The MAG » Affairs

Not Just a Game!

Vivek Singh — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 04:36:39 +0000

The whole world is in a tight grip of soccer fever these days, or shall we say Vuvuzela fever this time. Even in India, in spite of the fact that the Indian team has never played a game in the football world cup finals, people are singing “just like a wavin’ flag” with great enthusiasm. South Africa, the host nation, is like a huge country on carnival. People, in their colourful attire, are supporting their favorite teams with the zeal of a kid who has just learnt cycling. So what is it about sports like football, or for that matter cricket in some parts of the world, that makes people go round? Is it the adrenaline rush, or the spirit of the game, or pure marketing and media propaganda?

No doubt these events are huge income and foreign exchange generators for the countries that host them. Such events can generate a lot of employment in not only tourism and hospitality sectors but also in the infrastructure sector. A nation which is expecting large number of tourists will have to develop its infrastructure in terms of better roads, rails and transport facilities. They will also need hotels etc. for the guests. This, in turn, generates employments for workers both skilled and unskilled for the development of infrastructure and also employment in the hospitality sector. It also boosts the tourism industry of the nation. The after benefits of such a development will ultimately be passed on to the citizens of the country.

We can very well see the case in the recent past when South Africa hosted IPL last year. The Indian government and media lost a major chunk of revenues due to shifting of IPL to South Africa. And what was one country’s loss, was another’s gain. Similarly, South Africa also benefited from the T20 Cricket World Cup held recently there. All these events have not only added to the economic gains of the nation but have also boosted its image in the organizing of large scale events effectively.

In the recent past we have also seen China flexing its muscle during the Beijing Olympics 2008. This again tells us that organizing world sporting events can also be used by countries as a show of power. China did stun the world by the show of strength, wealth and discipline. Even before the Olympics had started the world could see the effect it would have. Though there was the Tibet controversy which played spoilsport during the whole event but still China was able to make a statement.

India in a similar way is trying to show off its power by organizing the 2010 commonwealth games. Though the scale of these games is much smaller than most of the events mentioned above, yet the Indian government, and most notably the Delhi government, has left no stone unturned to make the event a success.

But then, like everything, even these big shows of power have their own negative side effects. And the most visible is a sudden surge in human trafficking – both for the use of cheap labor as well as prostitution. I read somewhere that brothels in South Africa have hired thousands of prostitutes from all over the world to meet the demand during this football season. This would have also led to illegal trafficking of women and children.

However, apart from these direct industries benefiting from such events there are a lot of indirect industries which also profit such as the television manufacturers, or the Sports channels or for that matter the liquor and food industry.

Wait. Did I forget something? Oh yes! The, oh, so ubiquitous Vuvuzelas. If there is one thing that FIFA World Cup 2010 will be remembered for, it has to be the Vuvezelas. Be it the football ground, Youtube movie spoofs, news channels or the Twitter trending topics, the Vuvuzela is everywhere. So, whether the hotel and tourism industry in South Africa benefit from the FIFA World Cup or not, or whether the Indian Government will be able to show off its muscle during the Common Wealth Games or not, one thing is for sure – the Vuvuzela manufacturers are laughing all the way to the bank.

Gone in 30 Seconds!

Soma Ghosh — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:31:26 +0000

“International aid workers fear the final death toll could top 200,000. About 250,000 more were injured and 1.5-million left homeless in the wake of last week’s disaster.” – Business Day (2010/01/19)

It was a quiet Wednesday morning in Mumbai, on the 13th of January. And all I will remember of that day will be a 31 sec video that ran on a loop on YouTube, showing a girl holding her mobile and looking out of her terrace in disbelief as the city beneath her had suddenly disappeared under a thick cloud of dust. A voice kept breaking down in the background, “the world is coming to an end”. She didn’t realize how true her words were, that their world had actually come crashing down.

Very soon, news had started to filter in from the western hemisphere about an earthquake in the island nation of Haiti. The quake hadn’t lasted beyond 30 seconds and when it was over, the earthquake of magnitude 7.0 on the Richter scale, had forever changed the landscape and the lives of more than two million people who inhabit the poor island nation.

