koi yeh kaise bataayen....

The pain depicted in this song is scalding..

Silli Hawa

Another masterpiece by Gulzaar and R D Burman! One has no option but to get lost in the beauty of the song!

My muse

Like a butterfly, you stay with me for a while before you fly away to unseen lands; leaving the colours of your skin behind on the spot you last touched me before your flight. I look at the remains of our meeting with a wistful smile, smelling the colours of my muse with longing eyes. Sometimes I think of running behind you with a net in my hand to catch you forever but soon realize that some circles are vicious, and some chases endless!

Like the clouds in the sky, you keep changing your forms. One day you are a flower in the garden, second day you resemble the script of God. And just like the son of the sky, you seem far from my reach. I look at you beseechingly to descend down to me and when you do choose to listen to my eyes, I get soaked in your musings.

You come and go at your will. Sometimes you come at the thick of the night when I stand in my balcony staring at the inky night, at other times you come to me furtively on a summer afternoon, climbing the window of my room and stay with me long enough to quench my parched soul.

Sometimes you are the monsoon rains, and sometimes you are the cool evening breeze whispering sweet nothings in my ears. At times you stay with me late into the night until the fairy of sleep does us apart. At other times I wake up with you by my side looking at me with curious eyes. I pick you up and place you on my table and start scribbling in my diary. With the last word I write, you fade away into oblivion. My heart sinks again. The wait has begun. I don’t know when, I don’t know where would you come to meet me again. I keep standing with outstretched arms, waiting to embrace you for as long as I can before you slip away from my grip like quicksand...

The politics of subsidies.

The socialistic orientation of the government of India has resulted in a plethora of subsidies ranging from food grains to kerosene to water. The rationale behind providing subsidies was to make the poor avail basic amenities at an affordable price. However, most of the subsidies have failed to achieve this goal. government provides a number of subsidies and it would be hard to look into the efficacy of all of them so I would be looking only at a few of them including the much talked about petroleum subsidies and a lesser known urban water subsidy.

Due to the subsidies provided by the government on petro goods, huge losses were incurred by Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) forcing the government to issue oil bonds to them. This resulted in huge fiscal deficit and also passionate public debate. As a result, the government stopped issuing oil bonds to OMCs. And now after the Additional Collector of Manmad, Yashwant Sonawane was burnt alive by kerosene mafia this issue has again caught the imagination of people.

Considered as “poor man’s fuel”, kerosene is heavily subsidized in our country. A litre costs Rs. 12.70 and the remaining cost of Rs. 20 is borne by the government and the OMCs. However, the fuel rarely makes it to the poor of the country. Instead, a lot of it is either misused to adulterate diesel and petrol or is smuggled to the neighbouring countries where it is priced much higher. According to Assocham, an estimated 38% of kerosene is illegally diverted away from the PDS. This massive leakage of kerosene from our system cannot happen without the collusion of government officials. Oil mafia has become big in our country and every concerned authority has its hands soaked in it. That the benefits of the subsidies do not reach the target population is no secret. In fact the poor end up paying a much higher price as most of the fair price shops collude with the mafia. Yet the government is unwilling to withdraw subsidy from kerosene sighting ‘political compulsions’ thus draining the exchequer.

Now it is not hard to see what these ‘political compulsions’ exactly are. Even after the Manmad tragedy the government has not taken any concrete steps to clamp down the oil mafia. Except for Maharashtra, nowhere else is the administration confiscating illegally stored kerosene. Why? Obviously, due to certain ‘political compulsions.’ Millions of liters of kerosene is pilfered here and crores of rupees are made and everyone gets to smell the heady odour of kerosene money.

PDS kerosene is blue coloured in order to make the identification easy and is called as blue kerosene in common parlance. However, after the death of Yashwant Sonawane and Manju Nath earlier I would rather call it ‘red kerosene’, coloured red by the blood of these two and many others.

Similarly, LPG too is hugely subsidized. In Delhi we pay Rs.345 for a cylinder when the cylinder actually costs Rs. 695. So the government ends up paying the remaining Rs. 350. Numerous studies have proved that the poor hardly use LPG. Most of those using it can afford to pay a higher cost. Again, like kerosene subsidy, the urban poor using LPG mostly buy it from the black market at a higher cost as they do not have a gas connection. Also, subsidized LPG gets diverted to commercial and transport sector thus resulting in mis-targeting of government funds.

To understand the level of subsidy provided by the Indian government let us have a look at the price of an LPG cylinder and kerosene in our poorer neighbours. In Pakistan an LPG cylinder costs Rs. 615, in Nepal Rs. 776, in Sri Lanka Rs. 757 and in Bangladesh Rs. 507. Similarly, a litre of kerosene costs Rs. 37.48 in Pakistan, Nepal Rs. 40.64, Bangladesh Rs. 28, and in Sri Lanka Rs. 22.77. Clearly the Indian government has heavily subsidized these petro goods as compared to its neighbours. This explains why a lot of kerosene is smuggled to these countries. So our subsidies extend to our neighbours too. Following the maxim of “love thy neighbour” to the hilt, aren’t we?

Besides subsidizing petro goods, the government also subsidizes urban drinking water. According to an estimate, the government spends more than 0.5% of GDP in subsidizing water. This was meant to provide clean water at affordable rates to urban dwellers, primarily the poor. But as expected, the beneficiaries are the rich and the middle class. The poor slum dwellers have no access to clean drinking water. In fact they end up paying much higher costs for clean drinking water than the urban rich. 70-80% of the money spent on subsidizing water does not reach the poor.

As with most of the government schemes in India, the subsidy regime too exemplifies right intention but wrong implementation. The motive behind it cannot be questioned; however it has been distorted to serve selfish interests. Subsidies are provided in the developed countries as well but they reach the target population and thus serve their purpose well. In India subsidies have failed. PDS is fraught with corruption and pilferage and only help the corrupt become richer. The government lacks the will to correct the wrongdoings as it is funded by the embezzlers. The media has to make greater efforts and let the common people know the ugly truth behind the subsidy regime. There are other ways through which the poor can be helped, for instance through food/fuel stamps. These are not foolproof but lower the incidence of embezzlement and diversion. The subsidization of petro goods, especially kerosene, needs to end. In the name of the poor, the rich are minting money. The death of Mr. Sonawane has raised this issue once again and this time let the fire not be doused without having its due effect.

This time for Africa!

The Dark Continent is no longer dark! Individual torch lights have now come together creating dazzling sun-like radiance. The continent is aglow with the light of hope and sweet smell of ‘jasmine’ has perfumed the hearts and minds of these people. It all started in Tunisia, a tiny African country which most people had never heard about until now.

I remember how I looked a little baffled when I first met a Tunisian who went on to become a great friend. I had never even heard of the country 6 years back when I met her, leave alone knowing where in the world it was located. She, on the other hand, seemed to know quite a bit about India making me look like a total fool! A politically aware and active individual, she told me about the situation in her country, about how there are little political rights available to the Tunisians which attracts a large number of European tourists for its beautiful beaches. It was through her that I first learned about Ben Ali and his corrupt, autocratic regime. I asked her a rather naïve question then, “So why don’t you people revolt against him?” Her answer was simple. People have now got used to being subjugated. Any dissent is nipped in its bud. And they hardly have any example to follow as their neighbours fair no better on the democracy index. Nonetheless, she thought that change was much needed and there was simmering discontent amongst the people which hopefully would get channelized in the right direction someday.

Her words were proved right just couple of years down the lane. Educated, unemployed youth formed the bulwark of the revolution. They were able to topple one of the most autocratic regimes of the world and the ripples were to be felt as far as Russia. A tiny North African country has caught the imagination of people world over living under dictatorial governments. The autocrats of middle-east, North Africa, parts of central Asia are feeling the heat now and some of them have already taken some steps to placate their people but the spirit of revolution is spreading like wild fire.

After Tunisia, it is now the Egyptian streets that are boiling with anger against the dictatorial regime of Hosni Mubarak. Initially there was a lot of skepticism regarding the success of the Egyptian uprising but the “Million Man March” of February 1^st dispelled all the doubts. Egyptians are no longer ready to live under an autocrat. They want to send Mubarak away and establish a democratic regime and the world is with them.

Another African country that is seeing history being written is Sudan. Recently south Sudanese voted to secede from Sudan in a referendum in January 2011. Now, there are increased demands in Khartoum for democracy. High on revolutionary fervor transmitted to them by their fellow Africans, the Sudanese want to greater political and civil liberties.

