The Citizenship Amendment Act of 2019: A Statement

The Citizenship Amendment Act of 2019


 By offering a path to Citizenship, for those belonging to the Sikh,
Jain, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian faiths, minorities in the Islamic
Republics of Pakistan and Bangladesh, India has taken a decisive step
towards reasserting its historical mission as the refuge of persecuted
minorities. Religion based discrimination is openly practiced in the counties
named in the Act and it is incumbent upon India to ensure that such
discrimination is repugnant to the spirit of Indian Civilization. In 1971, India
fought a war against Pakistan to ensure the safety, security and dignity of the
Bengalis of East Pakistan.

The Citizenship Amendment Act does not change the secular fabric of
India in that it does not abridge or restrict the Citizenship rights of Indian
citizens. The Act applies only to the countries named and does not involve
the rights of Indian citizens who are protected by the Constitution. It is highly
irresponsible on the part of certain vested interests to instigate their cadre,
particularly the student community, along communal lines. The Shahi Imam
of the Juma Masjid in Delhi has rightly emphasized that the CAA does not
concern any citizen of India and has come out strongly in support of the Act.
The provisions of the Act are not applicable to Indian citizens and it is really
surprising that students are being misled on this fundamental issue. The
vicious propaganda that is being spread that it curtails the rights of certain
communities is mischievous and has to be condemned in the strongest
possible manner.

The plight of the minorities in the Islamic Republics in the neighboring
areas of India, particularly Pakistan and now increasingly in Bangla Desh as
well is extremely precarious: Life, Liberty, Livelihood and even basic human
right are all threatened. The minorities, particularly the Hindus, Sikhs,
Buddhists, Jains and Christians are being ill treated and are being
systematically threatened and the Indian Press carries horror stories of their
situation in these States. The horrors of Partition and the lack of clarity on the
status of the indigenous minorities in these areas has contributed to the
present situation. These minorities are being persecuted on a daily basis and
the Constitution of these states do not recognize Minority Rights and hence
India has to come to their rescue. Forcible conversion, kidnapping and
forcible marriage of minority women and the indiscriminate use of the
Blasphemy Laws to harass, intimidate and imprison minorities are everyday
occurrences. We know about the suffering of the Christian woman eho was in
prison for 10 years and faced death sentence on account of the misuse of the
draconian Blasphemey Law. The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a state that
sponsors terrorism and hence it is necessary for India to keep its population
safe. The Nation has not forgotten 26 th November 2008 and the horrible
Massacre in Mumbai.

The CAA reinforces the humanitarian character of the Indian State.
Throughout the ages India has given refuge to oppressed people and we have
the example of the Jews of Kochi and the Parsis to demonstrate the inclusive
and tolerant character of India. The indigenous people trapped in the
neighboring countries must have been rescued in the years following
Partition and only the Narendra Modi Government took the challenge and
enacted this law. By giving refugee status and opening a Path to Citizenship
the Government is fulfilling one of the promises made by all political parties
right from Independence. India is acting in concert with its legal and
constitutional obligations.

A campaign of misinformation and baseless innuendo has been
launched by certain political parties which do not serve the people but rather
divide the Nation for their own narrow political ends. We must emphasize
that there is no discrimination against any group or religion. Citizenship is
being offered only to those who suffer discrimination harassment and
humiliation on the basis of religion in the neighboring states. Second, no
Indian citizen loses his rights as a result of the CAA. Calculated campaign of
misinformation has been instigated by certain political parties which seek to
stir up trouble and thereby further their political goals.

The Nation thanks Narendra Modi and his Government for enacting
this Law which will go a long way in mitigating the suffering of minorities. world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

Animals in Combat: Is the use of Animals in Combat justified

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

K9 Hero honoured by Trump

The use of animals in warfare is as old as war itself. Elephants, Horses, Dogs, Dolphins, Donkeys and even bats have been used in war. The beautiful picture of President Trump honouring the dog that valiantly burst into the tunnel in which the iSIS leader, al Bagdadi had taken refuge raises an importat point: are we justied in using animals in war, combat or in situations in which anima life is considered expendable and therefore sacrificed.  Since animals do not have either the ability or the requirement to give their consent, the abuse of animals in the name of military serive is taken for granted. It is also a fact that when they have bravely discharged their assigned duties, they are put to sleep when they groiw old and are no longer needed in the Army. India too was following the practice of putting war animals especially Dogs and Horses to sleep when their day was done. It is to the eternal credit of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi that this inhuman tradition has been ended and animals declared old or unfit are sent to a State funded retirement home.

Ever since the beginning of warfare animals have been used in combat. tHE GREEK FRIEZE  in the British Museum is an early representaion of a horse in combat. We can see in the picture on the left horses are literally being strangled as they bear the weight of the hoplite and confront the enemy.  Herodotus the great historian was the first to draw attention to the courage shown byEques in combat. The Mongols who conquered and ruled the largest Empire in history used horses to ride into batte and with the stirrup which the Mongols invented harnessed the strength of the horse as a force against the enemy. It is said that a force of just 15,000 Mongol Horsemen coquered the Abbasid Empire. The knights of the middle ages faught on horseback and the tall horses were even equipped with armour. Certainly animals used in war were looked after well. Afterall the fate of battle depended on the health and strenght of the animal.

In World War I, on the battle field of Gallipoli withessed the most amazing animal of all performing its dities admist the dreary tench of death and cannonfire. Duffy, the donkey carried innumerable ANZAC soldiers to safety and a grateful country gave the highest military decoration to Duffy whose satute stands, I beleive, opposite the Parliament building in Canberra. The Donkey never flinched in the face of danger like the cannine hero who wom a military decoration in USA for his role in tracking down al Bagdadi.

While human have been grateful for the services and support provided by animals we have to raise the question: Are we justified in using animals in combat. The use of animals to sniff out drugs and mines does not pose an immediate dange to animals. However if they are sent to war their lives are put to risk. The justification for this is the Christian notion that Man has "Dominion" over animals. However, Sanathana Dharma eshews such simplistic notions. Animals are part of nature and putting them in harms way is certainly not justified.

The Politics and Theory of the Nobel Prize in Economics: Why Abhijit Banerjee and Liberal Theory will not work

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

The announcement that Prof. Abhijit Banerjee and his wife have been awarded the Nobel Prize for Economics has been met with estatic glee by both the CPM and the Congress. This fact alone should alert us to the fact that Economic Policies and prescriptions are not altogether free of political and ideological biases.

Western Economic Theory has had an importnat place in Indian political discourse. Nehru adopted the Planned Economy model of Command Economy though the Planning Commission and ensured that India does not grown beyond 3.5% every year. Man Mohan Singh and the then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao opended up the economy and the growth sputtered to 9 to 10%. The Congress in its 2019 Manifesto promised a Universal Income of Rs 72,000 per family. This schem appartently was suggested by this year's Noble Prize winner, Dr Abijit Banerjee   and we will turn to this particular scheme as a proverty alleviating meaure.

The sub prime lending crisis that hit the American Market and let to a Global slowdown in the Worls Economy and more recently the recession that was partly mitigated by huge infusion of funds from the Federal Reserves are all classical keynesian measures. India with its triple problem of Poverty Population and Politicians cannot be so sanguine about political theory offering a way out.

Abhijit Banerjee was afgainst the DeMonitization launcehed by the Hon ble Prime Minister. The economic theory underlying his approach is regnant with the amorality of liberal economic theory. The "Black Money" can be taxed at the consumption end and so it is not bad for the economy. The circulation of Balck Money was to the extent od 33% of the National GDP. And so when the money is spent some of it gets taxed or so the liberal theory goes. What this theory ignores is the fact that much of the politically generated Black Money was being sent abroad as the slew of procecutions now demonstrate and so was of no import as far as the Indian Economy went. Hence this precious assumption of Liberal Economic theory just does not hold any substance.

