Issue 14

The Weekly

BSERVER An IIJNM Publication

Volume 16 Issue 14

Thursday, 19 January, 2017

Acres of farmland under legal melee since ’99

been distributed to the industries and MNC’s, but the land which was allotted to the poor under the scheme ‘grow more food’ has not been stated as legal yet and the people staying there will have to evacuate if the court passes thwe judgement.

Advocate Vijayan (49), representing the farmers in this case, tells that the land was given to poor farmers and it is now being acquired and notified by KIADB.

Another example is the Bengaluru- Chennai expressway project in and around Karnataka Gold Field (KGF), near Kolar. Government has acquired 3,700 acres of farm land and farmers still continue to protest for their lands.

Arkavathy layout is another project by the state government in Nagavara. More than 3,500 acres farm land were acquired. The government is trying to provide alternate lands for them in Nadaprabhu Kempegowda layout including the difference amount but people who are not willing to take it will have to wait for their allotment.

The Land Acquisition Act, 1894 says there is a time duration for any project to start, and if it does not start within that, the land must be denotified and given back by the government.

With the new Act expected shortly i.e. The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Bill 2015, farmers and other people will be able to agree or disagree on the projects recommended by the government which will help them to avoid complications and litigations.

On the question of why was it started again after two issues, Cho explained, “I wanted some time to think and see how I could tackle it. I was busy writing for underground magazines and addressing meetings. Then, I started interacting with Ramnath Goenka.

I had nothing to lose at that time but not Goenka. Their courage is much greater than mine because I was a man with nothing to lose.”

“I have no fear despite the threat of guns, death and acid attacks. Unless the almighty decides I can’t be killed. I will die the moment I change my writing ethics and professionalism, which can never happen,” shouted Cho in 1995 interviews. In 1992, during the demolition of the Babri Masjid, the magazine published a black cover again.

Every year during the Pongal festival in Tamil Nadu, the annual meeting of Thuglak is held. The editor answers questions from the readers in person and explains any article that appeared in the paper using his background or knowledge on any them. During the first annual meetings, they did not ar-

range a big hall, not expecting a huge crowd. Raghunathan, an ardent fan of Cho’s writing, says “People flooded in from the Thiyagaraya Nagar bus stand till the end of that street. Although they did not have seating arrangements, they listened to Cho’s humorous dialogues that eased their pain.”

Cho begins every meeting with his explanation on some verse of the Bhagavad Gita. Being a Sanskrit scholar, he had his own way of criticising leaders through slokas and verses from Hindu mythology.

Recently, during the 47th Annual meet, his successor, Gurumoorthy, editor of Thuglak spoke about his responsibility and gift to hold Cho’s legacy. One of the speakers of this meet, Hindu N Ravi said “There are many facets of Cho. He was an uncompromising chairman of free speech. Many of the politicians were friends with Cho. Yet he spared no one who deviated from the national ethical norms.”

The Prime minister, who addressed the audience through a video conference, said that “Cho’s death was a personal loss to him.

Abhilash Mariswamy abhilash.m@iijnm.org THIPPUR: More than ten thousand acres of farm lands have been notified since 1999 in Bangalore.

Murthy (50), a farmer in Thippur near Bidadi, who owns 10 acres of land, has been notified by ‘The Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board’ (KIADB). KIADB issued a notice in 1989 acquiring more than 1916 acres of fertile agricultural land for the state government’s Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure (BMIC) project. It has been more than 20 years that the land was notified by KIADB, and there hasn’t been any construction since then.

The farmers struggle because of their land being “KIADB-notified”. They cannot sell the land or invest a huge amount for farming in the land because they don’t know when they would lose their land to the authorities. The surrounding villages of Thippur, Gonipura, and Sigehalli also face the problem.

Bhettiah (55), a farmer in Gonipura, said, “They face a serious financial problem and no banks are giving loans to them as the lands are ‘KIADB-notified’”.

Ravi Thirlapur (45), special

A farmland under dispute in Thippur, Bangalore rural land acquisition officer, said, “The land value was negotiated long back but the farmers were not ready to sell their land. Now the rates have gone high and they are asking for the present land value. There is a lot of complication in this project.”