Besides Africa, the Middle Eastern countries of Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan etc too are protesting against the autocrats ruling them. Yemen is the most conservative of all these countries. But here we have women protesting alongside men and no one is having any problem with that. The liberals, the conservatives, the feminists, the mullahs, all have forgotten their differences and are fighting for a greater cause. The facebook status of a Yemeni friend of mine sums the spirit of the people there. It says, “It's now or never...viva la revolution.”

It is worth noting that all these autocratic regimes have the support of western democracies. The West, particularly the US, has propped up these regimes to maintain its influence in this resource-rich region. But it has ended up losing goodwill amongst the common men who view the West with suspicion and in many cases, deep hatred.

When I learnt that the Tunisians had been able to remove their inefficient leader, the first thing I did was to send a congratulatory mail to my Tunisian friend. She sounded happy but also said that the greater challenge lay ahead in electing a good government. I again agree with her. The countries might very well succeed in ousting the inefficient leaders but the larger question is who would succeed them? These leaders have systematically killed every powerful voice of dissent. So it would be hard to find a suitable successor in these countries. The opposition is in shambles. In some of the countries the only united opposition is that of the Islamists who do not enjoy widespread support from people.

Africa has passed on the light of revolution to the rest of the world. Hopefully the jasmine which has started to blossom would turn into a beautiful flower retaining its fragrance for years to come.

sona - abhi nahin aana

A soulful song with great lyrics! The sweet pain of waiting depicted beautifully by Sona Mohapatra in her lovely voice.

Black Magic!

God save our poor politicians! With an active media and civil society, their peaceful, scamful life has already been wrecked and now there is another scare running amok amongst these hapless individuals. The fear of black magic! The dark powers are conspiring against them to topple them from their positions of power! The fear of these dark powers has made life a living hell for the CM of the state of Karnataka Mr. Yeddyurappa. His enemies are using the dreaded black arts to eliminate him, he claimed from his residence in Bangalore aka the "Silicon Valley of India." He is now seeking counsel from his astrologer B P Sharma to ward off these evil invisible forces. The latter has advised him to perform Suryanamaskar every day in buff. I must say that the astrologer is a smart cookie! He knows that even the sinister dark powers would not be able stand that sight and would scurry away.

Now those of you mocking the CM for his beliefs need to shut up once and for all! I totally agree with his statements regarding the existence of dark elements that have created a chaos in his life. They exist underground. There are certain elements that are only found deep below the ground. They have now come out of the dark and are tormenting the poor CM. The black has now revealed the work of some Red(dy) forces too. The CM's bonhomie with them made the lokayukta of the state see red causing much distress to Mr. Yeddyurappa. Colours are playing strange games with our beloved Yeddy.

There are also some dark winds blowing in the corridors of the CM's office putting a dark cloak on the happenings in there. The CM is not at fault if he too is unable to see things clearly in his office. Blame it on the dark winds that he didn't know that he was denotifying and allotting land to his kith and kin. He was unable see anything and didn't know where his hands were moving. The dark forces were making him do all that!

Yes! he is right that it was the play of black powers. These dark powers have now engulfed our system and are eating away its insides like termites. It is extremely important to destroy these forces before they leave us hollow. Each one of us needs to check the growth of these dark forces within us so that they do not make us commit acts which we are not able to accept later and put us to shame. If we do not curb them now, no amount of suryanamaskar or praying for divine intervention would be able to help our country.

Procrastination: Our birth right!

A Bangladeshi friend of mine once said, "Procrastination runs in the blood of the South-Asians." I couldn't have agreed more! Procrastination is something that is not taught to us. We are born with it. In my two-year stint as a student in the US, this fact became even clearer to me. Me and my fellow South-Asians could never manage to submit our assignments on time and when we did we would be all groggy-eyed the next day. But despite all our unpunctual habits, we managed to get good grades and I guess that served as a reinforcer.

I remember how I would go to my professors a day before the due date and almost beg for an extension. It was really easy initially as being a foreign student is always an asset. But later I really had to use my creativity and a bit of acting skills to get an extension. I had already killed my dead grandmothers thrice (of course with different professors from different departments). My poor grannies must be rolling in their graves each time I used their names for something as trivial as getting an extension. God! I was cheap!

My roommate who was an American tried her best to turn me into a "non-procrastinator" but how could I go against my own genes? So of course she failed in her numerous attempts.

I remember the last time she tried to "convert" me. I came back to my room after a long post-dinner chat session with friends in the dining hall. I saw her digged into her computer. This is how the conversation strated and ended :

Gill : "So I got an assignment today due next week and I have ALREADY started working on it and NOT wait for the last two days before the due date."

Me:  "And what would you do once you are done with your assignment?"

Gill: "I just sit back and relax."

Me: "Well I do the same except that I just prepone the relaxing to now. So see we two are essentially doing the same thing!"

Exasperated with my weird sense of logic, she gave a huge sigh and turned back towards her laptop to work on her paper.

Indeed there are some exceptions who do not belong to the league. After much diligence and discipline, they manage to reach a point where procrastination ceases to be in their dictionary. But they are, as I said, exceptions. And one such exception was another Bangladeshi friend of mine. He would always finish his work way ahead of time. The day before the due date he would be all smiles, looking at us with a sense of accomplishment when we would be skipping our dinners to start with our ten-page long assignments. But poor guy got into the wrong company. We activated the dormant "procrastination gene" in him. The first time the newly activated gene showed its effect was when he was seen furtively entering the dining hall getting his dinner in a box. It is not hard to spot a brown man in a sea of white people so we caught him in the act. When asked the reason he sheepishly said that he had a paper to submit the next day. Poor guy felt so guilty that he couldn't look into our eyes. Finally nature proclaimed victory over nurture! We gave ourselves a pat on our backs for bringing him back to his roots as from then on he became a habitual offender.

I remember how once I overdid the procrastination bit. I started working on a 15-page research paper for a class of one of the strictest professors of our college. She refused to give any extension so I had to pull an all nighter (my first ever) and ended up getting a C+.  That was my first C+ ever (and thankfully the last one)and served as a learning lesson for me. Though I couldn't get rid of the habit of procrastination, I decided to be a less extreme one. I still couldn't work on my assignments the day they were given to me, but I managed to finish them on the due date and never had to beg for extensions anymore.

There are many examples of procrastination that can be found throughout the length and breadth of the country in the form of delayed projects and massive cost and time overruns. But one that steals the crown is the Commonwealth Games as it made India a world leader in procrastination. Much has been read and seen about this. The stories about how water was being drained out of the basements even as the sportspersons arrived and how some of them had to get their rooms cleaned themselves have become favourite bedtime stories among kids. The remark by one of the Organizing committee members, Lalit Bhanot, regarding differing hygiene standards between Indians and foreigners has now entered the classics. But I wish to inform him that I do not know of any person who uses bathrooms with stained pots and basins and sleeps on sheets with marks of dog feet. I have never had the opportunity to visit Mr. Bhanot's house so I can't really comment on his bathrooms and bedrooms. Though the games went off well, it did some bad PR for us.

This procrastination made us infamous. But we refused to learn from our mistake and now again, barely a couple of months after CWG disaster, we have another procrastination classic. The Cricket World Cup is scheduled to be held in the sub-continent. Eden Gardens in Kolkata was to hold a match on February 27th. But since the refurbishing of the stadium could not be finished on time the venue had to be changed.

We failed to learn from our past mistakes. I am not asking our officials to be like Chinese and finish everything off 6 months before the deadline as that is something that requires a lot of training. All I wish them to do is to atleast meet the deadline. I learnt from my mistake and never got any thing less than an A- ever after my C+. But I think our Indian officials love to see a red-colored F on their report cards every time! Makes it look more colourful, eh?

The dark lady..

This one is dedicated to my new flame. A maiden dressed in bright dresses adorning stars in her hair and dazzling ornaments on her body. She presents a spectacular sight. I knew her from before but it is only now that I had the opportunity to know her up close. And now she is my muse-in-making.

She has many lovers. Her charm attracts men of all ilk. But she doesn't return the love of all. Only a few lucky ones manage to win her love. Mind you, it is not easy to woo her. One can find many of her moony lovers serenading her in all possible ways. But she is a material girl and only those who adorn her facade with ostentatious jewellery get her attention. The latest in her collection is a tiara with twenty-seven precious stones in it. She lovingly calls it 'Antilia - my precious'.

However, her brightness cannot hide her chapped skin and dirty underbelly. Her ostentatious dresses are too short to hide the filth covering all her body. She does not make any attempt to hide it either. For many, this frank acceptance of the grime adds to her charm. There are several dimensions to her personality. Sometimes rash and loud, sometimes polished and elegant. Sometimes her heat scares you away, at other times she showers you relentlessly with cool scented water, the scent depends on the part of her that you can afford to have, the dark underbelly or the bright and shiny exterior. Her multiple facets have made her the muse of many.