Another measure that these "poverrty economiists" advocate is untramelled Government spending. In fact the sort of Universal Income Scheme that the Congress promised would have resulted in stagfaltion and a complete melt down of the Economy. Why do I come to this conclusion. Because the whole venture was to be financed not through production of goods and services but thriough deficit financing. Hence it was poison from the word Go. Unfortunately our Left oriented economists cannot think beyond the Liberal economic theory.

What the present Governemnt has been doing is very sensible. It has tried to beep infation down while increasing public spending. The classic Macro Economic measures like interst rates, basis points reduction, lowering GST ect are all welcome measures while they do turn Liberal Economics on its heads has proved quite robust in dealing with the proble.

I would like the Union Government to invite the top economists from China for a one on one interaction to learn from the Chinses example. We must not be taken in by these entrpernuers of poverty.

President Xi and Prime Minister Modi: Sino-Indian Relations at the crossroads

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

The Summit Meeting between President Xi of the Peoples'Republic of China and the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi at Mamallapuram on the shores of the Bay of Bengal is yet another milestone in the Statecraft of the Prime Minister. The success of his diplomacy is evident from the fact that the Chinese Government has come out with a statement that Kashmir is a bilateral issue and has to be settled between the two countries. This statement is essentially a reformulation of the Chinese position vis a vis India and it certainly augurs well for Sino Indian relations. It is very clear that the two great civilizational giants of Asia--India and China-- are taking steps towards a fundamental transformation in the state of existing relations. China with the dominance of a single party and India with the nationalist BJP Government enjoying a single party dopminance over the political system are both well placed to deal with the issues confronting them from a civilizational perspective. China has been far more successful in protecting its civilzation as the CCP except for the madness during the Cultural  Revolution is well palced to defend its Civilization. India with its corrupt multiparty democracy until quite receently aws incapable of effectively protecting its heritage. There is no doubt that Narendra Modi, a global leader in his own right and Presidentr Xi who like the Prime Minister has risen from the ranks are both well experienced statesmen  will make the effort to set both the great civilizations on a course correction path.

Apart from the border dispute and bickering over the OBOR investment in PoK, there is also the issue of the huge trade deficity with China. I am sure Modi will want China to buy more from India. China is now a global leader in Higher Education and India isn struggling to make the cut. It will be a good step if India learns from China's exprience and jettison American models as far as University education goes. The Indian elite which is "English" educated is quiite at home with US and it stirs up hostility over China. It is the same elite which writes petitions on every single incident and lobbied to have the then Chief Minister of Gujarat banned from entering US. India needs a new Asia centric vision and good relations with China is central to the realization of this dream, Afterall did not the great Chinese intelelctual Hu not say that India conquered China without sending a single soldier. This goodwill was lost due to the stupidity and cussedness of Jawaharlal Nehru and Modi is certainly right is steering a fresh furrow.

Looking back through centuries we can see India and China not as adversaries but as civilizational partners. Thepicture on theLeft is of the Chinese Pagodas or Buddhist Temples constructed near Nagapattinam, a major port from where pilgrims from China landed to visit Buddhist religious sites further to the north. Unfortunately, the towers were pulled down in 1858 by Jesuits missionaries. Buddhism was an importent strand in constituting good civilizational links with India. Yendu was the word by which the Chinese referred to India and is obviously a translitteration of Indus/Hindu. In the early historical text, Shi Ji, Shendu/yendu is referred to and it is obviously, Indus, the Great River. In the fourth century Faxian visited several places in India and records the presence of Buddhist viharas in Kanchipuram. Xuanzang and Yijing visited Nalanda in their search for Buddhist texts. We get a lot of information about Chinese perception about India from these books. Obviously as the Land of Buddha, India had a status far beyon that of a third rate post colonial State the Nehru wanted India to be.

There are references to Indians in Chinese records. Nanti/Zhu Nanti is a ship owner, obviously from India whose name is found in a Buddhist text, Chu sanzang ji ji. A Tamil temple built by merchants has been discovered in Guangzhou. A Tamil inscription found there records the presence of a diasporic mechant community in the flourishing port, once visited by Marco Polo.The technology for extrecting Sugar may have come from China and of course, Cinna Pattu or China silk is referred to even in Pallava inscriptions at Kanchipuram. South Indian physcians were valued in the Tang couts and Indian medicines were sought after in China. Jiva and Nagarjuna are frequently encountered in medical texts from China. The Tang Bureau of Astronomy had the Navagraha Samhita transklated as Jiuzhi li.  Qutam Zhuan, Gautama, was the son of Gautama Siddhartha who settled in Tang China. All these references culled from Tan Sen's book India China and the World; A Connected History show the deed and abiding links between India and China. The Mamallapuram Summit hopefully will reconnect India and China with their civilizational past.

The great Ming Admiral, Zheng He visitied South India diring his 7 voyages from China to Africa. The presence of Ming copper coins in South India attest to the trading linka. There are refences to the Pandyans of Madurai sending as many as seven trade missions to China. In Markanam on the Bay of Bengal coast of Tamil Nadu large number of Chinese coins of the type illustrated on the left have been found.

China was the world's largest producer of copper in the medieval world and perhaps was the source of copper used in South India.

The last chapter in Sino Indian relations is not happy as the troops who faught in the Opium Wars were sent from Madras. It was the Madras Regiment that faught and won China for Great Britain. It is a tragic episode in that opium grown in India was forced into China in order to finance the hugely profitable Tea Trade. India is still held in contempt for the role it played in forcing a Great Civilization like China to get addicted to Opium at the behest of its white masters. Perhpas this generation of Chinese will understand that India did not contorl its destiny and asa citizen I am ashamed of this chapter in India's past.

The Summit between India and China is off to agood start. Both Xi and Modi are experienced Statesmen and will set right the niggling problems inherited from the Nehruvian past. India inherited several problems from Nehu and the dynasty obsessed Congress Party and I am sure that the wisdom of Modi and Xi will set the tone for a new beinning.

2019 Edition of Pondi Lit Fest: Full of Sound and Fury

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

LG at the Event caption

The Three Day extravaganza in Pondicherry, the Third Edition of the Pondicherry Lit Fest, the first genuine attempt on the part of those who do not subscribe to Red Fascism that dominates the intellectual discourse in India got off to a flying start with Her Excellency Dr Kiran Bedi making a remarkable speech, both scholarly and intersting, on Tamil as a Global Language and Literature. Her presentation was sharp focussed and in all respects flagged the pupose for a Lit Fest. Unfortunately her plea for an inclusive and caliberated approach towars Language and Literaure seems to have falllen on the soil of Carthage.

Professor Anand Ranganath was devastating in his criticism of the Left Eco system. We are all aware that Red Fascism at the intelelctual level was backed by State Power and the Right was reduced to a bit player during the 70 years of Congress dynstic rule. The suppression of intellectual freedom, the absolute bureacratization of culture through various state sponsore Akademis, the infringement of the academic freedom of Universites by imposing a third rate curriculaum through the agencies of state are all the ills that can be laid at the door step of the Left and their acolytes. But the Question remains: Are the Nationalists doing enough to reclaim lost territory or are they replacing one set of "sarkari" intellectuals with another

Anand Ranganath

From the eloquent speech of Professor Anand Ranganathan it was clear to me that a deep hurt resides in the heart of intellectuals. Years of rejection humiliation and alienation has opened up and demotratized the public sphere and that is due not to the intelelctual class but to Narendra Modi. It was his spectacular victory that has democratised the public sphere and intellectuals like Prof Anand ranganathan are in reality the beneficairies of that political victory. He is quite right when he rejcts the notion of of a "Right Wing Ecosystem". The fact is the Right in India, unlike the Left is riven with dissent and it is not possible to contruct a monolitic alternative to Red Fascism that has rule the Indian mind for nearly a century. And if we go by the example set by the "New Intelelctuals" of the present day sarkar, it is unlikely to make a serious dent in the legitimacy of the Left.