“Exit clause that exists in the agreement is, the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE) Road has to pay the entire money and return the land if they

cannot fulfil the requirement or if they are not ready for the next phase of the project,” he added. He also said that there is a Supreme Court verdict to come in three months, “let us see what happens.”

There has been a tiff going on since 1982 between the people living in Kadugodi and the revenue department over 711 acres of land. Already 385 acres of the land have been marked legal and have

His play Muhamed Bin Thuglak, criticising the Government, was played a 1000 times becoming his greatest success. “There was no one to direct it because it was controversial. Hence I had to direct”, said Cho in one of his interviews.

Being a little facetious, the doors of the Tamil Cinema Industry were opened to him by veteran actors Shivaji Ganesan and Bhim Singh. He has acted in 185 tamil films in around 42 years. His knowledge in script writing helped him direct five films. He has also written and acted in 27 television serials and written ten books. He has acted with MG Ramachandran and Jayalalitha, who went on to become Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu.

Cho was a down to earth person. A Tamil theatre artist known as “Crazy” Mohan, shared his experience in an interview, “It was raining heavily one night and we returned from an outstation to the city. We sought an auto to get back home.

Suddenly, one auto driver saw Cho and fell down to his feet with a huge smile of happiness. Not knowing how to express that he wasn’t

that great of a human, Cho came down to the auto driver’s knees.”

The Thuglak magazine included fierce reportage and had mocked many political leaders. The magazine is known for its pun intended cartoons. Following Indira Gandhi’s declaration o f

Legacy of Ramaswamy, The Rajaguru of Indian Politics Divya Ranganathan divya.r@iijnm.org Apart from his wildly successful career as a comedian, Srinivasa Iyer Ramaswamy, popularly known as “Cho”, was a multifaceted personality. Coming from a family of scholarly lawyers, he graduated in law from the University of Madras, followed by a stint as a legal advisor. One fine day in his twenties, he was compelled to watch a play with his friend. Impressed with the script and the theatre, Cho wrote a drama that night. Although it was rejected later, it was the first of his baby step into theatrics. He spent his evenings writing scripts, later suspending his career in law to concentrate on it full time. Cho has written 23 plays in Tamil, performing in over 5000 cities across South India.

He was a man of great presence of mind and humour. His very face coupled with good timing and delivery, painted him as a hilarious comedian. When a controversy arose over the “english” names of his plays, he named his next play “Quo Wadis” in Latin.

Emergency, Cho fearlessly published the first post-Emergency Thuglak issue with an all black front cover to express protest. “Thuglak was the only journal in the country that predicted the ‘Emergency’ regime before it was imposed”, he said in one of his interviews. The publication was stopped for two issues and then was restarted again.

METRO

THURSDAY, 19 JANUARY

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Bengaluru residents moving on to alternative modes of farming Rishiraj Bhagwathi rishiraj.b@iijnm.org

BENGALURU- Like a typical growing metropolis, Bengaluru’s concrete jungles and its fast pace of life leave a lot to be desired when it comes to the quality of the food produce available in its markets.

But unlike a ‘typical’ growing metropolis, the city’s residents are increasingly taking initiatives to adopt alternative farming methods.

Aiming for the general principle of ‘Grow what you eat, and eat what you grow’, people are indulging in a number of activities which range from terrace farming in the city to switching to organic farming in rural areas, the former earning a lot of followers of late.

Terrace gardening has been proven to be a simple yet effective step to increase our green cover and promote a sustainable farming method.

While most get initiated into terrace gardening as a pastime, it soon becomes a source of joy and sometimes a method to de-stress. Aparna Murthy, resident of Koramangala, says “Just the act of plucking the leaves of what I have grown myself makes my day. When we offer some of the home-grown cherry tomatoes to neighbours and friends, it gives me great joy to say that I have grown those myself. I can see the growing interest in terrace farming among a lot of people now.” Mrs. Murthy says that apart from fresh vegetables, she has also grown some ornamental plants to make her garden visually appealing, something that she stresses is important.

