An Arya's Views

Nehru's Bust and DU VC's Office Building - May 2010

2010-05-10T18:35:00.001+05:30

Tathāgata Statue, University of Delhi - May 2010

2010-05-06T16:36:00.003+05:30

Vishva Shanti Stupa - January 2010

2010-04-30T15:14:00.002+05:30

Gauri Shankara Mandira - January 2010

2010-04-29T21:17:00.003+05:30

Red Fort - January 2010

2010-04-29T21:14:00.001+05:30

Delhi University Vice Chancellor's Office Building - March 2010

2010-04-29T19:38:00.003+05:30

Red Fort Inscriptions - February 2010

2010-04-29T19:11:00.007+05:30

Red Fort - February 2010

2010-04-29T19:03:00.005+05:30

St. James' Church - January 2010

2010-04-29T18:57:00.005+05:30

Kashmiri Gate - February 2010

2010-04-29T18:48:00.005+05:30

Was ideology a key factor in the Sino-Soviet split?

2009-06-01T13:06:00.034+05:30

Introduction
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There is an ancient Chinese proverb, "Never are there two suns in the heaven, Never should there be two emperors on the earth." Though the days of the Chinese monarchy were over a long time ago, the ambitions of the Chinese rulers never vanished. Chairman Mao Zedong was the epitome of a modern Chinese emperor but in a communist garb.
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The classical Marxism called for the workers' revolution in the world. A section of the Russian proletariat did bring out a revolution in Russia in 1917, under the leadership of V.I. Lenin. But China was a different case. The Chinese society was dominated by peasants. Besides that, the communist regime established in 1949 came into being after a gruesome civil war. The Chinese application of communism was different from the European idea of a Marxist revolution, and this was going to play a major role in the domestic as well as in foreign policies of China.
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The Sino-Soviet Relations
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The Soviet Union, which was formed in 1917, provided both moral and material support to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the war against Japan and during the Chinese Civil War. After the creation of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Mao Zedong declared that China would 'lean-to-one-side'. In a long article titled "On People's Democratic Dictatorship", he announced Communist China's special relationship with the Soviet Union. He said revolutionary China must "unite in a common struggle with those nations of the world that treat us as an equal and unite with the people of all countries - that is, ally ourselves with the Soviet Union, with the People's Democratic Countries, and with the proletariat and the broad masses of the people in all other countries, and form an international united front... We must lean to one side." [1]
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In the early 1950's, to build the Chinese economy Mao Zedong wanted help and aid from the Soviet Union. The Soviet leader Joseph Stalin wanted good relations with China. He did not only provide military assistance, technology, and economic support to China but also recognized the newly formed communist state. The United States has refused to recognize China. But Stalin did not treat Mao as an equal. For the Soviet dictator, Mao was an "inferior" friend, which Mao never liked. Though both countries were based on the Marxist-Leninist ideology (with China going one step forward and adding the Mao Zedong Thought to it), differences were generating between them. Mao Zedong wanted to promote the communist revolution in the world, which was also in the interest of China. But it was in the Soviet Union's interest to promote stability. Mao accused the Soviet Union of distracting itself from the path of Marxist-Leninist ideology. The Soviets blamed the Chinese for encouraging instability in the world and thus endangering the countries where revolution has taken place.
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The Korean War
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Stalin used to put Russia's national interest first. he did not want to confront the United States directly in a war. China felt betrayed when Stalin refused to help the communist regime of North Korea. The North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung attacked South Korea to expand his territory. The Korean War eruption on June 15, 1950 and the US president Harry Truman promptly decides to come to the rescue of Syngman Rhee's South Korean regime and to dispatch the Seventh Fleet to "neutralize" the Taiwan Strait, a decision that turned the Korean War into an international crisis. [2] China wanted to show its determination to support the world revolution. It sent 2,50,000 troops to North Korea to fight against the Americans. China also wanted to prevent the American soldiers from reaching its own borders.
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Khrushchev's Secret Speech
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Joseph Stalin died in March 1953. Nikita Khrushchev succeeded him. The Soviet Union moved from one man leadership to collective leadership. Stalin considered Mao as his junior but Mao refused to accept Khrushchev as an equal. This was disadvantageous for the Sino-Soviet relations.

A turning point came in February 1956, when the CPSU held its Twentieth Congress. Toward the end of the meeting, Khrushchev delivered a lengthy speech criticizing Stalin and his personality cult in a secret session, to which the CCP delegation to the Congress has not been invited. The Soviets did provide the Chinese delegation with a copy of Khrushchev's speech afterwards, but the fact that they failed to consult Beijing in advance greatly offended Mao and his fellow CCP leaders. [3] The Chinese leaders did not agree with Khrushchev. They said that the Soviets want to de-Stalinize the Soviet Union. Mao also wanted the tough image of Stalin for himself to further consolidate his position as the supreme leader of the CCP.

The differences between China and the Soviet Union further deepened when Mao alleged that the Soviets were not providing enough assistance in nuclear technology to the Chinese.

Early 1960s

The chasm between China and the Soviet Union increased in the early 1960s. China was afraid of a US attack from Taiwan. The border tension with India was growing. At the same time, the Cuban Missile Crisis took place. Mao was facing criticism in the CCP due to the failure of the Great Leap Forward. 1962 was a critical period for the world. When Mao was convinced that the US had no intention of invading the mainland China, he concentrated his attention on India in October 1962. Mao wanted to show the world the strength of China and he also wanted to shut the mouths of his critics in the Party. The Soviet Union did not support Mao in the Indo-China War. The Soviets remained neutral officially, but promised to help India. After the war, India became the first non-communist country to receive military assistance from the Soviet Union, especially in providing facilities for the indigenous production of the Mig-21 fighter air crafts.

Conclusion

The Sino-Soviet relations were based on two objectives. Firstly, they wanted to spread the communist revolution. Secondly, they wanted to fight the imperialist powers like the United States. But they did not agree on how to achieve these goals. Both China and the Soviet Union took different paths based on their separate national interests. At the climax of the Sino-Soviet close relations, Mao Zedong alleged that the Soviet union has become capitalist, and accused it of becoming a socialist imperialist power. Nikita Khrushchev agreed on the fact that the Soviets and the Chinese couldn't agree on anything. By 1964, the China-Soviet relations deteriorated so much that defeating each other became more important than defeating imperialism.

It is said that ideology was everything for Mao Zedong because it was the ideology that made the CCP victorious in the Chinese Civil War. But Mao was a nationalist first and also an expert in the inter-state relations. It would be right to say though the ideology of the Chinese regime was Marxism-Leninism, its foreign policy was strictly based on the Chinese state interest. Besides that, Mao wanted crises in the world so that he could control the rebels at home.

Both for China and the Soviet Union, their national interests were primary. China was very critical of Yugoslavia, which was an ally of the Soviet Union. Similarly, the Soviet Union used to criticize Albania, an ally of China. The Chinese supported the Soviets to crush the Hungarian Revolution. But during the uprising in Poland, it advised the Soviet Union not to send forces there because it was a nationalist movement. Also, China did not send troops to Cuba and Armenia to support revolution but sent soldiers to North Korea and Vietnam to fight against the Americans.

In nutshell, ideology cannot determine foreign policy and state action. And though foreign policy circumscribes ideology it does not negate it. A political philosophy cannot counter the national interests. It was the communist ideology that brought China and the Soviet Union close to each other but it was the national interests that led to the Sino-Soviet split.

