da stk ar
Crafting futures Dastkar puts the spotlight back on traditional crafts and empowering women By Manjiri indurkar
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ome time in the early ‘90s a few women in a village in Bihar were working as bonded labourers under a zamindaar. Their crime: they had borrowed a petty amount of `500 from him 20 years ago. These widows would work all day and yet, somehow, the amount would never get paid up. Spinning the yarn day and night was not sufficient to buy them their independence. The story of these women reached the ears of Laila Tyabji, Founder and Chairman of Dastkar: A Society for Crafts and Craftspeople. Unfortunately, this is not a unique tale of Indian poverty. But something about this story stayed with Tyabji and bothered her deeply. The very same day at a “fancy diplomatic dinner”, when she narrated the story to a friend, Gita Mehta, the famous author and daughter of Biju Pat-
good karma Da stk ar //
mentor‚ Dastkar Name: Laila Tyabji, Founder and
Chairperson, Dastkar LocatioN: Shahpur Jat, New Delhi GoaL: A society formed for the welfare
of artisans in the country Started: October 1981. The organisation has been running successfully for 30 years now WebSite:
http://www.dastkar.org
naik, a solution was born. Gita said that she would give the royalties from her new book for the freedom of these women. And that’s how the foundation of the Bihar Tussar Project, one of India’s most successful crafts projects, was laid. As Tyabji puts it, “Today, from Shabana Azmi to Sonia Gandhi, all call us to check whether the new stock has arrived.” Tussar silk sarees, mirror-work kurtas, chickan salwar kameezes, block print dupattas — these have become collectors’ items in Delhi. Such is their popularity that in the last bazaar, the craftsmen sold Tussar silk worth `27 lakh. But it has been a long journey to reach this point. In 1981 six women — Jaya Jaitley, Poonam Muttreja, Bunny Page, Gauri Choudhry, Prabeen Singh and Laila Tyabji — all hailing from different walks of life, came together to form a society that would work for the welfare of Indian craftspeople. Most of these women didn’t dream of being a part of the developmental sector some day. They were normal working women. What motivated them to get into the social sector, and especially mix crafts and developmental work? Laila Tyabji, who had grown up in a family of connoisseurs, spent her life around rich textiles, gorgeous artifacts and furniture. She thought that these beautiful objects, which she was surrounded by, dotted all the neighbourhood markets across cities.
It was only when she started working as a freelance designer that she realised, not only were quality handicrafts rare and unique, but that ordinary citizens had forgotten about the craftsmen, who were living marginalised lives and going through untold suffering. Tyabji honestly admits that there was no single epiphanic moment that made the group of like-minded individuals decide to get involved with Indian crafts. But when the decision was taken, they didn’t waste time. They started Dastkar as a part-time voluntary organisation. Tyabji admits that even when they began, none of them thought that they would be able to sustain the NGO for such a long period. However, not only has Dastkar managed to survive, but it has also changed the lives of thousands of craftsmen. Dastkar follows a simple model: it’s an organisation which serves a platform. It travels to parts of the country, interacting with the communities of craftspeople, getting in touch with local NGOs and then training people there. It makes craftspeople aware of the government schemes and helps them avail of the benefits. Dastkar Nature Bazaar plays host to a variety of crafts from 19 Indian states and provides a platform to 200 groups and 32,000 craftspeople every year. These Bazaars have managed to breathe new life into the dying crafts culture completely unique to India. Other than reviving the crafts, Dastkar has given craftspeople a sense of purpose. Today, they travel nationally and internationally with great confidence. But this is not all — Dastakar realised early on that bringing traditional crafts to the mainstream also meant impacting the lives of the artistisans. The final goal is to make the artistisans, most of who live in rural India, independent and aware of the value of their own art, so that they can negotiate with “middle men” without being exploited in the process. The organisation also works especially