The Three day event was sponsored by Republic TV abd therefore as part of its Corporate Social Responsiblity underwrote this Three Day Event. I could not help wondering if the racuous crowd from Aranb's stable was just beamed into our Pondicherry. We had the same gaggle of 'tele intellectuals" M R Venkatesh, Sunil Pandit, Tavleen Singh, Vikram Sood, General Dua and the whole host of faces already seen on Republic TV and of course we had the bhadralok, Dr Swapan Das Gupta and Hanchan da. An interesting set of debates followed.

The Kasmir issue was discussed thread bare and the issue was addressed with due seriousness. Arif Mohammad was quite eloquent in his ple for a Civil Code. Hindutva and Hinduism were discussed.

Of ourse the new icons like Anirban Ganguly and Virkam Sampath were visible during the presntations. What need to be done is that "Intellectuals" should stop becoming appendages to the State. Because the Red Fascists were propped by by the then Government is no reason for us to expect the State's largess for survival. There was hardly any particiaption from Pondicherry but it is the good fortune of Pondicherry to be a prop for: In search of an Indian Intellectual.

Romila Thapar and the controversies in JNU

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

I begin by statting that professor Romila Thapar is one of India's most outsytning scholars and as a Historian she has substatial contribution to her credit. I am familiar with her work ans can say with a degree of conficence that Ashoka and the Decline of the Mauryas and her most recent Past Before Us will remain enduring works for some years to come. Thugh she does not belong to the Fernand Braudel type of Historiography which was both challenging and inventive, Thapar did introduce a distict methodological armature to the study of early India. She was a student of A L Bashyam and took her PhD under his suprevision. Along with her were R S Sharma, the reputed Maxist historian and Dr D Devahuti the celebrated author of Harsha A Political Study. The fact is that Dr Devahuti who was far more talented both as a Historian and as a teacher was percecuted by the Marxist goons who taught in JNU and Delhi University and drove this great histoan to death. My complaint is that when D Devahuti was being tortured to the point of suicide the like of Romila Thapar did not utter a single whimper of protest. Hence, I do have the firm convictin that being a part of the cabal of so called leftist historians, Romila Thapar was quite content to see her friend and shishya of the same Guru killed. She lacks a small detail called character--stand up for a colleague who is being targetted.

Niw waht are Romila Thapar's contibution to Indian Historiography. There is no doubt that she and Sharma not quite in command either of Epigraphy or Sanskrit relied primarily on secondary data. For Thapar the field had been cleared by Sten Konow and D C Sircar who translated and published Ashokan Inscriptions. Even the one stray Aramaic Inscription of Ashoka was translated by yet another of Bahshyam's student, A K Narain. R S Sharma studied the Shudra caste and assimilated all social groups who were not disctinctly Brahmin or Khatriya as Shudras. This contradiction he later tried to expalin away by stating very ingeneously that Land Grants led to the proliferation of castes.
Romila Thapar, on the other hand, directed her attention to the rather tragic encounter between the Turks and the Indians. Her Somnath: Many Voices of History attempted an analysis of the contradictory evidence pertaining to the desctruction of the Somnath Temple. Conceding that the evidence is contradictory does not preculde the historical reality of the destrcution of the Somanth Temple. The record of Turkish/Islamic invasions not only in India but al;so Persia and other parts of Asia are replete with instances of wanton dececration of religious structures. Romila does not care to answer the question: Why should the Turks behave differently here. The need to fabricate a politcally correct version of History runs right through the works of Thapar. And the Western Academia obviously lapped up her work because it confirmed their preconceived notions of Islamic history.

JNU Administration has asked for the CV of Romila Thapar in the same manner in which it has asked for the CVs of all Professors Emeritus above the age of 75. Such is the sense of entitlement that Romila Thapar has refused to furnish her CV. In the Press the strident Leftists put out their argument that Romial is being singled out. This is just not true. All Professors above the age of 75 are being reviewed and Romila also falls within that age range. Her refusal to give the CV to the authorities bespeaks of unmistakable sense of entitlement and arrogance.

The real reason why the image of Romial Thapar took a solid beating is due to the fact that she supported a JNU leader, Kanaiya Kumar who was accused of several indecent act on the campus by his female colleagues and pf course, he won notoriety all over Inidia by shouting the infamous slogan, Tukde Tukde Kar denge, Inshaallah, Isnshaallah. A historian of her stature should not have rubbed shoulders with the likes of Kanaiya Kumar who went on to lose his deposit in the Begusarai MP election in May 2019.

Romial Thapar comes from an elite background. Born to wealth privilge and social status, her concern for the poor and the deprived sound hollow.

The Vandalism of the Vrindavan of Sri Sri Vyasa Raya/Thirta

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

The Vrindavan of Sri Sri Vyasa Tirtha, the great philosopher and author of the single most important exposition of Dwita philosophy, Tatparya Chandrika., was utterly vandalized on the night of the 15th of July. There has been a series of attacks on Sanatana Dhrama and its sacred sites but the silence regarding the destruction and desecration of saced sites associated with Hindu Dharma in the main stream Media suggests that there is a concerted and well entrenched effort to further the divide and polarise Indian society for politcal reason and I think the so called secularists are primarily responible for this sorry state of affairs. A stone thrown at a Church caused international outrage but silence surrounds the deliberate vandalism of one of the most important sacrend sites of the Madhva Faith.

The photograph on the left shows the utter vandalism of a sacred site for the Madhav Samaj and Sanatana Dharma at large. The political crisis in Karnataka with the Vokkaliga dominated JD(S) Government tottering at the brink of collapse only makes the situation a lot more serious. In India, Hindus and their sacred sites and practices have become targets of large scale attack. Starting with the assault on the sanctity of the Sabrimala Temple and more recently the order in the Richa case in which a young girl was ordered to distribute a book, the Quoran, as part of her bail conditions and the repeated attacks on festivals and celebrations of the Hindu community inWest Bengal and elsewhere demonstrate that in the name of secularism, anti Hindu ideologies are being weaponized and the destruction of the vrindavan of Vyasa Tirtha is just one example. The lack of media coverage in the mainstream press itself shows the extent to which Indian religious sentiments stand marginalized.

Vyasa Raya/Tirtha (AD 1447-1539) is one of the most prominent philosophers of the medeival period. He was closely associated with the Saluva king, Saluva Narasimha who seized the city of Vijayangra and ovethrew the Sangama Dynasty. Krishnadevara the most celebrated monarch of the Vijayanagara Empire was closely associated with Vyasa Tirtha. The fact that the General of Saluva Narsimha, Narasa Nayaka, was the father of Krishnadevaraya and after the death of Vira Naahshimha occupied the throne goes to show that Vyasa Tirtha was a player in the dynastic and court politics of the Tuluvas. That he was favoured by the Vijayanagara King cannot be in any doubt as there are incriptions recording the gifts given by the Emperor. The Tirumala Tirupathi Temple was palce under the direct supervision of Vyasa in A D 1515. Till this day there is a Vyasa Mutt in Tirumala attesting to this early association. 1524 was a particularly bad year for Krishnadevaraya. His young son Tirumala died leaving the King heirless and heartbroken. Tales of instrigue swirled around this unfortunate event and the fate of Timmappa the loyal Minister was sealed as a consequence. The Conjunction of Nine Planets which was observed all over the world left its mark on Vijayanagara in the forom of Kuhayoga. Somanatha, the poet who composed the Vyasayoga Charitam has drwan pointed attention to this event.

The vandalism of the vrindavan of Sri Sri Vyasa Tirtha is a crime and it must be investigated. The Kumaraswamy Government tried to pass of this great claamity as the work of treasure hunters. This is an absurdity as eveyone knows that nothing of "value" in am material sense is burried within a vridavan. For the Madhvas the vridavan has great scacred value in that it represents the smrithi or sacred memory of the saint. Centuries of adoration and worship of that memory has freat spiritual significane and Vyasa Tirtha aranks along side Narahari Tirtha and Jaya Tirtha as great savants of Dwaita philosophy. Madhvas all over the world are in a state of shock after hearing the vandalism of this very important site of memory,lieu de memoire.