Footnotes

[1] Chen Jian, Mao's China and the Cold War, The University of North Carolina Press, chapter 3: Mao's Continuous Revolution and the Rise and Demise of the Sino-Soviet Alliance 1949-1963, page 50

[2] ibid, page 55

[3] ibid, page 64

Bibliography

1. Chen Jian, Mao's China and the Cold War, The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill & London

2. Jonathan D Spence, The Search for Modern China, Second Edition, 1990, WW Norton & Company, New York, London

3. Roderick Macfarquhar, The Origins of the Cultural Revolution, 2 - The great Leap Forward, 1958-1960, Oxford University Press, 1983

Review of Anne Applebaum's Gulag: A History (2003)

2009-03-17T18:26:00.004+05:30

Gulag - A History
By Anne Applebaum
Anchor Books, 2004
Pages 677
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Review
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What was the Gulag? I never heard of it. Though the famous Indian anti-communist writer Sita Ram Goel, in his biography ‘How I became a Hindu’, defined the erstwhile Soviet Union as a slave empire, I couldn’t fully understand what he exactly meant. There are many people who still don’t know about the slavery that was practiced in Russia between 1920s and 1980s. And what is more shocking? This gross ignorance, about the human rights in the world’s largest country, exists not only in the developing nations but also in the developed states.
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Anne Applebaum’s Gulag: A History is not only a light of knowledge but is one of the finest pieces of non-fiction literature of the 21st century. In fact, it is because of this the Washington D.C.-based columnist and editor’s magnum opus won the coveted Pulitzer Prize in 2004. Applebaum has also taken forward the cause of the millions of Russians who suffered the state repression in the former USSR.
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Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s masterpiece The Gulag Archipelago shook the whole world when it was published in 1973. Even before this historical record, he wrote One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich in 1962, a novel based on the life of a Soviet prisoner in the Gulag. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1970.
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Applebaum’s book is an eye opener on the mental, physical, psychological, and moral conditions of the people in the Soviet labour camps. She describes the history of the Gulag as “a history of the vast network of labor camps that were once scattered across the length and breadth of the Soviet Union, from the islands of the White Sea to the shores of the Black Sea, from the Arctic Circle to the plains of central Asia, from Murmansk to Vorkuta to Kazakhstan, from central Moscow to the Leningrad suburbs. Literally, the word GULAG is an acronym, meaning Glavnoe Upravlenie Lagerei, or Main Camp Administration. Over time, the word “Gulag” has also come to signify not only the administration of the concentration camps but also the system of Soviet slave labour itself, in all its forms and varieties: labour camps, punishments camps, criminal and political camps, women’s camps, children’s camps, transit camps. Even more broadly, “Gulag” has come to mean the Soviet repressive system itself, the set of procedures that prisoners once called the “meat-grinder”: the arrests, the interrogations, the transport in unheated cattle cars, the forced labour, the destruction of families, the years spent in exile, the early unnecessary deaths.”[1] The book is divided into three parts:
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Part One: The Origins of the Gulag, 1917-1939
Part Two: Life and Work in the Camps
Part Three: The Rise and Fall of the Camp-Industrial Complex, 1940-1986
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The first labour camps were born out of the Bolshevik coup in 1917. Three weeks before the October Revolution, Lenin himself was already sketching out an admittedly vague plan to organize “obligatory work duty” for wealthy capitalists. By January 1918, angered by the depth of the anti-Bolshevik resistance, he was even more vehement, writing that he welcomed “the arrest of millionaire-saboteurs travelling in first- and second-class train compartments. I suggest sentencing them to half a year’s forced labour in a mine.”[2] Later, Lenin also issued hand-written orders instructing the Communists operating in the Penza area to publicly hang at least one hundred better off peasants (kulaks); to publicize their names; to confiscate their grain, and to designate a number of hostages.[3]
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The first camps of the Gulag were constructed in the Solovetsky islands in 1920 in 1920. Besides other works, the prisoners worked cutting worked cutting trees, with no breaks, no respite, and little food. Desperate for a few days’ rest, they cut off their hands and feet[4]. The well-known novelist Maxim Gorky visited these camps. And may be out of sheer pressure of the Soviet government, or out of ignorance, or perhaps voluntarily he praised the conditions of the prisoners.
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In 1929, the Soviet regime accelerated the process of forced collectivization in the countryside, a vast upheaval which was in some ways more profound than the Russian Revolution itself. Within an incredibly short period of time, rural commissars forced millions of peasants to give up their small landholdings and to join collective farms, often expelling them from land their families had tilled for centuries. The transformation permanently weakened Soviet agriculture, and created the conditions for the terrible, devastating famines in Ukraine and southern Russia in 1932 and 1934 --- famines that killed between six and seven million people.[5] Millions of peasants resisted the policies of the authorities and were labeled kulaks. Most of them were exiled to Siberia and Kazakhstan. Hundreds of thousands were arrested and transferred to the Gulag.
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The author eloquently explains the expansion of the slave camps, especially in the Arkhangelsk region of the north-west to the country’s north and central parts of Kotlas, Ukhta, Vorkuta, the Vaigach Islands in the far north, and the Kolyma area in the far north-eastern corner of Siberia, on the Pacific Ocean. She gives separate coverage to the White Sea Canal in northern Soviet Union which was also the one of the big dreams of Stalin. Applebaum has given regional and national maps of the Soviet Union to show the exact locations of the camps of the Gulag.
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The writer articulates that in the history of the Gulag 1937 does mark a genuine watershed. For it was in this year that the Soviet camps temporarily transformed themselves from indifferently managed prisons in which people died by accident, into genuinely deadly camps where prisoners were deliberately worked to death, or actually murdered, in far larger numbers than they had been in the past. Although the transformation was far from consistent, and although the deliberate deadlines of the camps did ease again by 1939 --- death rates would subsequently rise and fall with tides of war and ideology up until Stalin’s death in 1953 --- the Great Terror left its mark on the mentality of camp guards and prisoners alike.[6]
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The second part of the book deals with the arrests, prisons, transport, arrival, and selection of the prisoners. Their life and work in camps as well as punishments and rewards. Detailed discussions on the guards and the prisoners with the women and the children have been done. The chapters on the dying inmates, strategies of survival are touching and effective, whereas the accounts of rebellion and escapes are interesting and motivating.
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Applebaum elaborates that the living conditions of Gulag laborers was poor, their food inadequate, their clothing insufficient, their treatment barbaric, and concern for their medical needs non-existent. Why? It was cheaper to bring in new bodies than to keep the existing ones healthy. In some camps - such as Siberian gold mines - the conditions were so bad that the laborer death rate was upwards of 100%. During the 20 months it took to construct the White Sea Canal in the early 1930s, 25,000 laborers died – a rate of over 40 per day. The murderousness of those deaths is emphasized by the fact that there was no shipping demand for the White Sea Canal to be built, so it was a gigantic blunder by Stalin that contributed nothing to boosting the Soviet economy. It is also estimated that over 200,000 laborers died from 1949 to 1953 working on the even more blundering Danube-Black Sea Canal. The uncompleted project was abandoned after Stalin’s death in 1953, so all of those people died from exposure, disease, unsafe equipment, malnutrition, accidents, consumption, over-work, and a myriad of other ways digging what amounted to a big ditch. In contrast, 11 workers (10 in one 1936 accident) died during the five years (1933 to 1937) it took to build the Golden Gate Bridge – then the world’s longest suspension bridge, and five workers died during the 16 months (January 1930 to April 1931) it took to construct the Empire State Building – then the world’s tallest building.[7]
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There are numerous gruesome details about the Gulag in Applebaum’s nearly 700-page book that could be recounted – such as the gang rape of female laborers by both staff members and male laborers that were so brutal that some of them not only died, but Applebaum described the attacks as something out of “Dante’s Hell.” Another is that in the summertime, a recalcitrant laborer in Siberia subjected to capital punishment would be strapped naked to a tree so the person’s exposed flesh would be an inviting meal for millions of vampire like mosquitoes the size of horse flies.[8]
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It is said that a picture speaks a thousand words. The book also contains photographs of the Gulag, the prisoners arriving at the transit camps, armed guards, prisoners working with handmade tools, digging coal, hauling timber, women working in the fields and sowing logs, camp commanders, punishment cells, and starved children. There are different pictures of Stalin and Yezhov visiting the White Sea Canal, Maxim Gorky at the Solovetsky. There are some posters of shock-workers and of the NKVD propaganda. These photographs a window in the life of the Soviet slave camps.
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Anne Applebaum estimates the total number of forced labourers in the USSR around 28.7 million.[9] But she does not give a precise number of the people that have died citing the lack of completely satisfactory death statistics for either the Gulag or the exile system that have yet appeared.[10] She, though, reluctantly says that 2,749,163 people had died in the camps of the Gulag and in the exile villages but claims that this number is incomplete.[11]
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The book is loaded with the first hand accounts of camp survivors and memoirists like Varlam Shalamov, Isaak Filshtinsky, Gustav Herling, Evgeniya Ginzburg, Lev Razgon, Janusz Bardach, Olga Adamova-Sliozberg, Anatoly Zhigulin, Alexander Dolgum, and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. The author also provides the official Soviet records and the archival documents. The book is based on extensive research on the modern history and literature of Russia. Applebaum’s personal visits to the former camp sites, prisons, and other places of relevance show her passion for the subject of the Gulag. Her interviews with the camp survivors and those who endured the Communist regime increase the intellectual vale of the book.
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Gulag: A History is also a brief history of the evolution of the Soviet secret police, from Cheka, to GPU, to OGPU, to NKVD, and finally to KGB. The book also compares the Stalinist Russia with the Nazi Germany and draws parallels between the concentration camps of the two totalitarian systems. Ultimately, the Gulag prove to be more cruel and horrible than Hitler’s death camps.
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Anne Applebaum concludes her book saying, “This books was not written ‘so that it will not happen again,’ as the cliché would have it. This book was written because it almost certainly will happen again. Totalitarian philosophies have had, and will continue to have, a profound appeal to many millions of people. Destruction of the ‘objective enemy,’ as Hannah Arendt once put it, remains a fundamental object of many dictatorships. We need to know why --- and each story, each memoir, each document in the history of the Gulag is a piece of the puzzle, a part of the explanation. Without them, we will wake up one day and realize that we do not know who we are.”[12] These are perhaps some of the finest lines of the book.
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References
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Books
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1. Anne Applebaum, Gulag: A History, Anchor Books, 2003, New York, United States
2. Richard Stites, Russian Popular Culture: Entertainment and Society since 1900, Cambridge University Press, 1992, Cambridge, United Kingdom
3. Sheila Fitzpatrick, The Russian Revolution, Oxford University Press, 1982, New York United States
4. Edward Hallett Carr, The Russia Revolution: From Lenin to Stalin (1917-192), The Macmillan Press Ltd., 1979, London, United Kingdom
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Websites
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1. http://quotes.isp.tw/
2. http://www.booknotes.org/
3. http://forejustice.org/
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/
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Movies
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1. The Saint (1997)
2. Rocky IV (1985)
3. Nicholas and Alexandra (1971)
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Notes