with women trying to liberate them and make them realise the importance of issues such as education, nutrition and healthcare. Have they been able to achieve all this and more? Tyabji modestly says that the answer “depends upon the side of the bed I get up in the morning”. She tells us a story of Dhapu, her friend from Kutch, who committed suicide because she couldn’t arrange money for her daughter’s wedding. Indira — Dhapu’s daughter — then started working for Dastkar and within five years, was the most soughtafter bride in the village, as she was smart, independent and earned quite a packet. This story, she says, makes her feel that some may have taken their steps to independence. At the same time, Tyabji believes that with this liberation, an extra burden has been dumped upon the women. Now, along with their household chores, the women also work five hours extra to make enough money. While talking about their goals, Tyabji warns us of not labouring under misapprehensions. She says that while they want to empower existing craftsmen, they don’t wish to create more artistisans; despite a clear demand craftspeople live in distressed conditions. Creating more of their ilk for an already saturated market would make a bad situation, worse. This approach has invited Dastkar a lot of criticism. The women however shrug it off and move forward with a “begging bowl” for funds. For years a generous European company — Eco — funded their work. But Dastkar’s real money comes from within the circle. The craftsmen pay back by giving a significant share of the profit they make in the bazaar. And this money is then used to train new groups. On a final note, Tyabji tells us that if we fail to do our bit to save the crafts, we will be deeply sorry as we will lose our heritage. And when asked what our bit could be, she smiles and says “You could start by attending the bazaar next year”.
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reading room
“I know that one editor’s ‘public interest’ is another editor’s ‘motivated leak’” — Vinod Mehta
author
Lucknow Boy: a Memoir this remarkably candid memoir from an influential editor gives readers an insight into an exciting life and a ring-side view of political happenings By aniha Brar
Vinod Mehta is one of the most respected editors in India, known for his honest and outspoken style. It comes as no surprise to anyone, then, that his memoir Lucknow Boy, has both these qualities in abundance. It certainly makes for interesting reading, as in a career spanning more than four decades, he has edited Debonair, revived ailing newspapers and set up publications like the Sunday Observer and Outlook. He has also had some of India’s most respected journalists — like Tarun Tejpal, founder of Tehelka, and Manu Joseph, editor of Open — working under him in the past. So what can one expect from the memoirs of a man who travelled the world, met celebrities and often found himself in the middle of controversies? Carrying the burden of so much to talk about, the book nevertheless lives up to expectations. When dealing with his personal history, Mehta has not shirked from turning the mirror on himself, even when it shows an uncomfortable truth. One extract from the text says, “My daughter must be in her mid40s now, probably a mother, which
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makes me a grandfather. I have no idea where she lives, what she does, what she thinks of me. I have often tried to imagine her and in this reverie I have prayed that perhaps through some happy accident our paths might cross. It hasn’t happened yet.” The first part of the book is dedicated to his early years as an army brat — thus a ‘Lucknow Boy’ — and friends and family generally. These subjects are handled with affection and sensitivity, giving warmth to the book. From these regular beginnings and after a less than stellar academic performance, Vinod Mehta heads out to London. These were formative years for the young man as he devoured the English press, refined his perspective on international events — and of course, had the occasional fling. In 1970, he made his way across Europe and the Middle East (with a group of hippies headed for Goa) to return to India. Perhaps the most eagerly awaited parts of the book deal with the many vagaries of his professional life. Coming from a man who has been at the forefront of journalism in India, every incident holds intrinsic value
about tHe autHor Vinod Mehta is the editor of outlook and has five books to his credit. He is one of the most powerful and highlyrespected faces of indian journalism, known for his unbiased and outspoken views on politics, people and events. Publisher: Penguin Viking ISBN: 9780670085293 Price: `499
for readers. The book also delivers a sense of being part of the inner circles and gives the reader a delicious sense of being a fly on the wall when major events were unfolding. People expect wit, scandal, gossip and insight — and they are not disappointed. Mehta recounts with zest how he was wooed and then sacked by various media houses as editorial freedom clashed with political pressures. There are gripping accounts of his encounters with personalities from the worlds of politics, business, films and the media. The names flowing through his pages include Shobhaa De, A.B. Vajpayee, V.S. Naipaul, Salman Rushdie and Sonia Gandhi. (Lest we forget, Mehta’s dog, Editor, also finds pride of place in the book.) There are behind-thescenes looks at the ever-fascinating scoops — from the alleged mole in Indira Gandhi’s cabinet, to the cricket match-fixing scandal, to the Niira Radia Tapes. This section of the book can perhaps be accused of giving us increasing glimpses into current affairs while being a bit reticent about the author’s own motivations and errors.
