Wise Planet

Dalits against Dalits: Is Mayawati Listening?

2011-02-18T11:53:00.013+05:30

By Arindam Roy on February 17, 2011

Allahabad: For most of us, ‘Dalit’ means a nebulous homogenous mass of the downtrodden, disposed people, living in the margins of society. The harsh reality is otherwise. Dalits are a heterogeneous group. The differences between them are sharp and distinct. Dalits are arranged in hierarchy. Inequality, exclusion, contestations and other social tensions are not only present, it’s rampant. Beneath the calm surface of Dalit class consciousness is submerged violence. Deep within it is red hot – bubbling and boiling like the core of the earth.

These tensions burst forth, now and then. Those who enjoy power amongst the Dalits have created a ‘public sphere’ for themselves, while the ones that contest it have given rise to a ‘counter public sphere’. The tensions and frictions between these two might be seen, if you care to peel off the surface paint.

Uttar Pradesh ruled by a Dalit ki beti (daughter of Dalit), Mayawati, has become a laboratory of the tensions amongst Dalits. Two incidents on Sunday, Feb 13, 2011, are worth close examination:

First, when the chief minister, Mayawati, was in Allahabad, a Dalit rape victim, Munni (name changed) fell at her feet seeking justice. Munni had been raped twice. In 2004, Anil Singh with two others allegedly took her against her will. In 2010, she was reportedly raped by Nandlal, husband of a lady village pradhan. In the latter case, the rape victim named two Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leaders, Deep Chand Gautam, district BSP president, and Prem Chandra, stating that they were pressurizing her to withdraw her case against Nandlal. She had to face police apathy too.

Second, at Nawabganj, Bareilly, Munendra Gangwar, 30, the son of BSP MLC Kesar Singh Gangwar, allegedly shot at the Dalit farmer Kalicharan Jatav. The farmer had dared to refuse to sell 15 bighas of agricultural land at a throwaway price to the BSP tough. Jatav was dragged inside a SUV. When he tried to escape, he was shot at. Presuming him dead, the BSP leader’s son and henchmen left, throwing him out of the SUV. The Dalit farmer was gravely injured. “The MLC and his toughs were forcing me to sell the land. I also said my life was in danger. But the police didn’t help,” he said. The police have registered a case against Munendra and his two accomplices, but are allegedly trying to protect the BSP MLC.

Meanwhile, in December last year, a BSP MLA from Banda, Purushottam Naresh Dwivedi, allegedly raped a 17- year Dalit girl.

The latest report of the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) says that UP led the country in the number of crimes against Dalits in 2009. Of a total of 3,35,94 crimes against Dalits in 2009, 7522 took place in UP, followed by Rajasthan ( 4985), Andhra Pradesh ( 4504), Bihar ( 3836), Madhya Pradesh ( 3040) and Maharashtra (1096). UP also has the most reported instances of violation of the Scheduled Castes / Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Out of 11,143 cases in the country, 2554 cases (22.9 per cent) were reported from UP.

The chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes PL Punia, erstwhile principal secretary to Mayawati, described UP as the ‘worst offender’ for crimes against Dalits.

He accused Mayawati of shielding two ministers suspected to be involved in the murder of Rajender Singh, a junior engineer in the state Irrigation department. He was allegedly killed in August 2010, in Aligarh. “…the chief minister appears to have forgotten that she had come to power riding on the back of the Dalit community,” he agonized.

Punia added that on an average the Commission receives about fifty complaints by Dalits in UP in which the police have not even registered preliminary reports. He will soon make public, a list of officials from UP who had neglected, slackened on, or not taken cognizance of crimes committed against Dalits in the state. The Commission’s first step was to write to President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, drawing their attention to the rapidly rising graph of atrocities against Dalits, he said.

Social reality of Dalits

Numbering 160 million, Dalits represent 16 per cent of India’s population of more than one billion. Officially, caste discrimination is banned in India and special quotas exist for Dalits in Parliament, state legislatures, village councils, government jobs and educational institutions.

The word Dalit conjures up the image of a community that is discriminated against. Their only sin being that they are of low birth. The social discrimination against the Dalits is similar to racial and other discriminations practiced in other parts of the world.

There are several communities amongst the Dalits – it’s more like circles within circles. While few Dalit communities are relatively better off, most are not even in the margins of the margin. Those who are better off often practice ‘exclusion’ – the evil that they fought and snatched power from the upper castes. They are not prepared to share their piece of cake with the less fortunate.

Chamars (shoe-making, leather tanning and agricultural labour being their profession) form the major chunk. They are relatively better educated and the Dalit intelligentsia belongs to this community. The Chamars also claim that they have their own Veda, known as Chamrved. Pasi and Dhobi communities are the next two major groups amongst the Dalits in UP. The list of dispossessed Dalits is long, but some like Dusadh, Basor, Dhanuk, Kori, Dhrikar, Kharwar, Kanjar, Nat, Bhuiyar, Chera, Jatsar, Rangrej[1], etc are nowhere near the door of state-led democracy.

The BSP-led state has given a sense of identity and pride that has come about with political empowerment to select Dalit communities, economic empowerment is a far cry. It’s worth mentioning that in this social milieu Mayawati rules.

Ever since she has come to power on her own, from May 2007, she has faced flak, not only from the so-called upper caste parties like Congress and the BJP, but also from the Dalit communities.

Last year, in Allahabad, some Dalit leaders blamed Dalit leaders accused Mayawati of favouring only a particular backward community to which she belongs.

Udit Raj of the Justice Party went on record, stating, “We have gathered Dalits here and are creating awareness among them to fight for their rights. For example the issue of reservation in private sector, or the Dalits who are being exploited in Uttar Pradesh, or about the issue of jobs that are disappearing, or the issue of land acquisition, we are discussing all such issues here.”

Nihare Rakesh, a former state deputy, went on to add, “The benefit of reservation is being availed by Mayawati’s community. Those who do not belong to her community are exploited with cruelty. The crime is on full flow. In every 18th minute a boycotted Dalit woman is raped, they are being killed in the whole state. I demand that the central government should immediately take action against Mayawati’s rule.”

Mayawati, however, brushes these criticisms as ‘politically motivated’. She has time and again said that her political opponents are out to ‘malign and tarnish her image’. But, with a Dalit’s daughter in power comes great expectations. How she fulfills the aspirations of so many people, particularly the marginalized, needs to be seen. Let’s not to forget that UP is hardly a state. Its population is enough to make it the sixth largest country of the world, in its own rights.

A political observer (unwilling to be named), rightly pointed out that hidden behind the dazzle of gold, diamond and wealth, is a crown of thorns that Mayawati should adorn, everyday, with utmost humility and true prayers!

[1] Prasad, M. (2007). Uttaranchal Sahit Uttar Pradesh ki Dalit Jatiyon ka Dastavez, Delhi: Samyak Prakashan, pp 44-45

Link: http://editstreet.com/2011/02/dalits-against-dalits-is-mayawati-listening/

Binayak Sen: Stifling the Voice of Conscience?

2011-02-18T11:33:00.006+05:30

By Arindam Roy on February 14, 2011

New Delhi: What Dr Binayak Sen is going through is shameful and this opinion cuts across both political and the social divide. There have been protests from different sections not only in India but in over a dozen countries. Denial of bail to him has only triggered fresh protests. Questions have been raised as to whether the voice of protest is being stifled.

Over the weekend, there were large scale protests all over India - rallies in major cities and meetings in smaller cities and towns, as the entire intelligentsia were shocked at the treatment meted out to him where he was denied bail.

Editorials and reports were dashed in newspapers; TV channels beamed reports and discussions. Online campaign gathered momentum. Tweet, Facebook and other social sites were abuzz. Most right-minded people, in India and abroad, were dismayed and shocked. A journalist friend from abroad asked this scribe if this was what the largest democracy of the world had to offer!

Other than 40 Nobel Laureates from about a dozen countries, who campaigned in Sen’s favour, civil rights activists raised their decibel.

While Sen’s rights might be denied, those who dare to speak in his favour are allegedly not being spared either.

In Mumbai, Daniel Mazgaonkar, a septuagenarian Gandhian, along with college professors and students, were jostled and dragged away to Azad Maidan police station. Kamayani Bali Mahabal, a lawyer and human rights activist, was brutally assaulted by the police and dragged to Colaba police station, along with student bystanders who protested against such high-handedness. She was merely standing at Kala Ghoda silently with a poster proclaiming peace and justice!

In Kolkata, Magsaysay award winner, Mahasweta Devi, appealed for demonstration in front of Raipur Central jail, where the ‘barefoot doctor’ has been lodged on charges of sedition.

In New Delhi, activists of several civil rights groups and left wing organisations staged a rally to demand the release of human rights activist, Dr. Binayak Sen, on Saturday (Feb 12). Writer and social activist Arundhati Roy said the case should not be viewed in isolation, but with a focus covering thousands of other innocents languishing in prisons.

“The fact is that, it is not about one man. It is about hundreds of nameless people who are also in jail. It is not about misuse of law; it is about the very proper use of a very bad law. So, the problem is that we have to talk about the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), which is actually, barely constitutional,” Roy said.

Sen was convicted of sedition charges under the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act for his alleged links with Maoist ultras on December 24, 2010. He has also been critical of government-backed tribal militia named ‘Salwa Judum’ to battle the Maoists. Maoist ideologue Narayan Sanyal and Kolkata based businessman Piyush Guha were also convicted under the same law.

So is state led-democracy which is messy, be termed as democracy under the garb of authoritarianism?

The core group of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) sent a letter to the NHRC chairperson, Justice K.G. Balakrishnan. It said: “First, we express deep concern at the manner of recent conviction of Dr. Binayak Sen by the Raipur sessions court, and rejection of bail by the Bilaspur High Court. Dr. Sen has been declared guilty of treason and sedition by the Raipur court, apparently accused on the flimsiest of evidence, and is facing the bleak prospect of a life behind bars.

It seems that the trial court has simply relied on the police version for the conviction, since the evidences produced by the prosecution do not appear sufficient for conviction, that too with an award of life sentence. In fact there was no material on record to prove that Dr. Sen had committed any offence that comes under the purview of sedition, and not a single document seized qualifies to be linked with sedition charges.”

Charges against Sen

On May 14, 2007, Dr Sen, was arrested under the provisions of the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act, 2005, (CSPSA) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. The allegations claimed that he had acted as a courier for a Maoist leader Narayan Sanyal lodged in the Raipur Jail and then absconded. The five charges against him were: (a) treason, (b) criminal conspiracy, (c) sedition, anti-national activities and making war against the nation, (d) knowingly using the proceeds of terrorism and (e) links with the
Maoists.

Link:http://editstreet.com/2011/02/binayak-sen-stifling-the-voice-of-conscience/

Under its confluence

2011-01-22T13:25:00.002+05:30

Allahabad: Where The Rivers Meet
Edited by Neelum Saran Gour
Marg Rs 2,500 pp 180

Here’s a city that’s literally marked by its situation. At the confluence not only of the Ganga and Yamuna but also of the past and the present, Allahabad is peeled layer by layer in this elegantly produced book that’s far more than just another coffee table book. The essays divide the book into zones, editor of this volume, author and Allahabad University English professor Neelum Saran Gour providing the perfect introductory chapter, ‘Avatar and Antecedents,’ that deals with Allahabad’s many forms.

The reader gets deep enough into ‘Hindu’ Allahabad (Arindam Roy’s ‘Where Nectar Split’), ‘Mughal’ Allahabad (N.R. Farooqi’s ‘Akbar’s Ilahabas’ and Asok Kumar Das’ ‘Salim’s Taswirkhana’), ‘British Raj’ Allahabad (John Harrison’s ‘For Company and Queen’), and other chapters to seek out more with ready ‘further reading’ lists after each chapter.

But what lifts this from plenty of other volumes on Allahabad is the quality of the photographs in this book. One hardly finds an image that is clichéd, an especially honourable feat especially in the chapter that deals with the Kumbh mela. The photograph by Rajesh Singh of three pilgrims wrapped in blankets and looking like three boulders in the foreground while a procession of women and children can barely be seen walking down the fog-filled air is worth the proverbial thousand words and more.

This is a book that should be with people who associate places with the stories these places have to say. And in Allahabad: Where the Rivers Meet, the stories are laid out to be confirmed once you follow them to the city.

Link: http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/576799.aspx
© Copyright 2010 Hindustan Times

Uttar Pradesh gave early premonition of clear mandate

2009-05-24T00:21:00.003+05:30

UP gave early signals of 'clear mandate'. Political observers had written obituary of the Congress party. But, it rose from the ashes, much like the fabled phoenix. Rahul Gandhi is seen as the architect of its victory in the state and the country.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 7 days ago Views:797 Comments:6

UTTAR PRADESH has often been called the microcosm of India. Its popular mood is often paralleled and mirrored in the rest of the country. In the last Assembly elections, political pundits opined that UP Assembly would have a fractured mandate. They were wrong. People gave a clear mandate to Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and its leader, Mayawati. The crux was ‘clear mandate’.

In fact, UP gave a premonition of a ‘clear mandate’ in the last Assembly elections.

In the 2009 Lok sabha elections, as the trends and later the results started pouring in, the popular mood of the country was like writing on the wall, loud and clear. It gave a ‘clear mandate’ to the Congress party and the alliance it heads, the UPA. At the national level, Congress emerged as the largest single party, while UPA emerged as the major alliance with 256 seats, heads and shoulders above its opponent, the NDA, which managed to garner just 162 seats.

Once again, it proved that the various exit and opinion polls, with the exception of one, were terribly wrong. Psephologists and journalists seem to have lost sync with the people.

In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, no one had predicted the reemergence of the Congress after almost two decades. Political observers had written its obituary. But, it rose from the ashes, much like the fabled phoenix. Congress won 20 odd seats. BSP, which people felt would emerge as the largest party (it was leading at one point, earlier in the day) also got as many seats as the Congress. The Samajwadi Party (SP) emerged as the largest party, just getting three seats more than Congress and BSP, with 23 seats in its kitty.

BJP surprisingly took a terrible beating. It barely managed to win 11 seats and with its pre-poll alliance partner, Ajit Singh’s Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) getting five seats, the NDA (or whatever remained of it in UP) managed to get just 16 seats; with ‘Others’ winning a lone seat, UP gave its verdict for all 80 seats in the 15th Lok Sabha, on Saturday (May 16).

Congress MLA from City North (Allahabad), Anugrah Narain Singh, talking to this scribe, said, “Congress party’s thumping victory in the country and the state, is the victory of its pro-poor, pro-farmers and pro-people policy. Young Rahul Gandhi is the architect of the party’s victory in the state. He represented the humane (meeting poor people, eating with them, etc) and aspirations of the youth. Soniaji’s supreme sacrifice and the PM Manmohan Singhji’s good governance, along with his ability to take a resolute step in favour of the Nuke deal translated into votes.”

He added, “The Left parties were punished for opposing the deal. Land issues and other petty issues, often local or regional added up to its misfortune. The people voted for stability and good governance. Indian democracy has matured. The mood of the smart electorate is illusive for analysts, now.”

Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi won from their respective seats. The other Gandhis, another mother son duo, Maneka Gandhi and Varun Gandhi too won their respective seats on BJP tickets.

Jaya Prada, the damsel in distress from Rampur was all smiles, as she won on SP ticket, humbling Noor Bano (Congress) and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi (BJP). The aura of controversy and infighting in the party, with Azam Khan baring Rampuri knives, figuratively speaking, had to eat a humble pie.

The former cricketer Mohd Azharuddin too emerged victorious on Congress ticket from Moradabad.

Murli Manohar Joshi surprised many with his miraculous win from the temple town of Varanasi. He lost the last general election, in 2004, after being returned to the Parliament for three successive terms from Allahabad, where he taught Physics in Allahabad University. Allahabad does not send the same person twice or thrice easily. Jawaharlal Nehru was one of the few exceptions, other than the think tank of BJP, Joshi, to enjoy this feat. He quit Allahabad to contest from neighbouring Varanasi. The gamble paid off favourably for him.

Another Joshi from Allahabad, Rita Bahuguna Joshi is now the Congress MP from Lucknow. She defeated Nafisa Ali (SP). A former teacher of History in Allahabad University, she is the daughter of Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna. Like MM Joshi she too lost an election here and had left the city to try her luck in the state capital. The similarity is uncanny, observe many.

Reoti Raman Singh (Allahabad) and Shailendra Kumar (Kaushambi), both sitting MPs of the SP won, while the Phulpur seat was retained by the BSP candidate Kapilmuni Karwaria, who defeated Shyama Charan Gupta, a bidi tycoon and an hotelier, of SP.

(http://www.merinews.com/commentAll.jsp?articleID=15769688)

Mayawati punished, national parties favoured in UP

2009-05-24T00:16:00.002+05:30

As the two national parties surge ahead, with the Congress-led alliance with an edge over the BJP-led NDA, it's safe to deduce that Mayawati has been severely punished for entertaining the very gundas, whom she had vowed would be put behind bars.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 7 days ago Views:586 Comments:1

IF EARLY trends are any indication, one thing is loud and clear that the people have rejected the regional satraps in Uttar Pradesh. The UPA is way ahead of the NDA with a lead in 228 seats as compares to 160 for the latter, at the time of filing this report.

In the last Assembly election in the state, the polity had rejected the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Mulayam Singh Yadav, as he was seen to be hobnobbing with goons and mafias. Mayawati, the Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) chief had assured the people that she would end this gunda raj. The popular slogan was, “Char gundo ki chati par, mohar lagega hathi par.”

Strangely, after her taste of power, she was so heady that she forgot her own slogans and promises. She fielded several goons and mafias, in the Lok Sabha election. Political pundits felt that the fight in this General Election would still be between BSP and SP, with Congress and BJP being non-existent in the state. They were completely wrong as were most journalists.

As the two national parties surge ahead, with the Congress-led alliance with an edge over the BJP-led NDA, it’s safe to deduce that Mayawati has been severely punished for entertaining the very gundas, whom she had vowed would be put behind bars and thus give UP a clean, ‘bhai-mukta sarkar’ (fear free government). She has paid for her sins, just as Yadav did in the recent past.

Another thing is clear. As BSP is being humbled in UP, the prime ministerial dreams of Mayawati have been dashed and she would be a very angry person. This would mean some more transfers of the top bureaucrats and police officers.

Meanwhile, Varun Gandhi, the poster boy of BJP is leading from Pilibhit, while the think tank of the saffron party, Murli Manohar Joshi, is reportedly leading from Varanasi.

Joshi’s lead is a surprise and no less than a miracle. It needs to be pointed out that the people of Allahabad had given him the rare honour of representing them, three times in a row, until they decided to trounce him in the last Lok Sabha elections of 2004. Joshi had to concede defeat to Reoti Raman Singh, a state minister, who was a mere pigmy compared to his opponent.

Meanwhile, Jayaprada the celebrity SP candidate from Rampur was also trailing. Azam Khan’s opposing her from within harmed her more than the challenge she had from her other political opponents, from other parties.

(http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=15769634)

Backstabbing and glamour mark final poll phase in UP

2009-05-24T00:04:00.004+05:30

A wronged cine-actress-turned-politician Jaya Prada is defending her honour, while a former cricketer, Azharuddin, is trying his luck in politics. SP's stake is high, while other parties are eying gains in the final phase of polls in UP.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 13 May 2009 Views:393 Comments:1

SLANDER, SLEAZE, knives and backstabbing – these are the five words that capture the ethos of the Rampur Lok Sabha constituency, as polling is on, for 14 constituencies of Uttar Pradesh, in the fifth and final phase, on Wednesday (May 13).

The damsel in distress is the cine-actress-turned-politician Jaya Prada, a high profile Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate. She blamed Azam Khan for circulating her morphed nude pictures. She was in tears, was furious and gentle by turns adding to the melodrama of this constituency. Jaya, the sitting MP’s fight is at several levels, both inter and intra-party clashes, her honour and dignity questioned. It’s sad that the Election Commission took no notice of the terribly disgusting level of politics in this city, well known for its knives.

Noor Bano, of the princely family of Rampur, is the Congress candidate, pitted against Jaya Prada. The infighting in SP may be to her advantage, as Congress openly wooed Azam Khan, while the SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav had to handle him with a velvet glove, despite his open spat with Amar Singh. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi is contesting on BJP ticket. He may be a surprise winner in this fight between these two ladies, Jaya Prada and Noor Bano, feel political observers.

Mohd. Azharauddin has one thing common with Jaya Prada; they both belong to Andhra Pradesh but have made UP their political battleground. Azharuddin is another celebrity, a former cricket captain of India, who is contesting polls from Moradabad, on Congress ticket. Though a large crowd had been following the cricketer, all during his campaign, it needs to be seen if he can convert his popularity into victory. During an interview to a prominent TV channel, Azhar said that he has asked his voters to think the polling to be a Ten10 cricket match (not even Twenty20), go out early and vote in his favour. He also added that in cricket, selection depends on five persons but in a poll it's lakhs that decide the fate of the candidate. It needs to be seen if Azhar is accepted by the city well known globally for its brassware.

The poster boy of BJP, Varun Gandhi, the new angry young man, is contesting from Pilibhit. His candidature was mired in controversy. Giving him a tough fight is his estranged kin VM Singh, one of the richest candidates, fielded by the Congress. Sources in BJP say that Varun is being seen as a future chief ministerial candidate of UP.

Maneka Gandhi, Varun’s mother, is contesting from Aonla on BJP ticket. She seemingly has no contest and it may be a cakewalk for her.

Saleem Shervani is the Congress candidate from Badaun. A former Allahabad-based industrialist, he quit the SP to contest on Congress ticket. His father MR Shervani was close to former PM Jawaharlal Nehru and the family has had a long history of Congress association. How the prodigal son of Congress fares, needs to be seen.

A new seat, Nagina, has been added after delimitation. In 2004, the tally of 13 seats, going to polls today, show that SP had the lion’s share, with six seats in its kitty. In fact, all others, BJP, Congress, BSP, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), JD (U) and independent had one seat each.

While SP’s stake is highest, BSP is eying a few more seats from this part of UP. This part of UP has large percentage of Muslim voters. Yadav’s hold would be put to test, as it is to be seen if Muslims still support him after his friendly embrace with the Babri Masjid demolition convict Kalyan Singh. If Congress does better, it would prove beyond doubt that Yadav’s gamble did not pay off.

BJP hopes to win the two seats of mother and sin duo from Aonla and Pilibhit. It is also hopeful that Naqvi may spring a surprise in Rampur.

The 14 constituencies going to polls in the last phase are: Amroha, Aonla, Bijnor, Bareilly, Badaun, Dhaurhara, Kheri, Moradabad, Nagina, Pilibhit, Rampur, Saharanpur, Samhal and Sahahjahanpur.

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(http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=15769185)

Who'll gain from political gambles & games in UP?

2009-05-23T23:58:00.003+05:30

Phase IV has laid bare the various gambles and games of political parties in UP. Underlying the claims, counter claims and various caste combinations of the political parties, one this is clear, voters are a dejected lot. Who wins need to be seen?

CJ: Arindam Roy, 7 May 2009 Views:516 Comments:0

IN THE fourth phase of polling, 18 constituencies in western and central Uttar Pradesh will decide the fate of many stalwarts in state and national politics. Several heads might roll. This phase needs to be watched closely.

Political pundits feel that Maulana Mulayam Singh’s gamble is calculated. He is not robbing Peter to pay Paul. He has embraced Kalyan Singh (a convict in Babri Masjid demolition) to add the Lodh votes to his Muslim-Yadav vote bank. And even if a section of the Muslims were to desert him, he would be more than compensated by the Lodh votes.

Political observers argue that the Samajwadi Party (SP) think tank, Janeshwar Mishra, adoring called Chhote Lohia, in all probability might have reasoned that just as Mayawati’s Dalit voters did not let her down, despite her shift from ‘Bahujan’ to ‘Sarvajan’, the Muslims too would not desert SP.

On Thursday (May 7), Yadav raised the decibel that whichever combine (read party / alliance) sacks the Mayawati government in UP, would get his support (he spoke a la Jayalalitha, who raised a similar demand about removing the DMK government in Tamil Nadu). The reason is simple. He wants to fish in troubled waters. Strangely, the SP is already laying down the pre-condition for support.

This follows Rahul Gandhi’s appreciating Nitish Kumar, Chandrababu Naidu and the Left. Both these leaders kept their options open it seemed. Poll arithmetic has become more important than electoral chemistry. This is perhaps what the 15th Lok Sabha elections would be remembered for.

Meanwhile, Congress sources claim that the voters are tired of the petty politics of Yadav and Mayawati. They now want stability. The Muslims and the backwards were promised the moon by the SP. If anyone gained it was Yadav and some select leaders of his party. They also add that the people had rejected the SP because it had become synonymous with gundaraj because of its alleged closeness to goons and mafias. BSP is not much different. This time the so-called Dalit party has fielded several criminals. That is the reason why the people want to reject BSP too. The gainer would naturally be the Congress party, as BJP is a spent force in the state.

BJP, on its part, is also stating similar arguments in its favour and is blaming the Congress for the various ills in the Centre and Mayawati for her ‘bad company’ in the state.

A lesser player, Ajit Singh, with his Jat vote bank too needs to be watched carefully. It’s to be seen if the BJP would gain from the Jats, who have quite a percentage in these 18 constituencies.

It may be added that in the last Lok Sabha elections (2004), SP gained the maximum of nine seats, while both Congress and BJP won three seats each. Ajit Singh’s Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) won two seats, while BSP barely managed one seat.

The game plan of Yadav is to increase his seat tally in this belt, which is his home turf. Congress too is eyeing this part of UP, hoping that the tipple effect of Delhi would pay off favourably. BSP has to increase its seat tally, if it has to score over Yadav.

Phase IV has laid bare the various gambles and games of political parties in UP. Underlying the claims, counter claims and various caste combinations of the political parties, one this is clear, the voters are a dejected lot in UP. They want a change but are not sure which way the wind will blow, going by the buzz in the state.