[1] Anne Applebaum, Gulag: A History, pp. XV-XVI
[2] Ibid., p. 5
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenin's_Hanging_Order
[4] Anne Applebaum, Gulag: A History, p. 23
[5] Ibid., pp. 46-47
[6] Ibid., p. 93
[7] http://forejustice.org/we/gulag_applebaum.html
[8] Ibid.
[9] Anne Applebaum, Gulag: A History, p. 581
[10] Ibid. p. 582
[11] Ibid. p. 583
[12] Ibid. p. 577

A man with a dream...

2008-06-09T07:18:00.007+05:30

This article was published in The Hindu Friday Review a long time ago.

India's National Newspaper

Friday, May 05, 2006
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Friday Review Delhi

A man with a dream...

Actor, director and writer Sachin Gupta wears many hats with equal ease.

NOW PEOPLE ARE COMING TO THEATRES. IT IS NOT WHAT USED TO BE FIVE YEARS AGO.

LOVE FOR THEATRE Sachin Gupta

"All the world is a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages." These famous lines of William Shakespeare continue to be quoted again and again the world over. Indian theatre and literature enthusiasts too remain as fond of the Bard of Avon as ever, but the fact remains that theatre artistes in India continue to struggle.

It would seem that theatre in the country has not got enough recognition and the reverence it deserves. Stage actors still have to do something else to earn their living. The prevailing feeling, usually accepted without rancour, is that it can be a passion but not a full-time profession.
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For Sachin Gupta, however, theatre is not merely a hobby but a life in itself. In his own words, theatre is his second girlfriend. The founder, director and scriptwriter of the Chilsag Chillies theatre group, his studio is near Panchsheel Club in South Delhi.
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Chilsag means creative, hilarious, innovative, learner, successful, ambitious and gagnant (winner). It was established on March 9, 2003 with the idea to deliver quality productions and to create awareness about theatre among the people. "I love theatre. I can do anything. Be it acting, writing, directing or music. Feeling is the main thing," declares Gupta, who is also a software engineer.

Editor too

He is also the editor of a monthly journal, Theatre Pasta, whose objective is to highlight the achievements of theatre people. Sachin explains, "They have done a lot of hard work but haven't got the recognition they deserve."
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The periodical deals with how to start your theatre company, aspects of theatre production and education and scholarships to the commendable actors. This monthly was started two years after the commencement of Chilsag Chillies. "We tied up with a U.S. theatre firm called the Actors' Experimental Group. They support our magazine and help to get interviews and biographies of theatre artistes," elaborates the director.
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Gupta has gone to the U.S., the U.K. and Canada to do research work. "In western countries actors are more disciplined and punctual, and there is respect for theatre. People came from different parts of the country to watch our play in the U.K."

The Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit awarded his play "Celebration of Life" about a young dancer's struggle to prove herself. How she pursues her dream confronting the deadly disease cancer. The play's theme was, `add life to days not days to life'.
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Gupta's other plays include "Handicapped", "Suicide is Painless", "Great Mind at Work" and "No Cheating Today". The plays are in Hindi and English and cover social issues like college ragging, examination pressure, cheating and suicide, etc.
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According to Gupta, plays change with time. In the 1940s, there were plays on the freedom struggle; nowadays we have plays on development. Fifty years later they will deal with other issues, he says, pointing out that theatre is a powerful medium to communicate with the masses on social matters. "It is not only about entertainment. Theatre creates awareness. Now people are coming to theatres. It is not what it used to be five years ago."

But there is no money in theatre. Gupta concludes, "You can't do theatre if you think you have to earn from it."
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That one needs discipline, commitment and dedication to be a fine actor is easily understood. But Sachin Gupta's passion exemplifies the idea that being an actor is a journey, not a destination.
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B.K.

(Link: http://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/05/05/stories/2006050501110300.htm)

For an arty crafty summer

2008-06-08T12:29:00.009+05:30

This article was published in The Hindu Young World a long time ago.

India's National Newspaper

Friday, May 26, 2006

Young World

For an arty crafty summer

BHAVYA KETAN

How about four fun-filled weeks?

LEARN A NEW CRAFT: At the potter's wheel

The summer of 2006 seems to be all about masti with a touch of learning. Many schools are offering coaching classes on cricket, football, judo, karate and basketball while others are taking their pupils to hill stations like Nainital, Kulu, Manali, Shimla and Darjeeling to escape the heat of Delhi.

Private organisations are also not behind in making the vacation useful for children.

The Oxford Bookstore on Barakhamba Road in collaboration with Scope Plus (Society for Creating Opportunity for People Empowerment), a Delhi-based NGO known for its work for children of the Tihar Jail convicts and development of street kids, is organising a four-week festival "Masti Ki Pathshala" from May 13 for children in the age group of four to 15 years.-

Art of having fun
The fest is divided into four workshops to be held every Saturday.

Special programmes are structured for kids to help them develop personality, make friends and acquire new talents.