“A man becomes a Mahadev only when he fights for good. A Mahadev is not born from his mother’s womb. He is forged in the heat of battle, when he wages a war to destroy evil. Har Har Mahadev — All of us are Mahadev”
reading room CritiCs & Authors //
—Amish Tripathi
However, that is easily overlooked as his refreshing honesty, entertaining pen-pictures of known personalities and fearless look at how journalism works, more than compensate for any other lapses. Take this extract, for example, where he talks about first coming
across the Radia tapes: “ Did we have the spunk to take on some of the most powerful individuals, corporate houses, lobbyists, politicians, journalists in the land? I would be lying if I said commercial interests did not concern me.” Of course, they did eventually run with the story.
Lucknow Boy is a delightful read. Anyone, from an average Indian to aspiring journalist, will find it riveting. Vinod Mehta’s crisp prose gives the book a simplicity, while the insight and provocative opinions give it depth. It is, quite simply, an interesting story well told.
the Secret of the nagas With its pacy action and clean writing style, the second book in the Shiva trilogy is a page-turner just like the first By aniha Brar
about tHe autHor Amish Tripathi is a banker turned novelist. after graduating from the indian institute of management calcutta, he worked for 14 years in the financial services industry. His first book, the immortals of meluha, was a bestseller and has sold more than 175,000 copies already. Publisher: westland ISBN: 9380658796
triLogieS seem to be making a mark in Indian fiction, and
Amish Tripathi’s sequel to The Immortals of Meluha reportedly had 80,000 people pre-ordering the book. The Secret of the Nagas, the second book out of three, is finally in bookstores and selling like hot-cakes. The first book was a national bestseller and was considered an innovative departure from usual writings in the genre. It treated the character of Shiva more like a man of destiny with exceptional powers, than a God. To that extent, the second book carried the burden of expectation — it was no longer about what Amish could do, but whether he could do it better. So far, opinion seems to be divided on that score, with some reviews slamming it for being slower and more concerned with phraseology than the first. However, for the majority of Amish fans, it has not been a disappointment. The first book focused on Shiva as an immigrant to Meluha, who falls in love with Sati. It ended with his close friend, Brahaspati, being killed by a mysterious Naga assassin. Book two picks up where the story left off, portraying Shiva as a man who has come into his own as a leader, married to Sati and on a quest to avenge
his friend’s death. New characters, such as Ganesh, Kartik, Kali and Parshuram, are also introduced. The Immortals of Meluha had a tight plot and crisp style of story-telling; it also ended at a definitive point in the narrative that left one anticipating the sequel. By contrast, The Secret of the Nagas sees a slight altering in the writer’s style, with the pace being more languid and more adjectivising in the language. It may perhaps be accused of failing to draw the reader into the action as completely as the first book. However, Amish’s strength lies in a well-structured movement of the story from incident to incident, a skill that is evident in this second book as well. There is no superfluity of characters, as each of those introduced has a significance and continuing role to play. Of course, there is the eternal fascination of the subject matter itself, and The Secret of the Nagas is definitely recommended for those who have even a passing interest in mythological fiction. There is no doubt that once involved in the life and times of Shiva (as depicted by Amish), the third and final book of the trilogy will be as eagerly awaited by readers.
