COVID 19 India's Response and World Issues

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

The COVID 19 pandemic has not left India unaffected. We are under lockdown and days seem to stretch into inflinity. We cannot leave the House and so have not been blogging. Today my daughter helped me configure her old lap top and am back blogging after quite a while. I am a Historian, a Professor of History a Researcher and an Animal Rights'Activist. We need a curfew pass to move out and being a senior citizen I am given some relaxation in the number of curfew passes I am issued. I drive from the Campus to the town and get the stuff we need and return in the blazing sun,as the shops close by 1100.At least I have tonnes of books to read and have an interesting project to work on. Living through COVIID 19 has given me time to relect and this blog is on my two cents worth.

When the Pandemic began. i was more or less convinced that the virus was the result of an AmericanGerm Warfare experiment gone horribly wrong. Now I have changed my mind and believe that the Communist Regime in China have a lot of explanation to give to the International Community. Wuhan Wet Market which they blamed for the outbreak is not the primary source of the virus. It was probably the Wuhan Institute of Virology that was reponsible. It is too early to say if this was a deliberate attempt at disrupting the world economy or an accident in the lab. Whatever be the circumstances, China owes an expalnation and has to make a clean confession and International sanctions may be invoked to make the State comply. And the behaviour of China, in trying to make profit off the suffering of human beings all over the world is despicable even by Communist standards. India and Germany have changed the norms of Foreign Direct Investment to prevent hostile Chinese takeovers and China is threatening to take matters to the WTO. A bad move as China virtually dands isolated in the World today.

USA is devastated. Seeing the rising number of casulities which is reaching the 50,000 mark I cannot help feeling a tinge of sorrow at the stoicism of the American people. They are going through hell and they are bearing their immense suffering with great dignity. I dont want my words to be seen as patronizing or taken as a wise crack. I mean it. Did Trump err in calling it the Chinese virs. I dare to say NO. I am now convinced that the virus originated in China and the WHO has worked overtime to hide the involvement of China in this tragic Greek Opera that is unfolding before our very eyes. And the attention of the Trump Administration was distracted by the Impeachment Proceeding launched by the Democrtas precisely at the time when the US Administration was rlizing the gravity of th situaton and had imposed the travel ban.

India does not see a huge spike in COVID cases. The Government of India acted at the right time. A Nationwide Lockdown was imposed on March 25th even as the country saw less that hundred cases on that day. Under Lockdown which was imposed nder the  Infectious Disease and Epidemics Act, which was legislated in the nineteenth century, the Government can arrest people for breaking the curfew. Barring one particular identity group, all behaved the citizens behaved well. This brings to to the Tablighi Jamaat or Single ource Event as we refer euphemisticlly.

THe Tablighis, a group of orthodox Sunni muslims were found to have gathered in large numbers in Nizamuddin Area in New Delhi and violating the Social Distancing norms they hind in moques all over India thereby infecting and contaminating places which were free of the virus. The states of Maharashtra, Telengana and Tamil Nadu are the worst affected. I think the situation in West Bengal is also grim.

Unlike USA, India's strategy was different. It imposed Lockdown and undertook tracing and tracking of those exposed to the virus and strict quarantine measure are in place. An APP Arogya Sethu was rolled out which alerts smart phone usere of the possible Covid hot spots. It tracks using the GPS and blue tooth, This app has been effevtive and more than 70 million people have downloaded it. Though travel restrictions are in place, the country has not been seeing fatalities as what was witnessed in USA, Italy, Spin and  UK. The Nation must thank the Prime MInster for his pro active steps,

Every night as I watch Andrew Coumo, the Governor of New York speak on CNN I hear the words"flatten the curve". The basic mistake that USA dis was to address the problem from the wrong end. The models as indeed all models in such cases were wrong and predicted a situation that was both impossible and hellish. Had the US not depended on statistical models which are Bayseian in their basic architecture and relied more on prctical measures as were put in place after the 1918-19 Pandemic, the US would have fared better.

The Anti CAA Protests now has drawn blood

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

The killing of constable Rattan Lal of the Delhi Police by the anti CAA protestors should be a sobering moment of reflection. Sad that a yopung and promising life was pittilessly cut down by the protestors who were instigated by the Congress and the Left. The protestors were from the Moleme dominated areas of East Delhi and they occupied the roads leading to Shageen Bagh in Delhi for nearly 70 days. The Government o9f India took an extrmely lienient view of the protesys as the White Media was particularly hostile to India after the passage of the Citizenship Ammendment Act. Though the white media establisment is aware that India Moslems are not being deprived of the citizenship, yet they are willing accomplices in spreading hate against India just as they were accomplices in the War against Iraq knoqing well that there were no WMD there. I bring up ythis point to underscore my argument that the Western Corporate Media does not inform, it lays down the political line for the White Woerld and fortunately Trump, Boris Johnson and a few other Western leaders are quite aware of their mendacity. The false propaganda induled by the white media and their acolytes here in India is drawing blood and it is time for the Governmet of India to act.