This activity has attracted a lot of residents over the recent years, and for good reason. While terrace farming allows them to stay away from fertilizer and pesticidal residues that are in food available in local markets, it also gives them the freedom to choose what they grow and eat. The waste generated could entirely be turned into vermicompost, thus helping tackle the growing problem of garbage disposal in the city. Moreover, as Mrs. Murthy explains, since the knowledge of the art cannot be passed on by theory alone and has to be learnt experimentally because of the diverse and varying growing conditions, terrace farming serves as an excellent learning experience for people of all ages. Even on a larger scale, terrace gardening encourages the greening of urban spaces, which are fast depleting as the city grows.

Fairs such as Oota from your Thota help terrace gardeners get information and tools for their practice.

Source:thebetterindia.com As this practice is getting adopted by more and more people, movements to encourage others to join in are also taking place in the city.

One such movement is ‘Oota From Your Thota’ (meaning “food from your garden”), which was started in August 2011 by a group in the city that believes in growing their own food. As their blog explains, “When it comes to real practice, all those interested in growing vegetables and fruit crops in their homes are looking for different types of gardening inputs in one place.” Apart from meeting with experts and other urban farmers, these events give a rich exposure to equipment for terrace gardening, saplings, seeds, fresh organic produce, ecofriendly pest controllers, organic soil enrichers and more, through discussions, workshops and stalls.

Similar efforts can be seen elsewhere in the city too. The University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru, organises urban krishi melas to create awareness of practices ranging from urban horticulture to organic rooftop gardening.

In an interview with The Hindu, vice-chancellor of the university, K. Narayana Gowda, said that promoting urban horticulture would go a long way to fight food shortage and security, along with ensuring availability of fresh, nutritious

vegetables and fruits. “It is possible to take care of 20 per cent of the vegetable and fruit requirements of Bangalore if a majority of households in the city take up urban horticulture,” he said. Apart from this, there have also been several reports of working professionals and techies from Bengaluru going beyond terrace farming and migrating out of the city to engage in community farming, like a community called ‘Bettada Budada Thota’ in Malavalli taluk.

Portals like ‘My Dream Garden’ and ‘Multiplex Urban Garden’ have also facilitated green practices in the city.

My dream Garden, which has an online portal, has created over a hundred terrace gardens in Bengaluru covering over 20,000 sq. ft. It also conducts regular workshops to train housewives and children in different parts of the city. Hanging Gar-

den Orchids, which also operates through an online portal, specialises in orchid gardens alone and has installed vertical gardens in several commercial areas in the city. These organisations often take advantage of the fact that Bengaluru has the ideal climate for these gardens. A

local farm called ‘back2basics’, which started in 2011 in suburban Bengaluru, is a farm-to-fork company that supplies locally grown organic food and delivers same-day-harvest to the doorstep.

The movement to grow one’s own produce is often credited to Dr. B.N. Vishwanath, who is sometimes called the father of organic urban terrace gardening in India. Dr. Vishwanath, who started his career as an instructor in the Department of Entomology, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, has written around 40 research papers and has produced a number of agriculture related documentaries to encourage people to take up greener and more sustainable farming practices.

All these efforts are leading to a trend towards alternatives methods of farming that is propelled by a desire for non-toxic food and environmental awareness. The need for these methods is also being increasingly felt by policy makers, economists, nutritionists and land developers around the country, which makes one hope that government support will soon come in to help this endeavour. But until then, Bengaluru residents are leading the way in urban farming and showing how it can be a source of both validation and non-toxic farm produce.

THURSDAY, 19 JANUARY

India’s digi-vision: The equation and the prevalent situation Prathmesh M Tripathi prathmesh.t@iijnm.org Appearing in every media outlet, be it radio, television or newspaper, the ‘Mera Mobile: Mera bank bhi Mera Batuwa Bhi,’ advertisement does not seem to- or in some instances seems to- tire listeners, viewers and readers, as another attempt of a government trying to promote e-transactions through incentives. Other more beneficial attempts would be a Rs. 10 lakh insurance cover for railway passengers opting for cashless payments, service tax exemptions for card transactions under Rs. 2000, and the Lucky Grahak Yojana.

The government’s idea of a cashless economy is worth complimenting primarily because all economic transactions made online are recorded and accounted for.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a section of his cabinet ministers are calling demonetisation, a historic decision, implying that the country is seeing a ‘digital revolution.’ While the government seems aware of the difficulties faced by people due to this transition and promises to resolve the crises gradually, it seems to have forgotten that these difficulties are more a result of the lack of basic digital infrastructure than people’s inability to adapt to digital transaction.