There is a graet deal of noise in the white world about India becoming intolerant. A concerted effort is made to project the followers of Sanatana Dharma as intolerant. The destruction of the vrindavan of Sri Sri Vyasa Tirtha clearly demonstrtes that Hinsus are the victims of intolerance. The Central Government under Narendra Modi has the respobibility to arrest and punish those who did this crime. We do not have faith in the state Government.

Rusty and his Life : Lone Fox Dancing

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

Lone Fox Dancing: My Autobiography
Ruskin Bond
New Delhi: Speaking Tiger, 2017



Ruskin Bond, the reclusive writer living in Dhera Dun, is among India's best loved writers in English.  In today's identity conscious age when projection of fractured and imagined historical injustice, is the stuff of post colonial literature, it is refreshing to find a writer whose transparent prose stands testimony to a life well lived and with with absolutely no bitterness real or imagined against the people he has encountered in his life. This itself is a marked change from the vain self congratulatory autobiographies that flood the market. Indian bureaucrats who lived through the terrible UPA years have become autobiographers par excellence in order perhaps to exculpate the sins of omission and commission.  Ruskin Bond stands out as one who has reflected on his life, learned fromit and  gets ready for the inevitable, he has found peace within him.  All this is amply clear from the Lone Fox Dancing

Ruskin Bond was born to English parents in India. His father was an Officer in the Royal Air force stationed in India and Ruskin was deeply attached to him even as he witnessed his parent's marriage fall apart. After the is father when he was barely 10 years old felt a wound that never quite healed as he felt that his father was alive, ever ready to spring to his defence when needed. Later in life on a visit to the then Calcutta Ruskin made it a point to search out the grave. The tumultuous days of Partition were spent in Bishop Cotton School, Shimla.

Ruskin's description of life in Bishop Cotton reminded me for some strange reason of Billy Bunter the anti hero of our youthful days. Caning for minor infractions, rigid rules that defied comprehension and an obsession with physical exercises were the outstanding features of life in General Dyer's school.Perhaps the excellent Library at Bishop Cotton spurred Ruskin on to be  a writer. The memory of his holiday with his Mother at Father at Jamnagar as the guest of the Ruler is described in all poignancy as this was the only time the family was together. The vast difference in age between his parents and differences in temprement, his fater being serious and reflective and his mother very sociable and vivacious, tore the marrige apart and his mother went on to marry an Indian whose name we are not told. He is referred as "H" thoughout the book. Interestingly enough, Ruskin went on to be a tenant in the house of his step-father's first wife and got along well with his step sister and half brothers. Ruskin Bond's family part Indian part English would have made a post colonial writer weave a complex web of conceit trachery and racial hatered a la Toni Morrison or Arundatti Roy. But Ruskin is extremly correct in the way he has portrayed his family. About his Step Father he writes thst he treated him well and after his Mother's death looked after Ellen, the invalid sister of Ruskin and the daughter of his mother.

Ruskin Bond went to England a few years after Independence and lived in Jersey and London. He was well employed but somehow India drew him back and Bond settled in Dhera Dub where he found his calling as a wriyter. He loved the hills and all his stories are set in the Dhera Dun Hills. The moutains are full of dark tales and they have found an able chronicler in Ruskin Bond. He has writteen for all the Indiabn English magazines that we used to read as children and young adults: Illustrated Weekly of India, The Caravan, Shanker's Magazine. The money received from these magazines supported him and his extended family. Bond decided early in life to be a writer and made a success of that decision through grit and determination. It was not an easy life and Ruskin Bond, a celbrated writer today has seen days of penury.

Today he lives in a house built at the edge of a valley precariously perched over a ravine. It offers a spectacular view and Ruskin live with rakesh and his Family. I found it interesting that Ruskin Loves animals and the title of the book is from a poem he wrote when he saw a fox in a clearing in the woods near the hills:
I'm like the lone fox dancing
In the morning dew.

I enjoyed the book and I do reccomend this book to all aspiring writers. I too wanted to make my living through writing. But the uncertainity of life drove me to choose a more conventional profession. Yes I admire  such determined writers.

AMIT SHAH, POLITICS, PARTY AND BIOGRAPHY

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

Amit Shah and the March of the BJP
Anirban Ganguly 1 Shiwanand Dwivedi
New Delhi: Bloomsbury, 2019.

Isac Deutcher, the famous biographer of Stalin and of Trotsky quotes the Florentine political thinker Niccolo Machiavelli who says "all armed phpphets conquer and unarmed prophets are vanquished". Biographers of politicians, diplomats and statesmen should remember this wise insight while writing biobraphies or rather manufacturing them. Anirban Ganguly, is a well known ideologue of the BJP and is the Director of the Syama Pradad Reseach Foundation, a well known think tank, in New Delhi. He is a good writer with an impressive educational credentials to his name.n However, Amit Shah and his political life though well documented, this book fails to address certain vital issues: the Goghra Incident, the Shorabbuddin Inncident and the encounter killings of Ishrat Jehan and her terrorist companions are just ignored. And this is a wrong rhetorical strategy. In fact as a biographer of Amit Shan, Anirban Ganguly should have discussed these three very imp[ortant events that in effect shaped Amit Shah's rise to the most poserful positionas the Home Minister of India. Before delving into the details of the biography I want to discuss precisely the issues evaded by Dr Ganguly.

Both the Hon'ble Prime Minister and the Hon'ble Home Minister of India have been accused by the Congress and other opposition parties of being complicit in the massacres that took place after the killing of the 59 passengers at Godhra station in Febuary 2002. Andy Marino in his biography of Narendra Modi which I have reviewed in this blog, has clearly brought out the facts that Narendra Modi was elected to the Gujarat Assemby just a day before the Godhra inncident and he was 200 kilometers away. Telephone records clearly show thst the then Chief Minister anf his MoS Home Department, noene other than the subject of this biography were on the phone directing the police to use maximum force to bring the riots under control. The Army was called out from Ahemdabad on the same day and this is in direct contrat to the conduct of Rajiv Gandhi who refused to call out the Army even as Congressmen went aon a killing spree after his mother died. Shoot at sight orders were given and more people were killed in the police firing than in the riots inself. Rampaging mobs were brought under control. The UPA Government tried to implicate Narendra Modi in the Gujarat Riots by saying that the state Governemnt did not take steps to control the situation. In fact, there were insinuations to the effect by Congressmen that Modi and Shah were directing the mobs and a discredited police officer, Sanjeev Bhat made statements to the effect that he was present in the room when such orders were given. This satement of Sanjeev Bhat was proved to be false on the basis of his own mobile phone data which showed his presence elsewhere. Based on such propaganda the Supreme Court ordered a Special Investigating Team and the SIT after interogationg both Modi and Shah gave a clean chit. In other words, exonerated both of any involvement in the post Godhra riots. This allegation was used both by the Congress party and Pakistan to demonixde Modi leading to the denial of US visa for nearly a decade. These facts are important and Anirban Ganguly has erred by ignoring them.

Amit Shah was the Minister of State for the Home Department and reported directly to the Chief Minister. Amit Shah hailed from a rich Gujarati business family and was educated in a traditional way and this explains both the analytical skill and the vigour of his public persona. Remarkably, Amit Shah was externed from Gujarat on the orders of the High Court and this turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The killing of Shorabbuddin, a criminal who was into extortion and ransom from rich marble traders from Rajastan and Gujarat was wanrted for henious crimes in 9 states of India and he was arrested by the Andhra Pradesh police and was taken to Ahmedabad. His killing seems to have been a fall out of rivalries with other extortionist gangs and Vanjara, the Director General of Police was given the goahead for the encounter. Amit Shan was in no way involved in the execution style killing of Kousar Bi who was a witness to the killing of Shorabbudin and the telephonic conversations produced in court clearly show that the context of the exchange was limited to Shorabbudin, a criminal wanted in 9 states. The then UPA regime wanted to foist the case of wilful murder on Amit Shah by arguing that the encounter in which Ishrat Jehan was killed was a "fake encouter" and the three men and the girl ws killed in cold blood. This false allegation was mounted by suppressing two vital pieces of information. First, the Indian IB itself provided an affadavit stating that Ishrat and her companions were LeT terrorits. Second, David Coleman Headley in his custodial interrogation had stated clearly that Ishrat was given training in becoming a suicide bomber. The lengths to which the Congress under Sonia, Chidambaram and Shinde went to hide these facts and proscecute Amit Shah suggets that they were part of the conspiracy to carry out an assasination.