In Mainpuri, Yadav is at an advantage. Ajit’s fate hangs in Bhagpat, while Ghaziabad is a prestige issue for the BJP president Rajnath Singh.

The 18 constituencies where polling is on are: Mainpuri, Bhagpat, Ghaziabad, Kairana, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Gautam Budddha Nagar, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Hathras, Mathura, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Firozabad, Etah, Farukkhabad, Etawah and Kannauj.

(http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=15768626)

UP: Petty issues, voters' restlessness palpable

2009-05-03T01:10:00.002+05:30

In the absence of national issues, it's petty issues that have surfaced in the third phase. This is a gross failure of two national parties, BJP and Congress. The ground reality is that there is terrible restlessness amongst the voters in UP.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 2 days ago Views:478 Comments:0

AS MAYAWATI is addressing an election rally in Mathura, polling is in progress in15 parliamentary constituencies of Uttar Pradesh, in the third phase, on Thursday (April 30), at the time of filing this report. The UP chief minister is busy campaigning for the fourth phase.

At the time of filing this report, the poll percentage in these constituencies was 15 per cent, till 11am. In these constituencies, 256 candidates are in fray. The total number of voters are 2.25 crore in these 15 seats. In 15,000 polling stations, over 28,000 EVMs will try the fate of the candidates.

The 15 constituencies are: Rae Bareli, Lucknow, Mohanlalganj, Unnao, Kanpur, Fatehpur, Mishrikh, Hardoi, Sitapur, Akbarpur, Jalaun, Jhansi, Hamirpur, Barabanki and Bhairaich.

In the absence of national issues, it’s petty issues that have surfaced in the third phase. This is being seen as a gross failure of the two national parties, BJP and Congress, in UP. The ground reality is that there is terrible restlessness amongst the voters. But, politicians failed to capitalise it. The low turnout of voters is, in fact, a rejection by the body polity in this state, political observers opined.

Taposhi Sen, a school teacher from Lucknow is a little sad. With Atal Bihari Vajpayee not contesting from the state capital, having chosen to retire from active poll politics, it is no longer the star constituency that it used to be. Anukriti Joshi and Sanjay Verma, two first time voters of Lucknow felt that though the Samajwadi Party (SP) tried to bring colour by fielding cine actor Sanjay Dutt initially and later replacing him with Nafisa Ali, Vajpayee’s charisma is being missed by most.

The absence of national issues has exposed the bankruptcy of the political parties. They are more concerned with poll arithmetic and caste composition of these constituencies. The voters, on their part, are focusing developmental issues at local levels. This too has contributed in a low voter turnout.

Three villages of Mishrikh have decided to boycott the polling, as there has been no development in their villages. Roads, power, water have emerged as the central issue for them.

In a telephonic talk, Gaurav Singh, a businessman, from Kanpur, stated, “You can replace one political party with the other. The Congress and the BJP are busy accusing each other. The SP and BSP are no better. SP was rejected by people as it had fielded many criminals and now BSP too has repeated the same. For all political parties, its booth management that is more important than political ideology. In fact, there is acute lack of ideology.”

The saddest thing is that political think tanks of all parties have been pushed into oblivion, stated a senior BJP leader, off the record. He added that is the reason why goons and mafias are more important. They can perhaps manage booths better.

Few constituencies to watch would be Rae Bareli. Sonia Gandhi is sure to win from here. Former PM VP Singh’s son, Ajeya Singh, is contesting from Fatehpur on Jan Morcha ticket. Rita Bhauguna Joshi is no trying her luck from Lucknow, after an unsuccessful attempt on Congress ticket, from Allahabad, in 1999.

The contest in Lucknow is interesting as Nafisa Ali (SP) and Lalji Tandon (BJP) are challenging Akhilesh Das Gupta, the sitting MP of Congress, who switched over to BSP. A four-cornered tussle is on in the state capital.

In all other constituencies, it will be anything from three-cornered to five-cornered contests. Any prediction is therefore difficult. However, the restlessness of UP voters may be reflected in the final results, political pundits feel.

Constituencies and candidates:

Rae Bareli: Sonia Gandhi (Congress), RS Kushwaha (BSP) and RB Singh (BJP)

Lucknow: Nafisa Ali (SP), Rita Bahuguna Joshi (Congress), Lalji Tandon (BJP) and Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta (BSP)

Mohanlalganj: Sushila Saroj (SP), RK Chaudhury (RSP), Rajnan Kumar Choudhary (BJP) and Jai Prakash (BSP)

Unnao: Deepak Kumar (SP), Annu Tandon (Congress), Ramesh Kumar Singh (BJP), Arun Shankar Shukla (BSP) and Umesh Chandra (Apna Dal)

Kanpur: Surendra Mohan Agarwal (SP), Sriprakash Jaiswal (Congress), Satish Mahana (BJP) and Sukhda Mishra (BSP)

Fatehpur: Rakesh Sachan (SP), Vibhakar Shastri (Congress), Shyam Gupta (BJP), Mahendra Pratap Nishad (BSP) and Ajeya Singh (Jan Morcha)

Mishrikh: Shyam Prakash (SP), Om Prakash (Congress), Anil Kumar (BJP) and Ashok Kumar Rawat (BSP)

Hardoi: Usha Verma (SP), Purnima Verma (BJP) and Ram Kumar Kuril (BSP)

Sitapur: Mahendra Singh Verma (SP), Ram Lal Rahi (Congress), Gyan Tiwari (BJP) and Qaisar Jehan (BSP)

Akbarpur: Kamlesh Pathak (SP), Rajaram Pal (Congress), Arun Kumar (BJP) and Anil Shukla Varsi (BSP)

Jalaun: Ghanshyam Anuragi (SP), Dr Baburamdhin Ahirwar (Congress), Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma (BJP) and Tilak Chandra Ahirwar (BSP)

Jhansi: Chandrapal Singh Yadav (SP), Pradeep Kumar Jain (Congress), Ravindra Shukla (BJP) and Ramesh Kumar Sharma (BSP)

Hamirpur: Ashok Kumar Singh Chandel (SP), Siddha Gopal Sahu (Congress), Pritam Singh Lodhi (BJP) and Vijay Bahadur Singh (BSP)

Barabanki: Ram Sagar (SP), PL Punia (Congress) Ram Naresh Rawat (BJP) and Kamla Prasad Rawat (BSP)

Bhairaich: Shabeer Ahmad (SP), Kamal Kishore (Congress), Akshaybar Lal (BJP) and Lalmani Prasad (BSP)

(http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=15767893)

Allahabad: One injured in firing by BSP goons

2009-05-03T01:07:00.002+05:30

It is learnt that a Samajwadi Party supporter was hit by bullets in a scuffle, when goons of Collector Pandey, who is reportedly close to the Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Ashok Bajpai, opened fire today (April 23) afternoon.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 23 Apr 2009 Views:264 Comments:0

LAL BAHADUR Pal, a Samajwadi Party (SP) supporter, was brought to the Swarup Rani Nehru (SRN) Hospital this afternoon (April 23), with about 36 bullet pellets in his stomach. It is learnt that Pal was hit by bullets in a scuffle, when goons of Collector Pandey, who is reportedly close to the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Ashok Bajpai, opened fire on Thursday afternoon.

The clash took place in the trans-Yamuna Karchana assembly segment, which is part of the Allahabad parliamentary constituency. Pal is a supporter of the sitting SP MP, Reoti Raman Singh.

Sources informed that BSP goons, who have the support of the local police administration created disturbances at quite a few places.

Karchana, Meja and Bara, three out of the five assembly segments of the Allahabad parliamentary constituency, have been the traditional stronghold of Singh and his family. Bajpai’s muscle men opened fire to disturb polling and create fear psychosis in the minds of the SP supporters.

Other than this firing incident in Karchana, polling was by and large peaceful in Allahabad. A case has been reportedly registered against Collector Pandey’s men. Top police officials were not available for comments.

(http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=15767052)

Number game for kingmaker UP in second phase

2009-05-03T01:03:00.003+05:30

Once the citadel of the Congress, UP became the focal point of the BJP. But both the national parties lost ground to SP and BSP. Other than Amethi, everywhere else, there is anything between three-cornered and five-cornered contests.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 23 Apr 2009 Views:1965 Comments:0

POLLING IS on in 17 parliamentary constituencies of Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday (April 23). The state is often referred to as the kingmaker of Indian politics.

UP has given the nation six prime ministers. They are Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Chandrasekhar and VP Singh. Once the citadel of the Congress, it became the focal point of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with the “Jai Sri Ram” slogan and temple issue catching up. After the 'Kamandal' was the 'Mandal'. Both the national parties lost ground to Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), in post-Mandal India.

Other than Amethi, everywhere else, there is anything between three-cornered and five-cornered contests. In most of these cases, the candidates winning would be more by default. The game spoilers (vote katwa or those who eat into the opponents votes) would play a major role. It’s like a huge game of snakes and ladders, a big gamble for any candidate / party.

Whichever party wins about nine to 10 seats in this phase would be in a comfortable position. Congress is eyeing nine seats, but it is riddled with factionalism. BJP has failed to focus on any major poll issue. The SP and BSP’s social engineering (read caste factors) are likely to play a major role, in the absence of any central election issue in this otherwise insipid election. May 16 is much awaited by one and all.

The seven key seats are:

Amethi: The crown prince of the Congress party, Rahul Gandhi has virtually no challenge here. He will surely win for the second time. His sister Priyanka was campaigning for him, while he was away for most of the time, canvassing for the party elsewhere. He is the sitting MP. Amethi has been traditionally with the Congress. The two other candidates in the fray are Ashish Shukla (BSP) and Pradip Singh (BJP). The SP has not fielded any candidate.

Sultanpur: Sanjay Singh(Congress) is hopeful of winning this seat, expecting a ripple effect of Amethi here. He is trying to capitalise on the Nehru-Gandhi family association and legacy. He has a four-cornered contest with the sitting MP Mohammad Tahir (BSP), Ashok Pandey (SP) and Surya Bhan Singh (BJP). Congress is trying to wrest this seat from BSP.

Pratapgarh: This constituency is witnessing the clash of two mafia chieftains. Atiq Ahmad, who had won the Phulpur seat for SP in the last election, was left out in the cold. He was reportedly trying to woo the BSP, according to unconfirmed reports. Lodged in jail, he has locked horns with the sitting MP Akshay Pratap Singh (SP), who has the blessings of Raghvendra Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhiaya. But with Kunda carved away from Pratapgarh due to delimitation, Ratna Singh (Congress) of Kalakankar is hopeful that in this clash of the two mafias, she may get a clear upper hand. Shiv Kant Ojha (BSP) and Laxmi Narain Pandey (BJP) have made it a five-cornered contest, making any speculation difficult.

Ambedkar Nagar: Vinay Katiyar ‘Bajrangi’ of BJP is the star attraction here. He has made the contest keen. The sitting MP Shankhlal Manjhi (SP) has been challenged by Katiyar and Rakesh Pandey (BSP) in a three-cornered fight. After delimitation, BSP has an advantage. Mayawati’s influence too is very strong here.

Jaunpur: Mafia-turned-politician Dhananjay Singh (BJP) is in a tight spot, following the mysterious death of the Indian Justice Party (IJP) candidate Bahadur Sonkar. Other than this, a tough, three-way contest is on, with the sitting MP Parasnath Yadav (SP) and Seema (BJP)

Allahabad: Ashok Bajpai (BSP), formerly Congress is giving a tough fight to the sitting MP Reoti Raman Singh (SP). His estranged wife, Ranjana Bajpai, who was with the SP is now in-charge of Allahabad BSP. Yogesh Shukla (BJP) and Shyam Krishna Pandey (Congress) are the other contenders. A three-cornered tussle is on.

Gonda: Beni Prasad Verma (Congress) has locked horns with the sitting MP Karti Vardhan Singh (BSP), Ram Pratap Singh (BJP) and Vinod Kumar Singh (SP). It’s a four-cornered contest. But the delimitation has added a sizeable number of Muslim voters.

Lesser constituencies: Ten other lesser constituencies are:

Banda: Amita Bajpai (BJP), BD Garg (Congress), BP Mishra (BSP) and RK Singh Patel (SP).

Basti: YD Singh (BJP), Basant Choudhury (Congress), Arvind Kumar Chudhury (BSP) and Raj Kishore Singh (SP).

Bhadohi: The carpet belt has Mahedra Nath Pandey (BJP), Suryamani Tripathi (Congress), Mahedra Nath Pandey (BJP) Gorakhnath (BSP) and Choteylal Bind (SP).

Domariyaganj: JP Singh (BJP), Jagdambika Pal (Congress), Mohd. Muqeem (BSP) and Mata Prasad Pandey (SP)

Faizabad: Lallu Singh (BJP), Nirmal Khatri (Congress), Raja Ayohdya (BSP) and Mitrasen Yadav (SP).

Kaushambi: Gautam Chaudhury (BJP), Ram Nihore Rakesh (Congress), Girish Chandra Pasi (BSP) and Shailendra Kumar (SP).

Phulpur: Karan Singh Patel (BJP), Dharamraj Patel (Congress), Kapil Muni Karwariya (BSP) and Shyama Charan Gupta (SP).

Qaisarganj: LP Mishra (BJP), Mohd Aleem (Congress),Surendranath Awasthi (BSP) and Brij Bhusan Saran Singh (SP).

Sant Kabir Nagar: Sharad Tripathi (BJP), Kushal Tiwari (BSP) and Bhal Chandra Yadav (SP).

Shrawasti: Satya Deo Singh (BJP), Vinay Kumar (Congress), Rizwan Zahir (BSP) and Rubab Sayeeda (SP).

(http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=15767006)

What may cause MM Joshi's defeat in Varanasi?

2009-05-03T00:57:00.002+05:30

Polling was peaceful in Varanasi. But low turnout of Hindu voters, in contrast to Muslim voters, split of Hindu votes, consolidation of BSP's votes and alleged police help to Mukhtar Ansari, may see him win: An analysis.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 16 Apr 2009 Views:3401 Comments:6

IN VARANASI, BJP’s senior leader Murli Manohar Joshi seems to be at a disadvantage. Low voter turnout, especially in the Hindu dominated areas, opposed to heavy turnout of Muslim and Dalit voters could help the mafia don-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari win, rather comfortably, feel political observers.

Though unhappy about the possible defeat of Joshi, they reasoned that on the one hand, the Muslim and Dalit votes have consolidated, while on the other hand, the Hindu votes are split between Joshi, the sitting MP of Congress Rajesh Mishra and BJP’s rebel MLA Ajay Rai, contesting on Samajwadi Party ticket.

To make matters worse, the state police is allegedly supporting BSP’s muscleman Ansari. The central forces are conspicuously absent, other than in polling booths.

Meanwhile, Mishra is fighting tooth and nail to retain his seat, though he has been pushed into a relative oblivion in the limelight of the Physics professor from Allahabad University, Joshi of BJP, taking on the Ansari of BSP.

Ajai Rai, the BJP rebel who has joined the Samajwadi Party (SP), is a muscleman of sorts. He is seen more as the spoilsport in the Varanasi poll. It’s worth noting that Rai is still a BJP MLA from the Kolasala assembly segment, though he is contesting as SP’s candidate for the Lok Sabha. A section of the BJP rank and file is with him, though silently.

The final tally of the poll percentage was 44 per cent at the close of the polling, at Varanasi, at 5pm. It was 36.5 per cent, at 4pm. Polling was brisk in the last hour. It was largely peaceful.

However, the poll percentage was hovering near the 50 per cent mark, in Muslim dominated areas of Varanasi, like Bajardiha, Pili Kothi, Madanpura, Lallapura, Nai Sadak, Dal Mandi, etc.

It’s worth pointing out that there was a clash in Bajardiha locality, in which two persons of the minority community had died in police firing, while eight others were injured. The anger amongst the people was expressed through huge voter turnout, which of course is a good sign in a democracy.

At about 4.45pm, additional force was requested and rushed to two Muslim dominated areas, Khwajapura and Kaji Sadullapura. The rush of voters was so large that the polling parties were finding it difficult to manage them.

Some people feel that SP played a smart card by fielding Rai. They knew that he would damage Joshi and his BJP camp more than help SP. Also, for Rai, it did not matter if he lost, as it is his first attempt in parliamentary election. His ability to damage BJP suited both the SP and Rai.

Ansari was close to SP, before he became Mayawati’s blue-eyed boy. The locals still remember that Ansari had accompanied Behenji (Mayawati) in her open vehicle, when she was the CM, in her earlier tenure, at a function of the Sampurnanand University, Jagatganj.

Also, Ansari has been accused, though not convicted, in the Krishnanand Rai (BJP’s MLA from Gazipur) murder case. That’s the reason why he is lodged in Kanpur jail presently. SP had aided him in the case initially. He is still close to the SP, in all probability, though he is close to Mayawati. Mafia dons of UP often keep good relations with more than one party, even if they are political foes.

So, if Ansari wins, SP would be happy that they managed to keep BJP’s Joshi at bay. For the SP, Ansari is more of an enemy of the enemy like situation. It looks probable, if not possible. “Anything can happen in UP politics,” stated Bageesh Singh.

Meanwhile, it’s worth mentioning that for the Congress it took 15 long years to get back into power in the ancient temple town. It was an oasis in the desert of Congress fortunes, as it had been pushed to fourth place or below, in the rest of Uttar Pradesh.

Earlier, the BJP had retained the Varanasi seat between 1991 and 1999, successively. In the last election (2004), BSP was in the fourth spot, while SP had to be satisfied with the fifth place.

In 1999, Congress was close second, as its vote share was 25.48 per cent, compared to BJP’s vote share of almost 34 per cent. In 2004, Mishra polled 57,000 votes more than the BJP candidate.

The saffron party, BJP’s record of vote share in this Hindu town reveals that it managed to get 41.09 per cent votes in 1991, reaching an all time high of 44.61 per cent in 1996 Lok Sabha election. Though there was a decline in the percentage of votes in the next two elections, BJP managed to retain Varanasi with itself. Its vote share was 42.97 per cent in 1998 and 33.95 per cent in 1999. It eventually lost the seat, in 2004, to Congress.

The intelligentsia of Varanasi is asking, rather sadly, if the Physics professor Joshi can take on the mafia don-turned-politician Ansari, who had been likened to Robinhood by BSP chief Mayawati, in a recent public meeting in his support.

Though most would like to see Joshi emerge victorious, they are not confident of his winning, as the murky ground realities put him at a disadvantage. Even after all this so-called political ‘magaj-mari’ (brainstorming) if the BJP wins, it would be nothing less than a miracle, feel political observers.

(http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=15766188)

Varanasi: Tough fight for MM Joshi; voters gratified

2009-05-03T00:53:00.002+05:30

Other than the BJP, all three candidates chose the 'pleasure-gratification-route' to influence voters, last night. With upper caste vote split and administration allegedly helping Mukhtar Ansari, it is tough call for MM Joshi in Varanasi.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 16 Apr 2009 Views:485 Comments:0

SENIOR BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi, who quit the Allahabad constituency in favour of Varanasi may find the contest tough. He is pitted against Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) mafia don Mukhtar Ansari, who is lodged in Kanpur jail. Varanasi goes to poll on the first of the five phases, on Thursday (April 16)

Political observers at Varanasi pointed out that on Wednesday night the BSP muscleman’s people were active all through the night. Flouting all electoral norms, wine and money flowed. The state government allegedly misused the administrative machinery. Police jeeps were reportedly pressed into service for distributing money to buy votes, in favour of the BSP’s backstreet tough.

Another source, on conditions of anonymity said that other than the BJP, all three candidates chose the ‘pleasure-gratification-route’ to influence voters. In select hotels, in the narrow alleys of the pilgrim city, ‘special arrangements’ were made. On being asked if women too were pressed into service, he smiled and added, “…anything that one could imagine was available,” without mentioning women directly.

Ajay Rai, the rebel Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA is contesting on Samajwadi Party (SP) ticket, while Rajesh Mishra of Congress is the sitting MP of Varanasi.

Politically, for Joshi, Mishra will eat into the Brahmin votes, while Rai too would erode some of his BJP votes, as he was from the saffron party before joining the SP. Rai will not get the Muslim votes, as they would vote tactically for the BSP candidate Ansari. Further, the district administration has allegedly thrown its weight behind the mafia don, as they dare not irk Mayawati.

Meanwhile, till 11.30am, voting was largely peaceful, barring stray incidents. At Sewa Puri, polling booth No 115, police force was called. At Pindara Block’s Khatura Primary Patshala only one vote was cast till 12 noon. According to available reports, voters on protest of no development had abstained from casting their votes. At Jagdalpur’s polling booth No 3, voting was disturbed by some elements, though it was not clear which political party’s supporters had caused disturbance. Force was sent at these two places as well.

Out of over 24 lakh voters in Varanasi, till 12 noon, about 13 per cent votes were cast, according to available information.

(http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=15766107)

MNNIT Allahabad gets NBA endorsement

2009-05-03T00:45:00.002+05:30

Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology(MNNIT) received a five-year endorsement by the National Board of Accreditation. Its four undergraduate engineering courses have received a full five-year endorsement and two for the next three-years.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 4 Apr 2009 Views:868 Comments:1

THE PRESTIGIOUS Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT) has received a five-year endorsement by the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) of All Indian Council for Technical Education (AICTE). Its four undergraduate engineering courses have received a full five-year endorsement and two for the next three-years by NBA.

The B Tech courses that have received NBA stamp for the next five years include the braches of civil engineering (CE), mechanical engineering (ME), electronics and communication engineering (ECE), production and industrial engineering (PIE) and electrical engineering (EE).

The two UG courses that got the accreditation for the next three years include information technology (IT) as well as computer science and engineering (CSE).

It is worth mentioning that a high-level NBA team, led by its chairman and the vice-chancellor (VC) of Bengal Engineering and Science University-Shibpur, Prof NR Bannerjee, had visited the institute on a three-day inspection on January 9, 2009.

During the inspection, the team members had held a series of meetings with top administrative officials, teachers, students and the researchers and had also visited various departments and labs. The visiting panel had also gone through presentations of each department during the visit before finally submitting its report to the government.

The achievement is being seen as a big stride towards academic excellence by MNNIT as the previous accreditation bids had a mixed bag with acceptances and rejections both.

"However, this time around we were determined to highlight our improvements and efforts made towards improving the courses as well as infrastructure that have brought our courses to be at par with the best in the country. Our joints efforts have now brought us this pleasant news," informed MNNIT director Prof Arun Baran Samaddar.

Attributing the success to the recent evolution of a transparent functioning, joint efforts by team of motivated faculty members and the major thrust to research endeavors, Prof Samaddar said that the observations made by the members of the NBA team regarding the transparent selection of faculty members and the mechanism adopted in the entire
process as well as the recent steps towards promoting research among the faculty members that greatly contributed in raising the standards of academic and research on the campus helped attain the success.

MNNIT's dean (planning and development) Prof AK Mishra said that the accreditations of the UG courses would act as a morale booster for both the students and the faculty members. "As an institution on a whole, the development carries a mark of excellence and achievement generally required in the allocation of funds and grants by various funding agencies," he added.

(http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=15764585)

Varun may be arrested following dismissal of petition

2009-05-03T00:41:00.003+05:30

A division bench of the Allahabad High Court dismissed the writ petition of Varun Gandhi on Wednesday morning. The petition prayed for quashing the FIR and staying his arrest. With its dismissal, Varun Gandhi may be arrested.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 25 Mar 2009 Views:907 Comments:2

TROUBLE CONTINUES to plague the young MP-aspirant of Pilibhit, Varun Gandhi.

The writ petition of Varun Gandhi under Article 226 of the Constitution of India was for quashing the FIR and for staying his arrest. It was dismissed by the division bench of Justice Imtiaz Murtaza and Justice SP Nigam, of Allahabad High Court, on Wednesday (March 25) morning.

Earlier, the Varun Gandhi case was referred to the Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court, on Tuesday, by the bench of Justice Amar Saran. The High Court administration referred it to the division bench of Justice Murtaza, on Wednesday morning.

Sources close to Varun Gandhi are disheartened with this move of the Allahabad High Court. They were tight-lipped about their next legal move.

Meanwhile, legal eagles feel that after the dismissal of the writ petition by the Allahabad High Court, Varun Gandhi may be arrested. They suggested that the option left before him is to appeal to the Supreme Court. In case he does not get any relief from there, he may have to surrender before a magistrate in the Pilibhit district court. Thereafter, Varun Gandhi would get an immediate bail, they suggested.

As the BJP bosses and Varun Gandhi’s close aides were reportedly in a close huddle, at the time of filing this report, the political repercussions of his possible arrest would certainly be far reaching, feel political observers in Allahabad.

(http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=15759835)

Varun Gandhi’s case referred to CJ Allahabad High Court

2009-05-03T00:32:00.005+05:30

Varun Gandhi’s case has been referred to the Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court, Justice Chandramauli Prasad, for nominating it to a fresh bench, on Tuesday. Earlier, it was transferred by Justice Sushil Harkauli to Justice Amar Saran’s bench.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 24 Mar 2009 Views:902 Comments:0

IT SEEMS that there is little respite for Varun Gandhi, BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate from Pilibhit, in Uttar Pradesh. The controversial case of Varun Gandhi came up for hearing before the division bench of Justice Sushil Harkauli and Justice Poonam Srivastava, on Tuesday (March 24) morning. The case was earlier slated to be taken up on Monday (March 23).

However, Justice Harkauli and Justice Srivastava’s bench transferred the entire bunch of the Varun Gandhi case to the division bench of Justice Amar Saran and Justice RN Mishra.

Justice Saran declined to take up the case as one of the counsels of Varun Gandhi, Sikandar Bharat Kochar, is his kin. The case has now been referred to the Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court, Justice Chandramauli Prasad, for nominating it to a fresh bench.

Meanwhile, due to advocates strike on Tuesday, there was no further progress in the Varun Gandhi case. The lawyers of Allahabad are agitated following a firing incident on Monday evening, when miscreants, on a bike, opened fire from close range on two advocates Jagdish Singh Patel and his junior advocate Ram Abhilash, near St Anthony’s Convent. Both the lawyers were seriously injured, according to police sources.