In a recent seminar on demonetisation, Ravishankar Prasad, India’s Law and Telecom Minister, boastfully said that we have 103 crore mobile phones; what he failed to mention is that of these 103 crore mobiles, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India states that only 12.5 crore are smart phones.

While shouting cashless, the government has seemingly forgotten the need for digital literacy, for the success of the scheme.

An important obstacle in ensuring successful digitization of the economy remains internet connectivity and speed. A recent Akamai report shows that India, which ranks third in terms of the number of internet users, ranks 105th in terms of internet speed: it has an average speed of 1.5 to 2 MBPS, compared to the 12-15 MBPS speed in developed economies. wThe report shows how mobile connectivity is yet to reach over 50,000 villages, and fibre networks, used for broadband, have only reached 56,000 of the 2.5 lakh gram panchayats targeted.

After demonetisation, most people decided to fight corruption with Paytm accounts, but is it enough to pay for everything? Was this massive effort worth the lives so many or was it just another ‘jumla?’

MONEY FOR NOTHING? 3

The demonetisation drama: A recap

Anirudh Saligrama anirudh.ss@iijnm.org

Demonetisation is a process of paralysing legal tender of currency and rendering it invalid.

Demonetisation is generally done when a country wants to replace its old currency unit with a new one. For example, countries under the European Union decided to opt for a new currency “Euro” by demonetising their respective currency units. Some of the other countries that have demonetised its currency unit include North Korea, Republic of Congo, Ghana, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe among others.

In the year 1978, the Indian Government, under Prime Minister Morarji Desai, had demonetised notes of Rs. 1,000, Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 10,000. Prior to this move, the Reserve Bank of India had demonetised the circulation of Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 10,000 notes in 1946.

On November 8, 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes in circulation were to be considered illegal tender overnight. The step was initially welcomed by several citizens, but was heavily criticized by the opposition parties, which also staged protests against the move.

The banks were shut for the next day and the ATMs across the country were not operational for the next two days for the new currency notes to be made available to the public. However, the process of recalibration of the ATMs to handle the sizes of the new Rs. 2,000 and Rs 500 notes took longer.

The withdrawal limit from ATMs was reduced to Rs. 2,000 per day, which was soon was extended to Rs. 2,500; currently the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has set the withdrawal limit at Rs. 10,000 per day for ATMs. The exchange limit in bank was Rs. 4,000 per day which was extended to Rs. 4,500 per day. There have been subsequent changes to this figure depending on the availability of new notes and the situation on the ground.

The initiative was taken in order to curb black money and unaccounted money, check the flow of counterfeit currency into the economy and to put an end to the sources of funding for terrorism in the country.

The Modi government informed that the old notes can be exchanged at banks till December 30, 2016, but there have been exceptions made for NRIs and members of the armed forces.

The government has imposed fine of Rs. 10,000 for those who were holding the old currency notes.

Although there were plenty positive consequences of

demonetisation observed post the move such as increase in digital payments, cashless transactions, increase in demand for credit card swipe machines and others, there were several other impacts that created a major concern across t h e

country for the health of the economy.

Also, December, being t h e season of weddings, witnessed a lot of cancellation of weddings due to demonetisation.

A report published by India Ratings, a research firm, on December 1, 2016 shows that the economic cost of demonetisation will be around Rs 1.5 trillion for the fiscal year that ends in 2017 and that the step taken (demonetising Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 notes) will curb only 12 per cent of the black economy. This means that 88 per cent of the black money would still remain in the economy.

The India Ratings report also lowered its GDP growth forecast for FY 17 to 6.8, 97 basis points lower than its earlier projection. The analysis also states that the GDP component that would be the worst hit was the Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) and the same is expected to grow at two percent, 305 basis points lower than the research firm’s earlier projection.

The report said that the cash crunch is taking its toll on consumption demand, due to which Private Final Consumption Expenditure (PFCE) is now expected to grow at 7.5 percent, down 89 basis points from the reach firm’s earlier projection.