"Learn while you have fun" is the motto here. Kids will learn mask making, pebble painting and bracelet making apart from learning the art of easy-to-make spectacular salads and non-aerated drinks. A theme party will also be thrown where children dressed in Disney clothes will recite, sing, narrate and act. Says Seema Malhotra, Director, Scope Plus, "It is a very good exposure for children. It will also make them interested in books."

Talking about her NGO, she says, "For 13 years I have been working in Tihar Jail. We provide the children of the inmates education, computer literacy and train them in income generating skills". She adds, "We also admit street children in schools whose parents are poor migrant labourers from states like Bihar and cannot afford their education."

According to Rajiv Chowdhry, CEO, Apeejay Oxford Bookstores, "The purpose of this festival is to inculcate the reading habit in children and to engage them in activities that will build their personality. We will continuously try to provide children with an entertaining way of learning."

Reading not only helps in increasing knowledge but also in cultivating the mind where creative ideas can grow.

They say that "an empty mind is a devil's workshop," but this summer the little devils will find no time to leave their minds unoccupied.

(Link: http://www.hindu.com/yw/2006/05/26/stories/2006052604780600.htm)

India's Secular Policy: Reply to a "Catholic from Keral" - Part I

2008-05-30T15:55:00.009+05:30

Bharatvarsh: Sikhs: 1%. Christians: 2%. Muslims: 13%. Hindus: 80%. Extreme marginalization of Hindus in the country because of secularism.

If you are a Keralite or Saint Thomas Christian then let me remind you that your ancestors were Hindus who were converted, by force or by tricks. If you are so proud of your Bharatiya heritage then why not go back to your roots, get yourself purified and embrace back Sanatan Dharm. You were Hindus for centuries even before the time of Jesus Christ.
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Bharatiya Muslims have the worst record in the history of world ever since the Islamic invaders came to Bharatvarsh. They haven't embrace or even accepted the Bharatiya culture and they will never do it because that is against the tenets of Islam. They are more Arabs in their way of life than Bharatiya. Jammu and Kashmir is the victim of Pan-Islamism (if you know what it means). Terrorism is an integral part of Islam. It is the reason of Muslims success in the history.
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You say bombs don't discriminate between Hindus, Muslims and Christians. Yes, they do. How many Muslims and Christians died when Islamic terrorists bombed the Sankat Mochan Mandir in Varanasi and Akshardham Mandir in Karnavati, Gujarat? Islamists only targeted the Hindu populated areas of Delhi, Jaipur, and Mumbai. A lot of Christians have also been killed in terrorist attacks all over the world, but not in Bharatvarsh.
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The BJP government had its shortcomings. Its failure in Kandhar Hijacking was pathetic and shameful. The strict orders from Atal Bihari Vajpayee not to cross the LOC claimed the lives of many Bharatiya soldiers. But Congress is even worse than the BJP. It openly supports Muslim militants like Muhammad Afzal, who masterminded the attack on the Bharatiya Parliament.
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Pakistan is an Islamic country. It killed lakhs of Hindus just because they were not Muslims. Hindus and Christian families are the main target of local Pakistani Muslims. The Sunni Muslims don't even spare Shias and Ahmediyas because. The conduct of Shias, Bahais, Ahmediyas are considered "un-Islamic" by the majority of Muslims.
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I am deadly against secularism as it divided Bharatvarsh in 1947. It will again bifurcate the country if we do not curb it soon.
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P.S. Do you Catholics remember what you did to Hindus in Goa Inquisition (1560-1812) and to those converted people who were following the Hindu or Bharatiya culture?

Muslims are in denial mode

2008-05-27T19:43:00.007+05:30

Letter to the Editor - The Pioneer

Published on Tuesday, May 27, 2008.

This refers to the article, “Islam’s enemy within” (Coffee Break, May 25) by Mr Kanchan Gupta. Although the Jamia Millia Islamia has now become a Central university from a minority institution, its academic atmosphere is still filled with Muslim issues. It is perhaps the only place where one finds a number of staunch Muslims subscribing to Marxism. It may be because of this kind of environment that Jamia scholars believe in conspiracy theories and other fanciful ideas like a Christian and/or Jewish hand behind 9/11.

If madarsas are to be blamed for producing Islamists, then universities like Jamia Millia and Aligarh Muslim University should be held responsible for producing apologists of Islamism. These apologists try their best to defend radical Islamism by presenting half-truths, fabricated theories and historical revisionism in their lectures, books and discussions. They also try to portray Muslims as victims of the global war on terrorism, but never blame pan-Islamic movements across the world, especially in Jammu & Kashmir.

The tragedy with Muslims is that their leaders have kept them in the dark. The community is either unaware of the atrocities committed in the name of Islam or does not want to admit the truth. Muslim and Marxist historians have purposefully practised negationism to distort Indian history.

There is no place for nationalism and democracy in an ideal which visualises an Islamic state. According to the tenets of Islam, a Muslim is supposed to be a Muslim first and an Indian second. Similarly, if shari’ah is not enforced in a state, then that place is Dar-ul Harb, the abode of war.

Bhavya Ketan

Delhi

Link: http://www.dailypioneer.com/editor.asp

Needed, a Nepal policy

2008-05-25T14:52:00.005+05:30

Letter to the Editor - The Pioneer

Published on Sunday, May 25, 2008.

This refers to the editorial, "Dealing with Nepal" (May 23). India, for the past five decades, has taken its relations with Nepal for granted. Till recently, Nepal was the only Hindu kingdom in the world. Many Indian Hindus used to take pride in the identity of the Himalayan state. But today, as a democracy, Nepal has become a base for Islamists to carry out terrorist activities on Indian soil. The Maoists of Nepal have contacts with their Indian counterparts. Both Islamists and Communists have one objective: Destruction and division of India.

India was supposed to protect the monarchy in Nepal. Instead, the Government of India practised its post-independence policy of passive non-interference. The Maoist takeover in Nepal will jeopardise India's national security.

We have always thought that Nepal needs us more than we do. This attitude needs to change. The Maoist Government will exploit Nepal's strategic location between India and China. This will reduce India's dominance in the region.

Bhavya Ketan

Delhi

Link: http://www.dailypioneer.com/editor.asp?edit=yes

Letter to Editor refering to "Promote Sanskrit for harmony"

2008-05-23T09:12:00.006+05:30

UNPUBLISHED

The rising sun of Sanskrit language.

The Editor

The Pioneer

Delhi

This refers to the article "Promote Sanskrit for harmony" (May 22) by JC Chatterji. Sanskrit is the oldest language of the world. It is the mother of all Indo-European languages. According to the American space agency NASA, it is the most suitable language for the computers.
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Sanskrit should be read and understood by every Hindu because it is the liturgical language of Hinduism. All our holy scriptures are written in this language only. Communicating in Sanskrit will bring millions of Hindus living all over the world close to each other. Sanskrit is also the language of the Indian civilisation. It is the identity and pride of all Indians.
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But we shouldn't be dependent on the recommendations of Max Mueller and MK Gandhi for mustering support for Sanskrit from the 'secular' intelligentsia of India. The German Indologist was biased against the Hindu culture and the minority appeasement policies of the so-called "father of the nation" led to the deaths of lakhs of Hindus and the partition of our country. Nor do we have to intentionally search and explain the secular verses written in Hindu scriptures to prove the credibility of our cause.
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We need to tell the world about the great Panini. The one who was thrown out of the school for his dumbness, and later wrote the grammar of classical Sanskrit through sheer hard work. The verse "Karat- karat abhyaas ke jarmati hot sujaan, rasri aawat-jaat se sil par parat nisaan" (With persistent labour even a dull person can become smart, the continuous to and fro of rope on stone leaves marks on it) should be followed. We have to make the mark of Hindu culture on those Indian intellectuals whose minds are stoned because of secularism.
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Bhavya Ketan
Delhi

Punjabi Sarasvat Brahmans

2008-05-22T15:22:00.003+05:30

Punjabi Sarasvat Brahmans are a sub-group of the Sarasvat Brahmans. Those Sarasvat Brahmans who settled in the region of Punjab came be known as Punjabi Sarasvat Brahmans or PSBs.