Like the succubus, she never sleeps. She wanders throughout the night screwing the dreams of millions, making them lose their touch with reality. Those whom she has managed to make her prey, walk like zombies with half-open eyes laden with dreams. Unmindful of everything else, these people doggedly pursue their dreams which are never meant to be fulfilled.

She manages to arouse the twin emotions of attraction and repulsion within me. But I guess that is how lovers feel for each other. You have to hate your lover a little for the love to have its worth. All love no hate is what a worshipper feels for his God and human love is far from being divine. I hate the way she ignores her grubby underbelly. Though I like the fact that she doesn't pretend to hide it, I do not like how she makes no attempt to wipe it clean. Unabashedly she exposes her insides to everyone who gawk at it with a mix of amazement and revulsion. But she is not ready to change her sordid ways. So I have to reconcile to it as my love for her is getting too strong now. Her enigma has cast such a spell that I have no way out of it.

Nowhere else can one find such diversity at one place. She is a living embodiment of contradictions, an organic whole that houses within her bosom every variety of human character. Millions sleep in her lap and she never fails to sing them a lullaby every night. I found her lullaby a little too loud at first. But now it seems so soothing that I can no longer sleep without it.

What is her name you ask? Well, people have different names for her. Some call her Mumbai and others Bombay. For me she is my lover-in-making.

बोलती तस्वीरें..

बात की है कभी तस्वीरों से? आज मेरी तस्वीरों से घंटों बातचीत हुई. कई कहानियां, कई किस्से सुनाये उन्होंने मुझे. हर एक तस्वीर एक नया ही किस्सा सुना के चली गयी. उन्हीं किस्सों में से कुछ आज मैं अपनी ज़ुबानी सुनाती हूँ.

सूरज का घर

सागर की अनंत यात्रा में आकाश उसका अकेला साथी है. रंगहीन सागर को आकाश ने अपना ही रंग चढ़ा दिया. अपने साथी के रंगों से सजा सागर अटठ्खेलियाँ खाता हुआ अपने सफ़र में नित आगे बढ़ता जाता है. कहीं दूर जाकर सागर और आकाश मिलते हुए दिखते हैं. कहते हैं वहीँ कहीं सूरज का घर है. सुना है कि उसका घर पानी से भरा है. जैसे जैसे वो अपने घर के नज़दीक आता है, वैसे वैसे घर की ठंडक उसकी ताप को कम करने लगती है. घर घुसते ही ठंडा पानी उसकी सारी ताप बुझा देता है और तब अँधेरा हो जाता है.  दिन भर की चढ़ाव उतार के बाद घर ही उसे शीतलता दे सकता है. खुद को जला कर पृथ्वी को जीवन देने वाला सूरज  कुछ ही घंटों बाद फिर से तपने को तैयार हो धीरे धीरे घर से बाहर निकलता है. तब आकाश उसके पानी को सोख उसमें अपनी तीली से आग लगा देता है और शुरुआत होती है हमारे दिन की.



खेल खेल में

कभी बादलों के पीछे, तो कभी पेड़ों के, लुका छिपी सूरज का पसंदीदा खेल है. पर मुंबई की भाग-दौड़ भरी ज़िन्दगी में कहाँ किसी के पास समय कि सूरज के साथ खेल खेले. यहाँ पर तो सभी किसी अजीब सी होड़ में हैं. ऐसा नहीं है कि यहाँ लोग खेल नहीं खेलते पर इनके खेल थोड़े अलग हैं जो कि या तो गाड़ियों के काले शीशों के पीछे या फिर काली इमारतों के अन्दर खेले जातें हैं. पूरी दुनिया को रौशनी से भरने वाले सूरज में भी इतना दम नहीं कि इन अँधेरी दीवारों के अन्दर जा इन खेलों को उजागर कर सके. इन स्याह खेलों की सूरज को कहाँ समझ? वो तो भरी रौशनी में ही खेलता है. ऐसे ही एक दिन उसकी लुका छिपी में मैंने उसे पेड़ों के पीछे से झांकते हुए पकड़ ही लिया. अब तुम्हारी बारी है मुझे ढूँढने की, यह कहकर अपनी गाड़ी के काले शीशे ऊपर चढ़ाते हुए मैंने गाड़ी सुरंग के अन्दर मोड़ ली.

Who will judge the judges?

In November 2010, two member bench of Supreme Court comprising of Justices Markandey Katju and Gyan Sudha Misra indicted some of the judges of Allahabad High Court for giving judgments in favour of parties represented by lawyers known to them. This “uncle judges” syndrome has put a huge question mark on the integrity of these judges. “There is something rotten in the Allahabad High Court” and it needs some “house cleaning”, the Supreme Court judges said.

What the judges said about the Allahabad High Court can be said about other high courts too. It is a much common practice where justice is delivered when the kith and kin of the judges fight for the right persons. As this is not always the case, so justice usually takes a back seat over fraternity.

Higher judiciary enjoys greater credibility amongst the people than any other pillar of governance. However, this credibility has been undermined by a number of incidents in the recent past. The refusal of the then CJI Balakrishnan to disclose the assets of the judges under RTI gave a big blow to the clean image of the higher judiciary. What exactly was the CJI trying to hide? The excuse he gave was that he held the information regarding the assets of the judges in a fiduciary capacity. Therefore he couldn’t reveal them. This lame excuse did raise many eyebrows on the intentions of the CJI. The same CJI is now being questioned in various cases involving the assets amassed by his kith and kin after he assumed the highest judicial position obtainable by a judge in India.

Further, the procedure for selection and removal of the judges has created much consternation amongst public-spirited individuals. The procedure gives total control to the judiciary thus compromising the doctrine of checks and balances much needed in a federal, democratic set-up. Also, the process lacks adequate transparency. There have been cases when the collegium has selected those judges who have a poor track record. The case of Justice Dinakaran is a case in point. Here the Supreme Court almost elevated him to the Supreme Court despite complaints of illegal land-grabbing against him. It was only when much hue and cry was raised by the bar council of Karnataka High Court that the collegium reverted its decision. Even now the judge is not removed but is merely transferred to the Sikkim High Court. It is a common practice for the CJIs to simply transfer the tainted judges to smaller High Courts as if imparting justice to these people holds no importance. This practice has been continuing since years without significant protest from the civil society mostly due to the fear of contempt of court.

Contempt of court provision in the constitution under articles 129 and 142 (for high courts and Supreme Court respectively) was incorporated to safeguard the judiciary from undue encroachments to its independence. However, the provision is misused by the judiciary to curb even healthy criticism against it. In 2007, the Delhi High Court held the journalists of Midday newspaper guilty for contempt of court for publishing an investigative story and cartoon about the former CJI Y. K. Sabharwal and sentenced them to four months of imprisonment. The journalists were later released on bail on the directive of the Supreme Court. Truth as a valid defense in contempt of court cases is accepted and the journalists here had concrete evidence against the said judge, yet were prosecuted. This is just one of several cases where judiciary has misused this power. It speaks ill of the judiciary and definitely needs to be reformed. It anyways goes against the principle of natural justice which says that “no one shall be a judge in his own clause”.

A prominent Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan recently filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court saying that out of the 16-17 CJIs, half have been of doubtful integrity. In his affidavit, he talks about various maladies that have inflicted the higher judiciary and need immediate redressal by the authorities. His affidavit can be found here: http://india.5thpillar.org/~pillar/india/daring-move-veteran-supreme-court-lawyer.html or here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/37841587/Prashant-Bhushan-s-Affidavit-in-SC

The credibility of our judiciary is at an all time low. It is important that it takes corrective measures before it gets slotted in the same league as our ‘beloved’ legislators. When there are no checks on the powers of individuals, they tend to misuse it unless they are of highest moral integrity. The judges have always been thought to belong to a higher moral ground but when the ground starts to sink the concerned authorities need to take quick actions. The Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill, if passed, should help in restoring the lost trust. It is important that the citizens of the country do not lose faith in judiciary. Else the only pillar of democracy that still enjoys some respect from the masses will lose its standing and that would be a dangerous scenario to be in for our democracy.

PS I read an interesting article on contempt of court jurisdiction here : http://www.hrsolidarity.net/mainfile.php/2007vol17no05/2576/

The Silent Indian National Anthem

A poignant version of our national anthem by deaf and mute kids. Tears fogged my vision towards the end of the anthem. Their rendition of the national anthem seems to be so much purer than ours. Their passion can be clearly seen. No pretensions involved here. Happy Republic Day!