January 2012
Price: `295
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ware
house
Our pick of the boldest, best and craziest gadgets. Glance through the Warehouse page and check them out. Happy hunting!
Hot!
Leica MP-9 Digital Camera
`3,60,000/-
The MP-9 from Leica is the world’s smallest full-format digital camera. It sports an 18 MP CCD image sensor, capable of recording in full 35-mm film format. The LCD display is covered with sapphire crystal and is extremely scratch resistant. After all, it’s a Leica.
Digital camera mP-9 from leica
origin Big o 360 + Computer
the system looks funky and makes for a great gaming rig, topped with windows7. a game changer this, at a jaw-dropping $16,999
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10mn SiiS moved
Samsung claims to have moved 10 million units of the Galaxy Siis since its launch in april 2011. it’s india price? a steady `29,900
warehouse
gadge ts & gizmos //
Sony DeV-3 Digital Binocular
`65,955
This has to be the coolest pair of binoculars you’ve ever seen. It can zoom up to 10x and can record 3D video in full HD 1080P. Now, how thrilling is that? Keeping the classic binocular integrity alive, the DEV-3 comes equipped with a manual focus. The binocular’s form factor is compact, thus enabling you to go under cover into ‘stealth mode’ for a small dent in your pocket.
PSP Bugatti Veyron CC6 (priCe not aVailaBle)
Now, before you guys get all jumpy and eagerly await the PSP Bugatti Veyron edition, let us tell you that it’s still in the pipeline. It incorporates a multiplayer option enabled via bluetooth along with a crisp 16.9 inch display. Mum’s the word on the pricing though.
Suunto elementum
Designed for sports junkies, the elementum terra is loaded with a host of features: altimeter, barometer and a digital compass. available for `54,000
Art du tempS CloCk
in our quest for the quirky, we bumped into art du temps — a mechanical square-plated clock, with each block moving randomly each second. Price `42,75,000
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photos By Diwan manna
Broad Canvas Serenity: contemporary indian art on display; ancient metal sculptures adorn a huge section at the museum (below)
where masters Gather
Chandigarh’s Government Museum and its rare collection of works of Indian masters By ruchira mittal
R
enowned French urbanist-cum-architect Le Corbusier worked his magic and Chandigarh was born. It is easily among the best-planned cities in India and that is a well-known fact. What is perhaps largely unknown is that Le Corbusier also designed the Government Museum and Art Gallery in the heart of the city. One of the most striking features of the museum is its grand building itself. Overlooking the stunning Shivalik mountain range of the lower Himalayas, it has a sprawling, lush green campus. Inaugurated in 1968, the building is in fact a complex, with the art museum and gallery, the Natural History Museum and the City Museum. It houses a dazzling collection of art — from rare antiques to contemporary works. Many of its masterpieces were part of a collection in Lahore and came to India after Independence in 1947. The collection has since grown substantially. There is also an architecture museum here that documents the development of the city of Chandigarh — from
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inception to the present. The Natural History Museum is no less a delight, with its exhibits from the prehistoric Harappan times and those on the evolution of life and man and the hugely popular section on the dinosaurs of India. When you have stopped gasping over the façade and step inside, you discover the marvel of Corbusier’s creative mind. The cavernous, clutter-free interior is designed for space, harmony, expanse and quietude. Not just that, the sun filters in through the slats of thoughtfully louvered skylights that allow only the right amount and intensity of light. A system of top lighting also illuminates the entire length of the building.