On the other hand, the reach company projected the industrial and services GVA to grow at 5.0 per cent and 9.2 per cent, lower by 222 basis points and 21 basis points respectively on the consumption side from the company’s earlier projection.

A report published by Edelweiss, a market research company, stated that the consumer price inflation hit a record low at 3.63 per cent in the month of November 2016, compared to October 2016, which was at 4.2 per cent. Food inflation also had witnessed a landslide fall in the Edelweiss report, with a decline of

as much as 60 basis points. While the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) kept the rates unchanged in its monetary policy review in December 2017, the report predicted that the

RBI may keep things unchanged t i l l

its next monetary policy meeting which is scheduled for February 2017.

On November 17, 2016, reported that microfinance companies faced an increase in risk of over-leveraged borrowers, according to a new report that was published by India Ratings, and that the government’s demonetisation move could make things even worse in the short run.

Several ATMs and banks across the country went out of cash although the RBI had informed that there is sufficient amount of legal currency at hand conduct the transition after demonetisation smoothly. Many ATMs either ended up only having Rs. 2,000 notes or were completely out of cash. Most pieces on cash crunch in banks reported soon after the move, people could not even withdraw their salaries from the banks easily. There were also reports on violence in few places as banks and ATMs went out of cash, particularly in the first week of December 2016 (the time during which salary is credited for a majority of workers).

Reports suggested that Jan Dhan accounts became a lot more active post the note ban.

Business Standard reported that the deposits have increased by more than 50 per cent in Jan Dhan accounts.

An Odisha-based media channel, Odisha Television Ltd., reported on the police confirming that black money was being

deposited in Jan Dhan accounts.

Several news reports broke out on arrests of various people

by Enforcement Directorate (ED) with relation to black money laundering. Prominent politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen were also involved in these cases where the ED and CBI recovered several bundles old notes along with the newly introduced notes.

THURSDAY, 19 JANUARY

MONEY FOR NOTHING?

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People queue up outside an ATM in Kumbalgodu to withdraw cash.This was the scenario in the entire country during the first few days of Demonetisation. Almost two months since the announcement the situation doesn’t seem to have changed much.

Pic Courtesy: Anirudh Sharma

Jan Dhan accounts increase by 4% since demonetisation Soanl Agarwal sonal.g@iijnm.org

November 8, 2016 was a turning point for many in the country, who did not have bank accounts.

On this day legal tender was taken away from the old 500 and 1000Rs notes and those without bank accounts felt the immediate need of having one. In a country, where most of its transaction takes place through cash, the economy was rendered cashless with one single announcement. The RBI said this step was taken in order to eradicate black money from the economy.

There has been a rise in number of bank accounts opened in all types of banks after demonetization, because after demonetization people did not have anywhere to go to keep their resources intact. That is why the total number of new bank accounts increased rapidly under Jan DhanYojna Scheme from 2nd to 30th of November 2016. Before demonetisation, that is till 2nd of November 2016,only 6, 27,569 new bank accounts were opened under the scheme and after demonetization, till 30th of November, 3, 99,721,863 new accounts were opened under the scheme. These data clearly shows that there were many people, who did not have bank accountsat the time of demonetisation and each one of them must have undergone their own share of expe-

rience of not having a bank account.

The country was not ready for it. The Jan DhanYojna, which aimed at creating free bank accounts for everyone was also not successfully implemented; it can be deduced from the data published by the government on the website. Number of bank accounts opened under Jan DhanYojna scheme was far less before and after demonetisaton. Jan DhanYojna, which was launched on 15th of August, 2014, by the prime minister for “Financial Inclusion to ensure access to financial services, namely, Banking/ Savings & Deposit Accounts, Remittance, Credit, Insurance, Pension in an affordable manner. Account could be opened in any bank branch or Business Correspondent (Bank Mitr) outlet with Zero balance.”

Savita, who works as a domestic helper still doesn’t have a bank account; she said that she doesn’t need one. During demonetization, her employer helped her with whatever Rs500 notes she had and therefore she still doesn’t feel the need of opening a bank account. This shows the reality of the economy.