A tribute to Yashwant Sonawane

An Additional Collector was burnt alive by petrol and diesel adulteration mafia at Malegaon in Maharashtra when he raised an objection to the illegal activity. He was on his way to some place when he saw people adulterating petrol and diesel and like any dutiful officer reacted against it and had to pay the price with his death.

I am enraged by this piece of news. This is totally unacceptable! Can we now expect some action by the government? It's a free for all here in this country. When this is the fate that an Additional Collector can meet with in the country; what can be said about the common man? The petrol mafia is too strong in the country and powerful people are a part of it. So am really sceptical if the real culprits would be punished. And the real culprits here are not those who set Yashwant on fire but their bosses who operate the mafia and who have given them a free hand to remove all the 'obstacles' foolish or brave (depending on one's percetion) enough to come their way.

I do not know Yashwant Sonawane. I had never heard of him before today. But I feel that an invisible connection has been established today between us after his death. I would have acted the same way had I been in his place. How would he have known that the crooks would murder him for trying to stop them from committing a criminal activity in the broad daylight? Criminals usually flee away when they see authority against them. But here they had the audacity to kill him! This just shows that they knew they could get away with it. This is what hurts me the most.

These are troubled times for the country. The goons are getting increasingly powerful and men of integrity are being prosecuted. The scam ridden polity of the country is scaring the investors away. The credibility of our politicians is at an all time low. Corrupt people go scot free with a smirk on their faces. Here lex is not rex. Law is subservient to the interests of those in power.

My heart goes out to all those who lose their lives for serving the law. Be it Yashwant sonawane or Satyendra Dubey or Satish Shetty, all of them are people who believed that law would be on their side. Alas, it failed them! Youngsters want to get into civil services because they think it would give them power and prestige. But as this tragic case shows that one cannot really be powerful unless one colludes with the corrupt individuals. I wish that justice prevails in this case and the culprits are nailed.

It is getting a little suffocating now. It is really painful when one cannot take actions against the thugs who are calling shots in the country. In a few days, the leaders would pay tribute to Yashwant Sonawane. Some promises would be made to his family, which invariably would remain unfulfilled. However, a real tribute to the Yashwant Sonawanes of the country can be made only if the goons of the country are prosecuted for selling our beloved India for pittance. Bit by bit our country is being lost to a coterie of a few with money and muscle power when the rest of us are looking helplessly at this shameless barter.

अतीत की परछाईयाँ

जंजीरों में जकड़ी हुई अपनी परछाई को देख के एक सिहरन सी मेरे ज़ेहन में दौड़ गयी। पहले तो मैंने उसे पहचानने से इन्कार कर दिया। ये मैं नहीं हो सकती! मैं तो पुरवाई सी स्वछन्द हूँ। हमेशा मैंने ज़िंदगी अपने ही नियमों से जी है। वही किया है जो अच्छा लगा, वही कहा जो दिल में आया। यह परछाई शायद मेरे साथ चल रहे राही की होगी। कुछ समय तक ऐसे ही झूठे आश्वासन खुद को देती रही। परन्तु झूठ तो लंगड़ा होता है। कहाँ देर तक चल सकता है? खुद ही धराशायी होकर मुंह के बल गिर सच का पता बतला देता है।

कुछ देर तालाब के किनारे बैठ अपनी थकान दूर कर रही थी की फिर से मेरी नज़र उसी जकड़ी हुई परछाई पर पड़ी। चौंक कर मैंने अपने चारों और नज़र घुमाई पर कोई नज़र न आया। उस तालाब के किनारे मेरे सिवा और कोई न था। मैं जो करती, परछाई भी वही करती। क्या यह वाकई मैं हूँ? ये क्या खेल खेल रही हैं मेरी नज़रें मुझसे? ये कैसी जंजीरों से जकड़ी हुई हूँ मैं जो आज तक मेरी नज़रों से दूर रही?

पास जा के मैंने उन्हें देखने की कोशिश की। पर ये क्या? ये जंजीरों की कड़ियाँ नहीं। ये तो छोटी छोटी खिड़कियाँ हैं। हर एक खिड़की एक कहानी। मेरे अतीत की कहानी। इन्हीं खिडकियों में से एक में झाँक कर देखा मैंने जहां पल रही थी इच्छाएं, जन्म ले रहे थे ख्वाब। उनमें से ज़्यादातर इच्छाएं अब मर गयी हैं। और ख़्वाबों का क्या है, वे तो ख्वाब बन कर ही रह गए। क्यों देखे होंगे वो ख्वाब? दिल और दिमाग के द्वंद्व में दिल अक्सर दबंग हो युद्ध जीत तो लेता है परन्तु बाद में जीवन की सच्चाईयों से हार कोने में पड़ा सिसकता रहता है। ऐसी ही कई हार जीत की कहानियों से लिखी यह डोर मेरे अक्स से लिपटी हुई है।

सच ही कहा है, अतीत हमारा साथ नहीं छोड़ता। कितना ही उससे दूर जाना चाहे वह साए सा हमारे साथ चलता रहता है। अतीत की डोर तो नितांत लम्बी ही होती रहती है, और उसकी हम पर पकड़, और मज़बूत। हमारे आने वाले कल पर बीते हुए कल की छाप मिटाए नहीं मिटती। हम चाहे खुद को कितना स्वतंत्र समझें, पर हमारे हाथ हमारे अतीत से बंधे हैं।

पर यह डोर लोहे की ज़ंजीर नहीं। यह डोर मुझसे लिपटी ज़रूर है पर जकड़ी नहीं है। मेरा अतीत मेरे भविष्य से juda ज़रूर है पर उसकी उड़ान रोक नहीं सकता। उड़ना तो इच्छा शक्ति पर निर्भर करता है। कई कहानियां कह कर यह डोर लम्बे क़दमों पर काबू करती है करती हैं ताकि व्यक्ति अपनी सीमा से अधिक तेज़ चल कर गिर न जाए।

A pill to kill?

Read an article in Times of India on pharmaceuticals substance patenting in India. Indian patent law protects the rights of the people from the developing world to have access to life-saving drugs at low costs. India is one of the biggest manufacturers of generic drugs which are used the world over to treat diseases like HIV/AIDS.

Section 3d of our patent law does not allow "evergreening" of patents. This means that no company can claim for a patent on its existing product unless it brings about a meaningful change in the product. Pharmaceuticals company world-over bring about minor changes in their products inorder to prolong the patent once it expires. This way the patent remains though the product is essentially the same.

This practice, clearly, results in the companies making fortunes while the poor are left out to die. This social darwinism is what the Indian patent law does not allow. Also, it does not allow data exclusivity. What this means is that a generic drug manufacturer does not need to conduct clinical trials separately and can use the data of the pharmaceutical companies who have patented the product. This saves the time of the generic drug manufacturers as they are exempted from conducting unnecessary clinical trials when the efficiency of the drug is already proved.

The effectiveness of the patent laws is clear. But the Indian government is increasingly coming under pressure from pharma companies to undo these two provisions. It is to see if the government gives in to the demands of the powerful pharma lobby. The ever-increasing greed of those who are responsible for making medicines that save the lives needs to be curbed.

One can just hope that GoI doesn't buckle under pressure and maintains its stand on pharma substances. India has championed the cause of developing countries and has represented their cause at various international fora. As their de-facto spokesperson it would speak ill of its ability to lead if it relents on this issue which concerns the life and health of millions.

The above-mentioned article can be read here:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/Dont-swallow-this-pill/articleshow/7312903.cms

Lessons not learned.

The Chinese decided to give us two gifts this new year. The first gift was when Chinese patrol officers entered the Demchok area of Leh district in Jammu and Kashmir and reportedly intimidated the construction workers building a shed as per plans cleared by the state rural development department. The Indian government went into a denial mode rejecting all such reports of transgression. Army, too, downplayed the incident attributing the incursion to perceptual differences between Indians and Chinese over the Line of Actual Control.

The second gift was to raise temperatures in freezing Arunachal Pradesh in these severe winters by issuing stapled visas to two sportsmen from the state. The Chinese have been issuing stapled visas to the people from J&K since long and this issue was raised during the recent visit of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to India. But nothing conclusive came out of the discussions. Issuing stapled visas means Chinese does not consider these regions as integral parts of India. This despite the fact that India now considers Tibet as a part of China. The Chinese have raised their pitch for the merger of Arunachal with China as they considers the former as their territory.

Unfortunately, we have not been able to react with equal intensity to such acts that infringe our sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is the same country against which we had the courage to fight a war couple of decades back. What happened during all these years after the war that we are now showing such docility?