Slowly the first pictures started to come in. A gray cloud of dust rose out of the rubble of the dilapidated buildings in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Smoke rose in the distance as fire seemed to have flared up from devastated houses. There was shock and pain written on every face as the people tried to understand what had hit them. The air was filling up with wails of pain, angry screams, desperate cries for help. People were still in a daze, their faces a dusty gray and bloodied faces, looking around trying to find loved ones, friends, relatives, calling out names, helpless in the disaster. The quake torn streets were slowly stirring into action as people started to move away chunks of cement while some dug at the wreckage with their bare hands with the hope of saving some who may still be alive under the debris. Some school children stood in a huddle unable to understand how to find their way home or whether their homes were still standing where they had left them in the morning. People carried away bloodied bodies of loved ones, friends, relatives. And all this while no help had arrived, no police, no paramedics, no firemen – everybody was on their own.

The city thus lying in shambles happened to be just 6 miles away from the epicenter of the quake. And from the time after the major quake shook the city, 33 aftershocks had trembled underneath the city up to Thursday morning.

Elsewhere, the police headquarters had been razed to the ground. The Presidential Palace lay flattened to the ground, the headquarters of the UN peacekeeping mission had simply collapsed to the ground; hospitals, schools and residential buildings had caved in, rolled down ravines or lay in heaps of masonry. In places entire neighbourhoods were sleeping on the streets.

By Wednesday the body count had started to rise.The world was rushing in with aid. But with the devastated city the whole infrastructure seemed to have collapsed. Major roads were cut off, the port was damaged beyond repair and airports remained disconnected.

“Getting rescue and emergency medical help to those who needed it was proving, in the words of UN spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs, “a logistical nightmare” – The Independent (Sunday, 17 January 2010).

An earthquake of this scale is no doubt a major calamity but not unheard of. But given the state of Haiti – where people languish without proper medical facilities in normal times – the disaster has made death an easier option. This desperately poor country, politically unstable, struggles to sustain its people. The people live more in despair than in hope – fulfilling basic needs – food, better education and medical facilities, are distant dreams – dictator after dictator has thwarted expectations of good governance.

The 200 years of history of the nation bares witness to a people struggling to live on under dictatorship and political unrest. The UN and some other aid agencies struggled day in and day out to keep some semblance of sanity in the overall aura of hopelessness. But with last Tuesday’s earthquake, the whole country has once more been plunged into darkness. The increasing body count, makeshift hospitals in parks, trucks converted into ambulances, mass graves for the rapidly decomposing bodies, the imminent epidemic following such disasters are just some of the problems on the surface. Even a week later the people still await the daunting task of slowly rebuilding Haiti.

Image courtesy : Reuters and AP

Splitting States – The New Story of India!

Shakthi — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 08:01:57 +0000

Every country is conveniently divided into states/provinces to facilitate governance and administration. So is India. Some of the states of India are older than independent India, and some are relatively new. Together, they all represent the country of India. But off late, states have become tools at the hands of politicians to further their own personal ambitions and greed for power. The demands for separate states have become more and more vocal, from all corners of the country, and each one of them has either History, or Geography, or Economics to back their claims. They either lean on linguistic differences, administrative issues, or imbalance of funds to back themselves up. I am sure that Sardar Patel must be squirming in his heavenly abode on seeing all this. Almost all his efforts to unify the country are being negated zone-wise now. The worst aspect of this story is that the ruling alliance used statehood promises to lure regional separatists into their fold, and get to power .

The day when you wake up and find that your city, no, your street has become a state unto itself is not a big impossibility now. But I would not simply close my eyes, and oppose or condemn anyone who asks for a separate state. We need to look at the history and the legitimacy of the demand, examine both these factors carefully and consider the sentiments and stifled voices of the people in that region. Only then can we make a call about any demand for statehood of any region. This brings us to the most hyped – and in the news – subject of Telangana. Let us look at it in detail .

A few facts about Telangana first. This state was ruled by the Nizam of Hyderabad, and was never under British Rule. Hyderabad was always a part of the state, and was, in fact, its capital. When the agitation to separate Andhra from the then Madras state picked up steam, and Potti Sreeramulu gave up his life fasting, the original demand for Madras as the capital was changed, and what is now coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema were merged with Telengana to form Andhra Pradesh . Right from that time, a very virulent and often vehement movement to separate Telangana, so as to facilitate proper balance of resources and development, has been in force and many people have laid their lives down for it. So if the Gen Y and Gen X are thinking that KCR fasting for a week brought this state about magically, they are grossly mistaken.