broad canvas chandigarh //
artist oF the month
The museum also showcases a vast collection of Indian textiles, metal and stone sculpture, decorative art, miniature paintings and contemporary art. Visitors are spotted seated hour after hour on comfortable chairs in the middle of the corridors, soaking in the beauty of the art. The entire range is here — from oil on canvas to water colours to drawings, monochrome and colour. The folk-inspired vigour in Jamini Roy’s paintings jostle for attention with the Western spirit of rebellion of Amrita Shergil's works. Settle down on one of the chairs and gaze at some century-old works of the Russian mystic-painter-philosopher-writer and friend of India, Nicholas Roerich. There is also a special section for two celebrated painters from Punjab, S. Sobha Singh and S.S.G. Thakar Singh. Another special section dedicated to the Nine Masters of India evokes sheer awe. Just look at the names here: Amrita Shergil, Jamini Roy, Nandalal Bose, Raja Ravi Varma, Sailoz Mookherjea, Rabindranath Tagore and Gaganendranath and Abanindranath Tagore (both nephews of Tagore) and Nicholas Roerich. The Russian master had made India his home and painted feverishly during his last days in the picturesque Kullu Valley. He painted the mighty Himalayas in their physical grandeur, treating his lofty subject with his striking style and sensitivity. When I stepped out of the museum drenched in the colours of the great masters, I couldn’t help but look at the resplendent Shivalik range anew. My
Diwan manna is a national award-winning photographer who has been living in chandigarh for three decades now. chairperson of the chandigarh lalit Kala akademi, manna considers the chandigarh museum one of the most stunning in northern india. For this article he shares some of his photographs of the museum he admires deeply
Expansive: (Left)
russian master nicholas roerich’s famed canvases of the himalayas; View of the cavernous, interiors of the museum bathed in natural light (top); a renowned souza canvas arrests the view on of the walls of the museum (right)
vision was enriched by Roerich’s symbolism, Shergil’s commentary, Tagore’s honesty and Souza’s energy. If you are one of those people who love art and admire artists, you must visit the museum.
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hiker
PhotoS By PhotoS.com anD the government of Bhutan
hitch
Punakha Dzong: one of Bhutan’s most beautiful dzongs (forts), situated on the banks of the tsang chu river, this was also the venue of the recently-held royal wedding
mad monks and movie Stars Delightfully suprising at every turn, a trip to Bhutan is never short of an adventure By Preeti Singh
I
f anyone had told me a few years ago that I would be driven around a beautiful country by a movie star who shared my penchant for hip-hop bhangra music, I’d have told them to go take a hike. But after taking a few hikes myself around the Happy Kingdom, I feel truly blessed for the unique experience — and not just by a couple of wooden phalluses at the Temple of the Divine Mad Monk Drukpa Kuenley. That’s Bhutan for you — unassumingly glamorous and breathtakingly surprising at every turn. The country offers almost no spur-of-the-moment backpacking options, and all trips must be planned in advance. It’s pretty good to be Indian as there is no visa requirement and the entry fee is the envy of other foreign travellers. Indians can also get permits to drive in via the Indian border town of Jaigaon, and if you’re a Bollywood buff most doors will open for you automatically anyway, exemplified by this excited query in chaste Hindi from a chubby boy, “Oh you’re from India!