Firstly, after the humiliating defeat in the 1962 war, the Indians got a clearer understanding of Chinese military superiority which has only increased in the decades that followed. Chinese are way ahead of India in all the different aspects, right from the number of military personnels to the quantity and quality of various defence equipments. Recently, Chinese tested their state-of-the-art stealth fighter aircraft while US defence secretary Robert Gates was on a visit to Beijing. The timing, of course, cannot be overlooked. Chinese are now in a different league altogether.

The second and more important reason is the economic superiority of the dragon. Chinese have a robust economy which is growing at a fast rate. It is the second largest economy of the world after the US. Its products are exported all over the world and has a major presence in the world market. It is the largest exporter in the world. The US has a trade deficit with China is around $227 billion and it also holds a significant amount of US Treasury debt.

China enjoys considerable clout in the world politics because of its economic might. The world polity today is more ruled by economics than anything else. Chinese are providing nuclear technology to Pakistan in violation of NPT and NSG guidelines. But have not met with the same objection as faced by Iran for flouting the rules of NPT. In fact the world has been watching silently while China continues to bend the rules of the game.

Commentators in India believe that India has not been able to progress at the same rate as China because India is a democracy and China is a communist regime. It is undoubtedly easier to take decisions and implement them in a communist regime. In a democracy one has to keep several considerations in mind before taking any decision. However, it should not be made as big an issue as it has been made. All the other major economies are democracies. It is not about the kind of political system we have in the country but the commitment of the leaders. A communist India could have been even worse. Now we can at least demand accountability from the government because of our democratic set up.

What we need to do is not to look for excuses for lack of development in the country vis-a-vis China but draw an inspiration from their success story and move ahead with bigger steps. We need to have a clear vision for the growth of our country. But most importantly we have to have a dedicated leadership that can steer the country in the path of development. We have a big economy but that growth in economy is not reflected in the human development indices. There is rampant corruption which cuts across the length and breadth of the country. It is sad that our leaders do not want to learn from Chinese leadership commitment towards one's country.

That economically powerful countries have a gretaer say in the world can be seen from our own experience. India's rising economic stature has resulted in the rise of India's political position in the world and increased its bargaining power at various international fora. But we haven't been able to utilize our potential. Lot of our public resources are used to feed the insatiable appetite of private individuals. It would be too naive to think that corruption doesn't happen in China and elsewhere. But the magnitude here far exceeds than that in any progressive economy.

It is time that our leaders play their role efficiently. The entire world says that one advantage that India has over China is that it is a democracy. A democracy is charactrerized by civil liberties granted to the citizens and the right for them to choose their government. The importance of these two things cannot be discounted. However, there have been cases where the government has stiffled the freedom of individuals. But this is not what I wish to ponder over just now.

What makes me wonder is that our politicians travel the world over. They see all the nice things around the globe. Don't they want to see their country as developed? Don't they ever feel like giving back to their country? Is money -making the soul aim of their lives? I don't expect them to give up corruption completely but at least the magnitude be reduced. If they make money, then at least utilize the rest of it earnestly. The Organizing Committee of the Commonwealth Games reportedly embezzled a massive amount of money and ended up constructing poor quality buildings. The CWG village is not finding many buyers because of low quality building material used. There needs to be a sense of belongingness which our leaders do not seem to have. Unless they think of this country as their own and link the progress of the country with their personal goals in life, it would be hard for India to come out of the clutches of widespread poverty.

Kashmir: The half-told truths.

Just finished reading an article in The Economist titled, "Kashmir's Troubles: Shaking the Mountains." Yet another of those countless articles on Kashmir by a foreign magazine which berates India. It has become a common practice for western media to criticize Indian policies in Kashmir, which by the way, is a part of India and not "controlled by India".

The article starts with portraying Indian establishment as a villain killing innocent Kashmiris. Well, I agree that there have been cases of police and army brutalities in Kashmir and the rights of the locals have been violated. However, this is not the complete picture. There are many instances where the army is wrongfully blamed for an act that it has not committed.

The article says, "Moderates who attempt to reunite the parts have been locked up or worse (one was shot and paralysed by a mystery assailant)", clearly pointing fingers at the Indian establishment for organizing such killings. The Moderate being talked about here is Mr. Fazl Haq Qureshi who is now believed to have been attacked by the hardliners in the valley. The recent revelations by Prof. Abdul Gani Bhat that killings of various separatist leaders in the past including Mirwaiz, Lone ,and Wani were organized by their own people, i.e the hardliners within the party, are significant. Sajjad Lone, the son of the slained Hurriyat Conference leader, agreed with Prof. Bhat and said that his father was killed by Pakistanis and ISI too was involved in his killing.

These statements show us how certain hardliners in the Kashmir valley and the western media wrongly implicate the Indian security forces for every act of violence. There are several instances where the militants end up killing civilians for not cooperating with them. Such incidents go unreported. But if someone is killed by the security agencies, the valley fills up with anti-India slogans. I am not condoning the killings of innocent individuals by army or police, but the reaction needs to be similar for all killings. People are afraid of raising voices against militants for fear of brutal retribution but do so against the army without any fear and the politicians of the valley never fail to use such opportunities to increase their influence amongst the masses.

Clearly, this situation has arisen because of trust deficit between kashmiris and the administration. Various governments at the Centre have a role to play in this systematic decline of trust and increase of anti-India sentiment. The government needs to be more pro-active and needs to understand the aspirations of the Kashmiris and make them a part of the decision-making process. Kashmir is indeed a case of missed opportunities. But it is never too late. The government has an excellent opportunity right now to bridge the trust deficit. It has to start with buliding up the economy and the process has already started. India has to quicken its pace if it wishes to outsmart the radical elements in the state.

This said, it is also important that the western media and a section of Indian media play a positive role here. In stead of merely highligthing and exaggerating the wrongdoings of the Indian security forces and government, they need to also talk about the positives done in the state and also bring out the wrongdoings of the militants and hardliners. Truth half told is as bad as a lie. They need to stop sensationalizing the issue and play a constructive role. They also need to improve their understanding of the region and expand their sources on whose testimonies they base their news reports. Only then would they fulfil their press dharma.

PS For the above mentioned article go to http://www.economist.com/node/17797630

The ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ of Mumbai

I knew I was in Mumbai when I slept and woke up amidst noise of vehicles honking relentlessly and people talking their lungs away. It is the city that never sleeps. A fascinating city that lives in paradoxes! Where the most expensive house of the world co-exists with the world’s biggest slum, and pile of debris stares happily at the swanky malls. The city that allows people to dream- some of which get fulfilled, many remain unfulfilled. One can know the status of the dreams from the faces of the people who carry the burden of their dreams throughout their lives.

I happened to meet one such dream-laden face while travelling from Andheri to Goregaon in an auto. I had planned to take the local which would have been much faster but failed to push my way into the overcrowded compartments so ended up in an auto. The drive which is hardly 20 minutes long, took me an hour, thanks to the crawling Mumbai traffic. I started talking to the chatty autowallah. He had come to Mumbai from a town in UP to become an actor. He told me that he had acted in a couple of movies but since that was not enough to sustain him, he took up auto driving. He would still go to different studios whenever he managed to squeeze some time out. He harbored the dream of becoming a well known actor. A dream that I knew (and somewhere inside he too) was meant to remain unfulfilled in the city that waits for none.

Visit to Mumbai was incomplete without seeing the famous Bandra-Worli sea-link. So my sister and my brother-in-law took me and my parents for a drive there. The drive was meant to serve a purpose. A true mumbaikar, my brother-in-law was a little exasperated with my relentless comparison of Mumbai to Delhi with latter being labeled as better planned, less dirty, and having better infrastructure. He decided to take me to the posh south Bombay so that I could see the “true Mumbai”. The sea-link is undoubtedly an architectural wonder. A truly world class sea bridge, it is indicative of coming of age of India’s infrastructure sector.

We reached Worli after crossing the sea-link to see another architectural wonder, a 27-storied building meant for a family of five. Dubbed as the world’s most expensive house, it was a stark display of opulence. The entire building was lit up in lights of different colors and hue and stood out amongst other buildings in the vicinity that looked rather shoddy in its comparison. It served its purpose well!

It got me thinking again. In today’s materialistic world, size has acquired greater importance than ever before. Those who can, boast of their wealth in every way possible. I have no problems with that. People have a right to spend their money in whichever way they like. However, don’t the people who have such kind of money feel the need to use it for a social cause? Mumbai is probably one of the dirtiest cities of the world. If the big wigs of the city commit to spend a small percentage of their massive wealth for employing people to keep their city clean, it can create a great difference. It is a small thing that can bring about significant difference in the quality of life of the mumbaikars and also reduce the incidence of diseases.