But sadly, many a politician has picked up the jingoism and tokenism.

There are state requests, and bandh calls, and fasts, springing up everywhere and people are being misled by selfish politicians to believe that this will benefit them. This is a sad trend and I fully hold the ruling UPA responsible for first promising, then conveniently forgetting, and finally – at a totally wrong time – giving in to the demand. What they have done is glorified the wrong people and set a wrong precedent. There are many other pressing things crying for attention – the looming threat of terror, the economy, the climate and so on. They are using this as a diversionary measure to keep people distracted, and I admit that they are succeeding to a large extent. People have forgotten starvation deaths, and are now making starvation a fashion statement or a tool.

We need to wake up and stop getting into this vicious circle, and focus more on getting our country to its due destination in the global arena. That would be possible only and only if we stand together and not split ourselves on languages/zones/religion lines. I am keeping my fingers crossed in the anticipation that we, the people, are capable of thinking beyond the differences. How about you ? Think about it

May 19, 2010 — Getting Systematic!
February 27, 2010 — The Story of India Today!
February 12, 2010 — Beyond Barriers…
January 19, 2010 — The Rise of the “Baba”!
January 2, 2010 — Where the Mind is Without Fear…
November 14, 2009 — Brothers in Peace

The Fourth Estate!

Anon — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 07:38:17 +0000

The Ideal Society!

The print media was called the Fourth Estate by Thomas Carlyle in the 19th century. Today, the media has evolved and branched into different audio and visual mediums – the latest development in the field being the emergence of social media. The term Fourth Estate today, therefore, can be said to refer to all these different branches, and it is a fact that all these mediums are playing a pivotal role in transforming the society today.

Media, in any form, is a reflection of the society to which it belongs. Its role can be defined using the three E’s – to Enlighten, to Educate, and to Entertain. The role of media in spreading awareness is appreciable at times, but when things like TRP ratings come into the picture, the media resorts to an overdose of spreading awareness, creating havoc and panic as a result.

With the exceptions of a few channels, all the other major channels played a negative role when it came to spreading news about Swine flu, and this is just one example. The news originally meant to spread awareness, actually turns into a dog-fight with each channel coming up with its own version of the Breaking News. In this sensationalisation of the news, the real news gets buried deep down somewhere.

Media has also been referred to as the watchdog of any democratic society. But, rather than being a watch dog, they have either become the pet dogs of few leaders, or they have become stray dogs that bark just to see who can bark the loudest. Some shows instead of being informative, and offering guidance to the citizens, have resorted to vendetta against public figures. There also seems to be an attempt to prove how one is tactically better than the other in articulating a word into a sentence, a sentence into a phrase, a phrase into a paragraph. It does not matter if at the end of it all the truth has taken a backseat.

It is not just television that has been affected by this malady. Radio, newspapers, or online journals, all have fallen prey to it, and information is being pushed on to us through any mean possible. Having information pushed to the citizen is not all bad, if the people doing the pushing – the 4th Pillar of democracy – do what they are supposed to do. However, rather than reporting the news, newspapers and channels have become mere mouthpieces for their political masters. We, the people, are left to our own resources to sift through the noise and come to the right conclusions.

There are times, when some news, of little or no significance, is given importance only for the sake of increasing the numbers. Here lies the fault of the viewers. A common excuse resorted to by media companies when they are asked to explain their behavior is, “We produce what sells. If people want to buy it, we will sell it.”

This reasoning has some merit. If we want to see a news item sensationalized, then there will be more than enough people who would be glad to do so, and make s quick buck in the process. The recent instance on Twitter where people took to Chetan Bhagat bashing in an instant, highlights the fact that we, in general, look forward more to gossip than hardcore news.

The power of the citizen is more than he can imagine, and if he exercises it many of the ills of the society can be done away with, once and for all. Wouldn’t you agree?

October 1, 2009 — Chinese Military Threat to India : Jittery Tiger Confused Dragon

26.11.2009

Valentina — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:10:39 +0000

Today, India mourns as we remember the victims of the Mumbai terrorist attack on 26.11.2008. The nation is clamouring for justice for the martyrs – in the form of Kasab’s speedy trial and punishment – and for taking effective steps to prevent such things from happening in the future.The one thought in the mind of a majority of the people in India is – Kasab is the only one of the attackers who survived, and got caught – it is only fair that he meets the same fate as those of the victims of the crime perpetrated by him.