All these controversies swirling around Amit Shah led his to be arrested and he spent four months in Sabarmathi Jail before he was ordered out of Gujarat. These events shaped the political future of Amit Shah and in a way the rst of the country. Shah took up residence in Delhi and started planning for the 2014 General Election. His reorganization of the Party as the National Secretary was the turning point in the political fortunes of the BJP. While Narendra Modi is undoubtedly the tallest and the best Prime Minister India has had, ever, Amit Shah's role as the strategist cannot be gain said. Amit Shah made the BJP into a well oiled electoral machine and sought to involve people from the level of the booth right up to the Central Committee of the Party. He may not know, but Amit Shah took a leaf straight out of Lenin's advice to his parttment on the eve of the October Revolution of 1919. Organize the party at the level of the soviets. Another every important contibution of Amit Shah lay in collecting the documents relating to the Pary and making it availble on public domain. The BJP e Library is one of the finest and no political party can boast of such a fine line up of reseach and scholarly material. And Amit Shan was one of the first to understand the importance of "Big Data" in planning for the National Elections. BJP has one of the most sohisticated data cntres in which GIS enabled data for all the main Lok Sabha constituencies is available at the click of a mouse. The creation of this data base was due to the concerted efforts of computer savvy men and women who worked as volunteers for years on end.

Amit Shah is now the Hom,e Minister. He won from the Gandhinagar seat. What will be his main thrust. He will be ruthless in the pursuit of Indian polical objective and hence he will be in Machivalli's sense a prophet armed. He will be tough on naxalite violence and will not hesitate to use his immense political capital to strengthen the BJP in parts of India where it is weak. As far as terrorist viloence is concerned, there will be tough measures without too much though for collateral damage. Being honest to the core, Amit Shan can afford to be ruthless. And India demands ruthless action in Kerala, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

The book under review makes good reading. But it leaves the reader unsatisfied as important issues are ignored. I reccomend this book.

THE VICTORY OF THE BJP IN THE MAY 2019 ELECTIONS; IMPLICATIONS FOR INDIA

https://wordcraftandstatecraft.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-electoral-prospects-of-bjp.htmlA look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

There was no great surprise in the relection of the BJP and the victory of Shri Naredra Modi. In fact in a number of blogs we had made the same prediction and the actual number of seats won was close to the figure we had predicted in the blog (link above). 303 seats across the lengrth and breadth of the country. From 282 seats in the 2014 Elections the individual seats of the BJP has gone up to 303 and the Party contested little over 385 seats leaving the rest to its allies like Shiv Sena, JD  (U), Shiromani Akali Dal and the AIADMK. If we can use a cricketting metaphor from the T20 series, the srike rate of the BJP is very high meaning 80 % of the BJP candidates won their seats. In order to curb anti incumbancy, the BJP dropped nearly 105 sitting members. On the whole an impressive amndate and for the first time in India's electoral history, the percentage of votes polled have crossed 50% in vafour of the BJP. Most Governemnts have been formed with vote shares ranging from 28% to 34%. We now have a Governemnt with a vote share of more than 50%. All this means stability and the Government will be bold in taking decisons.

The Map given illustrates the safforon surge that has seen the emergence of the BJP as India's natural party of Governence. This victory was achieved in the face of the most vicious electorl campaign that India has even seen. Rahul  Gandhi, the putative challenger, had to tender an apology to the Supreme Court of India for calling Modi a "chor", thief. Other Congressmen emboldened by the aggression displayed by their leader were less than flattering in their rhetorical attacks on the Prime Minister. The more he was attacked, the greater was the backlash from the electorate. Then a variety of identity cards were pulled out: Dalis are in danger was one such. The fact is that the BJP has convincingly demonstrated its hold over the Dalit population by winning 75% of the reserved seats. In fact Congress did not win a single reserved seat nor did the Communists. For all their bluff and bluster both the Connumits and the Congress are bereft of any support amonmg the subaltern classes. Only the BJP commands the allegiance of the SC and ST communities. In the tibal belt of Central India the BJP held sway. All this goes to ahow thast the vicious campaign of polarization run by the so called Cetre Left Parties did not cut ice with the population.

The BJP won 18 seats in West Bengal and a clutch of seats in Orissa. The re election of Naveen Patnaik to power shows that the Indian electorate rewards good governence. In Tamil Nadu and Kerala the results show that people vote on emotional lines. There was sustained and calculated socialmedia attacks on Modi and the bJP throughout the 5 years that he has been in power and more so sicne the death of Jayalalitaa. The killings of the Tamils in Sri Lanka during the UPA rule was forgotten and the party which was then in power Congress joined hands with the DMK. The ease with which they joined hands shows that the politics of Tamil Nadu is still fluid and if BJP has effective leadership, the challenge can be met. In Bengal the BJP gave a resounding ideological challenge to the TMC. In Tamil Nadu the BJP takes dravidianist ideology for granted. It is not prepared to challenge the dravidianist dispensation.

What can India expect from Narendra Modi in the next five years. First, econom,ic development by huge investment in Infrasttructure will continue. New ports and transport hube will be established. On the National Security front major initiatives can be expected. The Nation Register of Citizens will be given full adminstrative backing as it has the approval of the Supreme Court. Identity politics will not be entertained thopugh the Congress habit of instigating the minorities will continue. Cattle Laws will be enforced so that the instances of gau rakshaks taking law into their own hands are reduced. Israel India partnership in Education will be encouraged. Modi will try to ease tensions with China as he is focussed on the internal developments and he cannot be distracted by adventures near the border.

The Economy will continue to grow at 7 to 8 % and further liberalization will be expected. Agricultural sector will be looked in and cold storage facilties and Silos for grain storage will be undertaken. In Higher Education there will be an emphasis on fundamental research.

"Is Modi the Divider iin Chief" A Response to Aatish Taheer and TIME

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books


Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, has been the target of malicious attacks ever since he became the Chief MInister of Gujarat in 2001 and the white liberal media has been maliciously targeting him from 2002, when the Gujarat Riots happened after the buring down of the train in Godhra in which 79 passengers returning from pilgrimage were killed. Since then there has been a steady barrage of unsubstantiated newspaper "articles" which have held Narendra Modi responsible for the Riots in Gujarat. This narrative was amplified by the the Congress Party which came to power on the strength of a self serving coalition in 2004. It may be stated that the Supreme  Court of India appointed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and the Report exonerated Narendra Modi from any responsibility either of Omission or Commission. It is well known that more people were killed by Police firing than in the riots perse and this fact adds credence to the BJP claim that unlike the anti Sikh Riots of 1984 in which the Congressmen were let loose on the instigation of Rajv Gandhi and Arun Nehru, the Gujarat Riots of 2002 were expeditiously squelched. Police action against the rioters were prompt focused and decisive. Indeed the Congress Government which was ruling Madya Pradesh dis not send reinforcements requested by the Gujarat Government. Since then, a campaign was launched in concert with the Congress Party in India and the white International Liberal media which put all the blame for the riots on Modi, suppressing both the context as well as the Supreme Court monitored probe.