(http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=15758217)

Is media punishing Varun Gandhi for imaginary crime?

2009-03-23T16:46:00.005+05:30

Much before legal eagles argue a case in a courtroom, media tries and condemns people. Is Varun Gandhi its latest victim? Is he being punished for imaginary crime? We study three FIRs in one police station in Pilibhit against him and investigate.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 5 hours ago Views:358 Comments:4

VARUN GANDHI, the BJP’s candidate from Pilibhit Lok Sabha constituency has been in the eye of storm for quite sometime. If sources close to the young MP-aspirant are to be believed, he is more sinned against than sinning.

In an exclusive talk with Merinews, a highly placed source, on conditions of anonymity, informed that the disputed CD, which shows Varun allegedly mouthing venom against the minority community, has 18 patches, which is clearly indicative of someone tampering and ‘doctoring’ the CD.

This scribe was also provided with copies of three FIRs against Varun. Strangely, all three FIRs were registered in police station Bar Khera, district Pilibhit, between August 1, 2008 and March 17, 2009. A deeper study and perusal of these three FIRs reveal mysterious similarities. But, we will get to these later.

Let’s sample these FIRs, beginning with the most recent one, on March 17, 2009. The case crime No is 255 of 2009. The FIR was lodged for an incident on March 8, 2009, nine days later.

Strangely, this FIR was not lodged by any media person, member of any political party or any individual of the minority community. Instead, the said FIR was lodged on the basis of a verbal complaint of the sub inspector (SI) of the same police station to his senior, the station house officer (SHO). This FIR also does not name the source that shot and recorded the disputed CD. No media channel or individual was named in the FIR.

A sentence on the third page of the March 17 FIR is important, as the crux of the entire FIR hinges on the sentence, “En tathyo ki pushti janch ke madhya LIU dwara prashit report tatha sambandhit CD dekhne se aaj huyi hai” (These charges were established during the investigation on the basis of LIU report and the concerned CD, today). The million dollar question is how did the ‘janch’ (investigation) begin before March 17 FIR was lodged? Also, can any FIR be lodged as an afterthought, after viewing the evidence (CD) nine days later? Can such a serious charge, which raised so much storm, be lodged merely on the basis of a junior official’s (SI) verbal complaint to his senior (SHO)?

The sections mentioned in this FIR are 155-A, 188 IPC and Section 125 of the Representation of People’s Act 1952 (it should be 1951, not 1952, as mentioned in the FIR).

“Prima facie, the said FIR is flawed. Further, according to the FIR, Varun addressed a meeting at about 2pm, on March 8, while the FIR was lodged at 12.05pm, on March 17, 2009,” confirmed Sikandar Bharat Kochar, counsel of Varun, in Allahabad High Court, in reply to a question.

It’s strange that no one, who attended the March 8 meeting complained. Was there not even a single member of the minority community in the market, where he addressed the public meeting, Kochar asked.

He added that Varun is an educated young man. He did his B Sc Economics from the London School of Economics and his M Sc Sociology, from the School of Oriental and African Studies, Harvard University. It seems to be a case, where he is being set-up and framed, possibly due to political motivation.

Interestingly, two earlier FIRs, dated August 1, 2008 (crime case No 712 of 2008) and December 16, 2008 (crime case No 1222 of 2008), were also lodged in police station Bar Khera district Pilibhit.

The August 1 FIR was lodged by Bharatveer Gangwar, who alleged that Varun Gandhi and others had beaten him up. He had stated, “Mujhe kafi chot ayi hai” (I suffered lots of injuries). But a medical doctor, on examining him, mentioned that there were no external injuries. An X-ray was also taken, which too did not show any evidence of internal injuries, informed sources close to Varun. The sections mentioned in the FIR are Sections 452, 323, 504, 506 and 352 IPC.

In the December 16, 2008, FIR, the complainant was Bechey Lal Maurya. It mentions that Varun Gandhi and 20 others tore off flags of one BM Singh (a distant kin on Maneka Gandhi and a small time leader of the farmers, from the Congress party) and threatened him. The sections mentioned in the December 16 FIR are 147, 148, 323, 504, 506 and 427 IPC.

A common pattern in the two 2008 FIRs were that Varun Gandhi and his accomplices were named for alleged crime. Though the police submitted the charge-sheets in these two cases, only Varun Gandhi has been framed, while all his accomplices in the alleged crime find no mention. The lacuna is startling!

Is there a practice of year-long or two-year long campaigning in any parliamentary constituency? Why were party flags displayed and put up as far back as August and December 2008? And how come Varun Gandhi was allegedly threatening and mugging up people, even before he was declared the BJP’s candidate from Pilibhit?

Meanwhile, attempts to contact Varun failed, as he was out of Delhi, said sources close to the young MP-aspirant.

The question is why is Varun being framed in false cases? The motive is to malign his image and project before the people that he is a hot-headed, ill-tempered person. And that he is criminal and communal. If sources close to Varun are to be believed, there is much more than meets the eye.

Varun Gandhi’s case would be argued in the Allahabad High Court on Monday (March 23). Irrespective of the verdict of the honourable court, more drama will unfold in the political arena.

Link: http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=15756939

How 'sound' is your bike?

2009-03-22T10:57:00.002+05:30

The challenge to understand the strange 'engine ki bhasha' goaded scientists of IIIT-A to develop an intelligent hardware and software tool, capable of diagnosing the engine's health on the basis of its sound quality. It's an amazing innovation.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 1 day ago Views:736 Comments:0

A VERSATILE, intelligent tool developed by scientists of the Indian Institute of Information Technology-Allahabad (IIIT-A) will decipher the health of your bike’s engine, just by the sound of its engine.

Allow me to digress a bit. A well known engine oil company has developed an advertisement campaign (beamed on TV channels), where a mechanic tells the customer the secret of understanding ‘engine ki bhasha’ (engine’s language).

Let me elaborate it a little more. You may have noticed what your neighbourly mechanic – he may be a Laddan Mistry, Raju Ustad or Ismail Guru, as these auto mechanics are fondly known in north India – do when you take your faulty bike to them. Whenever your bike has a problem with its engine, these mechanics listen to the sound of the engine carefully. Soon, these otherwise uneducated experts know more about the health of your engine, by the quality of the sound than the smart software engineers or MBAs that ride these swanky bikes.

The challenge was to understand the strange ‘engine ki bhasha’ that goaded the scientists of IIIT-A to develop an intelligent hardware and software tool, capable of diagnosing and deciphering the sound of an engine, by translating and processing the pattern of sound as the input and in spelling out all its trouble in detail.

The versatile intelligent tool has been developed, under the ambitious Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) project- Quality Assurance, Condition Monitoring and fault Diagnosis, using Intelligent Control Methodology, by IIIT-A scientist Dr Vrijendra Singh and a group of researchers and scientists working under his direction.

These scientists succeeded in developing an intelligent algorithm and hardware capable of detecting the faults in engines on the basis of the quality of audio, its pitch and the frequency.

“The unique and intelligent device has multifaceted operations and benefits. It will now help the manufacturer and mechanic to ensure the high quality and good health of the engine. Now, even a common person may understand the cause of the trouble with his vehicle’s engine without much technical hazards and equipments,” said IIIT-A director Prof MD Tiwari.

Prof Tiwari said that intelligent software and device comprise ingeniously designed software and equipments. IIIT-A scientists have successfully developed algorithm, which help in processing the audio data, followed by production of detailed inferences.

“The intelligent tool will reduce the mechanical operation required in detecting the faults in engines. This means longer life and efficient functioning of engines,” explained Prof Tiwari. He said that the project of the TIFAC-Core Group for Automotive Research, worth Rs 5.26 crore, was entrusted to Dr Singh of IIIT-A last year.

The principal investigator of the TIFAC project, Dr Singh said that ground work for the ambitious project was prepared in the first phase. This included the compilation of feedback from motor mechanics about the pattern of sound generation from engines in particular condition of fault. Profuse data related with engine’s sound was also provided by TVS Motors. On the basis of audio data, the team began working on developing algorithm and programmes for the software capable of processing the sound inputs so as to identify the problem and later give its details as the output.

The intelligent tool contains highly sophisticated and high-performance sensors, microphones and other audio data acquisition device Dr Singh said that indigenously developed software and intelligent tool that has been tested at laboratory stage will now be used and tested at TVS Motors’ plant, near Bangalore. The company will use intelligent methodology to test the engines of the factory’s bikes before final delivery.

Link: http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=15753665

Uma Bharti supports Advani as PM

2009-03-19T01:07:00.003+05:30

Uma Bharti, the firebrand leader of BJS, said her party will not contest the general election in support of Advani. He has the capabilities of solving the grim crisis India is passing through by becoming its PM: Breaking News

CJ: Arindam Roy, 1 day ago Views:351 Comments:2

UMA BHARTI, the firebrand leader, who formed the Bhartiya Janshakti (BJS) Party, after breaking away from the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) has come full circle. Talking to the media persons, she said that she reposed trust in the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Lal Krishna Advani.

She disclosed that she has written a letter to ‘Advaniji’, as she wants him to the next Prime Minister of the country. Though her disclosure came as a surprise to the media, her intention was unquestionable.

She wrote in no uncertain terms that because she wanted him to become the prime minister, her party (BJS) was not contesting the 15th Lok Sabha elections.

Describing Advani as a ‘simple’ and ‘incomparable’ (bemisaal), she felt that he stood the tallest amongst all other contenders for the post of prime minister in the country.

Bharti added that she asked him, in the letter, to be the PM, as only he had the capabilities of solving the grim crisis that the country is passing through, at present.

Political observers feel that with Bharti’s support would act as fresh blood for the BJP, as some of its senior leaders are not in good terms.

Link: http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=15752242

Who pays for the government’s jingoism through ads?

2009-02-27T20:11:00.003+05:30

The traditional hulla-gulla (noise and din) that was associated with electioneering is passé now. The focus has shifted to ads in major national dailies. But there is a catch. GoI ministries are not loosening their purse strings for these ads.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 7 hours ago Views: 164 Comments: 2

THE CONGRESS-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has been splurging full page and half page advertisements in major national dailies in New Delhi and Mumbai.

“Though all political parties have every right to speak of their achievements, they also need to be sensible about the plight of the masses,” said Eshna, who works with an event management company in Mumbai.

She added, “The government is screaming about its achievements from rooftops, despite recession and economic slowdown. There seems to be a total disconnect between the political parties and the people.”

These ads are released by various ministries of the government of India. The peg seems to be Bharat Nirman. Sample some headlines:

• Coal - the mainstay of India’s energy security, issued by the ministry of Coal
• Five glorious years of growth, issued by the ministry of New and Renewable Energy
• Foundation stone of new integrated terminal building of the airport at Vadodra, issued by the Airport Authority of India
• Inauguration of new terminal building of the airport at Surat, issued by the Airport Authority of India
• Five years of sunrise sector
Needless to add these ads feature photographs of the respective ministers, local MPs, MLAs, other than Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

There is a major catch. Though several ads are appearing on behalf of the ministries, the payments for these ads are not being made by any ministry, informed two senior bureaucrats, on conditions of anonymity. They are working with two ministries, in New Delhi.

In a telephonic interview, one of them said (ministry’s name withheld on request), “Our ministry received complaints under the right to information (RTI) from some applicants. The complainants asked questions like, with whose permission these ads are being released, who finalised the designs, who decided whose photographs must be published in these ads, etc.”

He added that the complaint was possibly a protest against publishing Sonia Gandhi’s picture, as one complainant even mentioned her name. “The process of reply would take its time (all RTI complaints have to be dealt within a fixed time-frame), but the fact is that no ministry is making any payment for these ads.”

When asked to clarify, he just mentioned, laughing, “Sorry, you are being too nosey.”

The second bureaucrat, after initial hemming and hedging explained that he would give a hint. “All economic ministries (which have PSUs, etc under them) are asked to ‘arrange’ these ads. If you look at the Civil Aviation ad, you may see small inserts of various private airlines in it. Rest I leave for you to decide....”

Thus, it’s clear, from his oblique admission that PSUs and private players pay for the government’s achievements. He clarifies, in a matter of fact way that these PSUs and private players have been funding elections, one way or the other, all these years.
Meanwhile, the Congress MLA from City North, Allahabad, Anugrah Narain Singh, in an exclusive interview, explained that ad war is a common feature in the run up to the election, as well as during the polls. In the recent past, the ad spend of major political parties has been on the rise.

“The traditional hulla-gulla (noise and din) that was associated with electioneering is passé now. Ever since the election commission (EC) has tightened its noose, banned rampant postering, defacing of walls – a welcome change, certainly, the focus has shifted to the media. Press conferences, space selling by newspapers have replaced the tamasha on the roads,” he explained.

Singh added that the EC allows the government to speak of its achievements. Party manifestoes too find a place in the ads. Defending the UPA government, he said, “There is nothing wrong with such ads. Congress does not twist facts.”

Replying to the possible date of the model code of conduct coming into force, he informed, “Thursday (Feb 26) is the last day of the 14th Lok Sabha. The EC may announce the model code of conduct, coming into force, from any day, in the first week of March, this year.”

He pointed out a full-page write-up with photographs, published in a local Hindi daily, speaks eloquent about a Brahman Maha Sammelan, at KP Ground, of Bahujan Samaj Party, on Wednesday (Feb 25).

The full page matter is a cross between an advertisement and an editorial report. Though a little shabby, it’s nothing short of an advertisement. It’s worth pointing out that while Times of India mentions such insertions as advertorials or ‘Response feature’, several other newspapers, including large publishing houses, often flout these norms with impunity.

(Link: http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=15714242)

My chapter in a book on Communication Management

2009-02-24T11:12:00.003+05:30

Religious Events as Tools of Communication: A Case Study of Kumbha Mela at Allahabad , By Arindam Roy (chapter 4.7, pp 331 to 336)

Title : An Introduction to Branding & Marketing Communication Management

Author : Ujjwal K. Choudhary & Rupak Ghosh etc.

Publisher : Manak Publications Pvt Ltd, Delhi

YOP : 2007

Pages : 361

ISBN : 81-7827-153-2

Price : 700.00

(Link: http://www.manakpublications.com/book.php?catid=70&bookid=803)

My EPW report quoted in ILO, Geneva paper

2009-02-24T01:09:00.005+05:30

Bonded Labor in India: Its Incidence and Pattern

My report on Kol tribal (Roy, Arindam, “Breaking the Shackles: Kol Tribal Labourers”, Economic and Political Weekly, Feb. 5, 2000) has been quoted in a prestigious study: Bonded Labour in India: Its Incidence and Pattern, By Ravi S. Srivastava, Special Action Programme to Combat Forced Labour; DECLARATION/WP/43/2005

(Link: http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1017&context=forcedlabor)

[Please see pp 17-18 of the Working Report of Ravi S Srivastava ]

5.2 Bonded Labour Systems among Tribals

The Scheduled Tribes belonging to Orissa, Chhatisgarh, Harahan, Madhya Pradesh,
Southern Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and
Gujarat, who have suffered a gradual erosion of access to traditional livelihood systems, have long been subject to exploitative debt relations leading to loss of land and bondage to non-tribals. The National Commission on Rural Labour devoted some attention to this issue.

Prasad (2001) has reported that in Dakshin Kannada and Udupi districts in Karnataka, the Koraga tribal community of nearly 10,000 people suffers under a system of bondage called Ajalu. The Malekudiya tribal community in Belthangady Taluk of Dakshin Kannada district has been held in the plantations of the masters called Hebbars. The community is denied mobility or the freedom to have their own gardens which could give them some economic independence.

In Orissa, a survey by the NGO Action Aid and twenty other organisations in Malkangiri district, carved out of Koraput, identified 704 bonded tribal labourers. The organisations concluded that there were possibly thousands of tribals from thirteen different tribes working as bonded labourers to landlords in the district (Mander, 2003). The tribals, who had lost most of their land to non-tribals, lived on the brink of subsistence and had no option but to take loans from landlords. In exchange, they or their children were required to work for the landlords for little more than food and some other minor perquisites. Their low wages were adjusted against the interest on the loans they had taken.

The NHRC examined a number of complaints regarding the status of Kol tribals in the districts of Chitrakoot (Madhya Pradesh), Allahabad and Mirzapur (Uttar Pradesh).
These have stated that due to dispossession from land, loss of rights to forest produce, illegal quarrying and control of mafias over mining, the Kols were living in bondage and were denied minimum wages. Many of these complaints were upheld by the Commission, which also took the view that the existing system of auction of mining rights, which gave a virtual monopoly to dominant economic interests and prevented tribals from bidding through their self-help groups (SHGs), was totally unjust and led to the exploitation of the tribals (NHRC Annual Report 1999-00).

The NHRC set up an Expert Group in 2000 to examine the problems of the Kol tribals and to develop measures for their social and economic upliftment. According to their
Report (NHRC,2000),the system of bondage was widespread in the Shankargarh silica and sandstone mining region of Allahabad. The silica lease rights for 6 villages were placed with one feudal landlord who mined the area both legally and illegally with the help of contractors. Although a large number of bonded labourers had been released after the promulgation of the Bonded Labour System Abolition Act, very few had received rehabilitation grants. The system of bondage still persisted in the area. In some villages, SHGs formed by tribals had been given sandstone mining rights, leading to a tripling of their income (Roy, 2000; NHRC, 2000).

[Please see p 34 of the Working Report of Ravi S Srivastava ]

6. Elimination of Bondage: Nature and Scope of Interventions

The existence of bonded labour is an affront to basic human dignity. There has been some change in the nature and incidence of bonded labour in India as a result of various factors, including the impact of social change and social movements, economic modernisation and State intervention. While these processes have impacted positively on the unfree status of labour in traditional agriculture and in some other sectors, the incidence of bonded labour still remains high in some segments of unorganised industry, the informal sector and in the relatively modern segments of agriculture in some areas.

The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act created a legislative framework for the elimination of bonded labour in 1976. But, as both the Supreme Court and the NHRC have shown, its implementation by the States has generally remained weak.
The Supreme Court of India has, in a series of judgements, given directions to improve the situation and since 1997, under its direction, the National Human Rights Commission has been directly involved in monitoring the situation and making reports to the Court. In its order of November 11, 1997, passed in the writ petition No. 3992 of 1985 – PUCL vs State of Tamil Nadu and others, the Supreme Court has entrusted to the NHRC the responsibility of monitoring the directions of the Court issued from time to time and the implementation of the provisions of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act.

The NHRC started monitoring the implementation of the Act in 13 states identified as Bonded Labour Prone states. These are: Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar,
Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. The Commission has appointed two Special Rapporteurs, Mr. Chaman Lal and Mr. K. R. Venugopal, who have been constantly reviewing the situation in bonded labour prone states and sectors.

The Special Rapporteur in the Northern States has focused on the carpet belt of Uttar
Pradesh consisting of the districts of Varanasi, Bhadohi, Mirzapur, Jaunpur, Sonbhadra and Allahabad, where most of the children employed are migrants from the state of Bihar and Jharkhand, working under extremely oppressive conditions against some petty advances paid to their parents. Their cases are invariably found to be attracting the provisions of the Bonded Labour System Abolition Act (Chaman Lal, 2003). The Special Rapporteur has also focused on the problem of Kols in the Pathar area of Uttar Pradesh and has held regular review meetings with officials in the States of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan. He has also been assisting the Commission in monitoring and reviewing the situation in other North Indian States and in ensuring that rehabilitation of bonded labourers, especially migrant labourers, takes place on a long-term basis.

In the Southern states, the Special Rapporteur, Mr. K. R. Venugopal, has tried to move in a convergent direction by involving and influencing a number of departments and by including policy making within the ambit of his work. He has particularly highlighted the issues of bonded quarry workers in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and bonded labour in silk weaving and powerloom industries in Tamil Nadu. He has held regular meetings with officials in the States of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

The Special Action Group constituted by the NHRC and the institution of the Special Rapporteurs has breathed some life into the legislative system and has given support to the grass-root NGOs that have been involved in taking up issues of bonded labour. Further, in September 2000, the NHRC constituted an Expert Group headed by Mr S.
R. Sankaran, to make an assessment of the Bonded Labour situation in the country, examine the extent and effectiveness of the Bonded Labour Laws and enforcement mechanisms and review the functioning of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for the rehabilitation of the released labourers. The Commission has also constituted groups to study the problem of bonded labour and child labour in a number of areas, including the Kol tribals in Uttar Pradesh and the lock makers of Aligarh.

The identification of bonded labourers continues to present difficulties, and only a small number of bonded labourers are actually identified, almost always due to the persistent efforts of NGOs (NHRC Annual Report, 2000-01). But among those labourers who have been identified and released from bondage, the NHRC finds that the rehabilitation of migrant labourers is being totally neglected (Chaman Lal, 2003).

This is also the view of the Supreme Court of India.49 There can be no doubt that effective prevention of bondage amongst vulnerable groups and the rehabilitation of freed child and adult bonded labourers are complex issues, requiring sustained action from governments, NGOs and the international community.

The Ministry of Labour, Government of India had initiated a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under which Rs 4,000 was initially provided for the rehabilitation of each bonded labourer, to be equally contributed by the Federal and the State government. The amount has since been gradually raised, reaching Rs. 20,000 in May 2000. The Central government also provides assistance for surveys, awareness campaigns and evaluations. Released bonded labourers are given priority in a number of government programmes, such as the distribution of government land, and some States have initiated specific programmes for their rehabilitation. But, by and large, the process of rehabilitation is frequently delayed, particularly in the case of inter-state bonded migrant labourers, and the degree of concerted convergent action required on the part of the administration is rarely forthcoming. Prosecution of employers is also weak.

Since the bonded labourers are very poor and assetless, some can relapse into bondage, while others may experience only a very marginal increase in income. Not being from an entrepreneurial background, bonded labourers may not be able to earn significantly higher incomes or even retain their assets (Mutharayappa, 2002). The National Human Rights Commission has been trying to make the states undertake rehabilitation of the bonded labourers through convergent action, and through helping the bonded labourers form groups or cooperatives which can take up economic activity on a sustained and viable basis. As discussed earlier, in Allahabad district, the Commission has supported the granting of mining leases to SHGs of Kol tribals and opposed a system of action which excludes these groups from bidding for the mining rights.

Since bondage results from severe deprivation arising from lack of assets and adequate livelihood opportunities, a key focus of rehabilitation has to be on providing assets and means of livelihood to the bonded labourers. Efforts to do this are more likely to succeed if the poor are empowered and collectively organised, and if they have the capacity to undertake new activities. Vidyasagar (2001) notes that the distribution of land to 44 bonded labourer families in Kodaikanal was successful because the labourers were given other infrastructural facilities and were supported in their endeavours by an NGO. More importantly, the labourers were used to cultivating land in a similar ecological setting. In another case, cited by Vidyasagar, bonded labourers who were working in stone quarries in Pudukottai district were released by the district administration during the early ‘90s, which also took the initiative in rehabilitating them. The workers were organized into co-operative societies which were provided with quarrying contracts. The rehabilitation money was pooled together to purchase trucks for transportation. Women were given authority within the societies and provided proper training to enable them to fulfil their functions. The Tamil Nadu Government amended the rules under Section 15 of the Mines and Minerals (Regulation and Development) Act, 1957, to allow the grant of stone quarrying leases to the released bonded labourers. This became one of the very successful cases of rehabilitation of bonded labour in Tamil Nadu (Murthy 2001).

In the case of the Kol tribals engaged in quarry mining in Shankargarh district of Allahabad, a protracted process of empowerment and organisation led to formation of groups and to demands for lease rights. Due to a supportive district administration and the arduous work of organisations like Sahyog, Sankalp and Mahila Samakhya, the kols gained mining rights in a number of villages, were able to overcome the opposition of contractors and nearly treble their income over a short period of time, drastically reducing bondage in the area.50 However, crucial issues of building managerial capacity and cohesiveness among the self-help groups still remain important.51

Similarly, eleven Sahariya families freed from bondage in a quarry with the help of
an NGO, Bandhua Mukti Morcha, were given lease rights to a 70-bigha quarry in
Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh. This has resulted in higher incomes for the labourers and high royalties for the government. The district administration started a number of convergent schemes to help the released labourers, including the opening of a school and the grant of land. When the contractors refused to pick up the stones, the families were given a tractor and trolley for transport (Bal, 2003). The district, according to BMM, has over 15,000 bonded labourers still working in the stone quarries.52
==

50 Roy, 2000. Interview with Justice Amar Saran, a former member of the Vigilance Committee in Allahabad, and member of the NHRC Group formed to investigate the condition of the Kols in the Pathar area of Uttar Pradesh.
51 Interview with Sheba Jose, Convenor, Sahyog.
52 For more details, see the CEC submission to the Planning Commission. (CEC 2001b)
==

[Please see p 41 of the Working Report of Ravi S Srivastava ]

References

Legislation

Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Condition
of Service) Act, 1996, Ministry of Labour, Government of India. Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition), Act, 1970, Ministry of Labour, Government of India. Equal Remuneration Act, 1976, Ministry of Labour, Government of India
Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Condition of Service)
Act, 1979, Ministry of Labour, Government of India
Minimum Wages Act, 1948, Government of India
Bonded Labour System Abolition Act (1976), Government of India

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Anonymous (2000). “Campaigning Against Bonded Labour”, IFWEA Journal,
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Anonymous, 2004, “29 Children Enslaved at a circus rescued” April 23,
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Ateeq, Nasir and John J. (2003), “Migrant Labour in the Brick Kilns of Punjab” in G.
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Athreya, V., Djurfeldt, G. and Lindberg, S. (1990), Barriers Broken: Production Relations and Agrarian Change in Tamil Nadu. Sage: New Delhi and London.

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India”, New York.

Human Rights Watch (2003). “Small Change: Bonded Child Labour in India’s Silk
Industry”, Vol. 15, No. 2 (C), New York, January.

International Labour Office (2001a). “Stopping Forced Labour”, Global Report Under the Follow-up to the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at work, Report I (B), Geneva.