The biggest capitalists of the US, which is the forerunner of capitalism, have decided to donate a significant portion of their wealth to various charities. I do not expect our industrialists to be as large hearted, but it would not create a dent in their assets if they pledge to create a pool of resources which can be used for various purposes.

Undoubtedly we have people like Narayan Murthy who are comparable to Gates and Buffet. However, we need more such people who can come up and be responsible industrial leaders. Gates-Buffet model seems a little too far-fetched for our country’s capitalists presently. But for now they can at least be expected to shoulder the responsibility of keeping their cities clean or do they fail to see the dirt from their high rise houses?

Incivilities of the Civil Services Exam

The craze for government jobs may have receded after the opening up of our economy; but Indian Civil Services remain an exception. The popularity of civil services can be gauged by the fact that approximately 4 lakh candidates take the exam each year to get into these esteemed services willing to let go of other lucrative career options.

The civil services form the backbone of our administrative system. The power and prestige associated with these services attract candidates of all ilks. They are ready to sacrifice several years of their youth to prepare for the exam as only a few clear it in their first attempt.

However, the sad part is that Union Public Service Commission, the premiere organization that conducts Civil Services Exams is not as transparent in its proceedings as it should be. This has led to mindboggling number of rumours that can leave candidates perplexed. To its credit, the UPSC does have a website of its own where it attempts to answer questions in the FAQ section answering some, but not all the questions of the candidates. Frequent rallies and demonstrations are carried out by disgruntled candidates who seek transparency from the institution. The civil servants are expected to be honest and open in their functioning. So is it unjustified to expect a certain level of openness in their selection procedure?

Lack of transparency mars the credibility of any organization. Even the credibility of the most respected institution of the country, the Supreme Court, was doubted when the CJI refused to divulge the details relating to assets held by the judges of the court. Lot many times the results of the Civil Services Exam seem to be erratic. One can understand the erratic nature in the main examination which is written and therefore subjectivity is bound to creep in. A candidate who scores astonishingly well in his first attempt may end up scoring equally low in subsequent attempts, though having greater understanding of the subjects. However, this is not the issue I would like to go into. Preliminary examination is wholly objective in nature. When candidates feel that they have not cleared it despite performing well, it creates dissatisfaction amongst them. They may of course be wrong in their assessment. Many end up casting aspersions on the UPSC to hide their failure. This would continue until the institution continues to wear its cloak of secrecy.

My only request to the UPSC is to make the scoring procedure more transparent. Also, disclosing the marks of preliminary examination should be made mandatory. This would help candidates understand their individual standing vis-a-vis other candidates. It would help them know exactly where they faltered. Further, it would be beneficial if UPSC brings out its own set of guidelines for the aspirants of Civil Services about the general expectations of the examiners from the examinees, especially for the written exams. A large number of websites and coaching institutions that have mushroomed all across the country have different suggestions for the aspirants who end up getting more confused than ever. When conducting an exam of this scale, the UPSC needs to recognize its responsibility of acting as a guide to candidates especially for those who do not have access to expensive coaching institutes. CBSE has its own helpline to deal with queries from students. Major newspapers have dedicated columns before the exams to deal with questions from students. Considering the fact that it selects our bureaucrats and diplomats, can UPSC not have a similar set-up?

I am in no way doubting the credibility of the esteemed institution. I only wish it to be more transparent. This would leave little space for rumors to spread. Currently, people do not miss an opportunity to blame the UPSC when they fail. This is given further credence by the dark veil worn by the institution. The most important thing in a democracy is that justice should not only be done but should manifestly seem to be done. The government of India realized this and therefore the RTI Act was passed in 2005 to increase the faith of people in the government. It is time that UPSC also opens up its proceedings so that the candidates can have faith in the institution. After all, we are not China!

Militant Islam in India

Islamic militancy, as we see it in its present form, established its stronghold in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir in 1989. Since then there has been a sustained campaign of terror against the government of India. These terrorist attacks are not just limited to the state of Jammu and Kashmir but have spread to the other parts of the country as well. This terrorist campaign can be divided into two phases. The first phase, from 1989-1993, mostly saw the involvement of indigenous terrorist groups. These indigenous groups were split into three- first, who wanted greater autonomy for the state of Jammu and Kashmir; second, who wanted total independence; and the third, who wanted a merger with Pakistan.[1] The situation has changed since 1995. There has now been a greater involvement of foreign terrorist organizations, most of which are supported by Pakistan.[2] Though these organizations were present in Kashmir before 1994 as well, their involvement increased considerably after 1994. This paper will focus on the Pakistani terrorist organizations, specifically Lashkar-e-toiba, working on the Indian soil especially Kashmir and examine the threat posed by them to India.

It all started in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in 1989, when Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), a militant Kashmiri nationalist organization, inaugurated an armed uprising against the Indian rule.[3] Prior to that there were isolated incidents like the hijacking of an Indian Airlines aircraft in 1971 and the kidnapping and subsequent murder of an Indian diplomat in Britain in 1984 which were mainly sponsored by Pakistan.[4] The taking up of arms by the JKLF against the Indian government was a result of the frustration developed in years amongst the Kashmiri youth due to the widespread corruption prevalent in the state government and Indian government’s continual support to it.[5] Sheer waste and mismanagement of the development outlays led to high degree of unemployment, especially among the literate youth. These were the long standing causes of the uprising. But the 1987 election was the immediate precursor to the taking up of arms by the JKLF. The Muslim United Front (MUF) which stood against the National Conference and Congress-I, the incumbent coalition, in the elections was denied victory in about eight Assembly constituencies against popular expectation.[6] This denial to the MUF to enter the political mainstream and be a part of the democratic process led to the strong resentment within the Valley.

MUF was a complex coalition of religious and socialist parties. To the central government, it represented secessionism and Islamic idealism.[7] It represented a threat to the interests of the Indian government in Kashmir. Should MUF win, it was considered likely that the status of article 370 would be scrutinized. Article 370 of the Indian Constitution provides special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. In the course of years, there was a gradual erosion of this article and most of its clauses were not implemented. It is considered that the 1987 elections were one of the most rigged and unfair elections ever held in the state.[8] The National Conference and Congress I coalition won sixty-two out of seventy-six seats.[9] The MUF took a mere four, figure felt to be widely out of keeping with the mood of the valley prior to the elections and to other informal indicators such as attendance at rallies and marches.

The allegations of rigging are vital to the understanding of the crises that engulfed the state later on, since it was the conviction by many MUF candidates that since they had been prevented from taking power through the democratic process, they could resort to violence as a legitimate means to express their politics.[10] Many of the candidates and the political agents of the MUF were to become by 1989-90, the first wave of militants in either JKLF or Hizbul-Mujahideen (HM), the pro-Pakistani indigenous terrorist group. Since then there also has been a campaign against non-Muslims in the valley including Hindus and Sikhs who were either killed or forced to evacuate the state.[11] This campaign against non-Muslims was carried out by terrorists trained in Pakistan.[12] This phase also saw the coming of mujahideens from the Afghanistan War in Kashmir but their influence was as strong as that of the indigenous groups.

The second phase of terrorism in Kashmir started in 1995, which saw the gradual decline of the role of indigenous terrorist organizations and growth of foreign militants supported by Pakistan.[13] One of the biggest indigenous terrorist groups, JKLF, publicly renounced violence in 1995.[14] There is only one major indigenous group still active in Kashmir and that is Hizbul-Mujahideen which was created by the Pakistani government in 1989 to keep a check on JKLF whose demands for complete independence of Kashmir did not go well with the Pakistani leadership.[15] This group continues getting military and economic support from Pakistan. Though HM is active in the state, it is overshadowed by the presence of Pakistani terrorist organizations in the state. The most prominent amongst them are Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM), and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). These terrorist organizations are mostly comprised of Pakistani nationals but also include Afghanis and Chechens. The goal of all the Pakistani terrorist organizations is to integrate Kashmir with Pakistan. Since 1988, India has suffered total of 45,182 terrorist incidents in J&K alone.[16] Though in many incidents security forces were targeted but majority involved attacks on civilians. Pakistan supported terrorists are also responsible for 2,466 kidnappings and 791 cases of extortion since 1989.[17] Pakistan supported terrorism also resulted in extensive destruction of property in J&K. There were targeted attacks on 780 educational institutions in a bid to destroy the modern education system, which the fundamentalist ideology of the terrorists did not approve.[18]

