The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate L.K Advani today addressed the media and addressed the issue of Indian’s saving their wealth in foreign banks. Now this issue has 2 aspects, it involves fraudulent money amassed by the people and also the money which people have genuinely saved.
This issue comes in the wake of the recent announcement of the foreign banks such as the Swiss Bank that they are ready to share their investor’s information with the govt if requested. The US government has promptly reacted to this by taking the necessary steps to obtain the required information. This issue becomes even more important in view of the recent economic crisis. Mr. Advani also said that he had written to the prime minister about this but no action was taken. This issue comes in the wake of the G-20 Summit to be held in London in the coming days.
So how important is this issue? There are 2 sides to this issue. First of all, it would bring about a lot of transparency to the political system in India. The wealth amassed by the political class in these tax havens would be out. All of us speak about the wealth amassed by Mr. X or Mrs. Y in these banks. Let us know the truth. It would bring about a political renaissance in India.
The second aspect to this is that the money which people have genuinely saved can be brought back to India and can be invested in the country. The estimated wealth of the Indians in these banks ranges from $500 Billion to $1400 Billion. This is huge money and would greatly strengthen the Indian economy if invested properly.
But is this really implementable? The political babus would never allow anyone to investigate their wealth, let alone passing a bill to legalize this procedure. This is because every political party has to then revealing the skeletons in its cupboard. At the same time, no party can openly oppose this law as it would show the party in bad light.
The RTI was implemented by the UPA amidst great fanfare. It has been implemented in several situations and has brought a positive change. But it is still plagued by the fact that its failures greatly outweigh its success. The Information officers as they call are mainly ex Government Officials. In such a situation we end up in a situation where in one corrupt man is trying to investigate the cases against another corrupt man. In most cases, the person who appeals is framed with criminal charges and the matter is closed.
We certainly hope that the RTI continues to evolve into a much more effective law. We have made a good beginning and we can’t afford to lose steam mid-way. Similarly, we need to make a beginning to get back India’s wealth and invest the money wisely. It will take a lot of political will to do so and it is achievable.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
A Victim Of Diversity
India has been the cradle of civilization. Several religions trace their origin to India. We have more than a hundred languages with about 30 of them being recognized as official languages. Great thinkers and philosophers, the several invasions of India and travelers from far off lands have contributed to India’s diverse religious beliefs.
In a land where people of different beliefs live together, there seems to be a fear in the minds of Individuals that their beliefs and customs would not find a place in modern India. There is a fear of isolation , an isolation probably not during their lifetime but during the lifetime of their children and grandchildren. The demography of India is constantly changing. That is because unlike China, India allows the free movement of its people.
The so called original inhabitants of a land , dare I say aborigines , fear a change in the demography of their land. We have seen such behavior in North East India where in there have been clashes between Muslim migrant workers and the native bodo population. We have seen Hindu Muslim clashes in Uttar Pradesh. Even outside India we know of clashes between Catholics and Protestants in Ireland, between Sunni and Shia Muslims in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The list is endless. It is not only religion. We have seen bihari and U.P workers being targeted in Mumbai, the tamil population being targeted during the Cauvery water crisis of the 1990’s etc etc.
So what we achieved with diversity? I would really want the people who speak so greatly of India’s diversity to answer this question. They might speak greatly about the art and literature in the various cultures. Fine valid point. But is that enough? More importantly has any culture taught people that they need to respect the other cultures equally ? Great thinkers who have started religions probably never felt the need to intellectually argue and amend the flaws of an existing religion instead of starting a new faith. I wish they had!
India has been the biggest victim of diversity in religion and culture. We might have guided the world with principles and religions. Every nation chose to keep one religion and prosper. We chose to prosper with many. Unfortunately we have failed in execution.
The problem is compounded by the fact that, we have a media which is focused only on the TRP’s. It is clear to them that an issue of religion would get them more viewership and they milk this concept. The result is that we end up focusing on personalities rather than real issues which the country faces.
In a land where people of different beliefs live together, there seems to be a fear in the minds of Individuals that their beliefs and customs would not find a place in modern India. There is a fear of isolation , an isolation probably not during their lifetime but during the lifetime of their children and grandchildren. The demography of India is constantly changing. That is because unlike China, India allows the free movement of its people.