But, on some level, doesn’t wanting Kasab dead bring us on the same level as him? Yes – he and others like him have killed many people, from India and other countries all over the world. Shouldn’t there, however, be an attempt to understand why they do it? Life is a precious possession for most of us, and the motivation behind these young men getting ready to part with it has to be understood. It can’t simply be the attraction of seven virgins in the next world that drives them to this extent.

Kasab’s execution – or whatever punishment is meted out to him – however should be taken seriously because it is a startling revelation of our judicial system. Recently in a capital city of a state in India a High Court judge got stuck in traffic. Within a week he had directed the Government to issue directions to make the roads of the city one way. By the end of the week these directions had been implemented.

The above is an example of how speedy the judicial system in India can be – but only when it chooses to be. It chooses to be speedy when it faces personal inconvenience. For all other matters, there is always the next date of hearing. Agreed that the matter of Kasab is much more complicated than the traffic problems in a city, but the relevance and importance of the Kasab’s issue demands that the matter be decided as soon as possible. For all the victims and the affected people, on year has already been too late.

Another thing that needs to be dealt with carefully is how we mark this day. The purpose of marking this day is to pay respect to the martyrs who perished on this day, and the heroes who bravely faced death, and came out victorious. But, unfortunately, many people and organisations are using this day to blow their own trumpet. The people of any nation need to be sensitive enough not to do that.

Security is another issue that India needs to worry about. One would think that a country whose Parliament – the very seat of the much proclaimed democracy – has been attacked would be better prepared to meet any further attacks. India has, however, demonstrated time and again that it is ill-prepared for any such attack – terrorist, or otherwise. What invariably happens after every attack is that a national level body is set up, and invariably after every attack these national level bodies end up blaming each other for failing to prevent the incident. It is time that India began to take security seriously, especially if it wants to be taken seriously internationally.

Lastly, India has to seriously reconsider its foreign policy when it comes to dealing with Pakistan, and other such bordering countries. Time and again, Pakistan has let India down. Although there is no need to get gung-ho about the situation and start talking about a war, but India should at least be more firm about its stand. Why bother trying to hold talks with someone, who is hiding a knife to stab you at the first opportunity. The knife has to go, before any talks of any nature can be held.

Anyway, these debates can and will continue for a long time. Today, let us just take some time out to remember the victims of 26/11 and other such terrorist attacks in India, or abroad, and let us pledge to do whatever little we can do to prevent the happening of any such attacks anywhere in the world.

Make Him an Offer He Can’t Refuse!

Aprajita — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 10:25:47 +0000

“Make him an offer he can’t refuse,” is an iconic line from an equally iconic book, The Godfather. The same principle probably applies to Amitabh Bachchan – give him an exorbitant amount of money and he wont refuse your offer, even if it involves hosting one of the crassest reality shows on television.

Once a legend, always a legend, they say. But, whether this applies to Amitabh Bachchan, who doesn’t seem to want the title anymore, is doubtful. From endorsing pens, to chocolates, to digestive tablets, to pretty much everything under the Indian sun, Mr. Bachchan is now back on the small screen in a completely different avatar – as a pop philosopher, and a host, not of a game show but a show that feasts on human emotions like jealousy, anger, hurt, love (or is it lust?), and most importantly betrayal. One can also not help but wonder at the choice of participants in the new season of the Big Boss. From a self-proclaimed sex-goddess, to another self-proclaimed sex-goddess’s mother, a self-proclaimed superstar of C-grade films, to a yesteryear’s beauty queen, to an unknown designer and, to top it all, a legendary wrestler’s frustrated son, whose histrionics would put the tactics of even participants like Rakhi Sawant and Rahul Mahajan to shame.

According to Bachchan what attracted him to the show was the fact that the concept of the show was quite different and intriguing. How would 13 people – with no outside communication – live in one house for so many days, was a question he wanted to see answered. But, one has to stop and wonder: was it actually the “intriguing concept” of the show, or the lure of an outrageous amount that drove him to host the show? Only he knows the answer to that.

Amitabh’s critics have given up on him long back, and the blind followers will love him no matter what he says, or does. It is people like me – who on an emotional level love him but on the practical level detest his vexing money minting ways – who care.