The first charge that Modi is populist is easily refuted. There has been no attempt on the part of Narendra Modi to initiate populist measures. In fact had he done so, there would not have been any doubt whatsoever about his election. The fiscal inclusion programme launched by Modi, his Clean India Campaign, his Medical Insurance Scheme are all important policy initiatives launched to improve the lives and living standards of the people. To mock such measures that enhance human dignity and trivialize them as populist is sheer cussedness. Secularism is another of the ideological shibboleths raised by Taseer. The Indian notion of secularism is decidedly founded on minority identity politics. The Constitution does not define Minorities and hence the Moslem population of India which is 120 million strong is treated a Minority. Infact, the failure of the Indian National Congress to safeguard the unity and integrity of India in 1947 itself suggests that the appeal of its ideology on the Moslems was rather weak. However, after Partition it successfully converted the Muslim population into a captive vote bank by demonizing the Hindu population. The Congress pursued a successful electoral strategy of combining Populism with Minority appeacement and Narendra Modi has rejected this policy. On the other hand, his social vision is inclusive in that he does not allow identity politics to determine the social equity measures and schemes like the Ujjal Yojana have benefited Moslems and Hindus alike.

The 5 years in which Modi has been in power has seen absolutely zero Communal clashes. Yet the liberal media in India alomg with a clutch of Bollywood personalities like Swara Bhaskar and Nazeeuddin Shah produced a narrative that mob lynching was popular and enjoys state support. Nothing could be more egregiously erroneous. The fact is that Cow vigilantism was highlighted during the course of the past five years and such incidents of "gau rakshaks" seizing cattle being smuggled across state borders in violation of the Law and Constitution have always taken place. Isolated incidents were strung together to create mass hysteria in the white world as if India was slipping into a barbaric age. And the attacks on Churches which prompted a host of Congress friendly "intellectuals" to return their National Awards were proved to be false flag attacks and those arrested for destroying Churches turned out to be mostly Christians and in one case a Moslem. The Jabua Nun Rape case accused turned out to be an illegal immigrant from Bangladesh. The damage caused by false media reports were not successfully repaired by the BJP which though well organised lacks intellectual ballast and hence such reports went largely uncontested.

Taseer makes ugly comparisons. Modi is not an Indian version of Bolsonaro of Brazil or Erdogan of Turkey. In both these instances the political power weilded by these men is backed by the threat of Military force. The Press is suppressed and there is hardly any dissent/ The fact that aatish Taseer is able to write and publish his trash and that has not been proscribed or banned itseld is proof that the Modi Government does not suppress Freedom of Expression. There has been a steady barrage of abuse directed at the Prime Minister. Sonia Gandhi called his "muth ka saudagar" Merchant of Death. One Congree Leader referred to him as "neech" a word that denotes contempt. Abuse is the only challenge that Modi faces and he has not bothered to respond. Rahul Gandhi the Crown Prince of the dynasty obsessed Congress Party calls his a "thief" in every public meeting. Just once Modi turned around and slapped Rahul across the face by pointing out the politically significant fact that Rajiv Gandhi had a major role in the Bofors Scandal.

Congreess Mukth Bharath the stated goal of the Modi Campaign is based on the recognition that Crime Corruption and Communalism are part of the political DNA of the Congress Party. 1984 anti Sikh Riots, the large scale corruption of the UPA regime particularly the 2G Spectrum Scandal and the constant appeasement of Muslims are all proof of the degradation in the political sphere. And Dynastic Politics is inherently anti democratic.

Aatish Taseer, the son of a Pakistani father and an Indian Mother should have been more circumspect in his writing. Brought up in India, he knows the reality. He has chosen to write a piece of garbage for the white liberal. Institutions have been stressed due to the bad language of the ruling Congress Party. The attempt to intimidated the Supreme Court by an attempt at impeachment of the Chief Justice attempted by the Congress which was reduced to a Herd of 44 only showed the desperation of the Congress. The attacks on the Election Commission of India and the Reserve Bank of India are not the work of the Modi Government.

The General Elections of 2019 are not yet over. One Phase is still left and the foul language of the Congress Dynastic Fascist courtiers all suggest a desparation. Modi has served the people of India. It is hoped that people have the intelligence to vote for a man who has contributed constructively to India and punish those responsible for inflicting huge damage to the Indian Economy. I will not be surprised if Modi gets around 270 to 290 seats in the May 2019 Elections.

Hindu Terror Myth or Reality A Review of R V S Mani's Insider Account of Ministry of Home Affairs

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

The Myth of Hindu Terror: Insider Account of Ministry of Home Affairs
R V S Mani
New Delhi:Vitasta
2018

HINDU TERROR

The myth of Hindu Terror was propagated by the important lights of the discredited UPA regime such as P. Chidambaram, Sushil Kumar Shinde and Dig Vijaya Singha. It basically attempted to shift the responsibility for serious crimes against the Indian State like the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai, the Malegoan Bomb Blast Case and the outsourced attempted killing of the then Chief Minister of Gujarat, on to the Hindus and present them as concerted planned and executed plots of resurgent Hindu or Saffron Terror. The political purpose behind such a devious attempt at implicating people in plots where the responsibility lay elsewhere was to consolidate the muslim vote bank and discredit the BJP which was posing an impressive challenge. The book under review goes to prove that the state machinery was systematically used to undermine criminal investigations in order to sustain a false and questionable narrative of Saffron Terror. The author worked in a senior capacity in the ministry of Home Affairs, when Chidambaram the architect of the Saffron Terror Plot was the Home Minister and continued into the tenure of Sushil Shinde, the dismissed Police constable who rose to become the Home Minister of India. It is a crying shame that the position once adorned by the like of Sardar Patel and Lal Bahadur Shastri were disgraced by such men.

The book is extremely disturbing in that it documents various important cases in which investigations were derailed and evidence suppressed or worse manufactured. A Just yesterday the Nation was informed that Mazoor Azhar, the dreaded terrorist has been declared a "Global Terrorist". When UPA was in power, the present Union Minister Shri Hardeep Singh Puri IFS (retd) was the Permanent Representative  of India to the UN. The CBI, then under Chidambaram refused to part with evidence required to  file material before the Security Council regarding Hafiz Syed's role in the 26/11 killings keeping in mind the sensibilities of the Moslem vote bank. Such instances are several. On the Israt Jehan Case, the involvement of Chidambaram and his cronies makes chilling reading. Even after Ishrat Jehan's identity as a LeT terrorist was known, the Government of India tried to file a false affidavit before the Gujarat High Court by suppressing this vital and crucial detail. In fact, during the interrogation of David Coleman the fact that Ishart Jehan was an LeT "Operative" was known but this detail was deliberately suppressed. Similarly in the Malegoan Blast case also, the involvement of muslim terrorists was proved, but to facilitate the Safforn Terror Theory the FIR against the arrested minority criminals was set aside and a false narrative based on Col Purohit, a serving Army Officer and Sadhvi Pargya was created. This matter is still in Courts and if the evidence points to a false case has been fabricated, then the matter must be probed and punishment meted out. If Ministers holding responsible positions involve themselves in obstructing the course of investigation then they must be treated as abettors in the crime. It is clear that the Congress Party had a very deed association with the group which entered Gujarat with the sole purpose of killing  Narendra Modi the Chief Minister of Gujarat. It is to the credit of men like Vanzara that the plot was foiled.

The book exposes in some detail the workings of the Home Ministry during the turbulent UPA period. It is really sad that secularism has become a weapon to protect anti national elements.

Jallianwala Bagh and the Writing of History; Kim Wagner's An Empire of Fear and the Making of the Amritsar Massacre

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

Jalianwalla Bagh: An Empire of Fear and the Making of The Amritsar Massacre
Kim  A. Wagner
Penguin India, 2019

Jalianwalla Bagh

Kim Wagner is a well known English Historian with books on the Nineteenth Century such as the study of Thugee and later the violence of the Indian Mutiny as evidence from the macabre evidence of the skull of Alum Beg. Now he has turned his attention to the Jalianwalla Bagh Massacre of 1919 and has published this book in time to trigger the political and academic interest in this singular event of the early twentieth century. He is a careful historian, unlike the Indian "historians" who are quite content reproducing large chunks of the Hunter Report and thickly marinate their so called hypotheses with nationalistic bombast of the Nehruvian variety. He has scrupulously adhered to the basic premise of good historiography by not letting post colonial sentiments of moral outrage and loud lamentations over the Evil of Empire overpower his narrative. The Massacre cannot be reduced to a label of identity and hence has to be treated as a "historical event" that needs to be reconstructed. And that Kim Wagner has done is a commendable manner. He has consulted all available records in the British and Indian Archives and the result is a tour de force of historical narrative, reconstruction and interpretation of the event. To most Indian Historians, the 1919 Massacre is an example of the brutality of the British Raj and indeed it was. That in itself does not explain the 1919 Amritsar Massacre. All Empires are brutal and the British one was not an exception. Even the First Award Wapsi of India, Rabindranath Tagore in his letter renouncing his Knighthood spoke only of the extreme cruelty of the Massacre. General Dyer was like Adolf Eichmann who was evil in a banal and incoherent fashion. Jalianwalla Bagh Massacre is a an event that reminds us that Evil lurks in every corner and is not the monopoly of one individual or institution.