International Labour Organisation (2001b). “Practical Approaches to Bonded Labour in India”, Background Paper, ILO Social Finance Programme, South Asian debt Bondage Project.

International Labour Organisation (2002a). Findings on Debt Bondage: Baseline
Study into Vulnerability to Debt Bondage in Rangareddy District in Andhra Pradesh, India, ILO, Social Finance Programme (Prepared by S. Subrahmanyam).

International Labour Organisation (2002b). Rapid appraisal into Vulnerability to Debt
Bondage in Kolar, Bidar, Belgam and Chamrajnagar Districts in Karnataka, India, ILO, Social Finance Programme (Prepared by Ajit Mani. International Labour Organisation (2004). “A Note on ILO’s Project on Promoting the Prevention and Elimination of Bonded labour in South Asia”, New Delhi, June.

Iyer, Gopal, K. (2004). “Effects of Interventions by NGO in the Elimination of Child
Labour: Migrant Child in Carpet Industry”, in K. Iyer et. al. (ed) Distressed
Migrant Labour in India- Key Human Right Issues, New Delhi, National
Human Right Commission, India.

Iyer, Gopal, K., Singh, Veer and Arya, P.P. (2004). “Distressed Migration: Causes and Consequences”, Distressed Migrant Labour in India- Key Human Right Issues, New Delhi: National Human Right Commission, India.

Jha, Praveen K. (1997), Agricultural Labour in India, New Delhi: Vikas Publishing
House.

Jodhka, S.S. (1995). “Agrarian Changes, Un-freedom and Attached Labour”
Economic and Political Weekly, August 5-12.

Jodhka, Surinder S. (1994), “Agrarian Changes and Attached Labour: Emerging
Patterns in Haryana Agriculture”, Economic and Political Weekly. Sept. 24.

Jodhka, Surinder, S. (1996). “Interpreting Attached Labour in Contemporary
Haryana”, Economic and Political Weekly, May 25

John, J. (1996). “Chirala’s Weavers: They Weave Death and Life.” Labour File, September.

John, J, (2001), “Editorial”, Labour File, December 2000-January 2001, New Delhi.
Juyal, B N (1993): Child Labour in the Carpet Industry in Mirzapur-Bhadohi,
International Labour Organisation, New Delhi.

Kannan, Ramya (2001), “Over Thousand Families in Bonded Labour”, The Hindu online edition, August 3.

Kannan, Ramya (2003a), “Rescued labourers running from pillar to post”, The Hindu
Online Edition, June 24.

Kannan, Ramya (2003b), “27 Bonded Children rescued from U.P. sweet units”, The
Hindu, April 7.

Kapadia, Karin (1995), “The Profitability of Bonded Labour: The Gem Cutting
Industry of Rural South India”, The Journal of Peasant Studies, 23:3, April,
pp. 446-483.

Kapadia, Karin (1996), Siva and Her Sisters. Gender, Caste and Class in Rural South
India. Delhi: Oxford University Press.

Kumar, D. (1965), Land and Caste in South India. Cambridge: CUP.

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July-Sept.

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(ed.) Migrant Labour and Human Rights in India, New Delhi: National Human Rights Commission India.

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Labour in India”, Masters Thesis, Department of International Relations, Tufts University.

Meir, Gadi (2001). “Child Rights-Silence of The Bonded”, Frontline, Volume-18,
Issue-20, Sept.29-Oct.12.
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07.

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Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India, Jodhpur, mimeo.

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Women and Mining Seminar, Delhi, Back Ground Paper.

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Labour, pp. 100-114)..

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Incidence of Bonded Labour System are Reported from Time to Time (mimeo).

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Infocus Programme on Promoting the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, Geneva: I.L.O.

Mundle, S. (1979), Backwardness and Bondage: Agrarian Relations in a South Bihar
District, Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi.

Murthy, Rajani K. (ed.) (2001), Building Women’s Capacities, New Delhi: Sage Publications.

Mutharayappa, R. (2002). “Rehabilitated Bonded Labourers in Rural Karnataka”.
Indian Journal of Social Work, Vol. 63, Issue 3, July.

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Labour, New Delhi (mimeo).

Noronha, P. (2003). “Escape From Bondage”, The Hindu, September 07.

Olson, Wendy K. and R. V. Ramana Murthy (2000), “Contract Labour and Bondage in Andhra Pradesh, India, Journal of Social and Political Thought, Vol. 1, No. 2, June.

Patnaik, U. (1983), "On the Evolution of the Class of Agricultural Labourers in
India", Social Scientist, July.

Patnaik, Utsa and Dingwaney, M. (1985), Chains of Servitude : bondage and slavery in India, Delhi : Sangam Books.

People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (2002a). “Bonded Labour from Musahar Community in Danger”, PUCL Bulletin, June.

People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (2002b). “Bonded Labour in Brick
Kiln-Workers and Families Held in Bondages”, PUCL Bulletin, June.

People’s Vigilance Committee for Human Rights, (2002c), “Workers and families held in bondage”, PUCL Bulletin, June.

Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (2000). “Bonded Labourers in a Stone Quarry”, PUCL Bulletin, June 13.

Prabhu, Pradeep (2001). “Salt Workers Struggle in Thane”, Labour File, December 2000-January 2001.

Prasad, Kiran Kamal (2001), “Some Reflections on Bonded Labour”, Integral Liberation, Vol. 5, No. 2, June.

Priyanka, K. (2004). “Bonded Labour: Paradox of Punjab’s Prosperity”, Hindustan Times, May 4.

Rajalakshmi, T. K. (2001), “Slavery amidst prosperity”, Frontline, Viol. 18 – Issue
15, July 21-August 3, Chennai.

Rajalakshmi, T. K. (2004), “Unorganised, Exploited”, Frontline, Vol. 21, Issue 5,
2004

Rajalaxmi, T.K. (2001). “Slavery Amidst Prosperity” Front Line, Volume 18- Issue
15, July 21-August 03.

Rao, Rukmini (1997). “Bonded by Caste and Gender: The Feminization of Poverty in
Rural India”, Political Environments; Fall (Issue No. 5): 1-7.

Roy, Arindam (2000). “Breaking the Shackles: Kol Tribal Labourers”, Economic and Political Weekly, Feb. 5.

My Italian publication: Co-authored a book on Kumbha Mela

2009-02-23T23:56:00.006+05:30

Kumbha Mela.
Pellegrinaggio indiano

Autore/i: Delahoutre Michel - Titoli dello stesso autore
Deleury Guy
Roy Arindam
________________________________________

Notizie: Fotografie di: BAMS photo - Rodella Giuliano Radici
________________________________________
Con 150 fotografie a colori
________________________________________
Tradotto da: Alberto Pelissero
________________________________________
Prezzo: Euro 72,30
________________________________________
Argomento: Religioni / World religions
________________________________________
Commento: Nel febbraio 2001 in India ad Allahabad, alla confluenza fra Gange e Yamura, si è svolto un grande pellegrinaggio di oltre otto milioni di persone. Due fotografi italiani vi hanno partecipato. Uno studioso di arte indiano, uno di induismo e un giornalista indiano suggeriscono una lettura precisa di questo grande evento.
________________________________________
Anno di pubblicazione: Settembre 2001
________________________________________
Pagine: 208
________________________________________
Collana: Varie fotografia
________________________________________
Disponibilità: Disponibile
________________________________________
ISBN: 8816-60272-4
________________________________________

(Link: http://www.jacabook.it/ricerca/schedalibro.asp?idlibro=2526)

Child labour in rural areas with a special focus on migration, agriculture, mining and brick kilns

2009-02-15T01:12:00.005+05:30

By Neera Burra

d. Children working in mines and quarries

The working of children in mines and quarries is banned. However, the incidence of child labour, whether as part of family labour or as individuals recruited for work continues regardless. Stone quarrying is one of the biggest sectors attracting migrant labour. According to Santulan, a Pune-based NGO, there are 4-5 million workers in this sector in Maharashtra alone of which 800,000-10,00,000 are likely to be children.

Arindam Roy writes about the Kol tribes of Shankargarh, a block just 50 kms from Allahabad where he says almost every person in the area is a bonded labourer, forced to work for silica sand mining sub-lessees. The major occupation in the area is mining of silica. The rate is Rs. 150 per tractor load. Two persons can be expected to mine and load a tractor in 3 or 4 days.

According to Roy, “The slavery of kols is complete. Their children, eight years upwards are not spared either. When children are not breaking the stones, they are made to carry headloads (‘taslas’) to the waiting trucks or tractors. For each head load, they are given a pebble (‘kauri’). They are paid Rupee 1 for carrying 40 head loads, at the rate of 2.5 paisa per head load. After running endlessly, carrying some 400 head loads, these little children are paid about Rs. 10”

(Matter quoted from: Roy, Arindam (2000) “Breaking the Shackles. Kol Tribal Labourers”, Economic and Political Weekly,February 5-11, Vol. XXXV, No. 6, pp.425-426.)

NOTE: Neera Burra is a Sociologist and works on the issue of child labour and poverty. This report draws extensively from her earlier research work.

http://www.ncpcr.gov.in/Reports/ Child_Labour_in_Rural_areas_with_special_focus_on_Migration_Agriculture_%20Mining_by_Neera_Burra.pdf

SP's ties with BJP exposed: Malviya.

2009-02-15T00:51:00.003+05:30

Publication: Asia Africa Intelligence Wire

Publication Date: 22-APR-04

COPYRIGHT 2004 Financial Times Ltd.

(From The Times of India)

Byline: Arindam Roy

ALLAHABAD: Satya Prakash Malviya, a veteran Socialist, is contesting as the Congress candidate from Allahabad parliamentary constituency. He is pitted against MM Joshi, Union HRD minister of BJP, three-time winner and the Samajwadi Party candidate Reoti Raman Singh, the transport minister of UP.

Malviya was yet to begin his campaign trail on Wednesday morning. His Allapur residence was abuzz with party workers. In an exclusive...

Read the full article for free courtesy of your local library.

(Link: http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-21088972_ITM )

The Lion of the Goddess Durga

2009-02-15T00:46:00.001+05:30

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

The lion of Durga is a gift from a Greek goddess
Arindam Roy
Merinews 11 October 2007, Thursday

Durga was created by the powers of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. They opened their third eye and she was born. Various gods decorated her with weapons. A Greek goddess’ gift was forgotten, it seems. A report on the evolution of Durga iconography.

THE WHITE LION of Mahisasur-mardini (Durga) has been imported from Greece. The lion, as a vehicle, was incorporated in the Durga iconography between sixth century AD and 12th century AD. It was ‘imported’ from (read, gifted by) the Greek goddess, Nanaia.

We find occasional representation of Nanaia riding a lion on some Kushan coins and seals. Historians point out that on the basis of the development of the Durga iconography, it might be said that the prominence of the war-goddess grew in 700 years.

In the early Kushan period, around first century AD, Durga was a lesser goddess. The terracotta figurines and stone sculptures of this period depict the goddess with two or four hands, wrestling with the demon (Mahisasur), locked in hand to hand combat. Most of these figurines and sculptures were excavated at a site called Sonkh, near Mathura. It forms a rich legacy of the Mathura Art. For 300 odd years, during the Kushan period, the lion is not seen.

"The Mahisasur-mardini icon of goddess Durga, as we see it today, evolved in the Gupta period, undergoing changes in iconography. Around this time, we find examples of Devi with eight, 10, 12 and even 16 hands. As her stature grew, her iconography evolved," informed Dr Sriranjan Shukla, the assistant keeper of Allahabad Museum, in an exclusive interview.

Durga is the most widely worshipped aspect of Shakti, till today.

The Gupta period is a time of transition. Referring to a sandstone relief, of the latter part of the fifth century AD, of a Chandrasala (which were placed outside temples to indicate the ruling deity), we see Mahisasur-mardini combating the asura (demon). It shows the goddess place one of her feet contemptuously on the head of the vanquished demon. She lifts his hindquarters by the tail and pins him down with her Trishul (trident). A short male figure, as her attendant, establishes her glory. He is a gana of Shiva, consort of the goddess. The locks of the gana and the goddess are elaborately treated, in the style of that period.

The Kushan artists of the Mathura Art School are credited to conceptualize Mahisasur-mardini, or the form of Durga defeating the buffalo-demon. From a lesser goddess, depicted in terracotta figurines and sandstone relief, she attained glory in the Gupta period. Most of the Puranas were authored in the Gupta period, which was a golden era of Indian art, literature, trade, commerce and polity. It was a time of peace and prosperity.

Shukla explained, "The sculpture of the Gupta period is marked by serenity, poise and calm, which is reflected in the face and postures of the images. There are few ornaments. The divine beings are comfortable disposition, as they are in Lalit-asana and Sukha-asana. There is liveliness and energy in the art of this period. Even the standing images are not static. For example, a standing image of Lord Buddha, show a foot raised, knee bent, moving forward. This was the spirit of this era."

Dr Sunil Gupta, an art-historian, said, "It was probably in Gupta period, between fourth century AD and sixth century AD that Durga icon was introduced in Bengal. The worship of the female principle is reflected in popular terracotta art, since ancient times, in Bengal. I have seen the famous mother goddess figurines, in terracotta, from the ancient port of Tamralipti (presently, Tamlute, in Midnapore district, West Bengal) in the Ashmoleon Museum, Oxford. This is from the first century AD, and the icon is not that of Durga. It was only natural for the people of the eastern state to accept Durga and assimilate it in their lifestyle."

Swami Harshananda, of Ramkrishna Math, in his book, ‘Hindu Gods and Goddesses’, says, "Lion, the royal beast, her mount, represents the best in animal creation. It can also represent the greed for food, and hence the greed for other objects of enjoyment which inevitably leads to lust. To become divine (Devatva) one should keep one’s animal instinct under complete control. This seems to be the lesson we can draw from the picture of the Simhavahini (the rider of the lion)."

(Link: http://goddesschess.blogspot.com/2007/10/lion-of-goddess-durga.html )

Do stars shiver in cold blue sky?

2009-02-12T14:12:00.003+05:30

Arindam Roy

I ask again:
Do stars shiver in cold blue sky?

You smile…

You hold me tight on your breasts
Afraid that I like my twin would leave and go…

With drops of milk,
I suckled my brother’s life from you

A hurt lily dwelled in your eyes.
You hid the gnarled beauty of your roots
To bloom in my fractured dreams, but

I sought my revenge, dear Mummy.

Perhaps I shivered
And wailed, when you slapped me hard –
To arrive in countless fears, hopes and dreams
When miles lay between us

You wept –
My pain returned through your tears
When you heard, a youth
Was slain, by a bullet in Bombay
Like a fool, you made my
Stern father nervous that night.

But, now I let all your
Joys and fears evaporate
Like mists of swirling cloud
From my sweet, child-like mouth

With soft flap of wings
You burst forth like a bird on flight,
You gushed with the strength of a newborn river:
Free, spreading your wings
In the slight flutter of your raucous breath;
And, your listless eyes lay still.

I am mad, a howling lunatic
I say that I cannot live without you

Perhaps the silly doctors would never know
The little game that we two played:

The silly doctors pronounced you dead –
From when have they become judges, O Mummy?

I laugh and play…
I am mad, a howling lunatic.

No, don’t be sad:
You did not go!

It was my command that you leave, and
You left –
You obeyed me, like I did as a child

The wheel moved full circle
I took my revenge, dear Mummy.

The revenge of your selfless love
I hurt you and fought with you:
Madly in love with you,
I even bade you goodbye!
--

You suffered in silent coma,
Tormented by fever
Spaced across four days and nights
As your brain swam within your skull
In a pool of blood,
It clotted all over your organ
The way I soiled
My crisp clothes as a child…

Amidst fears and hope,
Unmindful of loud crackers
And starry sparklers
You lay still,
With me watching you, helplessly –
As you had watched my twin brother
Die in baby gasps – until
His listless body was snatched from your youthful lap.

You told me that you had wailed and cried
But, they took his frail, still body from you!

My prayers were his curse,
His prayers, my curse:
Did he conspire with daddy?
Did he also call him ‘Bapi’?

Together, they were waiting for you…

You warmed a cold October night
With agonizing fever,

I ordered you to leave…

And I told you
That perhaps we will meet in another life!

Go, go away Mummy,
I am mad, for I love you madly.
And if you don’t go now
I will never be able to leave you.
--

No, you did not leave me, Mummy
I cast you, away:
Like a broken toy,
Like a love letter that lost its meaning.

Your framed picture, garlands and all,
Hangs like a shrunken, empty net
Against a while wall,
Flanked by pictures of
My father and uncle, on either side;

I hold you in my thoughts –
You held me too, tight, in your countless worries and joys!

You once told me that you would die
If something were to happen to me.
Though nothing happened to me,
I let you die…
--
It’s morning, now –

You look at me with a smile
From your frame on the wall

Let me confess,
I no longer feel the sadness
That I felt, when I lovingly smeared
‘Ghee’ on your still, sweet face and breasts
And washed your forehead with salty tears –
As you once oiled and bathed me

I no longer feel the pain,
That I did, when I
Torched your howling pyre
Beside the cold, grey Ganga

My pain has gone,
It’s a huge void, now

Vacant like the cold blue sky –
Without a bird,
Silent like a tomb,
Lost in deep slumber
For centuries, stellar years;
Older, perhaps, than the wrinkled earth!

You, now, sleep sound amongst the stars –
As I, a child, slept quietly
In the circle of your arms crushed on your soft kind breasts.

(I lost my mother on October 26, 2003, to brain hemorrhage. She was in deep coma for four days, battling with life)

Wheeling out Wheelers?

2009-02-12T01:52:00.001+05:30

Arindam Roy

[Wednesday, July 07, 2004 11:20:43 pm TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

ALLAHABAD: With one fell swoop, Lalu Prasad has probably killed off a 126-year-old railways landmark — A H Wheeler & Co — a company that paid Rs 1.38 crore annual royalty to Indian Railways, amounting to 80% of the money earned from allowing bookstalls at stations.

For Lalu it was a colonial vestige that had survived on swadeshi platforms. "Angrez chala gaya, lekin Wheeler rah gaya," he said in his rail budget speech.

That the Allahabad-based company, which runs 258 bookstalls nationwide with 300 employees, is 100% Indian is not something it had publicized. Wheeler CMD Aloke Bannerjee was surprised. He said, "Our track record is very good. I have not seen the new bookstall policy, which has been framed. We have had long associations with the railways."

He hoped the new policy which jettisons the system of sole selling rights won't shut doors for business with the railways. "We hope that we would continue to work with them."

He said there was confusion regarding the name AH Wheeler. "It sounds like some foreign company, or MNC. But the fact is that Wheeler is a 100 per cent Indian company."

Amit Bannerjee, a director, said, Wheeler's contributed 80% of the bookstall income of the IR. In the year 2002, Wheeler paid royalty to the tune of Rs 1.38 crore, out of a total revenue of Rs 1.66 crore. Sources said Wheeler's contract could not be renewed after 2002 as the railways were busy formulating a new bookstall policy.

(This report was also carried in Economic Times)

Politicians late, even in offering solace

2009-02-12T01:51:00.001+05:30

Arindam Roy

[Wednesday, June 02, 2004 12:29:53 am TIMES NEWS NETWORK]

ALLAHABAD: Hundreds of shanties were reduced to ashes. Seven persons, including four children, were burnt to death on Sunday afternoon. The city was shocked.

However, politicians reached the site a day later, on Monday. "They gave the affected people slogans instead of bread," said Siddhartha, a financial consultant. Three prominent politicians, former Union HRD minister MM Joshi (BJP), CLP leader Promod Tiwari (Congress) and newly elected MP from Allahabad Reoti Raman Singh (SP) were all there to console the Kareli fire tragedy affected people.

It took them a full day to realize the gravity of the loss. The dead provided fodder for politics.

Loss of the minority community was a godsend opportunity for political parties. However, the sympathy that the leaders of various hues expressed was more of a lip service.

Where they were when they were needed the most? The chink in their armour was, therefore, visible, felt political observers. Singh paid Rs 50,000 to next of kin of each deceased. The cheques were handed over on Monday. He assured them compensation of Rs 1 lakh, other than Rs 50,000 to the seriously injured and Rs 25,000 to those with minor injuries. An ex gratia payment of Rs 6,000 was made to all who suffered loss. Land for their rehabilitation is also on the cards.

'MNCs are representatives of imperialist forces'

2009-02-12T01:49:00.001+05:30

Arindam Roy

[Friday, May 28, 2004 12:28:01 am TIMES NEWS NETWORK]

ALLAHABAD: Rejection of the BJP-led NDA government by the people of the country, which was anti-people, has deeper implications. Senseless privatisation and sale of profit-making companies, leading to large scale VRS in the industry, along with suicide by farmers, called for a change. And change has happened, said KK Shukla, a lecturer of sociology.

In an interview, he added, the rise of globalisation is an extension of industrial growth, which occurred on a large-scale since the Second World War. The imperialist nations, or the centre of the development, traditionally depend on the periphery, the third world countries, providing a prototype of the supply and profit markets that had existed.

It is expected to grow with the global capitalism, represented by the multinational companies (MNCs).

He hoped that with the participation of the Left, in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, the statement that development would have a humane face sounds credible.

"For a vast majority of the people of the periphery (third world nations), development does not yield a better life or a brighter future, but intensifies misery and exploitation," he opined.

The hope for them, Shukla said, is to break the global capitalism and move ahead like Cuba, Vietnam, China, North Korea, etc. Quoting Lenin, he said, there are strong notions to expect that the 'centres of accumulation' would shift from more advanced to less advanced areas, in search of cheap labour, accessible natural resources and higher profits. And that any division of the world would be disrupted by changes in the relative strength of different imperialist powers.

When 'Bua Mahadevi' wrote to PM Rajiv

2009-02-12T01:47:00.001+05:30

Arindam Roy

[Saturday, May 22, 2004 01:09:28 am TIMES NEWS NETWORK]

ALLAHABAD: Well-known Hindi poetess Mahadevi Verma had penned a warm personal letter to Rajiv Gandhi on February 1989. On the occasion of Rajiv's 13th martyrdom year, which was observed on Friday (May 21), HN Mehrotra, an advocate, who had handed over the said letter to Rajiv, shared its contents with TNN.

We present the translated version of Verma's letter, losing some of the lyrical expressions of her facile pen.

She wrote, "Perhaps you do not know me very well. But, I knew your father, Feroze, very well. He was a class fellow of my younger brother. He called me ' didi '. I had seen your mother Indira Priyadarshini when she was a girl of five. To keep India united she gave unparalleled sacrifice.

"I am pained, when I recall the cruel incident. She has handed over a great nation to you. Your achievements make me confident that you will not allow the Himalayan-like great Bharat Mata to bow down.... May you live a hundred years and enhance the glory of the nation!"

Mehrotra recalled meeting Rajiv, in Delhi, with the said letter. He said, his wife, Sonia Gandhi, carried forward the Nehru-Gandhi family tradition of sacrifice. Rajiv and his mother were assassinated for the cause of the nation; Sonia relinquished her claim to prime ministership, despite the overwhelming verdict.

PM seeks support for Joshi

2009-02-12T01:45:00.000+05:30

Arindam Roy

[Monday, April 26, 2004 02:06:23 am TIMES NEWS NETWORK]

ALLAHABAD: Change is knocking at the doors of the greatest democracy of the world. A 100-crore strong nation, full of diversity, its progress in the democratic process has surprised the world.

People worldwide are looking towards India, said Prime Minister Vajpayee while addressing a mammoth rally at Sewa Samiti Vidya Mandir grounds, here on Sunday night.

He said, though China was more populated than India, we were competing in other areas. Neighbouring countries look at India, eagerly. They wish for democracy and people's empowerment, which they lack.

The elections have been peaceful, barring a few violent incidents. Not much importance should be given to these disturbances. In Jammu and Kashmir, a handful of terrorists are stopping people from voting. But the more the hindrances, more resolute are the masses, who at the risk of their live, exercise their franchise. "They know the value of each and every vote, they know the meaning of sitting in the parliament," Vajpayee asserted.

Today, India is more united, strong and progressive with secure future. Taking a dig at the opposition, he said, "They cannot see any development done by us, though the whole world is aware of it."

There was a time, when Indians —- those who could afford —- would go abroad for treatment. Now, foreigners are rushing to India for treatment. They say that our health care is better, they are looked after well and the affection that they get forces them to return to India, again and again, he said.

Some countries have complained that their citizens were rushing to India for treatment. He asked, "When all doors of the world open, how can it remain closed for the sick and the feeble?"

"Vote is the key to future. It can make us or mar us. It can help us make a strong nation," Vajpayee explained. He talked about the value of vote, the importance of mandate and the need for returning BJP and NDA parties with two-third majority. It became a refrain in the later part of the PM's speech. He said, fractured mandate stops progress. It hinders from making India, a dream nation.

He said, the coalition government was run successfully. Without naming the Congress, he said, those who opposed it are running bare foot, all over, looking for coalition partners. He said, "Mayawati mili, na Mulayam miley," amidst peels of laughter.

Commending MM Joshi, he said, he has lots of responsibilities. "I often forget how many ministries he is looking after." The scholar and scientist minister often guides him. He appealed to the people to vote for Joshi, Bind and Bhariti, all three candidates, quickly adding, also me, as people laughed and clapped.

He arrived at 7.55 PM, amidst slogans, "Bharat Mata ki teen dharohar/Atal, Advani, Murli Manohar," and "Ek Bihari sab par bhari, Atal Bihari, Atal Bihari."

SP’s ties with BJP exposed: Malviya

2009-02-12T01:43:00.000+05:30

Arindam Roy

[Wednesday, April 21, 2004 10:59:31 pm TIMES NEWS NETWORK]

ALLAHABAD: Satya Prakash Malviya, a veteran Socialist, is contesting as the Congress candidate from Allahabad parliamentary constituency. He is pitted against MM Joshi, Union HRD minister of BJP, three-time winner and the Samajwadi Party candidate Reoti Raman Singh, the transport minister of UP.