The so called original inhabitants of a land , dare I say aborigines , fear a change in the demography of their land. We have seen such behavior in North East India where in there have been clashes between Muslim migrant workers and the native bodo population. We have seen Hindu Muslim clashes in Uttar Pradesh. Even outside India we know of clashes between Catholics and Protestants in Ireland, between Sunni and Shia Muslims in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The list is endless. It is not only religion. We have seen bihari and U.P workers being targeted in Mumbai, the tamil population being targeted during the Cauvery water crisis of the 1990’s etc etc.
So what we achieved with diversity? I would really want the people who speak so greatly of India’s diversity to answer this question. They might speak greatly about the art and literature in the various cultures. Fine valid point. But is that enough? More importantly has any culture taught people that they need to respect the other cultures equally ? Great thinkers who have started religions probably never felt the need to intellectually argue and amend the flaws of an existing religion instead of starting a new faith. I wish they had!
India has been the biggest victim of diversity in religion and culture. We might have guided the world with principles and religions. Every nation chose to keep one religion and prosper. We chose to prosper with many. Unfortunately we have failed in execution.
The problem is compounded by the fact that, we have a media which is focused only on the TRP’s. It is clear to them that an issue of religion would get them more viewership and they milk this concept. The result is that we end up focusing on personalities rather than real issues which the country faces.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
The ghost of Nadal
Alas. Federer has lost the Australian open and before this disappointment makes me lose my mind, I need to vent it out. During the presentation ceremony, when Roger federer spoke , he was crying and he simply said “ Its Killing me”. What else do I say , the emotion was simply overwhelming. When the person whom you idolize has been brought to his knees, you feel like you have lost a battle. I feel that and I am sure that many of you feel the same. What was most disappointing was seeing Roger being mentally drained out in the deciding set.
He looked crestfallen during most parts of the fifth set and when Rafa broke him in the fourth game of this set , it was evident that he was going for the kill. Incidentally, Roger lost this deciding game with four back to back unforced errors including a double fault. It was evident that Rafa had got into Federer’s psyche. If the match was physically daunting for Nadal after an epic 5 hour semi-final against Verdasco , it was mentally daunting for Roger. He needs to defeat the ghost of Nadal comfortably residing in his mind before beating Nadal the sportsman. It is clear that Nadal remains a roadblock in Federer’s road to greatness.
What differentiates the two in the the ability of Nadal to raise his game with every passing tournament. He started off 2007 as a player with a weak serve but as one would play incredible winners from the baseline. He has worked on his serve and has greatly improved it. He has added the top spin to his game and his uncanny ability to chase the ball to its death makes him a great champion. He now goes to the French Open as the clear favourite.
Skeptics continue to say that Roger would not be as great a player as Sampras. One should remember that Sampras was never able to reach the Semi-Finals of the French Open ! I am not trying to belittle Sampras and can’t dream of doing that either. It's just that Statistics speak for themselves.
So , what can Roger look forward to during the rest of the year ? He has a 7 – 12 record against Nadal and has lost his Number 1 position to him. He must realize that he nothing to lose anymore. He must get Nadal out of his mind. He must also realize that champions don’t break so easily. ( I am referring to the crying ! ).
So what do I predict for the year. Rafael Nadal will comfortably win the French Open.He might not even drop a set in the entire tournament. Roger has his best chance in the Wimbledon grass. The Wimbledon this year will for the first time be played under closed courts. So the wind factor which tormented Roger during last year’s final will no longer harm him As for the US open , if Roger continues to be intrigued by Rafa , then we will see Rafa win the US open as well making him the only player in modern era to win all four grand slams.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
India's failed diplomacy
The NSG and the security agencies played a vital role during operation “Black Tornado” and were successful in saving many lives. This I will call Phase 1 in coming to terms with the Mumbai carnage. Now Phase 2, is to get the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice. Outsourcing of terrorist activities seems is very much favored by terrorist organizations. On the one hand, they have with them people who have already been indoctrinated and on the other hand escalates between the victim nation and the country of the perpetrators. Strong diplomacy is needed to handle such situations.
India faces a tough task in deporting the Pakistani nationals involved in the 26/11 carnage. We need intelligent people who can negotiate well with hard bargaining foreign nationals. We have sacked our incompetent home minister and in Chidambaram have a man who isn’t very keen to take this post. The external affairs minister on one day tells a local daily that it would be okay for Pakistan to hold trial for the 26/11 accused, and retracts his statement the very next day when quizzed about his statement.