One of the most important terrorist groups present in Kashmir is Lashkar e Tayyaba or Lashkar e Toiba (LeT), meaning the “Army of the Pure.” It is a Pakistan based terrorist organization working against India.[19] It is the armed wing of the Pakistani religious organization named Markaz-ud-Dawa-wal-Irshad (MDI) which is a Sunni anti-US organization formed in 1989.[20] It was designated as a terrorist organization on December 22, 2001.[21] The LeT wants to challenge the sovereignty of the Indian government over the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Besides that, its agenda, as outlined in a pamphlet titled ‘Why are we waging jihad’, also includes the restoration of Islamic rule over all parts of India.[22] It also propagates a narrow Islamist fundamentalism preached by its mentor, the MDI. It seeks to bring about a union of all Muslim majority regions in countries that surround Pakistan. Towards that end, it is active in J&K, Chechnya and other parts of Central Asia. The outfit claims to have supported the Taliban militia and Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda terrorist network in Afghanistan during November and December 2002 in their fight against the US aided Northern Alliance.[23]

The founder of LeT, Hafiz Mohammad Saeed once said in a press conference, “We will not accept friendship with India. The Holy War in the occupied Kashmir is continuing and suicide attacks will also continue.”[24] They believe that Kashmir is a land of Muslims and want to establish an Islamic regime there. This is proven by this speech act given by Saeed, “True Muslims are still busy doing jihad (for the establishment of Islamic rule) in Afghanistan, Kashmir and Iraq and would not let infidels succeed in their goals.”[25] Therefore want it to be out of the control of the secular Indian government.

Lashkar-e-Toiba is one of the three best trained terrorist groups fighting in Kashmir against India.[26] Based in Muridke (near Lahore) and Muzaffarabad, the LeT trains its militants in mobile training camps across Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and had trained in Afghanistan until fall of 2001. Its presence in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) was first recorded in 1993 when 12 Pakistani and Afghan mercenaries infiltrated across the Line of Control (LoC) in tandem with the Islami Inquilabi Mahaz, a terrorist outfit then active in the Poonch district of J&K.[27] The LeT claimed responsibility for numerous attacks in 2001, including an attack in January on Srinagar airport that killed five Indians along with six militants; an attack on a police station in Srinagar that killed at least eight officers and wounded several others; and an attack in April against Indian border-security forces that left at least four dead.[28] The Indian Government publicly held the LeT responsible for the attack on the Indian Parliament building on 13^th December 2001. The LeT is also suspected of involvement in the 14 May 2002 attack on an Indian Army base in Kaluchak that left 36 dead.[29] Senior al-Qaeda lieutenant Abu Zubaydah was captured at an LeT safe house in Faisalabad in March 2002, suggesting some members are facilitating the movement of Al-Qaeda members in Pakistan.[30] It was also held responsible for the twin explosion of Indian trains in July 11, 2006 that killed at least 175 people.[31]

LeT has attracted more attention than any other terrorist organization operating in Jammu & Kashmir. This is due to various reasons. Firstly, because it has conducted well planned attacks on security force targets in J&K. After the Kargil war of May-July 1999, (when Pakistani troops and mercenaries, including those of the Lashkar, were forced to withdraw from peaks on the Indian side of the Line of Control - LoC), the outfit launched its 'suicide attacks' strategy.[32] In this attack small groups of fidayeen (suicide squads) stormed security force camps in Jammu & Kashmir killing the families of army personnel. In some fidayeen attacks launched by the LeT, the terrorists entrenched themselves inside the camp, killing as many army personnels as they could, before they were themselves killed. In one such instance, two fidayeen of LeT stormed a SF base at Wazir Bagh in Srinagar, on March 26, 2001, and shot dead four personnel before being killed. In certain incidents, members of the squad are reported to have successfully fled after the initial attack. Such was the case at Mendhar in Rajouri district, on December 16, 2000 as also at Mahore, Udhampur district, on November 5, 2000. On December 8, 2001, two LeT fidayeen managed to penetrate inside a security force convoy and opened fire killing one personnel.

Secondly, it has conducted dramatic massacres of non-Muslim civilians in the region. Majority of the massacres of unarmed Hindus and Sikhs between March 1997 and October 2001 have reportedly been carried out by the LeT. One instance is the cold-blooded murder of 23 persons in Wandhama on January 23, 1998. A second instance is the June 19, 1998, massacre in which 25 members of a wedding party in Doda, Jammu were killed. The extreme level of cold-blooded brutality, which sets Lashkar-e-Toiba apart from other terrorist outfits that operated in Kashmir before, is evident in the Wandhama massacre, where children as young as one year old were murdered along with women and defenseless men.[33] It also conducted attacks in New Delhi during the Hindu festival of Diwali in 2005.

The presence of Islamic militants in Kashmir has created several problems for the Indian government. First is the increased spending on the defense sector by the government of India every year. The continuous infiltration in Kashmir and the growth in the terrorist activities is one of the reasons behind an increased spending on defense by the Indian government. The administration allocated Rs. 830 billion ($19.1 billion) for the defense sector in the year 2006.[34] The money that could have been used for social welfare programs or for improving the infrastructure of the country has to be used for the maintenance of a force of about 700,000 soldiers in the difficult conditions of Kashmir.

Secondly, the rise of militant Islam is a threat to the socio-political structure of secular India. India is home to the world’s second largest Muslim population after Indonesia. About 175 million Muslims form an integral part of India. Islamic militants understand the importance of secularism in the Indian society and therefore time and again they try to disturb the peace by deliberately attacking fragile places where there are chances of instigating the two religious communities against each other. This sometimes leads to communal violence in the country. Though Indian society is quite resilient to these events of communal violence but they do leave a dent in the social and political fabric. The terrorist organizations then use these events to send a wrong message of the communal nature of the Indian society to the Kashmir Muslims. These events have also led to an increase in the influence of right-wing Hindu nationalist parties in India which had very little support before the rise of Islamic terrorism in the country. They use these terrorist incidents as a way to tap into the religious sentiments of people. Thirdly, these terrorist organizations that are controlled by Pakistan, also want to hamper India’s progress in whatever way they can as the attack on the Indian Institute of Sciences in December 2005 and lot of defense establishments in the country show.[35] There is also a grave danger of a terrorist attack on the nuclear establishments of the country. Though India is a hot-spot for foreign investment right now, these terrorist attacks might divert potential investors away from the country.

Indian government has basically taken three major steps to counter terrorism in Kashmir. First is what can be called as the short term policy which uses military means to combat terrorism. Indian government spends huge amounts of resources in the state. According to an estimate, the administration spent around Rs.5000 crores in Kashmir in the year 2002.[36] It has also deployed a huge army of 700,000 troops in the valley to check the infiltration on Pakistani side and to maintain peace in the state.

Second is diplomatic means which includes talks with Pakistan. The most important thing about the Kashmir issue is that it cannot be solved just by the efforts of the Indian government. The terrorist activities are supported by the Inter Service Intelligence (ISI), the intelligence agency of Pakistan.[37] The arms seized from the terrorists have been confirmed time and again by experts to have been supplied by Pakistan as they were either a part of the weapons contingent imported to Pakistan or were manufactured in Pakistan. The report of the American Congress, a special report prepared by the Union Home Ministry, Government of India, and the documents recovered from the arrested Kashmiri and foreign terrorists have confirmed reports that the ISI was spending one-fifth portion of Pakistan's budget on creating disturbances in Kashmir.[38] According to a former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Mr. Jagmohan, in 1992 the ISI had three thousand million dollars which it had earned through drug narcotics trade.[39] This amount is equal to five defense budgets of Pakistan. This boosted the morale of the ISI which succeeded in extending organized terrorism to Kashmir. In supporting and organizing terrorism in Middle East, West Asia and Kashmir the ISI is the biggest organization in the third world. About 20,000 people are getting monetary benefits from the ISI for intensifying terrorist activities and for supporting them.[40] Therefore, Pakistan’s full cooperation is needed to get a permanent solution to the problem of Kashmir militancy

Confidence building measures (CBMs) are needed from both the sides. Former Prime Minister of India Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee took a historic initiative and visited Lahore in 2002.[41] The visit was aimed at conveying India’s deep desire to establish peaceful, co-operative and friendly ties with Pakistani. People to people interaction are also needed so that the citizens of the two countries know each other better and develop trust. There is a serious deficit in trust between the two countries which needs to be restored.

Post 9/11 there is a historic opportunity for the restoration of peace in Kashmir because of the presence of American troops in Afghanistan. This military presence of the US troops is acting as a check on Pakistani activities in the region as the US surveillance planes are constantly monitoring the region.[42] Besides, the Pakistani government is also under heavy US pressure to stop supporting terrorist activities in India which led to the signing of a ceasefire between India and Pakistan in 2003.