Punjabi Sarasvat Brahmans are the original inhabitants of the land of Bharatvarsh. Their ancestors were the sages and seers who lived and meditated on the banks of the ancient Sarasvati River. This was the very place where the first civilization of the world grew: the Sindhu-Sarasvati Civilization.

Fitna: An Expose

2008-05-20T16:03:00.002+05:30

One of the greatest documentaries on Islam.

I support Geert Wilders. He has made a remarkable documentary. Fitna will show the world what Koran really teaches. Hatred towards other religions and oppression are the very tenets of Islam.

Hindi is National not Regional

2008-05-19T15:46:00.004+05:30

By Bhavya Ketan

Hindi is the official language of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Delhi.
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Hindi is spoken all over Bharatvarsh:
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Northern Bharatvarsh: Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh, and Jammu aur Kashmir
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Central Bharatvarsh: Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
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Western Bharatvarsh: Rajasthan and Mumbai.
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Eastern Bharatvarsh: Bihar, Jharkhand, and Arunachal Pradesh.
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Southern Bharatvarsh: Andaman aur Nicobar Dveep Samuh and Hyderabad.
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Hindi is also spoken in the foreign countries of:
1. Fiji

2. Mauritius

3. Nepal

4. Surinam

5. Trinidad and Tobago

6. Guyana
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Hindi is the official language of Bharatvarsh and Fiji. It is the first language of 68 crore people. It is the second language of 22.5 crore people. More than 90% population of our country can speak and understand Hindi.
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Hindi can be easily understood by Punjabi, Marathi, Bangali, and Gujarati speakers.
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Only Hindi deserve the status of a national language. Hindi is rapidly growing in United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia where Bharatiya diaspora is scattered.
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The best thing about Hindi is that it is very easy to learn and speak. People in Bhutan, Afghanistan, and many other countries have learnt Hindi just by watching Hindi movies.
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Hindi is one of the fasted growing languages of the world. It is very stupid to call Hindi a regional language. Hindi is truly a national language.
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Jai Hindi!

Jai Bharat!
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P.S. Hindi is the language used by the personnel of the Bharatiya Armed Forces.

2008-05-19T15:22:00.000+05:30

Sanskrit is the oldest language of the world. It is the mother of all languages. Hindi is derived from Sanskrit. Hindi is second only to Sanskrit.

Our Language Hindi

2008-05-19T14:56:00.005+05:30

By Bhavya Ketan

According to the Constitution of Bhartvarsh, Hindi is the official language of the Union of Bharatvarsh. But all government documents will also be printed in English for those who do not understand Hindi.
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Hindi would have become the sole official language of our country and the recognized national language if Tamil chauvinists hadn't threatened the central government with secession of Tamil Nadu from the Union.
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But times have changed now. The hatred towards Hindi in the minds of Tamil chauvinists has reduced. They have now understood that Hindi is must for their development. A person from Keral, Karnatak, or Andhra Pradesh has no problem in visiting and working in others parts of Bharatvarsh because they understand Hindi. Hindi is like a second language to them. But an average Tamilian is facing communication problems in states outside Tamil Nadu because his state government discourages the learning and use of Hindi.
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A common Tamilian has no hard feelings against Hindi. Those poor Tamilians who earn their living from tourism suffer because of not be able to communicate in Hindi. A Gujarati or a Punjabi family will obviously talk to a Tamilian in Hindi.
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People who protest against Hindi are the types of Karunanidhi and DMK. They are the people in power in Tamil Nadu. They are also against Hindu Dharm. A common Tamilian is a staunch Hindu. He is a real practising Hindu, more devoted to Bhagvan than North Bharatiya Hindus. But he is not allowed to express himself by the Tamil chauvinists in power. A common Tamilian is kept down for decades by these Dravidian chauvinists who hate everything about Northern Bharatvarsh.
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Hindi, unlike Urdu and English, never dominates any other language. It always act a communication bridge between people of different regions. It is the first language of people of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Andaman and Nicobar Dveep Samuh. It is quite similar to Punjabi, Bangali, Marathi, and Gujarati. Even Marathi and Hindi are written in same Devnagri script. People of Karnatak, Jammu and Kashmir, Orissa, North-East, Keral, and Andhara Pradesh study Hindi as a second language as well as a means to communicate with rest of Bharatvarsh. Only some anti-national sections of Tamil Nadu and Sikh separatists have hatred towards Hindi.
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Hindi is the language of the masses. The Hindi newspapers and news channels have spread Hindi to the all four corners of Bharatvarsh and abroad. And not to forget the contribution of "Saas-Bahu" serials of Ekta Kapoor.
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Hindi is for all.
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Hindi Bhasha Ki Jai!

Hindī - The Language of Bhāratavarsha

2008-05-19T13:38:00.002+05:30

By Bhavya Ketan

Hindī is the national language of Bhāratavarsha. It is also the official language of the Union of Bhāratavarsha. Hindī binds the Bhāratiyas together. Only Hindī can maintain the integrity and unity of our motherland.

English is a foreign language. More so, it is the language of those people who exploited and enslaved us. But that doesn't mean we should not speak English. The use of English should be restricted to the fields where it is necessary. We do not need English to interact with our fellow countrymen. We may use it to converse with foreigners.

Hindī is the language of all Bhāratiyas as well as the language of millions of Hindūs.

Long Live Hindī.

Jamia Millia Islamia: Terms and Conditions

2008-05-18T20:20:00.005+05:30

By Bhavya Ketan

1. Muslim candidates will be given preferences in admission and hostel accommodation.

2. Islam is more important than India.

3. Support Pakistan in all cricket matches, especially those played against India.

4. Arabic Assalamu aleikum is the standard greeting.

5. Jamia Millia Islamia is a central university by an act of the parliament but a Muslim institution in reality.

6. You have the right to remain silent if your views are critical of Islam, pseudo-secularism, and biased Marxist interpretation of history.

7. You should not harm the feelings of Muslims by talking about Islamic terrorism.

8. A Muslim is not a terrorist. Period.

9. A terrorist is not a Muslim. Period.

10. Islam means peace. Period.

11. Allah-O-Akbar is written on the top of the university logo, followed by verses from Koran in the middle. Secularism is for Delhiites not for Jamiaites.

12. Classes and other facilities will be of shorter duration on Fridays because all Muslims have to mosques to offer prayers.

13. Only propaganda movies like In the Name of God, Final Solution, and Jashn-e-Aazadi are allowed to be screened in the campus. Factual documentaries such as And the World Remained Silent and The Bangla Crescent are banned.

14. Arun Shourie is a communal writer.

15. Zakir Naik is the Ultimate Prophet.

16. University language is Urdu.

17. University newspaper is The Hindu.

18. The Pioneer is a BJP paper.

19. The BJP is a communal party.

20. Communal harmony is more important than knowledge and truth.

21. Koranic verses will be recited before the beginning of any major event.

22. Hindi is a communal language.

23. Urdu is a secular language.

24. Jamia Millia Islamia is a Dar ul Islam in a Dar ul Harb.

Letter to Editor refering to "Go on, bite the bullet"

2008-05-18T01:08:00.004+05:30

UNPUBLISHED

The Editor

Hindustan Times

New Delhi

This refers to the article Go on, bite the bullet (May 16) by Rajdeep Sardesai. Earlier, the Congress government confidently declared that no matter what, they will go ahead with the Indo-Us nuclear deal. They claimed that the deal is necessary to meet the future energy requirements of the country as well as a part of India's national interests. But when the Leftists threatened to take back their support from the government if the deal is signed, all the 'patriotism' and 'vision' of the Congress leaders suddenly vanished. Manmohan Singh is cannot be called a man of personal integrity because he is the head of such hypocrite government.