I strongly believe that India lost the early advantage when Prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh in his address to the nation post 26/11 said that Pakistan was as much a victim of terror as India is ! Dr Singh might be an intelligent economist but his reactions and actions post 26/11 prove the fact that he is not prime minister material.
The recent visit of the British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and his comments that about Pakistan’s involvement in the 26/11 carnage speaks volumes about the governement’s weak foreign policy . Miliband very clearly said that Pakistan had a very effective judicial system which can try the accused and that there was no need to deport the accused to India. He also went on to say that he did not believe in the involvement of any Pakistani agency in the attack. The government did not do anything to rebuff his statement. Instead, plans were made for Rahul Gandhi to accompany Miliband to visit Congress’s playground (Amethi) and stay in a village overnight. No government in any country would have reacted in such a lackadaisical manner.
Are we missing something here. Yes. Its election time and Congress is starting of its campaign with this political stunt in Amethi. Many a times when I feel helpless reading such news , I comfort myself by dreaming of the day when smart people like Arun Shourie , Arun Jaitley , T Parthasarathy etc play a prominent role in running the day to day affairs of the country.
Also important in the current scenario are the comments made by the new J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah , who feels that the West needs to intervene to solve the Kashmir Issue. The PMO was expected to issue a statement to condemn such remarks from an elective representative of the people. No such thing was seen.
India deserves better.
India faces a tough task in deporting the Pakistani nationals involved in the 26/11 carnage. We need intelligent people who can negotiate well with hard bargaining foreign nationals. We have sacked our incompetent home minister and in Chidambaram have a man who isn’t very keen to take this post. The external affairs minister on one day tells a local daily that it would be okay for Pakistan to hold trial for the 26/11 accused, and retracts his statement the very next day when quizzed about his statement.
I strongly believe that India lost the early advantage when Prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh in his address to the nation post 26/11 said that Pakistan was as much a victim of terror as India is ! Dr Singh might be an intelligent economist but his reactions and actions post 26/11 prove the fact that he is not prime minister material.
The recent visit of the British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and his comments that about Pakistan’s involvement in the 26/11 carnage speaks volumes about the governement’s weak foreign policy . Miliband very clearly said that Pakistan had a very effective judicial system which can try the accused and that there was no need to deport the accused to India. He also went on to say that he did not believe in the involvement of any Pakistani agency in the attack. The government did not do anything to rebuff his statement. Instead, plans were made for Rahul Gandhi to accompany Miliband to visit Congress’s playground (Amethi) and stay in a village overnight. No government in any country would have reacted in such a lackadaisical manner.
Are we missing something here. Yes. Its election time and Congress is starting of its campaign with this political stunt in Amethi. Many a times when I feel helpless reading such news , I comfort myself by dreaming of the day when smart people like Arun Shourie , Arun Jaitley , T Parthasarathy etc play a prominent role in running the day to day affairs of the country.
Also important in the current scenario are the comments made by the new J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah , who feels that the West needs to intervene to solve the Kashmir Issue. The PMO was expected to issue a statement to condemn such remarks from an elective representative of the people. No such thing was seen.
India deserves better.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
India brought to her knees
A group of 20 terrorists have brought India to her knees. A country of 1 billion stood and watched and could do nothing about it. Wait a minute , that's not entirely true. India’s most prestigious anti-terror squad , the NSG toiled and fought bravely for 60 hours to save the hostages. The fire service department also did a wonderful job. Mumbai’s police force and their special wing , the ATS did the preliminary work of flushing out as many terrorists as they could. In the process we lost 3 top policemen among several others from the security agency . A railway employee who was announcing the schedule of trains at the Mumbai railway station played a very important role in getting the people move to the correct exit once he realised that the station was under attack. He surely saved at least a hundred lives. The readers of this might feel that as a nation everyone has done their duty. Nope wait a minute , we haven’t yet spoken about our political class.
Dr Manmohan Singh , our prime minister and Lal Krishna Advani , the leader of Opposition visited the site of terror attacks. They should have set aside their differences and should have visited together if there was a necessity. But they wouldn’t. They would show the world that the Indian political class would not stand united even at the worst of times. As a matter of fact , their visit to the site was completely unnecessary , as it was an additional pressure for the NSG to provide them with the required security. In no country does a politician visit a war zone when the security agencies are battling it out with their lives.