The Indian government is also trying to address the grievances of the Kashmiri people so that they do not resort to violence again. The 2002 elections held in the state were free and fair and were recognized to be so by the international community present in Kashmir during that time.[43] The government of India is also trying to create employment opportunities in the region. The administration is making efforts to restore the internally displaced Kashmiris.[44] The efforts are reaping their benefits as there has been a decline in the support for terrorists in the state.[45] People are increasingly getting disillusioned by the militant organizations which have not only failed in fulfilling their promises but are also committing widespread atrocities against the civilians. Yet the problem poses significant threat to the country because despite the decline in the public support for these organizations, they have been on a rise. They have been conducting terrorist acts all over the country as mentioned earlier.

The threat that the Islamic jihadists pose to India is grave. They seek to disturb the socio-political stability of the country. India has shown its resilience to these attacks but there have been occasional occurrences of communal violence due to the attacks. Though these incidents are not common and Indian society still largely remains a peaceful one, they do disturb the stability and peace of the society. They have also led to the strengthening of Hindu fundamentalism to a certain extent. Besides, these terrorist organizations have reached outside Kashmir and targeted civilian and government infrastructure. This is particularly dangerous in India because it is difficult to distinguish between a civilian and a terrorist because of the similarities in the physical make-up of the civilians and terrorists. This has seriously affected the security of the state. A lot of resources have to be spent on the maintenance of the security of the state and its people. These terrorist organizations are also trying to instigate both Kashmiri and non-Kashmiri Muslims against the Indian government not just by triggering off communal violence but also by distributing hate pamphlets on the mosques. The terrorists are also against the democratic set-up of the country. The result of this was seen in the terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament on December 13, 2001.

Terrorism is a vital issue for the Indian government and it is working against it. The counter-terrorism policy of the Indian government has had success but still lot more needs to be done which requires the support of Pakistani government which runs most of the terrorist organizations in India. Terrorism is also a big obstacle in the smooth progress of talks between the two countries. India has repeatedly been asking the Pakistani government to stop supporting terrorism so that the bilateral talks can be continued. But there has been little support from Pakistani side. In order to establish much needed peace in South Asia it is essential that both countries take mutual steps in this direction; only then can Kashmir truly become the “Paradise on Earth.”

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[1] B. Raman, Lecture at Baker Institute for Foreign Policy, http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7288210828786167939.

[2] B. Raman, Lecture at Baker Institute for Foreign Policy, http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7288210828786167939.

[3] South Asia Terrorism Portal, “Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front,” http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/jandk/terrorist_outfits/jammu_&_kashmir_liberation_front.htm.

[4] B. Raman, Lecture at Baker Institute for Foreign Policy, http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7288210828786167939.

[5] Human Rights Watch, “Behind the Kashmir Conflict.” http://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/kashmir/back.htm.

[6] Hewitt Vernon, Towards the Future? Jammu and Kashmir in the 21^st Century, (Cambridge: Granta Editions, 2001).

[7] Hewitt Vernon, Towards the Future? Jammu and Kashmir in the 21^st Century, (Cambridge: Granta Editions, 2001).

[8] Human Rights Watch, “Behind the Kashmir Conflict.” http://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/kashmir/back.htm.

[9] Hewitt Vernon, Towards the Future? Jammu and Kashmir in the 21^st Century, (Cambridge: Granta Editions, 2001).

[10] Hewitt Vernon, Towards the Future? Jammu and Kashmir in the 21^st Century, (Cambridge: Granta Editions, 2001).

[11] Kashmiri-pandit.org, “Islamic Terrorism and Genocide of Kashmiri Pandits.” http://www.kashmiri-pandit.org/sundry/genocide.html.

[12] Kashmiri-pandit.org, “Islamic Terrorism and Genocide of Kashmiri Pandits.” http://www.kashmiri-pandit.org/sundry/genocide.html.

[13] B. Raman, Lecture at Baker Institute for Foreign Policy, http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7288210828786167939.

[14] Federation of American Scientists, “Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front.” http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/jklf.htm

[15] Globalsecurity.org, “Hizb-ul-Mujahideen.” http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/hum.htm.

[16] Ministry of External Affairs, India, “The Fact Sheet on Jammu and Kashmir,” May 20, 2002. http://meaindia.nic.in/.

[17] Ministry of External Affairs, India, “The Fact Sheet on Jammu and Kashmir,” May 20, 2002. http://meaindia.nic.in/.

[18] Ministry of External Affairs, India, “The Fact Sheet on Jammu and Kashmir,” May 20, 2002. http://meaindia.nic.in/.

[19]Institute for Conflict Management, “Lashkar-e-Toiba: Army of the Poor.” http://www.ict.org.il/inter_ter/orgdet.cfm?orgid=81.

[20] Federation of American Scientists, “ Lashkar-e-Toiba.” http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/lakshar.htm.

[21] South Asian Terrorism Portal, “Lashkar-e-Toiba, http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/jandk/terrorist_outfits/lashkar_e_toiba.htm.

[22] South Asian Terrorism Portal, , “Lashkar-e-Toiba, http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/jandk/terrorist_outfits/lashkar_e_toiba.htm.

[23] South Asian Terrorism Portal, , “Lashkar-e-Toiba, http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/jandk/terrorist_outfits/lashkar

[24] Pakistan-facts.com, “Pakistani Military Leader Vows Jihad Will Continue in Kashmir,” November 13, 2003. http://www.pakistan-facts.com/article.php?story=20031113104953245.

[25] Pakistan-facts.com, “Pakistani Military Leader Vows Jihad Will Continue in Kashmir,” November 13, 2003. http://www.pakistan-facts.com/article.php?story=20031113104953245.

[26] South Asian Terrorism Portal, , “Lashkar-e-Toiba, http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/jandk/terrorist_outfits/lashkar.

[27] Institute for Conflict Management, “Lashkar-e-Toiba: Army of the Poor.” http://www.ict.org.il/inter_ter/orgdet.cfm?orgid=81.

[28] [28] South Asian Terrorism Portal, , “Lashkar-e-Toiba, http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/states/jandk/terrorist_outfits/lashkar.

[29] Ministry of External Affairs, India, “The Fact Sheet on Jammu and Kashmir,” May 20, 2002. http://meaindia.nic.in/.

[30] Ministry of External Affairs, India, “The Fact Sheet on Jammu and Kashmir,” May 20, 2002. http://meaindia.nic.in/.

[31] CNN.com, “At least 174 Killed in Indian Train Blasts: Prime Minister Says ‘Terrorists’ Behind the Acts,” CNN World, July 12, 2006.

[32] Ministry of External Affairs, India, “The Fact Sheet on Jammu and Kashmir,” May 20, 2002. http://meaindia.nic.in/.

[33] Ministry of External Affairs, India, “The Fact Sheet on Jammu and Kashmir,” May 20, 2002. http://meaindia.nic.in/.

[34] Jayasekera, Deepal, “Indian Budget: A Balancing Act That Can no Longer be Sustained,” World Socialist Website, March 23, 2005. http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/mar2005/indi-m23.shtml.

[35] Ministry of External Affairs, India, “War Against terror: Background.” http://meaindia.nic.in/.

[36] Srinivasan, Rajiv, “India: The Kashmiri Colony,” Rediff News, November 9, 2002. http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/nov/09rajeev.htm

[37] Ministry of External Affairs, India, “The Fact Sheet on Jammu and Kashmir,” May 20, 2002. http://meaindia.nic.in/.

[38] Ministry of External Affairs, India, “The Fact Sheet on Jammu and Kashmir,” May 20, 2002. http://meaindia.nic.in/.

[39] Ministry of External Affairs, India, “The Fact Sheet on Jammu and Kashmir,” May 20, 2002. http://meaindia.nic.in/.

[40] Ministry of External Affairs, India, “The Fact Sheet on Jammu and Kashmir,” May 20, 2002. http://meaindia.nic.in/.

[41] Ministry of External Affairs, India, “The Fact Sheet on Jammu and Kashmir,” May 20, 2002. http://meaindia.nic.in/.

[42] Interview with Mr. Amitabh Tripathi, November 20, 2006.

[43]Surinder Rana, “Post Elections Jammu and Kashmir,” Strategic Insights, Vol II, Issue 3 (March 2003). http://www.ccc.nps.navy.mil/si/mar03/southAsia.asp

[44] Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, “Jammu and Kashmir.” http://mha.nic.in/reno.htm#ac.

[45] Suba Chandran, “Fighting the Fidayeens: Combating Suicide Terrorism in Kashmir,” Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, Article no. 650, November 28, 2001. http://www.ipcs.org/Terrorism_kashmirLevel2.jsp?action=showView&kValue=128&subCatID=1022&status=article&mod=g.