This is not to say that making money is bad or vexing. Who doesn’t like money pouring in like rain, as long as it is not at the cost of others, or illegally got. It was quite commendable when Amitabh Bachchan hosted the show Kaun Banega Crorepati, and changed the face of Indian television and along with it his floundering businesses and personal finances. The years after that have been particularly kind to him, and he has had got ample opportunity to fill his coffers. So, now, why has he accepted this offer to host a sleazy, shady, so called reality show that involves starlets, drug addicts and C-grade celebrities?

When Shilpa Shetty took up similar offers of participating in the UK version of the show, Big Brother, and then hosting the Indian version last year, no one was outraged or bothered, because she didn’t have the stature and the standing that Bachchan has (or had?). Is it merely the lure of the money that is a driving concern for even legends like Bachchan, and not their status and grandness? Is it not important for them to have the same kind of respect and reverence that they had earlier? Can you imagine a Marlon Brando or an Al Pacino doing a similar kind of feat?

I don’t think so, do you?

Chinese Military Threat to India : Jittery Tiger Confused Dragon

Anon — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 04:01:22 +0000

It was a usual lousy morning on a distant army post in Manipur for me, when I opened my eyes to the feebly shaking mobile which had already encountered seven missed calls. The screen read – ‘Home Calling’. Before I could utter a word, my mother, from the other end, like a burst from a machine gun, fired uncountable questions about my safety, my move, my leave, my health, my posting and….the war with China. Dumbstruck, I cut the phone and switched my dilapidated TV – withunmatchingly new TATA Sky – on. Surfing the news channels for just five minutes, I understood the whole story.

One of the infamous Hindi news channel, with a scaringly repulsive host, was shouting ‘laal dragon ka peela sach’(the yellow truth of the red dragon). Animated red dragons were spitting fire on the scanned map of Indian dominion, and this most perturbed man like a perfect defence strategist and military analyst uncovering, layer by layer, completely the Chinese plan of annexing India on a Google map. I thought to myself, he could be right! Other channels were showing similar breaking news in glaring colours, with more sophisticated hosts and different graphics. Such news has been a regular feature since then.

Reports of build-up of Indian army troops in Arunachal and Sikkim have suddenly taken a centre stage on TV. From almost nowhere, everybody is showing the infrastructure development by China in TAR (Tibetan Autonomous Region), analysing the technical defence inventory ofPLA (People Liberation Army), comparing the force structure of two armies, down playing own capability to respond to Chinese act of aggression (in case it is there!) and assessing the meek indicators in Chinese politics. Suddenly, as ‘Rakhi Ka Svayamvar’ and bikini hit ‘Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao’ fizz out on TV, China is IN. The irony is that all this is being shown without the slightest official authentication or corroboration. The electronic media is rakingmoolah by dramatising and spicing up an issue of national security. Is it patriotic journalism or a fanatic one?

The issue has snowballed to an extent that even China seems to be confused by this sudden development. The Indian National Security Adviser had to come out and issue an official statement of statusquo on the relations with the PLA . As normal logical citizens, the TV channels need to understand that creating a hoopla out of a sensitive issue like this can actually act as the beginning of a conflict.

For the Indian Army, it is just a realization of the fact that the threat against any form of active aggression along any border of this country is no longer with Pakistan. They hardly have any economy and diplomatic strength left to take that route. It isPLA now, that India needs to prepare itself against, and that is exactly what is being done. One has to realize that we, at all levels, have neglected or kept mum about preparing our defence forces against China in the past, and all the movement and exercises now are a normal military brush-up of tactical plots.

So, will the real honest journalist please stand up and do a sensible coverage of more relevant issues that the diverse Indian community is dealing with?

(On the author’s request, his/her name has been withheld)

December 8, 2009 — The Fourth Estate!

Selective Scepticism!

Aprajita — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:02:37 +0000

Last night I had a discussion with two of my closest friends. A debate that we generally have only in the confines of our home, and mostly in good humour. It’s said that religion, politics and sex should not be discussed in the public domain, therefore we try avoiding a debate on these issues publicly. The topic of the debate this time, however, was not any one of the three, but something related that is probably being discussed all over the world today. Something like a “clash of civilization” debate, where my friends were on one side teasing me for being a pseudo-secular.