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When do you suppose the new Salman movie will be out?” Bollywood movies double as Hindi tutorials and Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit share the top spot, cutting across generations. Paperwork sorted, we chose to fly into Paro — the country’s only international airport. As our Druk Air plane approached the runway at Paro, my heart skipped a beat and not just because the left wing almost brushed past the lush mountains. The airport itself exemplifies the country’s breathtaking simplicity, being smack dab in the middle of the Paro Valley. As Tshering — our gho (traditional wraparound dress for males) clad driver drove us to our hotel, a faded Jim
hitchhiker’s guide Bhutan //
hiker of the month
Morrison poster winked at me from behind one of the barred kirana stores amid all the touristy trinket joints. Bhutanese kirana stores, I later discovered, are a class apart. Run mostly by women, in a traditionally matriarchal society with what we would call ghar jamais, they double as mini-bars by default — selling everything from teddy bears to Barbie rip-offs, shiny slippers and groceries, with enough space to squeeze in four stools, a carrom board and a mini drinking table. Druk 11,000 is the poison of choice, topping our strongest Haywards by a good thousand volts. But sadly, for foodies like me, local Bhutan doesn’t offer much choice in cuisine, so it’s best to make your peace with the Datsi family. Ema Datsi (potatoes and cheese) and Kewa Datsi (fiery chillies in cheese) are the omnipresent accompaniments to any self-respecting Bhutanese meal, with Shamu Datsi (mushrooms and cheese) putting in a cameo. For the rest of the time you’ll probably be playing hide-and-seek with a variety of Indian and Chinese spin-offs, and some excellent beef if you’re lucky. Do try the local red rice with your cheesy meal and wash down the chillies with a bottle of Druk lager. The drive from Paro to Thimphu is a beautiful one, where you can catch a glimpse of the as-yet-unfinished giant Buddha statue perched atop a mountain. There’s nothing much to do in either city, but the outskirts of both Thimphu and Paro offer (literally) breathtakingly beautiful hiking trails for those seeking some green silence and gurgling streams. The lazy can head out to the BBS tower — the dating
history buff, erstwhile defence analyst and lifetime member of the wanderers’ club, Preeti has worked as a researcher and editorial-page writer with the hindustan times. wearing several hats over the past few years, she’s been busy doing what she loves most — writing and meeting people. an avid traveller, with a weakness for cooler climes, she hopes to add more stamps to her passport in the coming years
Wangdi Town: a small market town outside the gates of a dzong built in 1638, it lies in the centre of Bhutan. wangdue means unification of country and phodrang means palace in Dzongkha
hotspot, we were told — that has some splendid views of Thimphu town, and pay an en-route visit to the national animal of Bhutan — the Takin, a strange, mutant-like cross between a goat and a cow. We did venture out to the locally-recommended Om Bar that bravely represents the city’s nightlife, if you
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hitchhiker’s guide \\ Bhutan
can look past the dismally painted room and whitechalked entryway. Interestingly, the well-known bar came with a homely bartender in sweats and chappals, chewing on a chunk of dried yak cheese while mixing music from a desktop PC. September is the holiest month in the Bhutanese calendar, with unique Tsechu festivities in each town. It is an amazing burst of colour and religious fervour, when cars are cheaper, tailors are busy and the market is happy — much like an Indian October. Vishwakarma Puja is huge in Bhutan, with all vehicles from mopeds to tankers decked out in bunting and balloons. Anyone travelling to Bhutan must definitely make time to see Bhutan’s most feted landmark: Taktshang or the Tiger’s Nest monastery that almost seems to hang on a cloud. I set out bravely at the crack of dawn and my lack of fitness nearly killed a perfectly healthy Bhutanese pony as I sought my personal Mordor. But the first glimpse of the monastery majestically suspended about 10,000 feet above sea level left me misty-eyed at the sheer joy of being alive, though the steep steps up and down the mountain till the monastery brought on tears of another kind. That’s the thing: Bhutan will make you earn each pleasure. Be prepared to walk to almost any place worth visiting. Like Chimi Lakhang — the Temple of Bhutan’s most loved Divine Mad Monk, with his refreshing ideas on life and love, en route to Punakha and Gangtey. You’ll have to trek through mounds of mud, golden wheat fields and crude water channels, perhaps even dodge the arrows of local archery enthusiasts to get to this must-see monastery. With Drukpa Kuenley worshipped as a