Malviya was yet to begin his campaign trail on Wednesday morning. His Allapur residence was abuzz with party workers. In an exclusive interview with TNN,

Malviya described both his political opponents as ‘seasoned politicians.’ Though BJP and SP were busy in hate campaign, no one indulged in mud slinging against him.

"Just a few days back, I met Joshi in a wedding party. In fact, he was going out, when I was entering the place. When Joshi saw me, he rushed to me. We hugged each other, warmly," he said. He explained that though Joshi and Singh were political opponents, with ‘mathvedh’ (ideological differences), but there was no 'manvedh' (clash of interests) amongst them.

He said, Vajpayee has a tarnished past. "Our PM had turned approver of the Britishers in 1942, when he was arrested with several others in Bateshwar Bazar, in Agra on August 27. He had said that he was at a distance of 100 metres and that he had not caused any harm or had ransacked government property," Malviya said.

He added, the saree tragedy once again exposed the true face of the BJP. It had also exposed the SP. Mulayam Singh Yadav did not visit those who died, but he went to Lalji Tandon’s residence. His body language revealed his closeness to the BJP. He added, "Yadav did not open the Babri Masjid case. He is cheating the Muslims. Even LK Advani was let off in the Ayodhya case on technical grounds."

When asked why he left the Socialist fold and joined hands with the Congress party, he said, Sonia Gandhi too asked the same question. He was the general secretary of Lok Dal, which was headed by Ajit Singh, son of Charan Singh.

There were reports that he was negotiating with the NDA. Malviya had told him that if Ajit were to join the NDA, he would quit it that very day. Further, the Indian polity is maturing, now. Slowly, a two party like situation is emerging on the national scene.

The contest is now between Congress and its allies, on one hand and BJP with its allies, on the other hand. His Socialist leanings kept him away from the saffron brigade. Congress was, therefore, the logical choice. It was during the Parivartan Rally at Lucknow, which were twice postponed, that Malviya’s joining the Congress was announced. He explained that he was seeking people’s mandate after 14 years. It was in 1980, when he had contested the UP assembly polls. Before that he was a corporator, in 1970, and mayor in 1972-73. He had defeated Joshi in the mayoral polls.

BSP candidate cries foul

2009-02-12T01:41:00.000+05:30

Arindam Roy

[Saturday, April 10, 2004 01:38:40 am TIMES NEWS NETWORK]

PRATAPGARH: The BSP candidate from Pratapgarh, Shiv Prakash Mishra alias Senani, has faxed a formal complaint to the chief election commissioner on Friday afternoon about the misuse of jail premises.

He said in the complaint that the Pratapgarh district jail is being used as residence-cum-office of the Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate Akshay Pratap Singh alias Gopaljee, from the day of his filing nomination papers on April 5.

Sharing the contents of the letter with Times News Network, he said, "The election cannot be free and fair, till the district jail is used as SP party office," and pleaded, "it should be allowed to function as district jail."

The letter explained, "Before filing his nomination papers, on April 5, 2004, Gopaljee organised meetings, performed 'puja' and left for filing his papers from the jail. In the light of these facts, the fairness of the poll is in grave danger."

The district and jail administrations are acting in favour of legislator and Pota accused Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya, under his influence.

Mishra also demanded that penal action be initiated against Raja Bhaiyya who should be shifted from Pratapgarh to any other jail.

"Pratapgarh parliamentary constituency (No. 20), is hyper sensitive, wherein Pota accused Akshay has taken undue advantage of being released on bail. He is a notorious criminal, against whom nearly 37 criminal cases are listed in Pratapgarh and Sultanpur districts," Mishra wrote.

He added, "Raja Bhaiyya, a Pota detenu, is conducting and coordinating the election of Gopaljee, who used the jail premises as his election office, even after he was bailed on personal bond."

Gopaljee and KN Ojha, PRO of Raja Bhaiyya were not available for comments. Their cell phones were out of the network area.

Meanwhile, on the complaint of the Congress candidate Rajkumari Ratna Singh, the Election Commission has tightened its noose.

A barrier has been put up outside the Pratapgarh jail and CISF jawans have been posted to keep a vigil on the movements of the visitors. All visitors are being thoroughly searched about 150 metres from the jail gate.

On the basis of intelligence report that election is being conducted from the jail, the district administration acted to save its skin.

Recently, district magistrate RS Verma sent a letter to IG prisons, requesting to post DIG jail on the polling day.

Taking cognizance of the DM's letter, the administration has decided that a DIG would be posted in the jail within a couple of days, according to sources.

Kaif's father missed the action, yet again

2009-02-12T01:39:00.000+05:30

Arindam Roy & Abbas Ali

[Thursday, March 25, 2004 10:58:57 pm TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

ALLAHABAD: The euphoria was unending. People came out in large numbers to celebrate India's first-ever One-day International series win on Pakistan.

They burst crackers, sprinkled colours, fired gunshots and danced to rejoice the victory of the local lad, Mohammad Kaif and Saurav's boys in blue.

Talking to TNN Mohammad Tarif, father of Mohammad Kaif said, "The Indians created history by winning the One-day series and I'm confident that India will win the Test series also". He is superstitious about watching the match. He said he and his wife, Qaisar Jahan had gone to some place, on Wednesday.

"His (Kaif's) rise to importance in the team has been hard work, patience when dealing with tough situation" Tarif added. Outside Kaif's Cooper Road house, in Civil Lines, there was a riot of colours and crackers.

If Jaya comes will Joshi go?

2009-02-12T01:36:00.000+05:30

Arindam Roy

[Saturday, March 06, 2004 03:26:43 am TIMES NEWS NETWORK]

ALLAHABAD: Will Jaya Bachhan contest from Allahabad, as most people in this city believe? In that case, will HRD minister M M Joshi, three times MP from this seat, play safe by fighting from another 'safe' seat?

The possibility of Jaya Bachchan as a Samajwadi Party candidate has already charged up Allahabad. So much so that Joshi, who'd created some sort of record by scoring a hat-trick, might be tempted to hedge his bets.

Jaya already has a toehold in UP: she's the chairperson of UP Film Development Corporation.

The buzz is that Joshi is considering playing it safe. He is looking at Uttaranchal and might contest from a safe seat there simultaneously.

Former UP chief minister Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna who represented Allahabad had also played safe by contesting from Pauri Garhwal in 1980 as a Congress candidate and later as an Independent in 1982.

Although BJP sources trash the chances of the minister leaving the city where he has done 'so much', Joshi dropped hints about a move at a press conference on February 24.

He had said that he was awaiting the BJP's directive and would contest from wherever the party asked him to. He also said that Jaya was most welcome.

As for Jaya, local SP folks claim that Amar Singh has convinced her to contest from Allahabad, where Amitabh defeated Bahuguna with a huge margin of 1.9 lakh votes.

(Also published in Economic Times)

BJP's fear exposed by Priyanka, Rahul's entry

2009-02-12T01:33:00.000+05:30

Arindam Roy

[Sunday, February 01, 2004 10:48:11 pm TIMES NEWS NETWORK]

ALLAHABAD: BJP's protest against the entry of Priyanki and Rahul in politics has exposed the mental hollowness of its leaders and revealed their fear, said Rita Bahuguna Joshi, the president of the All India Mahila Congress.

She added that she would request Sonia Gandhi, on behalf of the party, to field either of them from Allahabad, in the forthcoming parliamentary election. Talking to the Congressmen of Jasra and Shankargarh, she said the party was ready to face any eventuality, under Sonia Gandhi's leadership. The BJP and its allies were a worried lot.

Lambasting the BJP leadership for launching a smear campaign against the Gandhi family, which had sacrificed two leaders for the country, Joshi said that the countrymen would teach them a befitting lesson. Taking a dig at the feel good factor, she said that more than 30 crore people were below the poverty line and human development index was 136 amongst 176 countries. There are 3.5 crore registered unemployed people in the country. Farmers, weavers and labourers commit suicide.

And in a country where the plight of women continues to be deplorable, how could its Prime Minister feel that there was a feelgood factor?

Commenting on the sad state of affairs in Allahabad constituency, she said that while MM Joshi took up big projects, he remained unaware of the condition of people of the country. While Shankargarh and Koraon, 50 primary schools had been closed, Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, that he talks about held no meaning, she said.

The Rs 1.5 crore drinking water project of the Congress government was gathering dust and was steeped in corruption, but Joshi is blind to it. For four years, the Women's ITI building has been lying vacant, with leaky roofs. Triveni Sheet Glass has retrenched 80,000 employees, but these seem to be of no concern of the BJP minister, she remarked.

GRP unhappy with Railway minister's decision

2009-02-12T00:58:00.000+05:30

Arindam Roy

[Saturday, January 31, 2004 12:41:32 am TIMES NEWS NETWORK]

ALLAHABAD: Presenting the interim railway budget in the Parliament on Friday, Railway minister Nitish Kumar said some sections of the IPC is vested with the Railway Police Force, after taking it away from the Government Railway Police (GRP). The GRP, which is a part of the state police force(s), is upset about losing its powers. This was revealed by sources in the North Central Railway (NCR), here.

Sources pointed out that there have been several cases of crime, on the trains in the past. Instead of controlling the crime, the GRP, many a times were found to be aiding and abetting it. In some cases, they were directly involved in it.

On Friday (January 30), two GRP constables were involved in robbery, in coach number 03568A of 2388 Dn, Jan Sadharan Express. Action is being taken against them.

Earlier, on July 22, 2003, a dalit woman had filed a case of rape against a GRP constable on Orai railway station. It was said, she was regularly ‘insulted’ by the said policeman. Finally, on the night of the said day, he overpowered her and outraged her modesty. The outcome is not known.

On February 17, 2003, a police squad snatched goods and bashed up passengers, between Tundla and Ferozabad stations. A year before this, on February 6, 2002, 50 police personnel looted cash and edible items from the pantry car of Delhi bound 2027 Kerala Express at Karari station, at 10 AM. These policemen caught hold of a person, Shennoy, who was beaten blue and black. When his colleagues wished to intervene, they were threatened. Afraid that they would be shot at, they remained mute spectators. The railway officials registered a case of dacoity. No one has still been punished, sources said.

Between April and September 2003, there were 22 cases of drugging in NCR trains. Of these, 12 were in Allahabad division, two in Jhansi division and eight in Agra division. There were five cases of dacoities (robbery with violence), four in Allahabad and one in Jhansi divisions. The number of robberies was four (three in Allahabad and one in Jhansi divisions).

Sample Hindustan Times reporting (2002)

2009-02-12T00:50:00.000+05:30

SCRIBES MUST REPORT AS HUMAN BEINGS

Arindam Roy
Varanasi, February 26, 02

SUSAN Koscis, the vice president of Arts and Culture, of the International NGO, Search for Common Ground, quoted a line from a Work War II Musical, “You have got to be taught to hate and to fear,” to explain how conflicts and mistrusts are “Inherited’.

These become ‘educated biases’. The Musical, she explained, was set in South Pacific, describing the ‘torments’ of an American soldier, who fell in love with a girl from that island.

On the second day of her visit, she conducted a two-hour workshop on, ‘Media and Conflict Resolution’, at the Malaviya Centre for Peace Research (MCPR), the BHU, with the aid of video clip-pings. Dr Priyankar Upadhyaya, the convener of the center , had organized this interaction.

Recalling some reports of the Washington Post, she said one day there was a report that Palestinian terrorists had killed innocent people, the Israelis.

Next day, there was a report that Israeli soldiers, in order to protect themselves, had to open fire. Some innocent people, possibly a kid, died.

Thus, while the Palestinians were described as ‘terrorists’, similar acts by the Israeli soldiers were. ‘explainable’ and ‘logical’. The media in the US is liased in favour of Israel. It is not balanced or objective reporting, as it ‘influenced’ the views of the readers.

She said, some of the ‘operative’ words for journalists that help resolve conflicts are accurate, balanced; clarifies and raises consciousness; looks into the fundamental beliefs and issues; encourages diversity and exchange of ideas; provocative but non-judgmental; respects both sides, or as many sides there are, to a conflict, and sees the conflict in its totality.

Ms Koscis said that ’empowerment of people is central to resolving crisis, as it gives them a better understanding of their conflict. It is necessary for those caught in the ‘web of conflict’ to connect with each other as human beings.

She said, “I don’t know who heroes are. But hundreds of journalists in South Africa, the Balkans and Macedonia, on the other side of the conflict, and investigated the real facts, are certainly heroes.
==

SOLVING INTER-CASTE CONFLICTS

Arindam Roy
Varanasi, February 25, 02

MEDIA has an important role to play in solving inter-ethnic conflicts, said Susan Koscis, vice president of arts and culture of the leading international NGO, ‘Search for Common Ground’. She felt that socially conscious film makers help strengthen the influence of film and video in transforming conflicts.

In an exclusive interview to Hindustan Times, she said, the role of the journalists is not to transform the society directly, but to be accurate to provide the readers as much context as they can. They should be careful that the views of both sides in a conflict are presented to the readers.

Koscis said, “Try to be balanced. Journalists cannot be neutral but they should leave ‘bias’, as much as possible, out of the story. It is important to ‘respect’ the conflicting views”.

Talking about how her NGO helped resolve the conflicts between Macedonia and Albania, she said, a 10 day workshop of the journalists of Macedonia and Albania was organized. A prominent lady journalist of the Los Angeles Times, who know both, the languages, conducted this programme. She trained them in investigative journalism, of looking beyond what was being said by an official or a minister. The veracity of their claims had to be ‘tested’, rather than merely reporting their speech. It brought about a change in attitude.

The Macedonian and Albanian journalists teamed up together and explored the facts. New vistas opened up for them. Many of them, with their own initiative continued to do a lot of stories together. They understood each other better. These stories were published in Macedonian and Albanian newspapers. The people too got an Insight into the facts, which helped weed out lot of ‘misgivings’.

Her NGO is working in 10 odd countries. On the first day of her two-day visit to the city, two films were screened on Monday, in the Senate Hall of Swatantra Bhavan at BHU. The first film, ‘Just a Little Red Dot’, is a dramatization of a true story that occurred several years ago in Canada.

It explored the conflict of a young Sri Lankan girl, when she entered the fifth grade. She finds herself alienated in the new environment. Other children tease and taunt her, as she is a newcomer, who cannot speak English and wears a little red dot (Bindi) on her forehead. The film shows how children and their parents revert to prejudice and fear. A conflict is born.

The school teacher helps resolve the conflict. The Sri Lankan girl distributes little red dots to her classmates. Soon it becomes a ‘cool thing’. The situation is transformed. The barriers between the kids break down. She said, though the film made for children. It helped resolve the inter-ethnic conflict for adults, as these children took up the role of educating their elders.

The second film, ‘Long Night’s Journey’ is an award –wining documentary. It depicted South Africa’s struggle to come to terms with its Apart held past. Four stories help raise broader is sues about how the black and the white communities tried to heal their wounds. It is about building a new South Africa from the ruins of hatred.
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20 lakh take dip at Sangam on Makar Sankranti

2009-02-11T14:02:00.000+05:30

A huge rush of devotees had converged at the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati from the wee hours of Tuesday-Wednesday night. The best period of the shnan (bathing) for Makar Sankranti was between 4.30am and 9am.

CJ: Arindam Roy , 14 Jan 2009 Views:296 Comments:0

AS THE sun moved into the summer solstice on Wednesday (Jan 14), 20 lakh pilgrims bathed in Triveni Sangam, on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. No untoward incidents were reported during the second important bathing day of the six-week fair, the annual Magh Mela, according to the district magistrate Rajeev Aggarwal.

A huge rush of devotees had converged at the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati from the wee hours of Tuesday-Wednesday night. The best period of the shnan (bathing) was between 4.30am and 9am, according to Alok Tripathi, a devout who has been bathing in Sangam for last 14 odd years.

The annual Magh (which coincides with the Hindu month), began on Magh Purnima (Jan 11). The arrangements are thorough and foolproof, as it is often likened to a mini Kumbh Mela, said a mela official, talking to merinews.

Pilgrims had started arriving for the Sankranti bathing, at the Mela area, from Tuesday (Jan 13). They came in tractors, bullock carts and trolley rickshaws. Some from nearby places walked slowly. The Sangam area had a colourful look, as people of various age groups rubbed shoulders and walked slowly. While some groups sang kirtans, others raised the cry, ‘Har Har Gangey’, ‘Ganga Mai ki Jai’, as they trudged along to the river banks.

Rekha Devi, a young mother, dragged her two half asleep children, at the Sangam Nose, at 4.30 am. Her son, who was barely eight years old, protested more than his sister. She appeared to be a couple of years elder to him. Rekha had some flowers and change of clothes in a plastic shopping bag. She was not interested in talking. I heard her children’s loud wail, as they were dragged into the Sangam waters. Soon, a wave of pilgrims arrived and I lost Rekha and her two children in the maddening crowd.

An old couple, in their eighties, was walking slowly to the river, aided by their sons and grandsons. The entire family was deeply concerned about the elders. They were asking the impossible crowd to give them a little way.

When the crowd parted, it seemed no less a miracle than the parting of the sea by Moses. All this was seen at about 6 am, the same day. A poor, childless widow, Suggi, in her seventies, told me that she had saved a fistful of grains from her daily meals, for years. The small savings that she generated, each day, year after year, helped her attend the fair this year.

It is interesting to see a temporary township spring up. It’s made of bamboo, tins and tents. Rows of shops and wayside vendors lend to the colour and mood of this vibrant fair, which is as old as Vedas, said Rahul Pandey, a Sanskrit scholar.

The entire Mela area has been subdivided into several sectors, with a sector magistrate looking after each sector. The district magistrate Aggarwal, who is also the Mela Adhikari, is heading the team of meal officials.

By Wednesday evening, the administration heaved a sigh of relief, as there were unconfirmed reports of a possible terrorist attack, according to a section of the media.

( http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=156293 )

Integrate social studies with science: Justice Katju

2009-02-11T13:59:00.000+05:30

The social program must form an essential part of the concept of Science Conclave, as it offered numerous opportunities for encounters and dialogue between young researchers and Nobel laureates, said Justice Markandey Katju at IIIT-A.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 22 Dec 2008 Views: 1086 Comments: 1

IT WAS final curtains for Asia’s first Science Conclave organised at Indian Institute of Information Technology – Allahabad (IIIT-A), on Sunday (Dec 22), at the Jhalwa campus, with a happy note.

Supreme Court judge, Justice Markandey Katju, speaking as the chief guest at the valedictory session held in the pandal asked the scientists to pay their equal attention towards social science for all-round development of the society.

Illustrating the things in depth, he successfully elaborated all the aspects of economics in collaboration with science to the students. He sought integration of social studies with science. “The social program must form an essential part of the concept of Science Conclave because it offered numerous opportunities for encounters and dialogue between young researchers and Nobel laureates and also between the young scientists themselves,” he said.

Elaborating the worldwide market recession, Justice Katju said if we fail to solve this crisis then despite having good science degrees, students remain out of jobs. Therefore, he urged the scientific fraternity to think over this critical aspect and then develop most appropriate technology in the country.

He suggested that scientists to help in making product strong and cost effective. He called upon the scientists to join hands in overcoming from the economic recession.

He asked the science students to give equal emphasis on reading economics, social science and other books, so that it may help in broadening of their thought process. This spectrum of thinking will increase resulting in the opening of new scientific thinking towards the challenging aspects of economic recession.

Elucidating the concept of Science Conclave, the IIIT-A director Dr MD Tiwari said that it was in the wake of promoting the scientific temperament and invigorating the studies and researches of sciences after the World War II that successful efforts were made at Lindau, Germany where since 1951, meetings of Nobel laureates had been continually held by the Council for Lindau Nobel Laureate meetings and Foundation Lindau Nobel Prize winners meetings at Lake Constance.

“In every meeting, about 20-30 Nobel laureates participate and some 500-700 students and young researchers come from all over the world to listen to the laureates' lectures and engage in discussions with them in an open and informal setting. Representatives of universities and academic institutions select participants based on strict criteria provided by the Council”.

Dr Tiwari further said that IIIT-A Science Conclave provided all participants with exceptional opportunities to take part in valuable scientific and personal contacts, cutting across national and cultural boundaries. The concept of bringing together Nobel laureates and students / young scientists in a relaxed and informal atmosphere remained the key denominator for the success of the meetings.

These unique events also attracted regularly many representatives of the media and their reports encouraged a dialogue between science and society. All contributed to a general understanding of science, a demand of increasing importance to the society. This meet provided a globally recognised forum for exchange of knowledge between Nobel laureates and young researchers.

In the morning session Dr. D.N. Talwar head of the department of Physics, Indiana University, Pensivliyana, US, addressed the students. He talked about nanotechnology and its implementations in daily life and technology. He illustrated the things by examples of Cathedral in Paris, Blue Mosque in Istanbul and strongest sword. He told how in the ancient time also this technology was in existence. That is how they were able to make coloured glasses, which never faded with passing time, even six centuries.

Talking about the strongest sword, he said that it was made of wootz steel, the composition of which we have come to know recently. All the colour effect he said were because of plasmonic effect and a new emerging field of science is coming up called nanophotonics.

Prof M Radhakrishna organising committee member informed as many as 1113 students comprising 984 students (659 male, 295 female), 146 teachers (122 male and 24 female) took part in the Science Conclave.

The PRO Pankaj Mishra’s initiative helped in wide coverage of the event in print, TV and the only online media, merinews.com.

The cultural evening saw Shovana Narayan present her vivid classical, dance while main attraction of the Saturday evening were noted Gazal singer duet Bhupendra and Mitali. They enthralled the audience rendering melodious gazals and Hindi film songs. It was their first visit to the city. They promised to come again, in the Sangam city, where knowledge, myth and history confluence.

(http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=154214 )

Daksha Sheth expresses the agony and ecstasy of dance

2009-02-11T13:51:00.000+05:30

Daksha Sheth’s dance tells you that she has broken barriers to release her supreme artistic creativity. Dance is her catharsis, her agony and ultimate ecstasy. Her fluid movements and effortless grace holds you spellbound.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 20 Dec 2008 Views:1319 Comments:0

DAKSHA SHETH, a prominent danseuse and choreographer in India enthralled the Science Conclave participants presenting fusion of western and Indian music at Indian Institute of Information Technology-Allahabad (IIIT-A), on Thursday (Dec 18) evening.

The gutsy and dynamic dancer Daksha started her career with traditional dance. During 18 years, she was a traditional dancer and as such she was making a living and doing well. But she wanted to switch over to contemporary dance - and worked hard for many years to make a breakthrough in this field.

Daksha’s dance tells you that she has broken barriers to release her supreme artistic creativity. Dance is her catharsis, her agony and ultimate ecstasy. Her fluid movements and effortless grace holds you spellbound.

She presented various compositions at IIIT-A. She began with Ganesh Vandana (the text is from the Sama Veda). The music was composed by Devissaro.

The main elements of Daksha’s dance performances are a blend of the traditional with the modern. She gives expressions to her artistic talent, gaining the liberty of free verse in her dance forms.

Though she has retained elements from the traditional dance forms, she amalgamated it with modern music, clothes and movements in an interesting way.

Daksha adapts electric guitar music to the old Kathak footwork, complete with ankle bells and gracious arm movements. She combines classical Indian martial arts, yoga, Kathak and Chhau dance techniques.

Daksha - famous as one of India´s most prominent dancers - has a dance studio in New Delhi, which symbolises for the modern Indian dance what Merce Cunningham is for modern dance in the western world. Here, traditional techniques are given new energy and new expressions in a way which attracts best dancers from around the country.

She is one of the most sought-after teachers in both classical forms and new Indian dance.

Her dance company has won international acclaim for its dance-theatre production that brings together performing artistes from many disciplines drawing on the wealth of their traditions.

( http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=154090 )

Adopt technology to dispose pending cases: SC judge

2009-02-11T13:46:00.000+05:30

Justice PP Naolekar of the Apex Court asked Nobel scientists at IIIT-A to devise such technology that can help in disposal of legal cases in the Indian courts. It was essential to adopt suitable technology for streamlining pending cases.

CJ: Arindam Roy , 20 Dec 2008 Views:1816 Comments:0

SUPREME COURT Justice PP Naolekar has asked scientists to devise such technology that can help in disposal of legal cases in the Indian courts.

Addressing at the Science Conclave at Indian Institute of Information Technology-Allahabad (IIIT-A), Justice Naolekar on Saturday (Dec 20) said that 30 years ago only 20- 30 cases had to be witnessed lying pending before the courts but now several cases were in queue to be finally disposed off in Indian courts. Therefore, he urged the science fraternity to develop a technology in order to expedite the pending court cases.

Owing the welfare of the citizens of the country as main concern of the judiciary, it was essential to adopt suitable technology for streamlining pending cases.

He said application of mind was essential requirement in delivery of judgment considering the complication of facts and witnesses. Justice Naolekar lauded the initiative taken by IIIT-A to promote the basic science and research in India through organising this Nobel scientists’ congregation.

In his welcome speech Dr M D Tiwari, IIIT-A director said that technologies, whatever aspect they are concerned with, are dependent on scientific methods and methodologies. Newer and newer scientific researches, sharpen, update and advance technologies. The world today is highly competitive and technologies, if not updated and upgraded, fall sick and are rendered off-beat and un-competitive. So there is constant scope for upgradation of technologies that is possible only with the held of latest scientific researches. He presented Science Conclave momento to Justice Naolekar.

Later, students and teachers had marathon informal discussions with Nobel scientists over tea in the pandal.

( http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=154089 )

Nobel laureate Martin Perl: Young see things better

2009-02-11T13:42:00.000+05:30

Nobel Physicist Dr. Martin L. Perl said that sound health, dedication, good colleagues and friends are necessary to be progress in one’s field. Basic and applied researches are equal and have great significance, he said.

CJ: Arindam Roy , 19 Dec 2008 Views:1737 Comments:0

ON THE fifth day (Friday, Dec 19) of the country’s first Science Conclave, at the Indian Institute of Information Technology-Allahabad (IIIT-A), several activities kept the participants busy throughout the day.