In India, post 1989, it is fashionable to deride people who are liberal in the matter of religion. They are tauntingly christened as ‘pseudo- secularists’. On similar lines, to be anti-Nehru is also a fashion these days. Humanism has ceased to be a point of discussion and of concern to the generation to which I belong. The majority of the present generation fails to distinguish between ‘Majoritism’ and Democracy, and therefore the minority bashing. Every word spoken or any action supportive of minority is treated as ‘appeasement’ and earns the epitaph of being pseudo secularist.

My family has always imbibed in me the secular ideals, and that is how my brother and I think and react to certain situations. A few years back, it was all too simple and acceptable but now, our reactions invite glares and taunts. “You live in the times of Gandhi, people like you are responsible for the way the minorities behave in this country, and the most common of all, you guys are hopelessly pseudo-secular.”

Well, is it wrong to be secular, it is wrong to believe in equal rights for everyone? I don’t think so.

Whatever, and I repeat, whatever may be the reasons or justifications, one can’t generalise a religion or a community of people. Yes, the facts may point towards certain members of a certain community but does that give us the right to demonise an entire community?

Since 9/11 in the world, and in India more so since 26/11, Muslims have come under the line of fire. Everyone who is visibly Muslim is looked at with suspicion and thought of as a terrorist, as if there is no distinction between a the two. Some terrorists may be Muslims, but how does that give us the right to think of every Muslim individual as a threat. The anger and the rage that everyone, especially the victims, felt when Mumbai was under siege is natural, and quite understandable, but that rage and anger instead of being directed at some innocent individuals should be directed at the governing authorities who let the incident happen.

But again, it is intriguing to note that the suspicion and mistrust is selective, and is reserved for a certain segment of the community that falls easy prey to the radar of suspicion. The common man, not the ones who are famous and sought after, but the ones who can easily be typecast as the bad elements. This common man seem to have all the traits that are required to betray the nation. He is hardcore, religious and hot-blooded, who will go to any length for the sake of his religion. The others like actors, cricketers, fashion designers, businessmen, etc. are outside the purview of scepticism because of their important designation, or the power they hold. Actors like Aamir Khan, ShahRukh Khan; Cricketer Irfan Pathan, etc. are all beyond the ambit of the said bias, because they have a certain image and hold some power. Their achievements are accepted as our own, but a failure on the part of an ordinary Muslim, calls for all sorts of jabs and digs.

If this is not selective criticism, then what is it?

Last night I had a discussion with two of my closest friends. A debate that we generally have only in the confines of our home, and mostly in good humour. It’s said that religion, politics and sex should not be discussed in the public domain, therefore we try avoiding a debate on these issues publicly. The topic of the debate, however, was not any one of the three, but something related that is probably being discussed all over the world today. Something like a “clash of civilization” debate, where my friends were on one side and I was being teased for being a pseudo-secular.

In India, post 1989, it is fashionable to deride people who are liberal in the matter of religion. They are tauntingly christened as ‘pseudo- secularists’.To be anti-Nehru is also a fashion these days. Humanism has ceased to be a point of discussion and of concern to the generation to which I belong. The majority of the present generation fails to distinguish between ‘Majoritism’ and Democracy, and therefore the minority bashing. Every word spoken or any action supportive of minority is treated as ‘appeasement’ and earns the epitaph of being pseudo secularist.

Well, is it wrong to be secular, it is wrong to believe in equal rights for everyone? I don’t think so.

If this is not selective criticism, then what is it?

A Tribute to The Man of Andhra

Rohit S — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 07:47:01 +0000

Dr. Yeduguri Sandinti Rajasekhara Reddy(1949-2009)

During the journey of one’s life, one meets with, and hears about scores of personalities, but there are only a few who leave an indelible impression on one’s heart – former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Dr. Yeduguri Sandinti Rajasekhara Reddy, who died in a helicopter crash on Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009, was one such personality. Four others, traveling with him on that fateful day, also died in the crash over Nallamalla forest area in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh.