Bhavya Ketan

Delhi

Islam has no caste

2008-05-17T11:03:00.005+05:30

Letter to the Editor - The Pioneer

Published on Saturday, May 17, 2008.

Sir-This refers to the article, "Muslims can't be Scheduled Castes" (May 15), by KR Phanda. There is no such thing as caste in Islam. The myth of Dalit Muslim has been created to give more privileges to a pampered community.

Just because a Muslim is poor, he cannot claim to be oppressed. What is the basis of providing the status of a Scheduled Caste to a Muslim? There are no Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas or Shudras in Islamic society. All those who have submitted themselves to the "religion of Allah" are treated as 'equals'. Calling a Muslim a Dalit will be questioning the tenets of Islam. Why are the ulema and Indian 'liberals' silent on this issue?

Bhavya Ketan

Delhi

Why Islam Failed in Bhāratavarsha?

2008-05-16T18:39:00.002+05:30

By Bhavya Ketan

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED why Islam failed in Bhāratavarsha? Muslims destroyed the cultures and religions of Arabia, Syria, Mesopotamia, Central Asia, and Persia and forcefully converted to Islam. Even in Bhāratavarsha they took over Gāndhāra and Kambhoja (presentday Afghanistan). They have occupied Sindh, Balochisthan, Western Punjab, Bangladesh and some other areas. But, on the whole, they failed.

Why?

There are many reasons for the failure of Islam in Bhāratavarsha. But the topmost reason is the superiority of the Arya or Hindu culture over Islam. When Muslims first came to Bhāratavarsha they saw a civilization much greater than their own. Muslims could defeat the armies of Bhāratavarsha who was divided into many kingdoms at that time. But they could never defeat the culture, the religion, and the fighting spirit of the brave Ārya people.

Even after 1400 years of continuous Islamic onslaught we Āryas haven't given up. We will keep on fighting and crushing them till we re-establish Makkeshvara Shiva Mandira. After all, an Arab cult is nothing in front of the Ārya civilization.

Upcoming War of Votes

2008-03-24T12:27:00.005+05:30

By Bhavya Ketan and Gaurav Kumar
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The state election is due on November. The BJP and Congress are making preparations and campaign strategies. While the Congress has the budget as a main campaign sop, BJP is flaunting women reservation issue.
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But what does the common man think?
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“These leaders think about no one else but themselves. Then why should I think about them? My voter’s card has not been made yet. Next time when it will be issued I will think about them,” said Santosh Kumar Yadav, who runs a canteen in a media school.
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This cynicism can also be seen among youngsters who are losing faith in the politics. Sourav, a law student at Jamia Millia Islamia university, said “One is chor another is dakait. Both parties are playing power game and their ultimate aim is to occupy power. They just want to exploit the issues and don’t want to work for permanent solutions.”
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The women reservation issue might attract a section of the society. The BJP who has already implemented the 33% quota for women in their party is looking ahead to exploit the women empowerment issue.
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Recently appointed vice-president of Delhi Pradesh BJP, Poonam Azad said, “We will raise voice for the women’s reservation. It has happened for the first time in the history of BJP that a woman has been made the vice-president.”
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These election gimmicks could be helpful to the better halves. Manjushree Mandal, a housewife and resident of CR Park spoke to Provoke, “All this is nothing but vote bank politics. But it might lead to the betterment of the public. To win votes, BJP is raising the women reservation issue and Congress has given a relief-giving budget. It this vote bank politics leads to the implementation of women reservation then it would be a success.”
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The Congress is also confident about the upcoming elections. HK Jindal of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee said, “Underground preparations have already started but campaigning will start from May-June onwards. We are prepared for the polls.” Residents of Delhi are about to experience the election heat once again.
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But this time the rising popularity of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati and her rallies all over India could adversely affect the vote sharing of BJP and Congress in Delhi. In conversation with Provoke Congress worker Jagpal Singh, who has fought MCD election on the party’s ticket from Karawal Nagar in East Delhi, “BSP factor can work in upcoming assembly elections. Although they cannot win elections but they can harm and disturb congress vote-bank.”

Photojournalism in Lime Light

2008-03-24T12:18:00.003+05:30

By Bhavya Ketan
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We live in the age of packaging, where presentation is more important than content. These days people do not have time to read full newspaper.

Earlier a picture was considered as a complementary to the written story. Nowadays, the picture has itself become a piece of story.

Readers are converting into viewers. Newspapers and magazines have dedicated themselves to the photographs and illustrations. These things, on one hand, help the reader to understand the news in an easy manner. On the other, they make the publication more attractive and alluring for the commuters and passersby’s to buy them.

Are foreign tourists safe in Delhi?

2008-03-20T13:46:00.004+05:30

By Bhavya Ketan, Akanksha Kukreti, and Aqsa Anjum

The murder of the British tourist Scarlett Keeling in Goa has shocked the whole country. There is a wide spread questioning in the world whether or not tourists are safe in India. But foreign tourists in Delhi are unaffected by the incident. They say they feel safe.
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The complaints received were very minimal, according to the police. The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Central Delhi, Alok Kumar explained: “There is no trend of complaints by the tourists. Whenever we get concrete information about the criminal elements we take action on it.”
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Laurent from the Brittany, France feels that what happened in Goa is shameful but says “it happens all around the world…In Delhi I can move out at 2 O’clock in night. I can’t do that in Rio de Janeiro and Paris,” says Laurent who has also travelled in America and Africa.
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According to Marco, from Switzerland, everything has a light side and a dark side. He feels safe in India, but does not have a high regard for the police.
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“Police is not very good. There is too much corruption. I don’t feel safe from them at all,” expresses Marco, a forest ranger by profession.
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Ajay Aggarwal, president of the Hotel Mahasangh, an association of hotels in Paharganj area blames the police for the inconveniences suffered by the foreign tourists.
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He says, “According to police instructions we have to keep the photocopy of the passport of every overseas guest before checking them in. But even after that the police three-four times again check the passports and other documents of the foreigners staying in our hotels.”
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Being safe
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But what steps foreigners are taking to protect themselves from trouble?
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Adam from Massachusetts, United States says, “I take the usual precautions, like don’t look like an idiot, walk fast, and react aggressively.”
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Jessica who has just arrived with her boyfriend from Cambridge, England, agrees, “Just be careful. Don’t walk alone.”
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Hotels are supposed to provide guidelines for the tourists. But some of them have a different opinion about the foreigners.
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“They are already smart people. There is no need to tell them anything,” says Vijender, a hotel manager and informs, “Tourists keep guides and books with themselves. They refer to that only”.
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“They generally do not trust anybody. If they do then they trust them completely. But mostly they don’t trust,” he adds.
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Many foreigners are alleged for coming to India because of the easy availability of drugs and narcotics.
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But American traveller Sara Karl from New York City has a different view. “There are plenty of drugs available in the West. They don’t have to come to India for that,” she says.
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Her partner agrees with her, “I don’t know many tourists who are into drugs. Most westerners come here for bhakti and yoga.”
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Guests are considered divine in Indian culture. But episodes like Scarlett homicide are a big question on this ancient tradition.