In the morning, an open panel discussion comprising of Prof Martin L Perl, Prof Harold (Harry) Walter Kroto, Prof Jerome Issac Friedman, Prof DN Talwar, Dr M D Tiwari, Prof GC Nandi, Prof Radhakrishna and Prof US Tiwari was organised in the huge pandal which discussed upon several aspects of science education in the world.

The panel members concluded that science and research can only be motivated with the help of all social classes, government, industries and educational institutions. The panel members replied a volley of questions asked by students and teachers present in the pandal.

Later, addressing the students Nobel Physicist Dr. Martin L. Perl said that sound health, dedication, good colleagues and friends are necessary to be progress in one’s field.
During the interactive session with students he enlisted these three things as important to keep going with one’s work.

He put forward some of the famous questions related to astronomical sciences like the possibility of life on other planets, whether space is curve or flat, etc and looking for newer methods to investigate into these areas, as he believed that the “young see the things better”.

Prof Perl said that the important thing in research is that you should never take any argument personally, on yourself. He emphasised on the fact that every research converges to give a proper result and the result should be such that it should be mutually agreed upon by everyone.

On being asked that how did he chose his field, he said that he was obsessed with the elementary particles of atom and also discussed about his perception of the Big Bang theory, the black hole, the new concept of “antigravity”, relative stability of elementary particles.

When asked that what other fields he would select if he has given an opportunity once again, he said that he would like to do research on medical sciences, specially brain and the nerve sensing.

Prof Perl also discussed his education till high school, his inclination of becoming a successful engineer to do some ‘interesting things’ and how he turned toward sciences on the suggestion of his professor that exploring sciences would be much ‘more interesting’. He also spoke about the availability of resources at that time in the US due to threat of Russian technologies.

He also dealt on religion, as it is the way of life and doing charity to help the poor is the best way of life, when asked about any religion constraints he had to face .There was a lot of discussion about the ethical issues hampering researches to which Dr. Mishra answered that researches must go on if it is in benefit of mankind.

Prof Perl also answered a query related to basic research and applied research, stating that both these are equal and have great significance.

He ended the session reiterating the effect that one should work in the areas of one’s interest and enjoy it to have the best output, and the work atmosphere should be full of good friends such that everyone is happy working together with due to respect for each and every person.

The mathematics department continued attracting a large number of students in the Science Conclave for attending the interactive session with Noble laureates. Prof Jerome Isaac Friedman answered the queries of the students. He was ready to enhance their knowledge.

Prof. Friedman inspired the students by telling them about his high school life and by informing how he got interested in Physics after reading a book on theory of relativity by Sir Albert Einstein. He asked the students to develop an interest in the field of science and enjoy the work which they do because this will give them the true satisfaction, even greater satisfaction than winning a Nobel Prize.

He also urged the students to enhance their knowledge about humanity because it is better to become a good human being first and a scientist later. For the students, who will form the future of the world, his message was to keep their mind open, to be ready to take risks and also not only to think about the problem but also the solutions to these problems.

Students asked their queries, which Prof Friedman answered, readily. There were questions relating to importance of mathematics and he answered by explaining the use of mathematics in every field of science, like physics, chemistry and biology. Especially for physics he said that both go hand in hand and without mathematics there would not be any development in modern physics.

He said that everything in mathematics represents something in the physical world but these are our constraints that we are able to understand only a few amongst them. Then there were many questions related to Hadron Collider, atomic clocks and also about the work related to the discovery of quarks and he took a great delight answering these queries.

( http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=154021 )

Education must get media’s attention: Atwal at IIIT-A

2009-02-11T12:08:00.000+05:30

Mass media must give credence to education. The corporate sector and industry must support the study of science and its research and development, as they gain from it the most, said deputy speaker of the Lok Sabha, at IIIT-A.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 18 Dec 2008 Views:1170 Comments:0

THE MASS media should not confine itself to entertainment and sports. Education must get some attention from the mass media, which has emerged as a significant agent of social change.

These views were expressed by Charanjit Singh Atwal, deputy speaker, Lok Sabha, while addressing as the chief Guest at the Science Conclave at Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad (IIIT-A) here on Thursday (Dec 18).

He said once society realises the importance of science, parents will encourage children to opt for sciences and schools will provide better facilities for encouraging scientific study as a discipline. As is done in the western countries, the corporate sector and the industry must support the study of science and research in our centres of higher learning like the universities, IITs and IIITs, rather than leave it entirely to the state as they are the immediate beneficiaries of the advances in science.

“Similarly, we need to promote science events like this one to inculcate interest in science among the people; IIIT-A’s effort to hold Science Conclave is an innovative idea. Bagging the Noble prize is a lifetime task of ceaseless endeavor and constant study and only a few are fortunate enough to get it. The ability to interact with such versatile minds like Prof Claude Choen Tannudji, Prof Jerome Issac Friedman, Prof Harlold Kroto and Prof Martin L Perl is indeed very fortunate. I am sure it would prove to be very inspiring for the participating pool of scientists to learn several things from these scholars,” said the Atwal.

He said the TV, which is very popular now-a-days, hardly offers any science programmes to fire the imagination of the younger generations. “I am glad that AIR has a programme called science magazine named radio scope, though radio had lost much its earlier popularity to the TV. Gone were the days when children were made to listen to the radio classes at the school level as part of learning”.

Presiding over today’s function, Prof Raj Reddy from Carneige Mellon University spoke on the intelligence system. He said Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a big science, demanding a significant chunk of research and amount. In this age of huge budget deficits and many exciting ideas competing for constant research funds, it is only natural for a research manager to want to invest the research dollar wisely in activities.

Referring recent advances in AI, he said that what can we do today that we could not do thirty years ago? It is fortunate that AI has several areas in which there has been sustained research over the past twenty to thirty years. These areas are chess, natural language, speech, vision, robotics and expert systems.

He illustrated the progress by providing a historical perspective on some of these areas. Speech recognition has a long history of being one of the difficult problems in AI and computer science. As one goes from problem solving tasks to perceptual tasks, the problem characteristics change dramatically: knowledge poor to knowledge rich; low data rates to high data rates; slow response time (minutes to hours) to instantaneous response time. These characteristics taken together increase the computational complexity of the problem by several orders of magnitude.

Further, speech provides a challenging task domain, which embodies many of the requirements of intelligent behavior: operate in real time; exploit vast amounts of knowledge; tolerate erroneous data; use language and learn from the environment.
Voice input to computers offers a number of advantages. It provides a natural, hands-free, eyes-free, location- free input medium.

However, there are many as yet unsolved problems that prevent routine use of speech as an input device by non experts. These include cost, real-time response, speaker independence, robustness to variations such as noise, microphone, speech rate and loudness, and the ability to handle spontaneous speech phenomena such as repetitions and restarts. Satisfactory solutions to each of these problems can be expected within the next decade.

Recognition of unrestricted spontaneous continuous speech appears unsolvable at the present. However, by the addition of simple constraints, such as a clarification dialogue to resolve ambiguity, we believe it will be possible to develop systems capable of accepting very large vocabulary and continuous speech dictation before the turn of the century.

Work in speech recognition predates the invention of computers. However, serious work in speech recognition started in the late fifties with the availability of digital computers equipped with A/D converters. The problems of segmentation, classification, and pattern matching were explored in the sixties and a small vocabulary connected speech robot control task was demonstrated. In the early seventies, the role of syntax and semantics in connected speech recognition was explored and demonstrated as part of the speech understanding program.

Dr M D Tiwari, IIIT-A director in his welcome speech said Science Conclave had proved to be significant one. Students here had got a rare chance with interacting with five different Nobel scientists. He said this Conclave was set to revolutionise our present pattern of basic science subjects. Dr Tiwari presented the deputy Lok Sabha speaker a key of knowledge as a momento of the Science Conclave.

On Wednesday cultural evening, renowned Gazal singer Pinaz Masani enthralled the audience with her love, pain and patriotism based gazals. Students danced to the tune of Dama Dum Mast Kalandar.

( http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=153389 )

5 Nobel laureates at the Science Conclave, IIIT-A

2009-02-11T12:02:00.000+05:30

On the second day of the Science Conclave 2008, at IIIT-A, five Nobel laureates dealt with the importance of fundamental science. They together formed an interesting spectrum. The audience was spellbound.

CJ: Arindam Roy , 16 Dec 2008 Views:1623 Comments:1

NOBEL LAUREATE Harold (Harry) Walter Kroto, began his short speech, at the second day’s inauguration ceremony, at the Science Conclave 2008, thus, “I will repeat what Henry VIII told his wife, before slaying her: I won’t keep you very long…”

He was speaking at the Indian Institute of Information Technology-Allahabad (IIIT-A), on Tuesday (Dec 16) afternoon.

Prof Kroto from UK, told the august gathering, “You brought us some good food, some good restaurants. Competition is unhealthy and counterproductive in science. Do sciences because you enjoy it, just as you might enjoy sports…I only hope England wins for a change.”

Nobel laureate Prof Claude Cohen Tannoudji remarked, “It’s fantastic to spend a week here amongst fellow scientists and students. Despite violence and hate, it’s nice to see scientists come together to promote science and culture.”

Another Nobel laureate Martin Lewis Perl, an American physicist, from California, lauded tremendous contribution that India has made to the US in general and California, from where he hailed, in particular. “It has brought the wonderful Indian dance, art and culture along with science.

There is a collaboration in science and culture between the US and India,” he said.

American physicist Jerome Issac Friedman, awarded Nobel Prize, in 1990, noted that the Conclave brought the brightest and best students together to discuss science and interact. “It’s up to the new generation to carry forward the tradition of science. In addition to great technology, we need great basic science. We should have true knowledge to support technology,” he said.

He cited the example of the discovery of transistor. He said that those responsible for its discovery had very good knowledge of quantum mechanics. He confessed that he enjoyed the decision to become a scientist. The students too would enjoy it.

Prof Slavnov Andrei Alekseevich, reminded the audience that the future of science does not only depend on the government but also on them. He smiled and added, “It doesn’t matter if you get a Nobel Prize or not.”

(http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=153226)

Nobel laureate Prof Kroto infects youth with passion

2009-02-11T11:57:00.000+05:30

It was a treat for the youth at Science Conclave 2008, at IIIT-A, when they heard a Nobel laureate mix passion, humour and concepts of science, on Tuesday morning. Prof Harold Kroto asked them to enjoy science.

CJ: Arindam Roy , 16 Dec 2008 Views:1270 Comments:0

PROFESSOR HAROLD (Harry) Walter Kroto, Nobel Prize winner 1996 in Chemistry delivered a lecture here in the Indian Institute of Information Technology-Allahabad (IIIT-A). A huge crowd could be seen in the pandal, about 1800 students probably, sitting there with cent percent absorption, to see the man who has discovered Fullerene.

He inspired and infected the youth for taking fundamental science with his passion and humour.

One of them said, in a state of disbelief “Is this the man who developed C-60, which I have been reading about in my books from 7th grade?” And yes, he was there before them, in flesh and blood.

Prof Kroto who started off his speech with a blasting sound, to which he said, “This was just to wake you up, I myself sleep in some lectures.” It was a pretty surprise to the audience, which was in peels of laughter. Can a Noble Prize winner be so amusing, so funny? And yet how intellectual and innovative he has been throughout his life!

The Noble laureate throughout his lecture made sure that everybody was attentive by cracking jokes and by showing various humorous things. Many felt all this was least expected from a man of his wisdom. It was like a treat for the audience, because it helped them really well to get a hang of what the professor was talking about.

Prof Kroto, started of his presentation by showing his drawings, pictures of games he played in the university, the magazines he was involved in, etc. And then he said, “Just don’t do science, do everything else too.” Then as the lecture proceeded, he showed some of his friends during the university days, where to the surprise to all he showed the picture of Magneto from X-Men and Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings. He said, “Enjoy your work while you can”.

Prof Kroto started with some chemistry of how stars blow up. Humor could be seen in his slides and his presentation of the lecture. It was so amusing to see the students laugh and enjoy a lecture of a Nobel laureate.

He then moved to his discovery Fullerenes. His area of interest happens to be one of the hottest areas today, nanotechnology, where he talked about nano-tubes and nano-wires. He talked about the significance of Nanotechnology and how it will prove to be one of the most influential molecular devices.

Although in the midst of this chemistry jargon he didn’t’ forget to mention about his life, by showing the photographs of various colleagues and friends from throughout the globe.

He said, “Science is international in a way that nothing is!” He stressed upon how science above all religion and demographics unite the people across the globe. It doesn’t matter what language they speak, what they beliefs they have, he said “Science community is one community, which speaks one language,” and he also said, “As you work in this community you will make friends forever.”

Moving forward, he talked little more about Fullerenes like Ion Mobility Experiment, which he carried out to discover Fullerenes. He also talked more about the nanotubes, the birth of nanotubes and where the nanotechnology is going.

About nanotechnology, Professor Kroto said, “It’s not new at all it exists within you, within your body”. He showed how nanotech will be used to bundle together 10^15 nanotubes sticking together with the Vander-wall forces to make a structure 100 times stronger but yet lightweight.

He also talked about how molecules can be dynamic, they can move. He showed this with a very funny example of dog shaped molecule and how it moves because it drank a lot of Indian beer.

He also showed an example where zinc lattice was fused together with oxygen and ammonium and how the nitrogen atom moved, this concept of molecules being dynamic was one of the major things that he wanted to point out.

Concluding his lecture, he showed some of the programs he is running to help science. He guided students to take the help of the internet by showing some valuable programs like GEOSET. He urged students attending his lecture to use the internet to do research.

He said, “The crowd here has a huge capability of learning, so you go and ask your professor to get you this kind of facility to do research.” Overall the crowd seemed to enjoy his lecture. The professor mixed intelligence with humor and science, to explain to the gathering tough concepts.

(http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=153218 )

Chaddha Committee proposals approved: Arjun Singh

2009-02-11T11:51:00.000+05:30

The Union HRD minister Arjun Singh informed that the Chaddha Committee recommendations for varsity teachers have been approved by the cabinet. A Bill has been placed for making primary education a Fundamental Right.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 16 Dec 2008 Views:880 Comments:0

THE CABINET has ratified and implemented the recommendations of the Chaddha Committee in a recent meeting. The university teachers, who were on an agitation mode, would be more than satisfied, as practically the entire report has been approved. Though it has taken 14 months, the varsity teachers would be satisfied, informed the Union Human Resource Development (HRD) minister, Arjun Singh.

He was talking to the media, during a press meet, at the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad (IIIT-A), on Tuesday (December 16) afternoon. The minister was here to participate in the Science Conclave 2008.

He agreed that there is an imbalance between education and infrastructure of resources. This needs to be rectified soon.

In reply to a political question, Singh said that the after thinking deep and searching for answers regarding the defeat of Congress in Madhya Pradesh, it can be said that the parameters of the people have changed. What is important to us is of no consequence to the electorate and vice-versa. The Bhartiya Janta Party’s (BJP) victory was due to the positive votes, he candidly accepted.

Regarding possible tie-ups with regional parties, in various states, ahead of the forthcoming general elections, the minister said that a felt-need has to be there both on the part of the regional parties and the Congress. It would depend on ‘paristhiti’ (condition).

Singh added that though a Bill for making primary education a Fundamental Right has placed in the Parliament on Monday (Dec 15), it may not become a law in this session, as general elections are round the corner.

He stated that two new Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs) are being set up at Indore (Madhya Pradesh) and Mandi (Himachal Pradesh). Regarding the upgradation of Beneras Hindu University Information Technology (BHU-IT) to the level IIT, Singh informed that the outlay has been provisioned in the 11th Five Year plan.

Rupees 40 to 50 thousand crores would be spent for higher education in the country, this includes IITs, National Institute of Technologies (NITs), universities, etc, in the 11th Five Year Plan.

In reply to a query about starting courses on cyber crime in the universities, in the light of escalation of terrorist attacks, Singh said that a two-year course postgraduate course is there in IIIT-A.

(http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=153209)

Science is a source of human progress: Prof Tannoudji

2009-02-11T11:47:00.000+05:30

Nobel laureates and diplomats called upon the youth – scholars, teachers and scientists – dealt with the development of fundamental science, at the inauguration of the high profile Science Conclave 2008, at IIIT-A, on Monday.

CJ: Arindam Roy , 15 Dec 2008 Views:1235 Comments:1

NOBEL LAUREATE Claude Cohen Tannoudji dealt with the objectives of science. He said, “Science has a complete vision of the world. Science is a source of human progress and it develops a sense of dialogue.”

He was speaking at the inauguration of the high profile Science Conclave 2008, at the Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad (IIIT-A), during the inauguration of the Conclave, on Monday (Dec 15).

Prof Tannoudji was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics (1997) for the development of methods to cool and trap atoms with laser lights. He shared the honours with two other scientists Steven Chu and William Daniel Philips.

Prof Slavnov Andrei Alekseevich, a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and doctor of Physico-Mathematical sciences lamented that the achievements of fundamental science are used for the development of technology and industry. Development in the fields of science and technology should go side by side.

If technology grows at the cost of fundamental science, it will bring about the death of the latter, and in turn, technology and industry would suffer. He stated, “Development of science depends on the people involved in it.”

Dr Abid Hussain, former Indian Ambassador to the US and guest of honour at the week-long Science Conclave 2008 called upon the youth of this country, when he said, “Don’t give up the courage to dream. The stupidest ideas that come in your mind will become the stars of tomorrow. Let your imagination be fired….you should have the courage to test the best and try out its limits.”

Lacing his speech with anecdotes and interesting stories, Dr Hussain held the audience spellbound. He said that young scientists should ‘dig deep into the future and see the impossible’. He reminded the audience of a Spanish tale, “O traveller, why are you looking here and there; there is no road here but as you go along the path shall be found.” He also quoted Tagore’s Ekla cholo re (walk alone) asking the young scientists to march forward fearlessly.

The former diplomat appealed to the scientists and technocrats to work for the progress of commoners.

The chief guest of the function, Dr A R Kidwai, governor, Haryana, emphasised on the promotion of education and teaching of fundamental science and technology. He said that it is necessary for obtaining the expected growth in the field of economy.

He lauded Indian scientists and said that they have made the nation proud in distant countries.

(Link: http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=153143)

8 Nobel laureates to inspire youth at IIIT-Allahabad

2009-02-11T11:41:00.000+05:30

In the week-long Science Conclave, at IIIT-A, from December 15 to 21, several Nobel Prize winners will spend time interacting with youngsters and inspire them with their passion in the areas of physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics.

CJ: Arindam Roy , 14 Dec 2008 Views:7430 Comments:5

ASIA’S FIRST ever Science Conclave with eight Nobel laureates is being organised at the Indian Institute of Information Technology-Allahabad (IIIT-A), at its Jhalwa premises, between December 15 and 21. It is being supported by the Human Resource Development (HRD) and Science and Technology ministries, GoI.

IIIT-A is all set to create a history in the field of promoting pure sciences by hosting Asia’s first ever Science Conclave with Nobel laureates.

Dr MD Tiwari, founding director IIIT-A, said "For the first time in Indian and Asian history, Nobel Laureates, leaders, policymakers, research scholars and students including the first batch of the ‘Inspire’ programme by the department of Science and Technology will participate in the Conclave to discuss the emerging trends in the scientific research and technological innovations in the world of science.

“This is a great opportunity for the Indian scientific community particularly young minds to interact with global veterans and stalwarts in the respective scientific disciplines. A few thousand scientists, post-graduate students and others are expected to converge and interact with the Nobel Laureates at IIIT-A for the event."

He added that since 1951, the Lindau Nobel Laureates' Meeting has inspired thousands of minds from across Germany to see light in the areas of science and research. India has now decided to borrow the same idea and expose its youth to intensive interactions with Nobel laureates who can share their passion and excitement in pure sciences.

Among those who will travel to India are Martin Lewis Perl, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1995 for the discovery of the tau, which was the first sign that a third family of fundamental building blocks existed; Jerome Isaac Friedman, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1990 for being a part of a team of researchers who found clear signs that there existed an inner structure in the protons and neutrons of the atomic nucleus, thus paving the way for further investigation of the innermost structures of matter.

Awarded with Nobel Prize in Physics in 1996, Robert C. Richardson and others discovered at the beginning of the 1970s, in the low-temperature laboratory at Cornell University, that the helium isotope helium-3 can be made superfluid at a temperature only about two thousandths of a degree above absolute zero.

Sir Harod (Harry) Walter Kroto got the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1996 discovered new forms of the element carbon called fullerenes_in which the atoms are arranged in closed. Fullerenes are formed when vaporised carbon condenses in an atmosphere of inert gas.

Other Nobel laureates slated to attend are Sir Tannuodji, Prof Slavnov, Prof Douguls D Osheroff, Prof Avram Harshko etc. The decisive theory explaining how the atoms interact and are ordered in the superfluid state was formulated in the 1970s by Anthony Leggett.

Two Nobel scholars will not be able to make it, thus in all eight Nobel laureates would participate in the week-long Science Conclave.

Close to 1,300 students pursuing a bachelor's or master's degree in science and young researchers from across the country, apart from 600 others who recently cleared their High School examination, will participate in the Conclave.

The Union HRD minister Arjun Singh will formally inaugurate the Science Conclave, on December 16, at 12 noon, in the huge pandal erected at the campus. RP Agarwal, secretary HRD will also grace the occasion that day. Famous cine artist and Rajya Sabha MP, Hema Malani alongwith her 40 member troupe will present a ballet performance in the evening from 6 pm.

Dr A R Kidwai, governor, Haryana and Dr Abid Husain, former Indian Ambassador to the US will be chief guest and guest of honour respectively, on the first day, December 15, at 11.30 am. Padamshri Dr Shobha Naidu will enthrall the audience with her Kuchipudi, while Padamsri Madhavi Mudgal will present an Odissi dance from 5 pm. Gazal singer Pinaz Masani will present her show on December 17 evening.

On December 18, Union minister for Science and Technology, Kapil Sibbal and deputy speaker Lok Sabha, Charanjit Singh Atwal will address the gathering at 11.30 am. That day’s cultural evening will feature Daksha Seth and group’s dance performance. Noted Bhajan singer Anoop Jalota will present his programme on December 19 evening.

Union Chemical and Fertilizers minister Ram Vilas Paswan and Justice PP Naolekar, Supreme Court judge, will take part in the Conclave on December 20, while in the evening Padamsri Dr Shovana Narayan will present Kathak, while famous Ghazal singer pair Bhupinder and Mitali will enthrall the audience with their performance from 5.30 pm.

Dr Tiwari echoed the views of several prominent Indian scientists, when he said, "During the 1960s and 1970s, brilliant students used to get into the science stream. But not anymore; most students go for professional streams.”

During the week-long Science Conclave from December 15 to 21, several Nobel Prize winners will spend time interacting with youngsters and inspiring them with their passion in the areas of physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics.

The week-long timetable, just like the annual Lindau summit, will see a series of lectures followed by interactions to encourage free flow of ‘thoughts and ideas’'. The special character of the Lindau Meetings is shaped by the fact that the Nobel laureates can freely choose the topics of their lectures. Here too, Nobel laureates will speak about topics they are passionate about.

“To document for posterity the invaluable knowledge imparted by Nobel Scientists across the world, the IIIT-A administration has permitted the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and the Consortium for Educational Communication (CEC) of the University Grants Commission to record the entire event. The proceedings will then be used for developing e-content to be broadcast by CEC through its 24-hour channel — Vyas — on higher education and by IGNOU through its educational web cast. This is done to present a repository of knowledge for generations to come,” Dr Tiwari informed.

(Link: http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=153028)

Anger into Action: Mumbai, ideate & act now

2009-02-11T11:36:00.000+05:30

Alyque Padamsee has called angry Mumbaikars to turn their rage into action. A massive rally will be held at the Gateway of India, on Dec 3, to ideate and come up with an action plan for a city that’s bleeding: an exclusive interview.

CJ: Arindam Roy , 2 Dec 2008 Views:6667 Comments:6

ALYQUE PADAMSEE, winner of the Karmaveer Puraskaar, a year back, for ‘lifelong fight for social justice and action,’ has once again taken up the cudgels for Mumbai. In an exclusive telephonic interview to merinews.com, he said that thousands of angry citizens would gather at the Gateway of India, on Wednesday (Dec 3), evening.

“It would be a rally with a difference. There would be no speeches or candlelight vigil. We don’t want to waste the anger of the people. The rally called ‘Anger into Action’ will start with a condolence of two minutes for all those who laid down their lives in the recent terrorist attack,” he informed.

Padamsee added that thereafter it would be an open session, when the discussions would be thrown open to the people. “Each speaker would be given two minutes to speak. One minute to come up with the ideas and the next minute for detailing how it could be transformed into action,” said country’s top adman and theatre personality.

He opined that sometimes people come up with ‘good ideas’. “The Greek call it ‘cathartic experience’. All pent-up feelings need to be channelised. It’s like psychotherapy.”

Informing about the action plan, Padamsee said that a committee would be set up, which would collate the ideas in the rally. “The committee would screen all the ideas, which are implementable. We will call them once again after 30 days and form a forum of the citizens.”

Replying to a question, Padamsee, the social activist said, “No one has done anything for the city. The people of this city need to come forward and decide what they want to do for it.”

His anger against the politicians (though he did not name them) was palpable. He confided, “We have thousands of ideas ourselves but we want the people to take the first step forward.”

Meanwhile, an SMS has been doing rounds for a few days in Mumbai. Sample it here:

Come with angry friends to Citizens Action Rally this Wed 6pm at Gateway of India… “Anger into Action.” Your fellow Mumbaikar, Alyque Padamsee. PL PASS THIS ON.

The Anger into Action rally is being organised, exactly a week later, at the very place, which witnessed the worst holdup between the terrorists and security personnel. Mumbai iconic hotel Taj was in shambles, after it was sanitised of the terrorists after 59 odd hours.