YSR, as he was fondly called, was a leader of the masses. Without a shadow of doubt this charismatic, devout Christian was a man of conviction, integrity, task-orientation and determination. The welfarist approach he adopted, where he didn’t forget that his power was dependent on the support and confidence of the common man, won him the gratitude and support of people at large. It was the successful implementation of his populist measures like health insurance, irrigation projects, National Rural Employment Gurantee Scheme, etc. that brought him close to the hearts of Andhraites. His positive approach, that endeared him to the masses, is evident from the fact that Mr Reddy, on the day of the crash, was on his way for a surprise inspection of development schemes in Chittor village . The sixty year old, also known as “KING OF KADAPPA”( due to his family estate near Pulivendula in Kadappa district of Andhra Pradesh), was so well loved by the people, that the news of his sudden demise triggered a spate of suicides and deaths due to shock in the state.

YSR is the ninth Indian VIP to die in an aircrash since nuclear scientist Homi Jehangir Bhabha died in an plane accident in France in 1966. This tragedy is a grim reminder of the deaths in aerial crashes of Indian personalities like Sanjay Gandhi, Madhavrao Scindia, G.M.C. Balayogi, S. Mohan Kumaramangalam, O.P.Jindal, Surendra Singh, Dera Natung and C. Sangma. Perhaps one of the first Indian political leaders to die in a plane crash was the freedom fighter Subhash Chandra Bose – on 18th August 1945 in present day Taiwan, but many insist to this day that he survived that crash.

YSR will always be remembered as a powerful leader and a dynamic human being. He has left a mark of distinction in his capacity, and the vaccum created by his untimely demise will be difficult to fill. We, as a Nation, pray to the Almighty to bless our Great India with similar leaders of vision, determination, conviction and other qualities that will help our country to emerge as the super power of the 21st Century.

Has the Indian Economy Grown?

Anup Sinha — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 07:39:31 +0000

Image uploaded on SXC by iprole

Every now and then, a news channel or a news paper will have a piece on Economy – Recession, Bears, Bulls, Revival and other such economic mumbo-jumbo. But how many of us truly understand the Economy? It is not a thing that we can bind in rules and theories. Every Economics paper ever presented is basically based on the experiences and learnings of an individual, and how he or she feels while understanding the philosophy of economy. Economicsis not mere mathematics, it’s a spontaneous reaction of human kind to the situations they have created for themselves, knowingly or unknowingly, for better living, or for what their perception of better living is.

A question often debated these days is, “Has the Indian economy grown?”

A lot of hands will quickly go up in assent. But, I, humbly beg to disagree. A section of people, economists included, will say: “Why not, it has grown over the past few decades!!”

But I have my doubts. I know will have to elaborate my point here, but before I do, I will say that all I write here is based on my take on the economy – you are welcome to agree, or disagree. So, without further ado, here goes.

If we take our base yeasr as post-independence, then we can easily see that we have grown as an economy. But why don’t we go back in time and take the base as the Harappan civilisation?

Harappan civilisation was the time when India was better than any other civilisation of the time. In fact, I feel compelled to emphatically say that it was the best civilization of all time. May be it was less capable technologically, but in terms of human prosperity, it was far ahead. Technology and Economy, anyway, are two totally different things – technical capabilities, although, may be the best weapon to become economically prosperous, provided they are utilized properly. Russia, in its heydays, was the best example of economy moving hand-in-hand with technology.

Coming back to Harappa, the percentage of poor people in the civilisation was far less than any other modern mega city of the present world. The measure of nation is not how far the head has gone, but how much the head has been able to take the load off the tail to bring it at par with itself. In this aspect, Harappa was unmatchable. The kind of drainage system they had was much better than what we have in the national capital today; other cities are not even worth mentioning. The public administration also must have been far better than that of modern India. Even, the overseas business was dominated by the Harappans.

Have we been able to be the successors of the Harappans? I am afraid not – not in any field.

All the cities of the Harappan civilisation were systematically designed, quite unlike our cities, which seem to be a by-product of the race for urbanisation. We are just destroying our natural environment to make huge, high rise apartments – filling the surface of earth with concrete. Now, even if we get a lot of rain, it does not add to the water level, as most if it runs off the concrete surface, resulting in floods even if it has rained for a few hours only. Nature finds itself incapable of helping us now, as we have managed to suck it dry all of its resources.

But who will be the true sufferers? Our next generations. We are taking away their future!

Massive urbanisation, as we are underatking at present, will lead to chaos and will break the backbone of our Economy. Remember, agriculture was, is and always will be the backbone of our Economy. If we fight shy of this very basic and most important fact then we are just fooling ourselves.

September 3, 2009 — You, Me and Black Money

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