The non-bank account holders had no other means to get new currency or get rid of their old notes, but to exchange it or spend it.The rules for exchanging old notesin banks and post offices also went through several changes. The rules were tweaked almost every day caus-

ing serious confusion among the citizens. In the beginning, old notes worth Rs 4000 could be exchanged in banks and post offices,and then the limit was raised to Rs4500, but later on 18th of Novemberit reduced toRs 2000. The exchange could only be done till 24th of November and only once per account holder.

Removing status of legal tender from old 500 and 1000 Rupee note meant abrupt end to the 86 per cent of the transaction in the economy. This step has hit the income of people, who transact daily in cash like auto rickshaw drivers, bus drivers and other small vendors.

This is because, there is not enough change in the market and therefore the consumption has also reduced.

Kiran, 27, manufactures electric switch boxes in a shop near Kumbalgodu. He described his experi-

Source: www.pmjdy.gov.in/

ence of not having a bank account, he said, “it was very difficult to survive demonetization.” He had no cash in hand to continue his business and had to shut down his shop for seven days after the announcement.

The government and the RBI did not think it through. They ignored the micro level impact and focused on the macro level aim of eradication of corruption. The case mentioned below is an example of how some people were exploited just because they did not have a bank account.

Sumit Banerjee (name changed), who works as a full time driver in Kolkata said that he never thought of opening an account neither for himself nor for his wife. “I am just a driver; I used to get all my salary in cash.” On 1st of November he received his salary and on 8th the announce-

ment was made. He had few Rs500 notes and someone offered him to exchange it with 20 percent commission. He gave it for exchange because he did not have a bank account.Further,he needed cash in hand and there were long queues in banks. But later, Banerjee had to open an account, as his employer could not pay his salary in cash.

Garima, a student, said “I was shocked to meet a man named Mukhtar, who was working as a clerk and did not have a bank account.” The clerk was in his mid50s and said that he never felt the need of opening a bank account.

The banks also struggled for first few days of demonetisation, because people did not just come to deposit money in their accounts, there were many who came to open new accounts and get their old notes exchanged. Sanjay Agarwal, Chief Manager Advance, State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur said, “We had to work extra hours; banks applied all its resources to tackle the situation. Four staffs had to be assigned to one counter.” The only alternate to deposit more than Rs2000 was to create a new account.

Before taking this bold step, the government and RBI together could have assessed the Jan Dhan Scheme and implemented it successfully, as this decision not just affected the black money holders, but each and every household of the country.

RUN FOR THE PRESIDENT 5 Clouds of uncertainty, as Obama bids adieu THURSDAY, 19 JANUARY

Azmia Riaz azmia.r@iijnm.org The United States of America has been shrouded in a cloud of uncertainty since early November when the election results showed to the world that more than half the people of a country can be caught by surprise in this brave new political world. Barack Obama, the living embodiment of hope is to be replaced by Donald Trump, a narcissistic billionaire who embodies nothing more than the downfall of the Electoral College system. One thing is for sure, international diplomacy will not be the same after this tectonic shift in power. Looking in from the East, it is difficult to not wonder where India will land by the end of the process.

Under Obama, India soared to the level of a ‘major defence partner’. Prime Minister Narendra Modi worked with the President to introduce a number of clean energy initiatives. In the previous year, the US-India civil nuclear accord resumed and inaugurated six nuclear reactors in India. India reciprocated by ratifying the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Trade facilitation agreement. The Indian Prime Minister even addressed the U.S. Con-

gress in a joint session. U.S. foreign policy made a purposeful decision to pivot towards the East, a policy that India has played a huge role in.

In eight years, the relationship between the two nations transformed into an enduring friendship. Granted, Obama’s administration has had one airstrike too many to have secured the hope that he touted; the openness in his ways has changed the face of the country forever.

He was the first U.S. President to openly support same-sex marriage, restored diplomatic relations with Cuba and make sure that Iran’s nuclear program remains peaceful. To India, his legacy lies in the fact that he was able to extend a softer hand.

But all this will be put to test come January 20th, when the United States will welcome its 45th President, Donald John Trump.

Trump is a stranger to politics and is even further estranged from any form of diplomacy.

During his campaign, a series of speeches aimed at criticising rising Asian countries for destabilising the United States currency set off alarm bells among political commentators across the country. Experts anticipate this could mean that U.S. relations with countries like Japan, Korea and China may be at stake.