(Link: http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=151436 )

Daiichi Sankyo to buy out Ranbaxy: US$ 2.7 to 3.7 bn

2009-02-11T11:33:00.000+05:30

Japanese major Daiichi Sankyo is all set to buy out Ranbaxy, paying anything between 30 per cent and 50 per cent premium for the pharmaceutical company. It would mean the complete exit of Ranbaxy promoters from the company.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 11 Jun 2008 Views:1597 Comments:0

THE PHARMACEUTICAL poster boy Malvinder Singh is all set to sell 34.8 per cent stake in Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd to the Japanese firm, Daiichi Sankyo Co. Thereafter, the Japanese major will have to make a purchase offer of an additional 20 per cent from the ordinary shareholders, as per the Indian laws.

Daiichi Sankyo would hold a controlling 51 per cent stake in the Indian company. Board meeting of Ranbaxy was on at Gurgoan, at the time of filing this report.

The deal is estimated at 300 to 400 bn Yen, which translates to US $ 2.7 to 3.7 bn. It is the biggest deal in the history of Indian pharma takeover by an international company.

Though the promoters of Ranbaxy, Malvinder Singh and Shivinder Singh will hold about 26 per cent stake in the firm, it would mean the complete exit of Ranbaxy promoters from the company. Sources inform that the Indian promoters would continue to play ‘important role’ in the international conglomerate.

The multi-billion dollar sale caused a positive breadth in the market. As many as 863 shares have advanced, while 195 shares declined on the NSE. Midcap and small cap indices were up over 1.5 per cent each, on Wednesday morning.

It is learnt that Malvinder is flying off to Japan, on Wednesday (June 11) evening.

(Link: http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=135574 )

Food belt, Knowledge corridor with Japan’s cooperation

2009-02-11T11:28:00.000+05:30

A Japanese delegation expressed interest in food belt, infrastructure, tourism and education sectors. The Freight corridor was ICF’s brainchild. It now proposed the development of food belt, which can feed entire Asia, and Knowledge corridor.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 15 Apr 2008 Views: 1240 Comments: 0

A HIGH-level delegation of leading bankers and investors from Japan expressed deep interest in infrastructure, tourism and education sectors of Bihar, a state with rich cultural background, which is known worldwide as land of Buddha.

The delegation, lead by Dr. Shimada Haruo, former special advisor for Economic and Fiscal Policy to the cabinet office of Japanese Prime Minister, expressed willingness for the development of the region as envisioned by India Center Foundation (ICF). The study tour by this delegation was a result of the efforts by the foundation.

ICF proposed the development of food belt along the Ganga. The Gangetic plain is so fertile that the food grains produced here could feed entire Asia.

In the first phase of its tour the delegation visited two destinations of Bihar, Vikramshila and Patna. At Vikramshila, which is famous world over for one of the largest Buddhist Universities in the ancient period, Vibhav Kant Upadhyay, chairman, ICF, introduced the delegation with the glory and cultural diversity of India along with the potential and determination for the development.

Dr. Shimada Haruo expressed his wholehearted support for development of Bihar. He said, "I believe India and Japan can face the challenges of these changing times by mutual support. Our centuries old relations can be the alibi of my belief."

"In 2003, the ICF gave the concept of rapid transport system (RTS) connecting the four metropolitan cities in India, to the policy makers. In those days, I was the economic advisor to the Prime Minister of Japan, Junichiro Koizumi. There is no doubt that through these corridors India can reach its development goals much early. On the lines of economic corridor, there is one more concept of Knowledge Corridor between Delhi and Kolkatta. It will pass through Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. This corridor can make India able to use the capacity and potential of these states to the maximum," Dr. Shimada said.

People from Vikramshila cutting across all factions and party line were assembled for this noble cause. Amongst present on the occasion were, state Congress president Sadanand Singh, local MLA Ajay Manadal, Village Pradhan, and many other Panchayat representatives were standing united for the cause initiated by India Center Foundation. A local leader Nishi Kant said that it is an honour for the people of Vikramshila to carry world known legacy of knowledge and peace created by Buddha.

The delegation, then, attended a seminar, in Patna, on economic and development scenario in Bihar organised by Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI). Dr. Shaibal Gupta and Dr. Ghosh of ADRI made a presentation on socio-economic conditions in Bihar with the help of economic indicators and social conditions in Bihar.

Upadhyay, chairman, ICF expressed his concern for the state of Bihar, which is a fertile land of talents but they are not being nourished properly. He applauded the past glory of Bihar and connected it to the capital of wisdom in ancient times particularly world known Vikramshila and Nalanda Universities. Acting as a catalyst in nation building process India Center Foundation is evolving a global partnership between India and Japan. India Center Foundation gave the slogan of 'Strong India – Strong Japan' and 'Strong Japan – Strong India'. The same slogan is now the symbol of mutual co-operation between the two countries. On these lines both the countries can give a new direction to the world.

While concluding the seminar both ADRI and ICF agreed to work closely towards socio-economic development of Bihar and decided to work out new approaches and programs for the area.

(Link: http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=132537 )

Uma Bharti’s expulsion: Which way would the wind blow?

2009-02-11T11:23:00.000+05:30

Uma Bharti’s expulsion from BJS, the party that she created is ironical. The fiery leader’s return to the BJP is almost certain. She was to merge her party. The fog would be clear after she speaks to the media, on Thursday.

CJ: Arindam Roy , 2 Apr 2008 Views:1237 Comments:1

THIRTEEN STATE presidents of the Bhartiya Jana Shakti (BJS) party expelled its party president Uma Bharti, after they met in Delhi, on Wednesday evening. They elected its national general secretary (NGS) Prahlad Patel as the new party president.

Political circles are abuzz about a possible merger of BJS with BJP, anytime after April 7, during the Vasantik Navaratri. The move to expel her was triggered by Patel and his men, to embarrass her. Their offence is their defense. However, minus the fiery, feisty leader, BJS would be an insipid party, observers opine.

The BJP top leadership wanted to take her back in the party fold. The party president Rajnath Singh and senior leader Lal Krishna Advani were in agreement. The BJP has been mending fences with its estranged leaders. The return of Madan Lal Khurana to the BJP is a case in point.

Sources close to Bharti said that her expulsion was meaningless, null and void. One of them said, “Without Bharti, BJS is hollow.”

Meanwhile, Bharti would address a press conference at the New Delhi Press Club, on Thursday (April 3). The political developments that unfold would be interesting. An observer said, “Just wait and see which way the wind blows!”

(Link: http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=131660 )

MEA Pranab criticised for his comment on Dalai Lama

2009-02-11T11:18:00.000+05:30

The core group of Cause for Tibet has not taken the Minister of External Affairs (MEA) Pranab Mukherjee’s recent statement about Dalai Lama kindly. Terming it as ‘unfortunate,’ India’s failure to protect its own interests has also been mentioned.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 2 Apr 2008 Views:1264 Comments:0

THE STATEMENT by Pranab Mukherjee, Minister of External Affairs (MEA), asking His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet to keep off political activities and 'not to hurt India-China relations' is unfortunate. In a delicate point of history when the entire world is expressing serious concerns about Chinese government's inhuman response to Tibetan people's peaceful uprising against colonial repression, such remarks have dangerous potential of placing India on the wrong side on issues of freedom, democracy and human rights, stated Vijay Kranti, co-convener of core group of Cause for Tibet, reacting strongly to the minister’s recent statement.

India’s soft stand towards China, at the cost of Tibetan interests, has hurt the co-convener, who lambasted the senior minister. It’s an interesting political development, which is likely to have far-reaching consequences, feel political observers.

Kranti went on to say, “We invite Mukherjee to revisit this basic historic facts that H.H. the Dalai Lama took refuge in India in 1959 not just as the supreme religious leader of Tibet. More than this, he has also been the political leader and the head of state of Tibet before his country was forcibly occupied by People's Republic of China, in 1951. Hence the Dalai Lama's political role cannot be isolated from his responsibilities towards Tibetan people and the Tibetan nation.”

He further stated, “We would also like to hereby underline that since the government of India has perpetually failed in protecting India's national interests against endless mechanisms and bullying of PRC, the government of India or its MEA has no moral authority to stop the leader of an occupied country from performing his own duties towards his people and his country.”

It is important to remind Mukherjee that HH the Dalai Lama has repeatedly made it clear that he believes in non-violence and is keen to solve the Tibetan problem with the leaders of PRC through a peaceful and mutually respectful dialogue, stressed Kranti.

He said, “We there take this opportunity to appeal to the Indian government to make best use of its what so ever influence on the leaders of PRC to convince them to accept H.H. the Dalai Lama's reasonable offer.”

(Link: http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=131630 )

Has PM’s media adviser Baru resigned: Is election indicated?

2009-02-11T11:14:00.000+05:30

Has Sanjay Baru, PM’s media adviser resigned? His action, similar to Shakti Sinha in the Vajpayee tenure, is an issue of hot debate in power centers. Only time will tell if we are likely to have elections after August: Breaking News.

CJ: Arindam Roy , 1 Apr 2008 Views:1365 Comments:0

SANJAY BARU, the media adviser to the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has put in his papers, according to a buzz. He is slated to take up a teaching assignment in a Singapore University. According to highly placed sources, Baru exit, after August this year has fuelled speculation of election anytime after that.

Sources close to the PMO said that the former editor of Financial Express, who was responsible for Dr Singh’s public image, would teach economics in his next assignment. A doctorate from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Baru, is a respected journalist.
It is said that he was close to Dr Singh when he was a Finance minister during early Nineties. He was also a member of the National Security Advisory Board, other than being associated with leading newspapers.

A pattern is palpable. Earlier, just before the elections, Shakti Sinha, during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure as Prime Minister had jumped ship as well. He was the PM’s private secretary. A bureaucrat of the Union Territory cadre, he had taken up an assignment with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

PMO watchers opined that those near the power center are sure indicators of which way the wind is blowing. Just as Sinha hung his boots just before the Vajpayee government collapsed, is Baru too doing the same?

If Baru leaves after August is election far away, asked a highly placed source, with a smile and glint in his eyes.

(Link: http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=131597)

Tyranny of the Company

2009-02-11T11:07:00.000+05:30

The fifth and last part of the Allahabad Fort serial takes a look into the tyranny let loose by the Company’s servants. The far-reaching impact of exchange of robes between Shah Alam and Robert Clive changed the face of our country, forever.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 23 Feb 2008 Views:814 Comments:0

WHEN THE shortsighted Emperor Shah Alam signed the Treaty of Allahabad, with Robert Clive, on August 9, 1765, he wrote the death sentence of the Moghul Empire. By giving away the revenue collection rights of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, he had remained an emperor for namesake, a hollow ruler, with no powers, according to an underground publication, ‘Bharat mey Angrezi raaj’, by Pandit Sunderlal, a banned book in the British era, now with a private collector (name withheld on request).

Revenue collecting rights gave rise to rampant corruption amongst the East India Company’s servants. Their tyranny too was unparallel. Sample some of the English footnotes, of the book under reference.

In just over a month, after the signing of the Treaty of Allahabad, things had come to such a pass, that Clive wrote to the directors, on September 30, 1765, “The sources of tyranny and oppression, which have been opened up by the European agents acting under the authority of the Company’s servants, and the numberless black agents and sub-agents acting also under them, will, I fear, be a lasting reproach to English name in this country…. Ambition, success, and luxury, have, I find, introduced a new system of politics, at the severe expense of English honour, of the Company’s faith, and even of common justice and humanity.”

Warren Hastings’ period was perhaps the worst. He had only one aim, to make money by hook or crook. An English officer, Coolebrooke, wrote in a private letter to his father, on July 28, 1788: “It was Mr Hastings who filled the country with collectors and Judges, who adopted one pursuit --- a fortune. These harpies were no sooner let loose on the country, than they plundered the inhabitants with or without pretences…. Justice was dealt out to the highest bidder by the Judges, and thieves paid regular revenue to rob with impunity…

“Nor did his crooked policies and shameless breach of faith affect none but the princes and great men; the deposition of zaminders, the plundering of Begums, the extermination of the Rohillas may be forgotten, but the cruelties acted in Gorukhpore will forever be quoted to the dishonour of the British name.

“The system upon which the British dominions have been governed in the East, has affected the happiness of the people … not to mention the monopolies of salt and opium, or the principles upon which the Company’s investment has been provided, I may confine myself to stretching the land rent to the utmost sum they can produce. A proprietor of an estate under Moghul government seldom paid half of the produce of his estate, and in small properties much less; he was further allowed to take credit for a certain sum by way of pension or held rent-free land in lieu thereof. Under the Company, a landholder is allowed ten per cent of net produce as his share…

“The treatment of the people has been such as will make them remember the yoke as the heaviest that ever conquerors put upon the necks of the conquered nations.”

(Link: http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=130457

Treaty of Allahabad: A weak Emperor changed history

2009-02-11T11:01:00.000+05:30

Akbar’s Fort had its blemish in history. A weak Emperor Shah Alam signed the Treaty of Allahabad. He was a puppet in the hands of the Company and the Marathas. Here’s the fourth part of the Fort serial, in the light of Akbar-Jodha controversy.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 22 Feb 2008 Views:1432 Comments:1

THE ARMY’S into Akbar’s Fort, popularly known as Allahabad Fort, is similar to the guest who came home for dinner but never left. Two hundred and forty three years ago, in 1765, the East India Company (hereafter, Company) had entered the Allahabad Fort, following the signing of the Treaty of Allahabad, between the Moghul Emperor Shah Alam and the Governor General Robert Clive.

Shah Alam was a weak emperor. The Jats had started attacking Delhi by the mid-18th century. They had established their supremacy in and around Agra. The Marathas, who had established their domination in Deccan, brought Shah Alam to Allahabad fort and had kept him under their protection. In fact, after the Battle of Plassey, in 1757, British interference had increased, said Prof Susheel Srivastava, who teaches modern history, in Allahabad University.

In 1764, there was the Battle of Buxar, when Sujauddaula, the Nawab of Avadh, who was the Wazir (minister) of the Emperor, alongwith the Emperor’s army, joined the forces of Mir Quasim. The Company’s forces chased them away as far as Kara. The Britishers had kept their reinforcement in Chunar fort. That helped them to consolidate their position. Clive was not in India, when the battle was fought and won. So Verelst, an English officer was busy drafting a pact with Shah Alam, wherein he wanted that the Emperor should completely annihilate Sujauddaula. Meanwhile, Clive returned to India and exchange of robes took place between him and Moghul Emperor, according to Prof Srivastava.

He added that on that very day, as per an arrangement made by Clive, the Treaty of Allahabad was signed. It was decided that the revenues of Allahabad, Kara and Manikpur (the latter two areas were very fertile) was to be given to the Emperor and an indemnity of Rs 30 lakh was imposed on Sujauddaula. As per this treaty, the Emperor was to be protected by the forces of the Company. A garrison was placed in the Allahabad Fort. The Company, in return, got the Diwani (revenue collecting rights) of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.

By the year 1772, Shah Alam had decided to return to Delhi, under the protection of the Marathas. He had been reduced to a puppet in their hands. Thus, Allahabad, Kara and Manikpur came totally under Company’s influence. By 1801, the Nawab of Avadh had failed to pay the heavy indemnity imposed on him. Thus, the Company occupied east UP, upto Gorakhpur and beyond. The tyranny and cruelty of the English was such that they managed to control the entire area east of Allahabad, he explained.

That was a time of pillage and plunder. The Company’s managers were very corrupt. But, by the year 1772, much of the corruption was contained. Only a select few were corrupt. The question before the Company was how to make money. Trade was the answer. The silk trade from Beneras (Varanasi) was stepped up. By the year 1800, opium was taken from east UP. Thus, with Allahabad Fort under their control and the three states under their sway, the Company was controlling entire east UP (alongwith Avadh), Bihar, Bengal and Orissa.

When the Company made an attempt to dominate the trade route, Allahabad once again emerged as an important centre.

The merchants of the Company started residing at the same place, where we now have Jamuna Christian College. Near Mankameshwar temple, one finds buoy, on Saraswati ghat. Large boats (or small ships) were loaded and unloaded, there. All along the banks of Ganga, right upto Shiv Kuti, there were depots, built for storing ammunition or cargo, he informed.

(Link: http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=130438)

Was Akbar a Hindu in his earlier life?

2009-02-11T10:56:00.000+05:30

The mysteries of history deepen when it is interpolated with myth. The legend of Akbar, celebrated in stories and films, is no different. We revisit the Jodhaa-Akbar controversy, in the third part of the Allahabad Fort story.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 21 Feb 2008 Views: 1657 Comments: 1

WAS AKBAR destined to return to the place of his earlier life? According to a legend, the answer is yes. It is believed by the Hindus, that a holy man Mukund Brahamchari lived in Prayag, long before Akbar built his fort there. His abode is on the south bank of Yamuna, opposite the fort. It was known as Mukund Brahamchari’s teela (mound).

This holy man used to live just on cow’s milk. One day he happened to drink it, without straining, which is not done by the Hindus. It is said that he swallowed a hair of the cow, inadvertently. He became very sad, as it amounted to eating beef. He wanted to end his life, which is a sin. However, if one gives up his life at Prayag, it is no sin. Thus, the holy man committed suicide, in this city, wishing to become a Muslim king, in his next mundane incarnation. The legend goes on to say that Mukund Brahamchari was reborn as Akbar, who established the Moghul Empire.

It is also believed that Birbal was Mukund Brahamchari’s old, faithful attendant. He had followed his master’s death and was reborn, to share the royal fortunes. But, since he did not drink cow’s milk with a hair, he continued to be a Hindu, in his later birth. Believe it or not, even monuments have a ring of myth and magic in this city of confluence!

Myth mingled with Akbar’s history. In this land of Puranas, we love to weave and hear stories, particularly about great men.

Historical evidences point out that after the construction of Allahabad Fort, the city grew in importance. Before the end of Akbar’s reign, it was a place of considerable size. One of its chief industries was boat building. It is said that large number of huge sea-going vessels were constructed here and taken down the river to the coast.

After the construction of Allahabad Fort, it became the capital of the province, in place of Jaunpur, according to Tabaqat-i-Akbari.

In its capacity as a capital, Allahabad formed the residence of Subedar (governor), while the command of the fort was entrusted to a Foujdar. The former was often the chief noble of the realm and consequently, the administration was, in many cases, made over to a deputy, while the governor was absent at court.

(Link: http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=130405 )

Akbar’s Fort houses Jodhabai’s palace inside

2009-02-11T10:51:00.000+05:30

The palace of Akbar’s queen, Jodhabai, is an interesting structure inside Allahabad Fort. It cost Rs. 6.17 crore and was built in 45 years. History bears witness that Jodhabai was Akbar’s wife, irrespective of the controversy of Jodhaa-Akbar film.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 20 Feb 2008 Views: 4482 Comments: 1

EMPEROR AKBAR’S Fort in Allahabad, popularly known as Allahabad Fort, was a residential-cum-military fort. The plan of the fort took the form of a wedge (an irregular segment of a circle, with very wide dimension). It was 37 jarib (a 60 yards long chain) in length and 27 jarib in breadth, which is about 35.96 lakh square yards. Its cost at that time was Rs 6,17,20,214/- (Rupees six crore, seventeen lakh, twenty thousand, two hundred and fourteen only), according to Dr Prabakar Pandey, curatorial associate, Allahabad Museum.

Sriranjan Shukla, art historian and assistant keeper of Allahabad Museum, added that it took some 20 thousand men to construct the fort, in 45 years. It was planned out in four portions. In the first portion, buildings were constructed for private use, the second part of the building was meant for Begums (queens) and princes, the third portion was reserved for royal guests and the fourth portion was meant for soldiers and subjects.

Originally, it was an irregular triangle in outline, surrounded by lofty red sandstone wall. It had three magnificent gateways. One opened towards the Ganga, in the east, the second gate opened in the south, towards Yamuna, while the third gate opening on the landside was protected by a deep fosse and a low outer work, similar to that of the Agra fort. Years of degradation stole its grandeur. Otherwise, it could vie with the opulence of the forts at Agra and Delhi.

The British pruned down its towers and the high stone ramparts on the side were topped with turf parapets, obscured by a green sloping glacis. The south gate, opening towards Yamuna was closed and the upper storey of the main gateway was pulled down, leaving a bare concrete shell of the main dome, the interior of which still bears traces of its original beauty, in the shape of carved stone work and sadly worn out frescoes.

The celebrated Patalpuri temple and sacred Akshyavat stood at the site, prior to the Allahabad Fort. These religious spots are now inside the fort, at the outer courtyard, towards the Yamuna, in the south. Tradition says that devotees cast themselves from the Akshyavat, into the Yamuna, for Nirvana (salvation).

The palace of Akbar’s queen, Jodhabai, is also an interesting structure inside the fort, said Shukla.

He added that the Ashokan pillar, which was erected and set up at Kaushambi, was later removed and fixed at its present site by Emperor Jehangir. It contains six Ashokan inscriptions in Brahmi script, famous eulogy to King Samudragupta by his poet-minister Harisena, also in Brahmi script. Other than these, Persian inscriptions of Jehangir to commemorate his accession to the throne, two minor edicts and many later inscriptions are there on it.

(Link: http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=130369

Akbar’s Fort: Purified with Ganga water and Tulsi…

2009-02-11T10:25:00.000+05:30

Ganga water, flowers and Tulsi leaves were offered as royal gifts to mark the beginning of Akbar’s Fort in Allahabad. His Hindu wife, Jodhabai, had strong influence on him. We revisit the Akbar-Jodha controversy, serialising the fort story.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 19 Feb 2008 Views: 1968 Comments:0

IT WAS in the scorching heat of June 9, in 1567, that a battle-weary emperor, after crushing rebellion, had marched to Allahabad. He rested for two days. He realised the strategic importance of the city and had decided to build a fort here. He was the great Moghul emperor, Akbar.

There were turmoil, rebellion and uprisings till 1580. Battles were fought. In those turbulent times, the foundation of Akbar’s Fort, better known as Allahabad Fort, was laid, in 1575, according to the Muslim recorder Badaoni. That was also the year when the foundation of the city was laid. It was called Ilahabas. However, Nizam-u-Din Ahmad, author of Tabaqut-i-Akbari dates it nine years later, in 1584, in his book. The emperor had commanded that a fort and city be built at Prayag, under the name Ilahabas. From here, Akbar went to Agra, where he spent four months.

Yet another story in circulation states that Akbar spent some time in Ilahabas, on his way to Bengal, to crush the revolt of 1580. Many kings paid homage and lavish gifts to the Emperor. The Raja (king) of Jhusi too had been invited. But, his income was paltry. He called his minister, the legendary Birbal and said that Akbar should be told that the king was ill. The witty minister heard the Raja’s story and asked him to forget his worry. He observed the Emperor and noticed that he behaved like a Hindu. Birbal found out that Akbar’s Hindu wife Jodhabai (Man Singh’s sister) had tremendous influence on him.

The following day, Birbal got a silver sledge and hammer, some Ganga sand on a silver plate. He also took some Ganga water, flowers and Tulsi leaves. The Raja accompanied Birbal and visited Akbar. After the Raja left, the gifts were opened, in the presence of Birbal. Akbar was annoyed. Birbal swung into a damage control exercise. He explained that his Raja wanted Akbar to build a memorial at the holy place. The gifts included symbolic implements for laying the foundation and performing the ‘puja’ (worship). Akbar was pleased with Birbal’s explanation.

Next morning, Akbar ordered that the various gifts that were given to him by various kings, be handed over to the Raja of Jhusi, so that he could get the fort built. More money was sent from Delhi. The fort was constructed by the Raja, under the able supervision of Birbal.

It was the foresight of Birbal that he changed the course of Ganga, by constructing Triveni bund, with a view to save the fort and to ensure that the Raja’s residence in not too close to the Emperor’s fort. Later, Akbar ordered Birbal to accompany him to Delhi.

The Allahabad Fort, built on the necessity of military compulsions, was to remain under military occupancy. After Akbar, the fort was under several rulers. During the British regime, General Kyd was its commandant. The locality Kydganj was named after him. The Britishers had converted it into a modern stronghold by the year 1938. Irreparable damage was caused to its architecture, be several rulers, particularly the English. After, independence, the legacy of military occupancy continued.

(Link: http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=130349 )

No Jewel in India’s Crown for seven years!

2009-02-11T10:19:00.000+05:30

It is a sad reflection on the state of affairs in India that a nation of more than a billion people hasn’t had a single jewel who could be honoured with a Bharat Ratna without raising a single eyebrow, for the last seven years.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 26 Jan 2008 Views:1569 Comments:2

BHARAT RATNA, a jewel in the nation’s crown, was withheld for the seventh year in a row. The government, it seems, tried to steer clear of the controversy that this highest civilian award was recently mired in.

Sehanai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan and singer Lata Mangeskar were the last recipients of Bharat Ratna, in 2001.

The government’s troubleshooter Pranab Mukherjee, a smiling suave Bhadralok (gentleman), became the lone politician to receive the second highest award Padma Vibhushan, with twelve others. Officially, his name ranked under the sub-category ‘public affairs’.

He is the second politician to have been conferred with the second highest award from the Padma (lotus) group of honours, after Sikander Bakht, in 2000, who was a minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led cabinet.

The Congress felt Mukherjee “…thinks of the country while framing policies. One of the country’s greatest veterans, he has made immense contributions in the Parliament and outside,” stated M Veerappa Moily, chief spokesperson of the party.

It is worth recalling that LK Advani had proposed Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s name for the highest civilian award. It created quite a bit of heat and dust, which is not likely to settle down soon.

The firebrand leader of BJP, Sushma Swaraj felt that the government could have spared itself from being insinuated, “if Atalji and Mukherjee were both awarded. Passing up Atalji smacks of subjectivity.” She agreed that Mukherjee got this award for his public service and not because he is a senior minister.

Mukherjee’s name from amongst a list of 119 Padma awardees might create more debate in the days to come.

We need to ask ourselves a simple question, should any politician be considered for civilian awards. They choose to serve the public of their own accord. In fact, it is a part of their mandate or their key result areas (KRAs). If they do a good job they help themselves and their parties win elections. If not, then the leader and his party are punished.