We also haven’t spoken about our media. They continue their “exclusive” and “live” coverage. They continue to pressurise the law enforcing agencies who take it up as an additional responsibility to save the lives of the media from any untoward incident at the site of the attacks. They also continue to telecast the operations carried out by the agencies giving the minutest of details ; without realising that the terrorists have the most sophisticated weapons and can easily intercept this information and nullify the attacks. They also visit the houses of the the slain policemen and fire questions to their family members. How would you feel if you lost your family member ? Even they feel the same ! So you got your answer.
For most people , resuming life after these incidents would only mean getting away from their television sets and continuing their daily schedule. But several others would start their lives after visiting the city’s morgues.
How many of you have spent a minute in silence praying for the departed souls ?
Think about it.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
My experience with the Mahatma's truth...
An autobiogaphy is a special part of an author's life and the reader has a unique oppurtunityto catch some special glimpses and unique experiences of his life. It was with the same zeal that I read Mahatma Gandhi's 'My Experiments With Truth'. However ,many a times it was difficult for me to agree with his views and sometimes even to digest them.
To start off with his principle of Vegetarianism.I believe that vegetarianism is only a way of life. A man's deeds does not change with his diet.If it does then it certainly shows his weak character. Gandhiji speaks about vegetarianism throughout the book and many a times even when the situation does not call for it. By speaking such a language does he mean to discredit the life of people having a non vegetarian diet ? I certainly hope not. Only he can answer.
The Mahatma's 'gift' to the world is the principle of nonviolence. Barack Obama says he has very high regard for Mahatma Gandhi and that he would follow the Mahatma's principles. However neither he has ever criticized the Iraq warnor does he speak of 'not invading Iran'. It is this same hypocrisy which I fear I see in Gandhi. The Indian army should have never been allowed to fight for the British Army during World War II. Gandhiji with his principles of nonviolence never seems to have strongly voiced a strong opinion against this proxy war which India was forced to fight. Where did he hide his principle of nonviolence at this juncture ?
Gandhiji never disapproved the death sentence awarded to Bhagat Singh and his men. He could
have very easily appealed to the House of Commons that the death sentence be reconsidered. But he never did. Such was his sympathy and compassion towards a fellow freedom fighter. His opinion was that Bhagat Singh's death would send a strong message to all those who followed
violent methods to achieve freedom. So much for Nonviolence !
Disappointments apart , I appreciate his support for the abolition of child marriage. Although he married at an early age he understood that child birth takes a heavy toll on the mother's body and hence delayed imposing this pressure on his teenage wife.
More than Gandhiji's principles, it his his attire which I believe struck a chord with the masses. I would also call Gandhiji a very shrewd leader. With a simple white dhoti,a shawl and a bare chest , he knew hecould win over the masses . He knew that the people would support a leader, with whom they could identify themselves.The Indian Freedom Movement desperately needed a leader would could unify the masses.
I would call my feelings after reading his book as some sort of a bitter sweet symphony.It taught me a lot about leading a simple life. It also taught me that a good leader is one who strikes a special chord with his followers.It has also taught me that its not enough to read about someone else's experiments with truth , even if that 'someone' happens to be 'the Mahatma'...
To start off with his principle of Vegetarianism.I believe that vegetarianism is only a way of life. A man's deeds does not change with his diet.If it does then it certainly shows his weak character. Gandhiji speaks about vegetarianism throughout the book and many a times even when the situation does not call for it. By speaking such a language does he mean to discredit the life of people having a non vegetarian diet ? I certainly hope not. Only he can answer.
The Mahatma's 'gift' to the world is the principle of nonviolence. Barack Obama says he has very high regard for Mahatma Gandhi and that he would follow the Mahatma's principles. However neither he has ever criticized the Iraq warnor does he speak of 'not invading Iran'. It is this same hypocrisy which I fear I see in Gandhi. The Indian army should have never been allowed to fight for the British Army during World War II. Gandhiji with his principles of nonviolence never seems to have strongly voiced a strong opinion against this proxy war which India was forced to fight. Where did he hide his principle of nonviolence at this juncture ?
Gandhiji never disapproved the death sentence awarded to Bhagat Singh and his men. He could
have very easily appealed to the House of Commons that the death sentence be reconsidered. But he never did. Such was his sympathy and compassion towards a fellow freedom fighter. His opinion was that Bhagat Singh's death would send a strong message to all those who followed
violent methods to achieve freedom. So much for Nonviolence !