Girls Cry For Help

2008-03-01T01:35:00.010+05:30

By Bhavya Ketan and Rozy Ibrahim
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A hostel for girls run by the Razia Sultana, the wife of A.K. Farooqui, a suspended deputy commissioner of police in Delhi, is in the heart of a storm. The girls of Sultanat, a girls hostel, at Batla House in south Delhi are up in protest against the conditions there and the way they are mistreated. One girl was even locked up inside a bathroom for two hours for protesting. There have been charges of torture but the police have preferred to look the other way.
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Girls also alleged that the hostel’s caretaker Vijender Singh used to make advances towards them and had complained to the police. But the police did not lodge an FIR but just noted it down, they said. Singh denied the allegation. The girls feel that the police are not taking any interest as a former DCP’s family runs the hostel. When the additional Sub-Inspector of Jamia Nagar police station, Shabab Alam was contacted, by Provoke, he casually said: “It’s not a major issue.”
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Sultana reacted sharply last week when she came to know of the complaints that the girls were lodging with the police. She asked the girls to give it to her in writing that they were happy with the hostel, failing which they should pack up their bags and leave. There is an atmosphere of fear in the hostel now.
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Though the residents pay between Rs 3600 to 4100 per month, they are denied even basic amenities like clean water, electricity, ventilation and even passable food. Halima Hashmi, a Jamia student, says: “We are not allowed to eat more than two chapattis. If we ask for more, it is refused. Speaking with Provoke, the chief cook, Shiraz Ahmed said: “We listen to the one who pays us. We get paid by the management so we cook according to them. The girls don’t pay us.”
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Hashmi recently suffered from some bad asthma attacks. “I am suffering from asthma and the unhygienic hostel conditions are only making it worse. There is an electricity generator just beside my room spewing smoke. I requested for a change of its location, but it was turned down,” she said angrily.
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The hostel is unauthorized according to the residents. They allege that they do not get even a formal receipt of their hostel fees. They say that they have even paid twice a month as the owner insists that they have not paid. Tabassum, an interior decoration student of Amity University said: “The owner comes every Thursday to collect payments in advance and issues a piece of paper as a receipt. But later she denies of receiving any cash so as to fleece more cash from us.”
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Zeba, another student, said that they did not have any documents to prove that they were residents. “Whenever we complain to the owner, she asks us to vacate the hostel,” she alleged.

(This article was published in Provoke, the newspaper of Anwar Jamal Kidwai Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia)

An Airman's New Flight

2008-02-27T15:16:00.011+05:30

By Bhavya Ketan

Twenty Four years Corporal Arvind Verma has been a Radio Fitter in the 16th Squadron of the Indian Air Force. Presently posted at Gorakhpur air base in Uttar Pradesh, he has recently been recommended by the Service Selection Board (SSB), Allahabad, to be trained as a commissioned officer in the Indian Army. Verma will soon head to the Officers’ Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai. Bhavya Ketan met Verma in Allahabad about how he sees the road ahead.

You are already serving in the Indian Air Force, so why do you want to join the Indian Army?

Serving in the army is a tradition in my family. My grandfather served in the British Army. My father is in the Indian Army. So there is an attachment of my family with the Army. It is this bonding which drives me to pursue this career.

Your parents must be very happy with you being selected for the OTA?

Of course, as they knew that this was my ambition to be in the commissioned ranks. They also appreciate the amount of hard work which I have put in to reach this level.

Why is that these days not many youngsters want to join the Indian Army?

I think it is because of the boom in the private sector which is paying handsome salaries to budding newcomers. The Indian Army is also aware of this fact, so they are planning to bring major changes in the pay structure of the defence personnel.

What are your comments on the Indian Army’s advertisement punch line, “Be an army man, be a winner for life”?

Army supports an adventurous life which gives you an opportunity to go to every nook and corner of the country. It also gives you opportunities to participate in different sports and extra-curricular activities. It builds your reputation in the society. On the whole, it does everything to build your personality.

There have been suicide attempts by the army personnel. What makes them to take such drastic steps?

We are living in a competitive world and we got to choose our career in the best way, for which counseling is required. Some aspirants are joining the Indian Army by fascination. This leads to frustration when they get to know the harsh environment which the soldiers face at the border.

(This article was published in Provoke, the newspaper of Anwar Jamal Kidwai Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia, February 13-19, 2008)

Back to Power

2008-02-27T14:42:00.015+05:30

By Bhavya Ketan

He may or may not be a “merchant of death” but Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi proved to be a “merchant of votes”. Coming back into power for a record third time, Modi has defied all predictions and forecasts. Winning an absolute majority with 117 seats out of 182 in Gujarat state assembly, the Bharatiya Janata Party has regained its confidence keeping in view of the party's humiliating defeat in the 2004 general elections.

Just before the Gujarat polls, LK Advani was nominated as the party’s prime ministerial candidate for the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. This lead to speculation in the political circle about Modi's growing influence and BJP president Rajnath Singh's move to contain it. Some political leaders feel Modi is the future of the party. The massive mandate that he secured from the Gujarati people has silenced his critics.

An analysis of the Gujarat result reveals that the BJP's victory margin over the Congress has increased beyond 2002. In 2002, the BJP led by 9.5 per cent votes. The lead this time is 11 per cent. A larger lead has resulted in fewer seats essentially because of the uneven size of the constituencies and the large BJP vote being concentrated on winning side.

On the other hand, victory in Himachal Pradesh acted as an icing on the cake for the BJP. The Himalayan state may not be as politically important as Gujarat, but Prem Kumar Dhumal as Chief Minister would help in the saffron party entrench itself in north India.

BJP's reemergence is a major challenge for the Congress. The Left parties, who are at loggerhead with the BJP, view Gujarat elections results as another reason for continuing to support the UPA government at the centre.However, the Left's stand on the nuclear deal and the Hyde Act also left bare the internal discrepancies of the coalition. It is another positive point for the BJP and to exploit the nuclear deal issue to their benefit.

With inputs from Dipu Shaw.

(This article was published in Provoke, the newspaper of Anwar Jamal Kidwai Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia, February 13-19, 2008)

The Return of the Arya

2008-02-06T22:42:00.001+05:30

The Arya is back. After the 850 years of the Mlecch bondage and oppression, he has returned to claim what is rightfully his. Gandhi and Nehru tried to make him a non-violent, tolerant, and peaceful coward. But he refused to believe them and rebelled against their malign policies.

The Witch of the East

2008-02-02T01:44:00.002+05:30

Benazir Bhutto - A liberal democrat or a religious fanatic?

There is an old Kashmiri saying, “Aenem soy vavem soy lajem soy paanesey” which means “I sowed the seeds of the poison ivy and got consumed by them.” Whenever I think about Benazir Bhutto, her propagandist speeches of 1980s come to my mind in which she publicly appealed to Kashmiri Muslims to fight for their so-called aazadi “freedom” and to throw out the Kashmiri Hindus from the Valley. She shouted “bacha bacha bolega aazadi, har gali se awwaz aayegi aazadi, Kashmir ki awam rassol-e-pak ke jehad ki awwaz ko buland karegi, jab tak har ek kafir Kashmir chor kar naheen jayega tab tak chain se nahee rahenge Kashmir ki awaam….” (Every child will speak out freedom, every street will speak out freedom, people of Kashmir will glorify the holy war of Prophet Muhammad; the people of Kashmir will never rest until every non-Muslim leaves Kashmir). But little did she know that her adrenalin pumping hateful speeches would mean death to many Hindus and ethnic cleansing of half a million Hindus.

According to Rashneek Kher, a social activist and coordinator of Roots in Kashmir, a Delhi-based NGO working for the rights of Kashmiri Pandits, “Benazir though an English speaking moderate was not alien to process which churned out monsters day out and day in. She was a fellow traveler alongside the armed forces which created these monsters to fight ‘infidels’. When she could have treated the cancer, she looked the other side. Rather she aided in spreading its malignancy. Little did she know then that one day it will come back only to consume her.”

And that’s what happened on the fateful day of December 27, 2007, when the assassins of Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, a Wahabi Muslim extremist organization affiliated with al-Qaeda, shot her dead. Bhutto could have eliminated the cancer of Jihad and Islamic terrorism in its early phase but she continued using it a state policy of Pakistan to make “India bleed through thousand cuts”. All that happened in Punjab and what is still going on in Jammu & Kashmir had her blessings.