The Media published pictures of a moslem man, Sharukhan openinf fire at the Police and this was  followed by heavy stone pelting in which Rattan Lal suffered a heasd injury and was killed by the rioters. Such organized violkence shows that political partiues suppoted by certain Civil society groups are extending support and tghe wester media is playing to the Gallery. India hestitated to act only beacuse of the possible embarassment durig the visit of Donald Trump. The President of USA. Now that blood has been drawn let the Governmeny give a free hand to the Rapid Action Force. Muslim politicians like Owassi and Waris Pathan have been inciting the moslems to indulge in violence mayhen and killing. These politicians must be booked for inciting hatred against the indigenous people of India.

The BJP is known to be a defender of the rights ofthe indigenous people and yet it is allowing mayhem to be let loose on the streets of Delhi. Certain novel features are seen in these protets. First the calculated use of women and children thereby following the Palestenian model The Police will hesitate to take action against women and chilfren and burqa wearing females are just squatting on the streets. The presence of women in large bumbers only shows that the men folk have pushed them on to the forefrot. Secondly, the use of Whatts App and other messaging platforms to bring out the criwd at quick notice and fast. The Government of India must shut down the Internet in areas suspected of harbouring criminals. Drone photography has shown ceratin neighbourhoods had prepred themsaelves for stone pelting by stocking roof tops with stones and yet the BJP Government kept quiet. It seems that because of the Identity driven naturre of the present lawlessness the Government is still fumbling.

Once Donal Trump leaves, hopefully tghe State will rspond with full vigour.

Indian Universities, Student Politics and the Government of India

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

The Newspapers in India are carrying real time coverage of the crisis that has gripped Indian Institutions of Higher Education. As a Faculty Member of a Central University with 32 years of Teaching Research and Administration with a PhD from a Global Top 200 Universites of the World I have a few points to make. My 2 cents worth, if you like.

First, Universites like New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University have been encouraged by successive Congress regimes for purely political and dynastic political ends. There has been a trend in JNU to hire its own students and this in breeding amongst the Faculty has contributed to the erosion of diversity and an over representation of certain ideological strands that fare poorly in the electoral battlefield. As the fortunes of the Left declined the radicalism of the Student population repalced the earlier political programme of reaching out to broarder sections of the population: Class analysis was replaced by Identity politics and the rampant mobilization of the youth along identity lines contributes significantly to the present scenario. Identity Politics was the American Social Science respone to Class Radicalisation and was promoted by the American Think Tanks like Fullbright and Ford Founedation in India throughout the 1970s, 80n and well into the early part of the present century. In India it is easy to trnaslate Indentiy Politics into political programmes especially after the introduction of the Mandal Reservation by V P Singh ; Caste, Religion and Gender are now the main stay of Indian Social Science education and research and students socialised in this kind of education fall easy prey to political parties which seek to use Universities as boot camps for their cadre.

In JNU, Jadhavpur University and in other Universites the youth have been incited to join the protests on the Citizenship Ammendment Act on the basis of the false propaganda that a section of the INdian population will lose its citizenship or will be denied certain rights. Nothing can be more untrue. But fascist methods of propaganda are successful: If a lie is repeated over and over again it will be beleived. In this issue the insecurities of the Moslem population is being preyed upon to mobilize them against the Act which in no way abridges or reduced their status or rights. Such identity based mobilization is dangerous and has to be faught against.

The Governance of Indian Universites, with exceptions, leave much to be desired. There is total confusion as far as the Rights of the Universities are concerned. Each University is Governed by a separate Legislation and Central Universities State Universities and now incresingly Private Universitiesd are all competing for funds from a reducing basket of resources and so the Ranking System has been introduced\, Called the National Institution Ranking Framework (NIRF) this system is neither transparent nor credible. Annamalai University generally regarded as a University in which Ph D degrees are managed, ranks very high to other Central Universities. The adoption of the API scoring pattern for Faculty promotion has led to the proliferation of predatory jouranlas and third rate teachers have been promoted on the basis of third rate publications. The Indian Government is notorious for introducing remedies which compound the disease. It is time to delink Research from Teaching and what goes on in Social Science in the name of reseach is just gargabe.

The Student bodies of most UNiversities is highlympolitisised and this leads to confrontation. Political parties of all colours--Saffron and Red and of course Green--use studnets as fodder in their political game of one upmanship and this is playing out in Indian Universities today. Vice Chancellors are not able to function as the politcal parties pull them in different direction. Professor Jagdeesh Kumar has dealt with the crisis in JNU in the best ammer possible and even after the Server Room was trashed perhaps by SFI Students he did not rush to the police. It is for political parties to rtake a call and reduce tensions.