On Donald Trump’s previous comments about a trade war with China, Nicholos Hope, the former director of the Stanford Center for International Development, commented, “If that’s Trump’s intention, he is foolish. A trade war would be damaging for everybody” Since India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, the same threat could plague the country in the near future. The threat is not limited to economic policies. Trump has announced that he will use his ‘extraordinary deal-making skills’ to intervene in the Kashmir conflict between India and Pakistan, which completely contradicts former U.S. policy in the region. In addition to this, he has criticised non-immigration visas, which present a threat to Indian students looking to study abroad.

This January, the world watches the United States with bated breath. Under Barrack Obama, the country became a role model in politically correct rhetoric.

However, Donald Trump represents an entirely different political culture.

In fact, he may not be political at all.

The underlying xenophobia in Trump’s campaign promises have already spread tension among Indians living inside and outside America. India will have to join

Trump to swear in as President tomorrow After two years of aggressive campaigning, numerous election debates and press conferences, and countless victory speeches, public apologies, colourful editorials and Twitter rants, a ceremony that most political pundits around the world had not anticipated is here. Donald J. Trump will be officially sworn in as the 45th President of the United States of America on Friday, the 20th of January 2016.

The proceedings of Inauguration Day, as it is called, will commence around noon on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol with the president-elect and vice president-elect taking the Oaths of Office administered by Chief Justice John Roberts, followed by the inaugural address.

However, the inaugural events will be kicked off a day before on Thursday at Arlington Nathe political bandwagon because claiming ‘Not America’s president’ will not bode well for anyone. So

tional Cemetery, where Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence will be in attendance, laying a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknowns. This will be followed by a ‘welcome ceremony’ at Lincoln Memorial, where artists like Jon Voight, Jennifer Holliday, Lee Greenwood, DJ Ravidrums, The Piano Guys, 3 Doors Down, and the Frontmen of Country will perform.

On Friday, the swearing-in ceremony will be followed by the inaugural parade, which will make its way from Capitol building to the White House through the Pennsylvania Avenue. The president, vice president and their wives will then attend three official inaugural balls.

All major news channels across the world are expected to air the ceremony live. we will have to brave the clouds of uncertainty to see if there is a method to democracy’s madness.

Winds of Change @POTUS @BarackObama has served this country with grace, humility and resilience and I am honored to call him my friend. #ObamaFarewell

5 steps forward. 10 steps back.

I guess Brexit doesn’t seem so bad now

@POTUS @BarackObama has served this country with grace, humility and resilience and I am honored to call him my friend. #ObamaFarewell

You know what we do now? We finish building what we started and we FIGHT BACK! Lift your heads up brothers and sisters. @POTUS @BarackObama I love you more than I have space on Twitter to describe. #ObamaFarewell

I feel like America just sent in our tuition check for Trump University.

Yes we can. Yes we did. #obamafarewell

UNWIND

THURSDAY, 19 JANUARY

Upcoming events

The French fiction film (of course with subtitles!) revolves around a boy with mystical powers, who started using his powers to save people in his village.

Catch it @Alliance Française auditorium on 28th of January.

Love to get Adrenaline Rush?

Jakkur is where you ought to be on 21st Jan 2017. Check out Bangalore from a bird’s eye view!

There are many out there whose resolution this year was to become fit. Decathlon is organising a 5km run on 22nd Jan, so be there. Don’t get de-motivated if you find fitness freaks there!

The lalbagh flower show is back this year, showcasing collections from Goa, Maharashtra and North East. The show starts from 20th of this month and ends on 29th.

Events Courtesy: eventshigh.com

The Joke’s On Us Azmia Riaz azmia.r@iijnm.org “So why are politicians so afraid of comedians?” asks Tanmay Bhatt, a perpetual grin rests on his face as if remnants of an old punch line are looping through his head. The funny man from All India Bakchod (AIB) dressed in a red tracksuit folds his arms as he waits for his prey to fall into his trap. Little does he know that his prey isn’t really prey at all, in fact the man that he is questioning may have the sharpest predatory instincts in the Indian media’s veritable food chain. Arnab Goswami has been at the rear end of a number of AIB’s jokes, but at the 2016 Under 25 summit he stares back at Bhatt as though the tables have turned. “I’ve been asking myself the same question, I’ll give you a few tips in private,” Goswami retorts triumphantly as if to say “The joke’s on you now.”