References:
1. http://kashmiris-in-exile.blogspot.com/
2. http://www.wikipedia.org/

Proselytization Permitted in Hindū Dharma

2008-02-01T02:08:00.005+05:30

In shloka 66 of adhyāya 18 of Bhagavad Gīta, Bhagavāna Shrī Krishna says, "Sarvdharmarnparityajya mamekam sharanam vraj. Aham tva sarvpapebhyo mokshyishyami ma shucha."

"Sampurn dharmoko mujhme tyag kar tu keval ek mujh sarvshaktiman, sarvadhar parameshwar ki hi sharan mein aa ja. Main tujhe sampurn paapo se mukt kar dunga, tu shok mat kar."

Bhagavāna Shrī Krishna is saying that leave all other religions and come to the almighty, omnipotent, supreme God Me. I will free you from all your sins, you don't worry."

Some Pictures Clicked By Me

2007-12-12T11:33:00.003+05:30

Location: Jamia Nagar

Camera: Nikon D40

Location: Jamia Millia Islamia

Camera: Nikon D40

Location: India Gate

Camera: Nikon D40

Kamla Nehru Celebrates Journo Junction

2007-10-13T10:26:00.004+05:30

By Bhavya Ketan

My classmate and I were so enthusiastic to go to Kamla Nehru College that we accidently crashed into Gargi College. It was not our fault. These two women colleges are built adjacent to each other. After having a heated argument with the Gargi gatekeeper about the authenticity of our destination, we entered the KMC. It is a beautifule college. I am not talking about its scholars but the buildings, passages, and wall decorations. Even the weather was gorgeous that day, a perfect day to attend media seminar.

Wait, did I forget to tell you that it was September 25 and Kamla Nehru College, popularly known as KNC was celebrating its Journalism Festival called the Journo Junction 2007. It was a two-day gala having debates, seminar, interaction sessions and snacks, books, and garments stalls.

I registered myself at the gate and paid two rupees each for the college tabloid and the schedule. Later, I lost the schedule and forget to read the paper. Anyway, after roaming seminar room. It was on the first floor largely populated by the fairer sex mostly in purple t-shirts. First, I thought they were related to royalty since purple colour is often relatd to the monarchs. But, later it clicked my mind that ours is a parliamentry decomentry and these girls were members of the organizing committe.

Citizen Journalist
We had clear instructions from our Course Coordinator: get in, attent the seminar, get out, report it. The first seminar was on Citizen Journalism by an NDTV Senior Editor Mohuya Chaudhuri. She was announced to be a specialist in development issues. Starting her speech she said, "Citizen Journalism is people's journalism. It is about people reporting about themselves. It can also be called participatory journalism. This kind of a journalism is for you and by you," and added, "'everybody' is using the Net these days, it is called the new media. Now we get information from the source you never heard of before."

Ms. Chaudhuri expressed, " A lot of information is coming from the young people, from amateurs". "Citizen Journalism has opened the world for us, and it is not restricted to hte Internet. It also includes the telecommunications mediums like mobile phones, SMS and MMS clips. 'Everybody' wants to be a part of the news beacuse we wnat to share information." But she also admitted the the novel phenomenon of Citizen Journalism is restricted to electronic media and that only to vodeo clips. "Since newspaper have a rigid structure, it will take time to get into print media."

She gave examples like terrorists blasts in Hyderabad, where nearrby shopkeepers covered the incident on their cell phones and send the MMS clips to news channels. She said that this kind of journalism is a two-way dailogue and has led to the democratization of news.

"Does that make you a journalist?" She asked, and replied, "No". "Policies are shaped by what media brings (to the people). In professional journalism your profile tells you what to do. There are rules of game for a reporter. There is a big difference between a regular journalist and a citizen journalist," Ms. Chaudhuri elaborated. "You don't edit the video clips send by the people. Here lies the problem. Once the news is out then it is out there forever, everybody can see it."

After that there was a question-answer round van guarded by the MCRC students. Mohuya Chaudhuri's answers were satisfactory.

Between Close-Ups and Long Shots
It was the second event after a short break. I forget to mention that there was also a debate competition going on in other room at the same time. But, unfortunately, it was not for the postgraduate students.

Documentary photographer, Anita Khemka was invited to show her photographs of a Hijra named Lakshmi, who was also present to share ' her' experiences with the audience. This was no ordinary Kinnar, but a highly fashionable, onfident, and outspoken individual. She wanted to spread awaereness about her community among younsters. especially girls.

Pictures of Lakshmi were presented on the projector. Many of them were normal but some of them were sensational and explicit. I couldn't say whether they were vulgarm or indecent or both. Enlightening the students, the Hijra said, "We are neither male nor female. Please address us as transgender". She then shared her story about how she became a Hijra. Her castration experiences, her life and aspirations. Lakshmi also accepted that "some of the Hijras do prostitution and they also have lovers".

While interacting with the girls she made a very opinionated statement that " Men" are like tissue papers," which was srongly objected by the boys sitting in the room. Lakshmi then tried to justify herself by saying, "He who couldn't be faithful to his own wife, how could he be faithful to us?"

It was more of an interaction with a transgender than a dialogue on Close-Ips and Long Shots which was the origianl topic of discussion. I think it was a smart trick played by the organizers to entice students to participate in this event. But stil it was an eye-opening session. The 'Third Sex' is present in our society for ages but the society has never accepted it.

After that, it was the lunch break. Since I have had enough of the Media Seminar, I decided to leave the place and chose to go to Connaught Place to attend my friend's birthday party.

I want to become a journalist because...

2007-10-09T12:38:00.003+05:30

By Bhavya Ketan

The Press is considered as the fourth estate for a reason. The democratic setup of a country cannot survive without a free press. After the Executive, the Legislature, and the Judiciary, the Media is the most powerful institution. Journalist build the public opinon in a society. They are the vanguards of a revolution or a social change. They can make or mar the country. The great French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) once said, "Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets." Adolf Hitler, like the 'Little Corporal', knew the might of the press and information. That's why, in 1933 he established the Reich Ministry of Popular Enlightenment and Propaganda (Reichsministerium fur Volksaufklarung und Propaganda) and made Joseph Goebbels its chief. This department played a major role in the promotion of the Nazi ideology and bringing the German masses close to him, as well as propagating anti-Jewish sentiments.

I want to become a journalist beacuse I want the power that comes with this profession. A scribe with his writings can change the society and the direction in which the nation is heading. Some of the most powerful and rich people in the world, like Rupert Murdoch and Ted Turner, are owners of media houses. It is said "He who controls the media controls the mindset of the people." Journalism for me is a platform where I can put forward my views and promote them. Journalism for me is an ambition.

Inclined Media

2007-09-02T19:29:00.003+05:30

By Bhavya Ketan

There is a Japanese saying, "If you believe everything you read, you better not read." This old adage still holds water today. Nowadays, almost all professional writers have an ideology which is reflected in their writings especially that of reporters and editors in newspapers and magazines. All media houses are affliated to some political party or lobby. For example, The Hindu, NDTV, Frontline, and Outlook are infested with communist tendencies. They just cannot publish the good deeds of the Hindu organizations. These mediums of mass communication ought to present the rightists and progressive groups in a bad light even if they have done something for the welfare of the masses.

Similarly, Hindustan Times is inclined towards the Congress party. It is one of the "most readable" English dalies in India. The Indian Express has now become more pro-Leftist. Last but not the least, are The Pioneer, Janmat, and Aaj Tak supporting the Rightist ideology. Now the question arises who to trust? For this purpose the readers must apply their own brain and choose the newspaper or news channel that satisfies their intellect and ideology. Most of the times, a paper's agenda remains hidden from the general public. But it is said that you cannot hide cold and love. Same goes for the ideologial and political tilt of a news house. The editorial page of a paper speaks out its mindset.