fertility god of sorts — not least because of his hedonistic and promiscuous lifestyle — phallic art adorns the boundary walls of every home in this village. You can see fertility symbols peeking from window frames, with phalluses doubling as door handles, soap dishes and towel pegs! It’s a much-feted sanctum of hope for childless couples. Don’t forget to pack some full-sleeved and collared shirts, if you’re visiting the dzongs. A cranky old guard refused to make any concession for the fact that we had travelled all the way from India, and climbed an obscene number of steps, denying us entry in our touristy t-shirts. Between Thimphu and Punakha lies the Dochu La pass, with its 108 chortens that were built in 2003 to honour those who laid down their lives while flushing out Indian insurgents
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Fallen warriors: the 108 chortens at the Dochu la Pass
wanDering arounD
National animal: an interesting cross between a goat and a cow, take a photo of the takin
Betel Leaves: or Doma zhes — please have a betel leaf as meals are incomplete without them
Red Panda: Bhutan is home to this furry little animal, providing it five safe places for habitation
from southern Bhutan. The mist envelopes these stupas like the souls of the departed. From there we drove to Punakha, which hosts the most beautiful Dzong (fort) on the banks of the Tsang Chu River — the recent venue for the fairytale royal wedding. From there we made our way to the famous Gangtey Gompa (monastery) and the Phobjikha Valley, the unmistakable Switzerland of Bhutan — with a night stop at the fabulous Punatsangchu Cottages at Wangdue on the banks of the hypnotic Tsang Chu River. We were too early for the famous black-necked cranes but do catch these migratory birds during OctoberFebruary if you can. The Dewachen Hotel’s the place to stay at Gangtey — the budget cousin of Bhutan’s prettiest property, Paro’s luxurious Zhiwa Ling — with sweeping views of the Phobjikha valley and oldfashioned bukharis to keep you warm. In the end, Bhutan’s real treasure is its people, with their matchless charm and humility, as exemplified by our very own driver-cum-guide, Tshering. We noticed that he got a lot of waves and hoots from people everywhere we went, automatically chalking it up to the extreme friendliness of a country that has a Gross National Happiness Index. Only to switch to a local Bhutanese television station and discover that our companion with his immaculately polished dress shoes just happened to be a very popular movie and soap star, with a number of lead roles under his belt! So, not unlike the cherished screen appearances of a popular superstar, Bhutan definitely leaves you wanting more.
PARENTING NOVEMBER 2011
sticky
A qui ck guide -start to wha fresh, t’s fu worth n & y peek.. of a .
notes dover Lane MuSiC FeStivaL
LISTEN
If you can feel the strain of Hindustani Classical music while walking walking, chances are that you are in Kolkata. The 60th Dover Lane Music Festival is just round the corner. Held between 22 and 25 January, it is the Mecca for music lovers. See you there!
SuperHeavy SuperHeavy is the first album of the rock super group by the same name. The music is an amalgam of talents such as the legendary Rolling Stones vocalist Mick Jagger, three-time Grammy winner Damian Marley, Dave Stewart, Joss Stone and our own A.R. Rahman. The biggest score for the album is its surprising variety. From the reggae track Miracle Worker to the very Indian Satyameva Jayathe (sung by Jagger in Sanskrit!) The album cuts across boundaries.
SaptaK MuSiC FeStivaL Eyes closed, lose yourself in the music. But first, take a good look at your neighbour. He may well be a musical legend himself: be ready to be surprised at the Saptak Music Festival held in Gujarat between the first and 13th of January. Grab a seat now!
WATCH
2012 dSC Jaipur Literature FeStivaL
KaHaani After portraying the role of a sassy film star in the eighties for Dirty Picture, Vidya Balan is set to hit the silver screen in a more demure avatar in Kahaani. The film, slated for release on January 17th, will have Balan essaying the role of a pregnant woman in search of her husband. The low-budget thriller, shot mostly on location, is directed by Sujoy Ghosh of Jhankar Beats fame. The film has already managed to generate a buzz.
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DEmoCrATiC WorlD
JANuAry 2012
india art Fair Are all the galleries empty and have the artists gone missing? Worry not! The artists are headed to the India Art Fair to be held in Delhi between January 25 and 29. Take a stroll on the bridge connecting contemporary art to modern sensibility.
Good news for the Indian literati. Between January 20 and 24, 2012, India’s favourite DSC Jaipur Literature Festival will be back at its old venue. The event boasts of names like Ben Okri, Fatima Bhutto, Gulzar, Hari Kunzru and
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