This is not the first time that these explosive personalities have locked heads.

Last year, Bhatt found himself in the centre of a controversy when his Snapchat videos that face swapped Sachin Tendulkar and Lata Mangeshkar went v i r a l .

The news erupted, asking questions

about whether it was acceptable for comedians to ‘defame’ public figures in the name of comedy.

This secret ability of comedians to transform their likeness alarmed pundits across the country. In fact, Arnab Goswami seemed so afraid at the time that he felt the need to host an entire debate on the subject. Though the discussion went nowhere, it was able to draw a line between these two rapidly diverging streams of the Indian media.

For years, comedy struggled to find a voice in India. Grilled under the pressure of constant censorship and rules, it was forced to be limited to a number of tacky prime time shows that celebrated stereotypes and shunned any form of innovation. When the idea of web series and online streaming was introduced in India, a trend of smart comedy took root. Brimming with satire, sarcasm and smart observations, comedy groups like AIB, The Viral Fever, Them Boxer Shorts, East India Comedy and others started to introduce content that did not insult the viewer’s intelligence. In fact, the absence of arbitrary regulation and censorship filled the decadeslong gap in Indian comedy within a few years. And their ideas grew so popular that many of these groups received their own shows on channels like Comedy Central and Star World in addition to the

conception of a number of shows for Netflix and other such services.

But comedians continue to face the ire of humourless activists who fight the odd tweet or Snapchat story that they deem as being against national values. Recently, Kiku Sharda from the show Comedy Nights with Kapil faced backlash for mimicking Gurmeet Ram Raheem S i n g h Insaan, the chief o f the nonprofit organisation, Dera Sacha Sauda. The fact remains that comedians are feared in the country. The moral police and political bigwigs continue to find a way to bash every inch of creativity in so that they can maintain the status quo, but being the monsters that they are feared to be, it would not be surprising if comedy is able to claw its way out of this political grave and present the world with a solitary finger. Which is why it was not surprising when Tanmay Bhatt looked back at Arnab Goswami and asked “How does it feel to go from being a famous news presenter to being the PR person for an obscure news channel?”

George Orwell(25th June 1903 - 21st January 1915)

In a time of Universal deceit -telling the truth is a revolutionary act

By Poorbita Bagchi 21st January 2017 marks the 67th death anniversary of George Orwell.

A British journalist and author, Eric Arthur Blair, used the pen name George Orwell to write satirical pieces about British colonial oppression of the British. Born in Motihari, a village in Bengal, he witnessed the authoritarian tyranny in parts of India and Burma. He joined the Indian Imperial Police in Burma, and resigned in 1927 to become a writer

Two of his best works are “Ani mal Farm” a political fable that talks about Stalin’s betrayal of the Russian Revolution, and “Nineteen EightyFour,” an anti-utopian future, which was too despairing for people to digest. “Politics and the English Language” is an essay he wrote to criticise the English often used by writers. He Courtesy: toonpool.com emphasised that metaphors regularly used and moved to Paris. He was workshould be avoided and ing menial jobs when he wrote his shorter words and sentence encourfirst novel “Burmese Days” about aged. He died of tuberculosis at the age of 46 on 21st January 1950. his experiences in Burma in 1934.

6 Look forward to...

Theresa May is going to be the first British Prime Minister to feature on the cover of American Vogue this April. Watch out for this cover.

Animal rights pressure group Peta has bought shares in Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey (LVMH) in order to pressure it to stop selling bags and other products made from exotic animal skins.

Asus all set to launch its 8 GB RAM equipped 5.7 inch Zenfone AR that will be using Google’s mobile virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies. Apart from this the phone will have a Tricam system with a 23 megapixel main camera and motion tracking camera.

Editor-in-chief: Pallabi Managing editor: Arunava Layout Editors: Aneesh, Bibin Photo Editors: Abhishek, Mitali Social Media Editor: Divya, Supriya Copy Editor: Azmia, Rishiraj Staff: Sonal For feedback contact the Editorpallabi.s@iijnm.org