Kim Wagner has drawn a very detailed picture of the Punjab right from the suppression of the Kuka Uprising/Rebellion of 1872. The uprising was suppressed with extrmeme violence as nearly a 100 men who were merely accused of participating in the Uprising were blown from the mouth of cannons. Without even consulting his superiors Commissioner Cowan executed the rebels in the most horrendous manner. Wagner explains the unnecessary cruelty in terms of the memory of Kanpur during the Mutiny of 1857. The Kuka Rebellion remains an enigma in Indian Historiography as the 68 rebels killed by Cowan whose names are known have not been recognized as Martyrs till this day. The SGPC has been clamoring for recognition till this day. The recent exchange of words between the Vice President of the Akali Dal , Mahjitia and the Congress Chief Minister of Punjab, Captain Amrinder Singh, the grand son of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Karpurtala underscores the fact that these events have an afterlife until this day.

There are certain events that Professor Wagner has excavated which seems to "normalize" the brutality of General Dyer. The Rowlatt Act was unpopular in the Punjab and both Dr Kitchlew and Dr Satyapal were leading agitations against it and were ably assisted by Hans Raj. Wagner makes a rather unkind statement about Hans Raj on page 51 casting serious aspersions on a man India regards a patriot.  Whatever be the antecedents of Hans Raj he was a good organizer and was instrumental in arranging the meeting on the fateful day at Amritsar. On 10th 11th and 12th of April there were a series of riots all over the city of Amritsar in which more than 20 Englishmen and women were killed and a Bank looted the manger brutally killed and set on fire. Wagner seems to believe that the context of the Massacre was set by these unfortunate events that brought back memories of 1857. By invoking the Memory of 1857, it seems to me that Wagner is not just trying to explain the event but also justify it. April 13 1919 happened to be the day of Baikashi, an important day in the social calendar of Punjab. Martial Law had been imposed after the British troops failed to contain the rioters on the Bridge leading to the centre of the City. And General Dyer went all arounf the City on the morning of April 13 proclaiming that Martial Law has been declared. Hans Raj and his companions went around stirring up a crowd for a meeting in Jalianwala Bagh which was to be addressed by Kanniyalal, a well known local leader, in the absence of Satyapal and Kitchlew. The question is: Does the fact that Dyer had issued the warning to the residents of Amritsar mitigate the enormity of the tragedy. The answer clearly is "NO".

The firing started at around 4 PM and continued for about 10 minute in which 1650 rounds were fired from 303 Enfield Rifles. The events at Sultanwind Gate of the previous day were still fresh in the minds of the people of Amritsar. The Gurkha Regiment and one more provided soldiers for Dyer's contingent that marched to Jalianwala Bagh even as a peaceful meeting was going on. Without warning, Dyer ordered his men to shoot at the crowd and justified his action before the Hunter Commission by saying that he had already warned the City, a reference to his proclamation earlier in the day. He was aware of the enormity of his actions and even the Lt Governor Michael O' Dwyer was at first reluctant to back Dyer that the shooting was necessary. Udham Singh killed O'Dwyer 20 years later in London.

The Amritsar Massacre led to the establishment of the Hunter Commission and after a detailed Inquiry held General Dyer guilty of over reaction and he was forced to resign. The Time ran a Fund for him which resulted in more than 26,000 pounds being contributed. The evil of his deed cannot be written off with a mere apology and India should not forgive the Jalianwala Bagh Crime.

The Electoral Prospects of the BJP

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

The time has come to look back at the campaigns ans see where the Nation is heading towards in the forthcoming General Elections. The campaign  of the Congress centering around the dynastic mascot, Rahgul Gandhi, is surprisingly sharp and focused. The Assured Income scheme launched in the Manifesto is both innovative and attractive. By guaranteeing a minimum income of 72, 000 per family for a year as income support the Congress has created some ripples. Given the state of public journalism in India, the scheme has not attracted the kind of attention it deserves. The BJP brushed this scheme aside. However, the tax burden on the middle class will increase dramatically if this scheme is introduced and it will add to the inflationary woes. For the past 5 years India has seen 8% growth with around 3.5% Inflation. If the Congress comes to power Inflation will sky rocket and growth will plummet. What needs to be done is to work out the benefits already rolled out by the Modi Government to the people and make a comparative assessment.

Except for the one innovative policy measure, the dynastic fascists have run a highly divisive vituperative invective laden campaign. Modi was attacked in every possible manner. His Mother, Family, his personality were all viciously attacked to little effect. The more he was attacked the greater the popularity. Rahul even went to the extent of saying "Chowkidar Chor hai". The watchman is a thief, an attempted rebuke that was transformed into a splendid statement of approbation with people from all walks of life adding the word Cowkidar to their names. In the last General Elections Mani Shankar Ayer's jibe directed against Modi turned out to be a vote getter and this time if Modi is now set to trounce the Congress, the credit should go to Rahul and his meanly mouth jibe.

There is not a single allegation oc corruption against Modi. He has led, for the first time since Independent India, a Government that does not face a single charge. The Scams and Scandals of the Congress and its Allies have been the subject of numerous Inquires but given the state of the judiciary here in India, the prosecution has been tardy. Further, sections of the Judiciary seem to be playing footsie with the Congress as Chidambaram and his son havc secured bail 18 times already over the slew of cases they face. The entire Gandhi family is out on Bail facing serious fraud charges in the National Herald case. This case is one in which the entire property of the National Herald, a Congress Newspaper, was acquired by the first family of the Congress contrary to the rules and law presently in place.The eviction has been stayed by the Supreme Court. Yet another instance of the judiciary playing footsie with the Congress. The Higher Judiciary seems to be a partner in the UPA and it is fast losing the respect of the Nation

In spite of all these, the Congress and its allies are headed for a decisive defeat. Kamalnath, the Chief Minister of Madhya  Pradesh was caught in the Augusta Westland Scandal as some of the money got as kickbacks was recovered from his aides. The Pulwama Attack was sought to be politicized by Rahul and his associates. They wanted proof of the Attack implying that the Government was lying about the Balakot Air Strike. For the first time the Armed Forces became a factorin domestic political squabbles. And the Congress sought in vain to  turn the needle of suspicion on Modi and failed.

The North East will see a resurgent BJP and in Mamta's  Bengal the BJP has made significant inroads. Orissa will see a BJP victory in around 8 constituencies with a hung assembly and in nearby Andhra Pradesh the Jagan Mohan Reddy outfir is set to weep and BJP may win just 2 seats in AP. Tamil Nadu is always a difficult state to study as people show very erratic voting behaviour. BJP may win the Kanya Kumari seat, the Coimbatore seat and has a fighting chance in Ramanathapuram. We know that Kartok Chidambaram and Tirumavalavan will not taste electoral success.

At an all India level it would be safe to predict that Narendra Modi will form the next Government with the NDA getting around 315 seats.