Returning to the issue of Bharat Ratna, it is rather clear that the government has been playing a game of snakes and ladders with the prestigious awards. Acts, such as these, terribly erode the prestige and honour of the avowed awards.

Further, the denial mode of the establishment reminds one of a terribly strict parent-teacher archetype. When children quarrel for a particular toy, snatch it from all. ‘Discipline’ rather than ‘discussion’ seems to be the mantra that we are so used to.

But, isn’t the negation a little too stretched out? Do we mean to say that in these seven years India, with over a billion people, has not produced one jewel in the crown?

We, in merinews, feel that a more accountable and transparent system should be in place for short-listing awardees. It should not include any political leader, no matter what the official sub-category states. We invite a public debate on the subject.

(Link: http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=129730 )

Order young women around on MySpace TV

2009-02-11T10:14:00.000+05:30

MySpace TV has launched an interactive three-minute video show, Roommates, for the huge social network on the Internet. It has 45 episodes in all. A fictional reality show of four young women, it has already created waves: A report.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 23 Oct 2007 Views:1031 Comments:1

THESE ARE former roommates, four young women, who can be ordered around, via web polls by the viewers. Millions of nerds in various parts of this planet would decide what they want these women to do.

Don’t be surprised. The social networking giant, MySpace, has decided to launch an interactive web series, ‘Roommates’, of three-minute duration.

Even before the actual beaming of the reality show on the Internet, MySpace TV has created a huge buzz. It began on October 22, at 4pm IST.

It deals with the fictional reality-show of eight young women, in twenties, all former college roommates. Four of them, Peyton, Violet, Heather and Sigourney, move to Los Angeles and get into a reality show, while the other four, who are working, stay connected with their friends with the help of blogs.

MySpace TV, in its answer to YouTube, has planned a 45-episode series of the three-minute duration each. The online social network group, MySpace, is a unit of News Corp. It has teamed up with Iron Sink Media for beaming ‘Roommates’.

The show's title sponsor is the 2008 Ford Focus.

The car company, which is the only advertiser that MySpace has announced, will present short bumper ads before the episodes. The advertising integration would be achieved by showing that one of the characters purchases the car. It’s a smart attempt at brand building with intelligent product placement.

MySpace TV General Manager, Jeff Berman informed that community interaction would make the web-based video episodes interesting. MySpace polls would allow viewers vote on "…whether Violet should break up with her boyfriend or quit her job or get in a fight with her roommate." People will participate in the plot, as the show progresses. It’s a unique attempt at content creation, he was confident.

This experiment of the MySpace TV, in all possibility, would mark a paradigm shift in the area of convergence. It would bring together online interactivity with a web video show, forging advertiser’s product integration with the plot and characters and get the viewers to decide the course of action.

(Link: http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=127204 )

Of Durga’s homecoming and other stories

2009-02-11T10:06:00.000+05:30

Humanism is an integral part of Indian belief system. Gods and goddesses do behave like normal human beings. Festivals like Durga Puja symbolise our urge to relive our faith in these culture specific oral traditions.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 16 Oct 2007 Views: 967 Comments: 0

DURGA, THE dear daughter of the Himalayas, comes to her parents’ home every autumn. She arrives with her children, Lakshmi, Kartik, Saraswati and Ganesha. She stays at her parents’ abode, the Martya-loka (earth), for four odd days. This has been the belief amongst the Bengalis for ages.

It’s difficult to trace how and when this belief (read mythological story) gained popularity. But Durga, who is both the mother for her devotees and the daughter of the Himalayas, is believed to be a reincarnation of Sati. She had died of grief and shame when her father, King Daksha, insulted her husband, Shiva, ages ago.

Allow me to digress a bit. When Shiva came to know of it, he let loose his matted hair and danced in terrible rage. With the body of Sati on his shoulder, Natraja was inconsolable. Even the gods shuddered. Pralaya (deluge) was certain. Vishnu came to their rescue.

Vishnu spliced the various parts of Sati with his Sudarshan Chakra. Wherever the various body parts fell, the places became sanctified as ‘Teerthas’. Later, each of these places came to be known as Shakti peethas. Shiva was told that Sati would come back to him in later births as Uma.

Durga is a manifestation of Uma. It’s immaterial if another story, during the wee hours of Mahalaya (October 10, this year), had told the story of the birth of Durga in a different shade. The Hindu Trinity (Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara) had opened their ‘Trinayana’ (third eyes) at the same time. A powerful fire-like glow, red in colour was ablaze. From it emerged the warrior-goddess, Durga.

She was named Durga, which meant the one difficult to approach. In another sense, as Durgatanashini, she puts an end to all ‘durgatis’ (grief). While different layers of stories might confuse the mind, the believer is quite at ease with all these so-called contradictions. There is a saying in Bengali, “Bishas melay mon, torko kore onek dur” (faith bridges minds, debate creates distances).

The faith of faiths is a touchy matter. But, let’s find out why strange stories about gods gained currency. Have you ever wondered why gods behave like human beings?

Why Durga comes to visit her parents’ home annually or why Shiva enjoys his marijuana? Why Bal Krishna stole butter? Similarly, why Jagganath of Puri, who bathes once a year shivers and has fever? Once every 12 years he is cremated with his siblings in his private crematorium, and so on.

Amitabh Bhattacharya, a senior journalist in Varanasi, explained that humanism – the belief that gods behave like human beings – gained currency in the post-Pauranic era. In fact, the period between Puranas and 10th century AD, the time of Muslim invasion, saw a spurt of miracle-performing gods. This was also the time when angry gods became a part of the Hindu pantheon.

He explained that Buddhism, Jainism and Islam had threatened the very matrix of Hinduism. Those amongst the ordinary masses, who could not be won over with devotion (bhakti), had to be scared in some ways. The Hindi poet of the Bhakti movement, Goswami Tuslidas had said, “Bhai bin preet nahi” (No love without fear), is an example.

“But, why fear? What role has fear in religion? Even the Holy Bible categorizes different kinds of fear. It talks of good fears and bad fears. The fear of god is a good fear,” stated Sebastian John.

Fear of being cursed by angry gods stopped large-scale conversions. The fear of burning in hell, causing grave curse to the forefathers and future generations, might certainly be seen as a good marketing ploy but it helped the Hindu sages and seers to keep the flock together.

Durga, Chamunda and Kali – the terrible forms of Shakti – had the elements of fear inbuilt in them. To mellow the fear element, the motherhood aspect, the all-forgiving, all-loving goddesses were also weaved in these stories. At a more mundane level, it was said, “Don’t our mothers get angry? But, do they love us any less?” reasoned Mausumi, a schoolteacher.

At another level, the Aryans accepted the Dravidian-tribal gods. An authority on iconography, B Mukherjee explains in his book that one way to distinguish between gods of Aryan and non-Aryan origin is that the former always have water cosmology. Thus, Brahma, Vishnu, Lakshmi, Saraswati, et al are of Aryan origin, while Shiva, Durga and Kali belong to the non-Aryan roots.

Never mind if a god of Aryan origin is the child of a god of non-Aryan origin. In this case, all children of Durga are Aryans, while she herself is of a non-Aryan origin.

But why ask so many questions? Just enjoy as the drums roll (Dhakis) and the heady fragrance of Dhunichi fills the air.

(Link: http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=127038 )

The lion of Durga is a gift from a Greek goddess

2009-02-11T01:58:00.000+05:30

Durga was created by the powers of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva; they opened their third eye and she was born. Various gods decorated her with weapons. A Greek goddess’ gift was forgotten, it seems. Here’s a report on the evolution of Durga iconography.

CJ: Arindam Roy , 11 Oct 2007 Views:2140 Comments:1

THE WHITE LION of Mahisasur-mardini (Durga) has been imported from Greece. The lion, as a vehicle, was incorporated in the Durga iconography between sixth century AD and 12th century AD. It was ‘imported’ from (read, gifted by) the Greek goddess, Nanaia.

We find occasional representation of Nanaia riding a lion on some Kushan coins and seals. Historians point out that on the basis of the development of the Durga iconography, it might be said that the prominence of the war-goddess grew in 700 years.

In the early Kushan period, around first century AD, Durga was a lesser goddess. The terracotta figurines and stone sculptures of this period depict the goddess with two or four hands, wrestling with the demon (Mahisasur), locked in hand to hand combat. Most of these figurines and sculptures were excavated at a site called Sonkh, near Mathura. It forms a rich legacy of the Mathura Art. For 300 odd years, during the Kushan period, the lion is not seen.

“The Mahisasur-mardini icon of goddess Durga, as we see it today, evolved in the Gupta period, undergoing changes in iconography. Around this time, we find examples of Devi with eight, 10, 12 and even 16 hands. As her stature grew, her iconography evolved,” informed Dr Sriranjan Shukla, the assistant keeper of Allahabad Museum, in an exclusive interview.

Durga is the most widely worshipped aspect of Shakti, till today.

The Gupta period is a time of transition. Referring to a sandstone relief, of the latter part of the fifth century AD, of a Chandrasala (which were placed outside temples to indicate the ruling deity), we see Mahisasur-mardini combating the asura (demon). It shows the goddess place one of her feet contemptuously on the head of the vanquished demon. She lifts his hindquarters by the tail and pins him down with her Trishul (trident). A short male figure, as her attendant, establishes her glory. He is a gana of Shiva, consort of the goddess. The locks of the gana and the goddess are elaborately treated, in the style of that period.

The Kushan artists of the Mathura Art School are credited to conceptualize Mahisasur-mardini, or the form of Durga defeating the buffalo-demon. From a lesser goddess, depicted in terracotta figurines and sandstone relief, she attained glory in the Gupta period. Most of the Puranas were authored in the Gupta period, which was a golden era of Indian art, literature, trade, commerce and polity. It was a time of peace and prosperity.

Shukla explained, “The sculpture of the Gupta period is marked by serenity, poise and calm, which is reflected in the face and postures of the images. There are few ornaments. The divine beings are comfortable disposition, as they are in Lalit-asana and Sukha-asana. There is liveliness and energy in the art of this period. Even the standing images are not static. For example, a standing image of Lord Buddha, show a foot raised, knee bent, moving forward. This was the spirit of this era.”

Dr Sunil Gupta, an art-historian, said, “It was probably in Gupta period, between fourth century AD and sixth century AD that Durga icon was introduced in Bengal. The worship of the female principle is reflected in popular terracotta art, since ancient times, in Bengal.

I have seen the famous mother goddess figurines, in terracotta, from the ancient port of Tamralipti (presently, Tamlute, in Midnapore district, West Bengal) in the Ashmoleon Museum, Oxford. This is from the first century AD, and the icon is not that of Durga. It was only natural for the people of the eastern state to accept Durga and assimilate it in their lifestyle.”

Swami Harshananda, of Ramkrishna Math, in his book, ‘Hindu Gods and Goddesses’, says, “Lion, the royal beast, her mount, represents the best in animal creation. It can also represent the greed for food, and hence the greed for other objects of enjoyment which inevitably leads to lust. To become divine (Devatva) one should keep one’s animal instinct under complete control. This seems to be the lesson we can draw from the picture of the Simhavahini (the rider of the lion).”

(Link: http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=126919 )

…And Man created God!

2009-02-11T01:54:00.000+05:30

Durga puja is one of the most important festivals of India. Unmatched skills of creating beautiful idols of Durga come to the fore during this festive occasion. Here are some interesting aspects of how artisans breathe life in the images of Durga.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 7 Oct 2007 Views: 4231 Comments: 11

THOUSANDS OF idol makers throughout the country are working day and night. They are busy finishing the images of the war-goddess Durga. “Our deadline is approaching fast. We have to deliver about 30 sets of Durga idols, by October 15 / 16. My team of eight people has not slept for more than three hours, for weeks, now” said Sudeb Pal, an idol-maker from Darbhanga, Allahabad, talking to merinews on phone.

He explained that a special kind of ‘athalo mati’ (sticky soil) is needed for making these clay idols. The soil has to be prepared, painstakingly. But, before that the ‘kathamo’ (stick and hay structure) is prepared. “No matter, how large the idol is it rests on three main, sturdy bamboos. A structure of spliced bamboos and hay, tied at places, attached to the main structure start creating the image.”

In east UP, 19 idol makers in the twin city of ‘Kashi-Prayag’ (Varanasi and Allahabad) make about 1500 sets of idols.

Tinkouri Pal, another artisan from Colonelganj, adds, “A dough-like mixture of clay is kneaded thoroughly. It has to have the right proportion of moisture (water content). If it is less, the idol will crack and chip, if more, the clay will drip.”

Banshi Pal, an artisan from Pandey Haveli, Varanasi, informed, “Before mixing the clay, it is necessary to get some clay from under the feet of prostitutes; otherwise the idol cannot be cast.”

There were varying opinions of how the tradition of getting the clay from under the sex worker’s feet might have evolved. Robin Pyne, in his mid-twenties, an art college graduate from Kolkata reasoned that earlier, there were no art schools or colleges. It was not possible for the artists of the yesteryears to study anatomy of the models. In fact, even these days, some of the better looking young girls, many of them from red light areas, pose as nude models for art college students. “The only option left for these idol makers was to visit the prostitutes, with their gurus. I have heard from someone that the young lads were blindfolded and had to feel the various parts of the woman’s body, particularly the breasts, waist and hips, alongwith the limbs. They had to cast it in clay. It took years of training. To give it a certain religious sanction, it is possible that the clay trampled by a prostitute was made a part of the religious tradition.”

Mohini, a student of sculpting, felt that a study of a live woman’s body might have been important, though not necessary. An artist sees many things with his eyes. He / she is a keen observer. A sense of proportion is ingrained in that person, which is honed by rigorous training. She asked, “Does it mean that the artists might have actually felt the body of a lion, owl, rat, peacock or swan – the various vahans (vehicles) of the gods and goddesses? This argument is too simplistic. It would be like saying that an architect must get a physical feel of the building or monument before he constructs it. The tradition is there. It’s difficult to trace the exact reason for it…I do not know how it came about, but one thing is certain, the practice is gender sensitive and very honourable.”

In an earlier interview with this scribe, Prof Biswanath Bhattacharya, an Oriental scholar and former head of Sanskrit and Pali, Banaras Hindu University, smiled and said, “Durga symbolises the combined strength of all gods. She was created from the divine power of Hindu Trinity. The dust from beneath a prostitute’s feet is mixed with the clay making her idols to prove that though they might be despised by society, they too are a part of it. Thus, the wasters too have a place in the scheme of things in Durga Puja.”

A senior journalist, Amitabh Bhattacharjee from Varanasi, had an interesting interpretation. He opined, “In the Hindu way of life, good and noble elements are adopted from all places. Good and bad are relative terms. What’s good for one is bad for another. The Upanishads explain that the concept of sin is misplaced.

Intention has to be seen. When a man in army uniform shoots the enemy, he is honoured. But, this is not true for a contract killer…. A prostitute does not discriminate. The ethics of her profession is such that she cannot choose her clients. She cannot say ‘No’ to an ugly / sickly person. She cannot refuse a client because he is not very rich, famous or learned. She has to accept anyone who pays her the price for her services. It is this aspect, which is divine.”

“Similarly, the goddess does not discriminate and choose her devotees. Saint or sinner, rich or poor, wise or silly, whoever invokes her, is blessed. Goddess Durga (or for that matter all gods) have a similar ethics as those of prostitutes. For the former, money or ornaments may be the price, while for the goddess it is Bhakti (devotion),” he explained.

(Link: http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=126840 )

Death sentence for ex-MP in Bihar DM’s murder

2009-02-11T01:33:00.001+05:30

Lawmakers have been breaking law with impunity. But, for the first time a Patna sessions court sentenced politicians to death and life imprisonment. Is this the beginning of the end of lawbreakers masquerading as lawmakers? A report.

CJ: Arindam Roy, 4 Oct 2007 Views: 1273 Comments: 1

A SESSIONS court in Patna resembled a garrison, when it pronounced death sentences to three and life imprisonment to four convicts in the brutal murder of the Gopalganj district magistrate (DM), G Krishnaiah. All seven convicts were taken to jail under heavy security cover, on Wednesday.

After 13 years, the former MP Anand Mohan was awarded death sentence. His wife, Lovely Anand, Janta Dal (U), an ex-MP from Vaishali, was sentenced to life imprisonment. The Additional Sessions Judge Ram Krishna Rai pronounced the punishment.

All the seven accused are politicians. For the first time lawmakers have been convicted of inciting riot and murder. It’s worth mentioning that several mafia dons and history sheeters are MPs and MLAs from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Former RJD MLA Akhlaq Ahmed was also sentenced to death, while a ruling JD (U) MLA Vijay Kumar Shukla alias Munna Shukla was awarded Life.

The high profile politician couple was in tears, in the court. Between sobs they said that they had not expected ‘this punishment’.

The duo denied their involvement in the lynching to death of the Gopalganj DM. They said they would challenge this order in a superior court. The other two politicians, sentenced in this case, made similar statements.

The slain DM, Krishnaiah, was a Bihar cadre IAS from Andhra Pradesh. He was lynched to death on December 5, 1994.

The court found that a mob was incited by the accused to beat the DM into unconsciousness, before shooting him to death. His fault was that he had inadvertently crossed the path of the funeral procession of Chotan Shukla, of the now defunct Bihar People’s Party.

Meanwhile, 29 persons out of the 36 accused were acquitted due to lack of sufficient evidences against them. Earlier, the same court had held all seven accused guilty under various sections of the IPC (Indian Penal Codes) for murder, attempted murder and rioting.

(Link: http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=126785)

Sample Associated Press articles

2009-02-11T01:16:00.001+05:30

Durga here but might bring disaster

Arindam Roy (Associated Press)

Allahabad, October 1, 2003

OVER 100 million people in eastern India began the five-day Durga puja on Wednesday, the goddess who triumphed over evil but is also associated with disasters, like the deadly floods that have recently ravaged the country.

Hindus link natural events, like flood and drought, to Durga's annual arrival on earth. This year's Hindu almanac, or calendar "cautions us of death and destruction, as Durga came seated on a swing," said Hindu priest Ashok Bhattacharjee.

He noted that monsoon floods have killed nearly 1,000 people in India since June. But though they were a curse to the victims, this year's extra-heavy rains also were a blessing for many -- the government expects the economy to grow by 6.5 percent this year, helped by a rich harvest due to the rains.

Bhattacharjee also was upbeat.

The Hindu calendar shows that Durga will leave earth at the end of her festival upon an elephant, he said, adding that it is an auspicious symbol that points to prosperity.

To begin the festival, thousands of chanting priests symbolically invoke life into clay and straw images of Durga.

The celebrations peak on Sunday, when worshippers will plunge the statutes into lakes and rivers. In between, worshippers go to community lunches and pay homage to Durga with hours of music and song each day.

"The five days are very dear to us," said New Delhi homemaker Nomita Chakraborty. "The celebrations give us the opportunity to reflect back and realize that good always prevails on bad." Durga Puja celebrations take place mainly in eastern India, especially among Bengali-speaking residents.

More than 3,000 detained in crackdown on Hindu activists in northern India

(Oct 13, 2003)

By ARINDAM ROY
Associated Press Writer

ALLAHABAD, India (AP) _ Police in northern India detained more Hindu activists Monday as they try to prevent a mass rally this week near the site of a destroyed mosque that is claimed as a Hindu holy place.

More than 3,000 activists have been arrested in the last three days.

The federal government dispatched 4,500 paramilitary police to help Uttar Pradesh state crack down on the activists planning to defy a
Court order banning the gathering in Ayodhya, a small town full of temples 500 kilometers (310 miles) east of New Delhi.

Authorities said trains to Faizabad, the nearest station to Ayodhya, have either been canceled, or diverted.

Hindu nationalist groups have called Friday's rally in support of their campaign to build a temple near the site of the 16th century Babri Mosque, which they tore down in 1992. The World Hindu Council, the main organizer of the rally, said it expects more than 300,000 volunteers to attend.

Hindu hard-liners believe the mosque was built by Muslims on the site of an earlier Hindu temple honoring their supreme god, Rama. Muslims say there's no proof of that, and oppose Hindus' plans to build a temple on the site.

The mosque's destruction had triggered nationwide religious riots, which killed more than 2,000 people.

The detentions came after the High Court in Uttar Pradesh ordered the state government not to allow any religious activity near the site. The court is currently hearing arguments in the decades-old Hindu-Muslim dispute over the site, now just a bare hillock guarded by police and surrounded by wire barricades.

The Hindu groups who tore down the mosque erected an idol of Rama under a tent on the site, but devotees cannot reach it. They hand money for offerings through a metal screen. Huge stones from the mosque are scattered nearby. The World Hindu Council and other groups have amassed pillars, statues and bricks, preparing to build a temple at the site, and many of the group's leaders have said they will not wait for the court to decide.

On Sunday, police detained a group of 1,065 Hindu activists at Jhansi, a key railroad junction linking Uttar Pradesh state with southern and western Indian states. Most of the detainees were from Gujarat state, a stronghold of Hindu nationalist parties and groups, a local police officer said on condition of anonymity. More than 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, died in Gujarat last year after a Muslim mob burned a train car carrying 60 activists and pilgrims returning home from Ayodhya.

At least 2,000 people have also been rounded up in the cities of
Kanpur, Baharaich, Varanasi and Allahabad, according to the district
administrations.

On Monday, about 185 members, including 35 women volunteers, of the World Hindu Council were stopped as they set out to Ayodhya from
Kanpur, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) away.

Purushottam Narain Singh, a senior World Hindu Council official in charge of the rally, claimed police had detained more than 10,000 Hindu activists across the state.

=

Hindu leaders banned from Indian holy city where they planned mass rally
(Oct 14, 2003)

By BABU LAL SHARMA
Associated Press Writer

LUCKNOW, India (AP) _ State authorities blocked Hindu leaders and activists from India's holy city of Ayodhya, where they'd planned a rally this week near the site of a destroyed Muslim mosque, officials said Tuesday.

Three top officials of the World Hindu Council _ including it's
President Ashok Singhal _ have been banned from Ayodhya, said Akhand
Pratap Singh, the top bureaucrat in Uttar Pradesh state.

The council's General Secretary Praveen Togadia, also barred from the city, warned that keeping the Hindu leaders and activists away from Friday's planned rally could trigger violence.

The Hindu council is mobilizing tens of thousands of volunteers to rally behind its campaign to build a temple near the site of the
16th-century Babri Mosque, which Hindu activists tore down in 1992.

Authorities fear a Hindu rally on the volatile spot could set off Hindu-Muslim violence, as did the mosque's destruction, which led to more than 2,000 deaths in nationwide religious riots.

Togadia criticized India's Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, whose party has close ties with the Hindu council, for sending 7,000
paramilitary police to help the state crack down on Hindu activists.

Police detained more Hindu activists overnight, bringing the total to more than 5,000 in the past four days.

School and college buildings around Ayodhya have been "turned into temporary jails," said the district's chief administrator, Deepak Kumar. Several train and bus links to Ayodhya have been canceled or diverted.

Many Hindus believe the mosque was built on the site of an earlier temple to the Hindus' supreme god, Rama. Muslims say there's no proof, and oppose Hindus' plans to build a temple on the site.

The Uttar Pradesh High Court ordered the state government not to allow any religious activity near the site. The court is currently hearing arguments in the decades-old Hindu-Muslim dispute over the site, now just a bare hillock guarded by police and surrounded by wire barricades.

(Associated Press Writer Arindam Roy in the city of Allahabad contributed to this report)
--

==

Hindu groups vandalize Coke office, shops in northern India

By ARINDAM ROY
Associated Press Writer

ALLAHABAD, India (AP) _ Hundreds of Hindu nationalists on Friday vandalized a Coca-Cola office in northern India and attacked shops selling Coke and Pepsi after an environmental group said the drinks contained dangerous levels of pesticide residue.

Supporters of two Hindu groups, Shiv Sena and Bajrang Dal, some of them armed with guns, forced their way into a Coca-Cola supply outlet and nearby shops and smashed hundreds of soft drink bottles in Allahabad, 225 kilometers (140 miles) east of Uttar Pradesh state capital, Lucknow.

Shouting "down with foreign companies," around 45 hooligans tossed crates of drinks around the office, said R.P. Singh Chawla, the supply outlet owner. A television set, computers and other office equipment were damaged, he said.

The Center for Science and Environment published a report Tuesday claiming that products made by Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. for the Indian market did not meet the same standards as their drinks sold in Europe and the United States, setting off a wave of protests.

The report said the level of pesticides in Pepsi brands tested around New Delhi were 36 times higher than European Union standards. The center said the average pesticide level for Coca-Cola products made in India was 30 times higher than EU guidelines.

The toxins could, if consumed over a long period, cause cancer, damage to the nervous system, birth defects and disruption of the immune system, the research center said.

Both companies have denied the allegations and demanded independent studies.

Much of India's ground water _ from which millions of people draw their drinking water _ contains DDT and other agricultural pesticides and toxins, and the government has not set standards about how much is safe.

The research center acknowledged that Indian brands also have high pesticide levels, but said Coke and Pepsi account for more than three-quarters of the bottled soft drinks consumed in India.

The Indian government has said it will check the report, but in the meantime banned the sale of Coke and Pepsi products in Parliament
canteens.

Chawla said the police and the local authorities had been lax in responding to his calls for help and he blamed them for not taking precautions although he had told them that trouble was brewing.

"The administration has taken no steps whatsoever," he said.

In a separate incident in the Civil Lines neighborhood of Allahabad, Hindu groups attacked a soft drinks shop, hurling scores of bottles on the ground. Some brandished guns, said H.P. Singh, the shop owner.

"They hurled filthy abuses, telling me to move away, or face death," said Singh. "Am I anti-national? I am eking out a livelihood. What right did they have to abuse and threaten my life?"

Singh estimated his losses at 19,000 rupees (US$410).

The Hindu groups also attacked shops in two other places in Allahabad.
Some journalists and passers-by also received minor nicks and cuts when they were hit by pieces of flying glass.

Police arrived after the attacks were over and no police official was immediately available for comment.

Shiv Sena is an alliance partner of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government.

(This is just a sample of my reporting with Associated Press)police detention