Disappointments apart , I appreciate his support for the abolition of child marriage. Although he married at an early age he understood that child birth takes a heavy toll on the mother's body and hence delayed imposing this pressure on his teenage wife.
More than Gandhiji's principles, it his his attire which I believe struck a chord with the masses. I would also call Gandhiji a very shrewd leader. With a simple white dhoti,a shawl and a bare chest , he knew hecould win over the masses . He knew that the people would support a leader, with whom they could identify themselves.The Indian Freedom Movement desperately needed a leader would could unify the masses.
I would call my feelings after reading his book as some sort of a bitter sweet symphony.It taught me a lot about leading a simple life. It also taught me that a good leader is one who strikes a special chord with his followers.It has also taught me that its not enough to read about someone else's experiments with truth , even if that 'someone' happens to be 'the Mahatma'...
Sunday, March 16, 2008
60 Years On - An unfulfilled Pledge
The murder of Scarlett Keeling has brought to the forefront several aspects which children today face – the usage of drugs, a troubled home , an incorrect upbringing etc etc. The media around the world especially the Indian and British Media have highlighted all these issues which the poor murdered girl faced but isn’t it fair to say that all of us while discussing this ghastly murder have comfortable forgotten one issue – the safety of women in India.
Crime against women in India are increasing at an alarming rate and has always been very high. Delhi has an ugly record in this matter and Bangalore is fast catching up with Delhi. Lets not forget that acts such as acid attacks on women are as violent as a murder, then why does the former have a very mild punishment when compared to the latter! An acid attack victim has permanently disfigured body parts and faces the mental trauma of going through life with it.
All of us have been seeing the media bring up reports on the shabby home in which Scarlett lived, her mother’s past relationships with men and a jail stint etc etc. The Indian media has borrowed the same idea and cluttered its pages with such news reports. Even if the media is not ready to sympathize with the bereaved family , it can atleast avoid spitting venom at the family at such a sorrow time.
Fiona may have had a very turbulent past and may not have raised her children in the best way but is there any doubt that she is going through one of the saddest phases of life. If any one of us have been wronged we certainly believe in getting the man or woman who wronged us to justice. Fiona is trying to get the accused to trial and in the process get some justice for her daughter. Shouldn’t we first help her in getting justice coz its after all one of our Indian brothers who is the accused !
I was listening to Nehru’s Tryst with Destiny Speech yesterday and the words echoed in my head when he said that “at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity”. Every child should have a decent shot a life. Scarlett might not have had one but that does not mean that she does not have a decent shot at death. She lost her life on India’s soil in a gruesome manner and the law of the land should do justice to her and to several other women like her. After all India made a tryst with destiny 60 years ago and it has not redeemed its pledge even substantially if not wholly !
Crime against women in India are increasing at an alarming rate and has always been very high. Delhi has an ugly record in this matter and Bangalore is fast catching up with Delhi. Lets not forget that acts such as acid attacks on women are as violent as a murder, then why does the former have a very mild punishment when compared to the latter! An acid attack victim has permanently disfigured body parts and faces the mental trauma of going through life with it.
All of us have been seeing the media bring up reports on the shabby home in which Scarlett lived, her mother’s past relationships with men and a jail stint etc etc. The Indian media has borrowed the same idea and cluttered its pages with such news reports. Even if the media is not ready to sympathize with the bereaved family , it can atleast avoid spitting venom at the family at such a sorrow time.
Fiona may have had a very turbulent past and may not have raised her children in the best way but is there any doubt that she is going through one of the saddest phases of life. If any one of us have been wronged we certainly believe in getting the man or woman who wronged us to justice. Fiona is trying to get the accused to trial and in the process get some justice for her daughter. Shouldn’t we first help her in getting justice coz its after all one of our Indian brothers who is the accused !
I was listening to Nehru’s Tryst with Destiny Speech yesterday and the words echoed in my head when he said that “at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity”. Every child should have a decent shot a life. Scarlett might not have had one but that does not mean that she does not have a decent shot at death. She lost her life on India’s soil in a gruesome manner and the law of the land should do justice to her and to several other women like her. After all India made a tryst with destiny 60 years ago and it has not redeemed its pledge even substantially if not wholly !
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