The Festival of Democracy in India: Pranoy Roy and Navin Chawla

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

India is the world's largest Democracy and in spite of the antics of political parties like the Congress,, DMK, the Communist factions and identity based political groups like the Akali and the Muslim League. And that is not a mean achievement in itself. Navin Chawla, the well known biographer of Mother Theresa, has said in as many words that the Election Commission of India is the real pillar of Indian democracy. He may not be off the mark as the Election Commission is universally feared by political parties across the political spectrum. Its ability to enforce a modicum of discipline in the conduct of elections shows that what it lacks by means of man power it makes up with robust moral authority by establishing its absolute independence from the Executive. The book Every Vote Counts: The Story of India's Elections is a racy highly readable gallop across all General Elections starting from 1952. He documents in rich details the trials and tribulations faced by the Election Commission in the early years under Sukumar Sen. The Election Commission has insisted on a set of practices in order to make the election process free and fair and the Model Code of Conduct in one such measure. There has been frequent allegations that the EVMs ( Electronic Voting Machines) are susceptible to hacking. This is an absurd allegation and given the fact that our political parties are filled with semi  literates such baseless allegations keep gaining traction come every election season. A stand alone machine manufactured to the specifications of the ECI by Bharath Electronic Corporation cannot be hacked as they are not connected to the internet and they are not compatible with blue tooth technology.

The Verdict: Decoding India's Election by the well known election analysts, Dr Pranoy Roy and Darob Sopariwala is a good introduction to the delicate business of election forecasting. They have done a commendable job of looking at the aggregate data relating to General Elections. Does Incumbency provide an advantage to the sitting MP. Do voters vote for political parties or on the basis of their perception of the merit of the candidates contesting. Do political parties decide on candidates on the basis of the winnability or other factors. Does party and its ideology play a major role in determining the outcome. What is the SWING factor and how can it be measured. How do votes get translated into seats. What are the major advantages and disadvantages of the first past the winning post system that we have. A major disappointment in the book is that it does not address the important issue of proportional representation. How does turn out on election day help or hinder the outcome. All these issues are discussed in great detail with a plethora of facts, tables and analyses.

Both these books must be read by everyone interested in Indian politics, particularly the Election process. Navin Chawla raised a very important point in his book and that needs to be further researched. There is no reference to political parties in the Constitution of India. In legal terms a political party has the status of an unincorporated Association. What kind of  democracy was envisaged by the founders and if we remember that Gandhi wanted the Congress to be dissolved, it is certain that the founders had a partyless democracy in mind. We have move a long way from that ideal.

Both these books are worth a read. Lucidly written and with a faint touch of humour I commend these writers for their worthwhile contributions.

FLIGHT OF DEITIES AND THE REBIRTH OF TEMPLES

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

Flight of Deities and Rebirth of Temples
Meenakshi Jain
Aryan Books International, New Delhi 2019.

One of the most tragic and neglected aspects of medieval historiography of India is the fate of Hindu, Buddhist and Jaina Temples. Sita Ram Goel several years back addressed this issue and indicted the medieval rulers for following a political strategy of destroying Hindu places of worship and the systematic destruction od Hindu, Buddhist and Jaina centres of worship and pilgrimage, he argues was party of the political and imperial ideology stemming from Islamic ideas of conquest and conversion of Darul Harb into Dar ul Islam, from Land of War to Land of Islam. Hence the destruction of Indian religious institutions cannot be view in isolation of the ideological underpinning of the Turkish, Afghan and Mughal rule over India. This interpretation was, of course, attacked by a whole host of historians from Alighr Muslim University, Delhi University and of course, Jawaharlal Nehru University. Is this interpretation a "communal" one or, even if not politically correct have the weight of historical evidence behind it.


The deliberate underplaying of Moslem vandalism in parts of India which were conquered may have been a political necessity in the years after Partition when Hindu Moslem tension were high and it was prudent to avoid contentious and identity laden issues. However, 70 years after Independence if the same platitudes are trotted out, it becomes necessary to re investigate the issue and assess the question on the basis of evidence. In short, the time for political correctness is past and it is time to seize the historical moment even as it disintegrates before our very eyes. Meenakshi Jain has produced a scholarly and eminently well researched work on this question. She starts where Sita Ram Goel left and her work is a fitting riposte to all those historians who live in a state of denial about the tragedy the befell India. After reading the work under review it will not be possible for anyone either to deny the political underpinning of the reign of vandalism unleashed against Hindu and other Indian religious structures or belittle the cultural and civilizational chaos it engendered.

One argument that white scholars like Richard Davis and Richard Eaton are quick to advance is that the Turks, Afghans and Mughals did not indulge in any sort of vandalism and destruction which Indian rulers had not done in the past. This line of argument is absolutely incorrect as there is not a single instance in which a ruler of India be he Jain, Buddhist as Harsha or Hindu/Shiva like Rajendra subjected the images captured for religious sites and appropriated for relocation in their own imperial repertoire ever showed an attitude of anything less than reverence. Thus when Krishnadevaraya captured Udayagiri and acquired the green granite Balarama image, he had a Krishna temple constructed in his capital, Vijayanagara, and had the image installed with reverence. Similarly, when Rajendra Chola brought back the image of Durga from the territories of the Western Chalukyas he had it enshrined in his new capital, Gangaikonda cholapuram. Such example can be multiplied. However after the Islamic conquest, temples were detroyed and the sanctity of the temple violated by the shedding of blood and was usually accompanied, as was the case with the Vaishnava Temple of Srirangam, a whole sale massacre of the temple priests. To deny the cold facts of history, recorded in the medieval Chronicles is to deny the very validity of History as a field of study.

Meenakshi Jain has produced a fine piece of historical research. It is true that the academic climate for a free investigation of India's tangled and tortured past has opened up only recently and I fervently hope that historians of India cease to function as servitors of political parties, start researching the past without fear or favour.

:The Mullaperiyar The Dam that Divided Two States Water War: A Review

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

The Mullaperiyar: Water War The Dam That Divided Two States
Pradeep Damodaran
Rupa,2014

Water War

The Water War is a journalistic account of the political and ethnic clashes that broke out in Kerala and Tamil Nadu over the sharing of the water of the Periyar River. The Mullaperiyar Dam which was built across the Periyar has become a bone of contention between Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The water from the Periyar river which has been diverted by the Mullaperiyar Dam irrigates several thousand acres of agricultural land in the five southern districts of Tamil Nadu including Madurai, and Ramanathapuram. Indeed  the prosperity of the five districts rests on the water supplied by the Mullaperiyar Dam. The book under review is an extremely biased and ill informed work which dwell on the political and ethnic side of the conflict overlooking the legal and the historical aspects of the dispute. The Supreme Court of India has declared the 118 year old dam to be safe and Kerala politicians keep raising the fears of the people regarding the safety of the Dam. In fact the Iddukki Dam acts as a safety valve for the Mullaperiyar Dam and in the unlikely event of the Dam bursting or breaching much of the water will be held back by the downstream dam. This vital fact is not brought out even as politicians in Kerala vie with each other to raise public fears about the safety of the Dam, And Pradeep Damodaran a Malayalam speaking Keralite residing in Coimbatore avoids this issue even as he documents the plight of Tamil pilgrims caught  in the turmoil and passion unleashed by the Dam. There is absolutely no damage or structural weakness in the masonry work and the Central Irrigation Commission has also certified that the dam is safe.

The Mulaperiyar Dam is a technological marvel and it is the first complete basin transfer project ever attempted in the world.  The map given below represents in some detail the Periyar Project. First, was the construction of a dam in close proximity to the valley to store 300,000 acre feet of water, The excess water is led through a series of spillways through a tunnel into the Vaigai River. Interestingly enough there is evidence of medieval waterworks in the area which suggests that the tributary of Periyar called Surulli was being used in the medieval period as well. The total area irrigated by this dam was around 85,000 acres. The project was first suggested by Major Ryves in 1867 wascompleted by John Pennycuick who was resposible for designing the thick masonary dam. The cross section of the wall is given below to show the technical sophistication of the dam. The headworks that distributed the war of the Periyar into the Vaigai Basis was extremely intricate and I have given the plan below.

Plan of the Headworks

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The book under review is extrmrly weak on the historical and social and economic context of the dam. He the author keeps harping on the fact that the lease over the Dam extends to 999 years. He fails to understand that in Anglo Saxon law perpetual lease was couched in that language.