Finally it is tiem to thinkl of solutions. Social Scince education must be reformed and crass Identity Politics under pinnings must be remeoved. Social Science education must be made meaningful and employment oriented and that Education must be  yoked to the New India that is emerging: Digital India, Skill India, Make in India, Entrepenueship, trining in GIS etc.

I am sure that all this will be done.

History Men: Jadunath Sarkar, G. S. Sardesai, Raghubir Sinh and their Quest for India's Past: A Review

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

History Men: Jadunath Sarkar, G. S Sardesai, Raghubir Sinh and their Quest for India's Past\
T C A Raghavan
New Delhi: Harper Collins, 2019

Dr T C A Raghavan, a noted diplomat, historian and public intelelctual has written an outstanding book which covers the territory upon which Dipesh Chakravarthy has grazed in his Calling of History. Charkavarthy was concerned only with the writings of Sir Jadunath Sarkar, Ragavan has traversed a much larger chunk of Historiography. He has situated his examination of the three historians whose work he has analysed in great depth, at the intersection of their individual lives, their collaboration in the pursuit of historical documents and the deep personal bonds of friendship that bound them. Their quest for India's past took them to remote villages, towns and cities all over North India and Mahrashtra and thye uncovered significant troves of historical material which were carefully edited and published. All three of the scholars were pioneers in that they were historians who had to locate, collate and edit the documents on which their histories were based. And for the Maharatha Period and the Post Mughal Era this meant a mastery over a number of scripts and languages: Mahrathi, Persian, Arabic, French, Dutch and Portuguese. The three historians collaborated with each other as Dr Raghavan has shown in the most intensnse and academically fruitful manner. It is interesting to learn that Sir Jadunath Sarkar's reconstruction of the Battle of Panipat, 1761 was based on a contemporary record. The Hafta Anjuman a post Mughal history was located and used by Sarkar in his Fall of the Mughal Empire.

The History Men is an important work of historiography as it deals with the intellectual climate in which Indians began to explore their past. This quest was particularly difficult as it coincided with two very huge popular movements: the Freedom Movement and the Partition Movement, both at times collaborating and at times confronting each other. Politically the times were charged with the high voltage current of identity politics, the Moslem and Hindu one aimed at carving a holemand for the Muslims and the other aimed at preserving the unity and integrity of India as a nation and Civilization. Sir Jadunath Sarkar himelf was a victim of the Partion Movement as his eledest son was killed in the riots. And as Raghavan points out he did not recover from this tragedy. The substantial work of Sir Jadunath revolved around Aurangazeb and his reign. His five volume History of Aurangazeb was based on the original letters and Court Documents which were located in Jaipur, Gwalior and other places. Sarkar used the court documents judicially and his account of the rise of the Maharathas as the most powerful challengers to the hegemony of the Mughals was essentially an analysis of Mahratha documents. The collaboration with G S Sardesai was important as Sarkar though conversant with Modi had his transcripts of the Mahrati documents checked by Sardesai.

In his Shivaji and His Times, Sarkar provided a balanced and nuanced account of Sivaji but the Poona Scholars associated with the Ithihasa Samshodaka Mandala like Rajwade were quite hostile to the work. Raghavan expalins the hostility as stemming from the intrusion of a Bengali in Mahrashtra and its history at a time when the cult around Shivaji was becoming the defining element in the identity of Maharashtrians. There is also the growing assertion of a caste identity during this time and Shivaji and his legacy were deeply contested. Rughubir Sinh, the scion of the Sitamau Princely State located in Malwa wrote his D Phil thesis on Malwa in Transition a work which was much appreciated by Sarkar. Later Raghubir Sinh became a memmber of the Lok Sabha and served two terms and established a Research Institute at Sitmau.

Raghavan has done a splendid job in ressurecting the memory and contribution of these early pioneers of Indian Historiography. One of the unfortunate developments of post Independence Era was the appropriation of Indian History by an ideologically committed group of historians, some would even say cabal of histry peddlers, who with the patronage of the Indian State drove these pioneers into obvlivion. Their pamphlet Communalism and the Writing of Indian History published by the Peoples' Publishing House became the manifesto for a kind of History thatn pitted Historians into hostile camps. Anyone disagreeing with the High Priets of the New Creed was  "Communal" :\"Reactionary" "Anti Modern" etc. The climate of free and dispassionate reconstruction of the past was vitiated by the personality clash betwee the pioneers like Sarkar, Sardesai, Majumdhar, Nilakanta Sastri, H C Ray chowdhury and others with Mohammad Habib and later his son and successor, Irfan Habib. That this clash has not ended is made amply clear in the recent public brawl in which Irfan Habib prevented the Governor of Kerala from continuing with his Speech. An ugly episode which would have been unthinkable in the civilzed days of Sarkar and friends.

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.