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| DARK LADY OF INDIA |
| In India myths endure. So it is not surprising that many myths surround the persona of Indira Gandhi who was assassinated today 25 years ago. The way she died has added to the myths. One myth should be dispelled straight away. She is often described, by critic and admirer alike, as a deft politician who knew how to deal with her rivals. Yet the fact of the matter is that in 1971 she was re-elected as prime minister with a huge majority in the Lok Sabha in the wake of the liberation of Bangladesh and the Indo-Pak war; within a couple of years, Indira Gandhi's rule was under attack from within and without the Congress party. The only way she knew to deal with this opposition was by declaring the Emergency and thus undermining Indian democracy. This is not quite the way that a deft practitioner of the art of politicking would have dealt with challenges to her power. She never appeared to be in full control after her return to the top job in 1980. Indira Gandhi's great period was a brief one — lasting from 1969 to 1971, between the break with the Syndicate and the liberation of Bangladesh. But this was also when she wore her radical mask and utilized the ideology of socialism to consolidate her own power. She had none of the idealism of her father and certainly did not believe in the institutions of democracy and civil society. Under her, the cabinet system of government became a mere extension of the prime minister's office. She eroded the independence of the judiciary and the bureaucracy. She packed leading educational institutions, academic bodies and other civil society establishments with her cronies. In all this she broke, with disastrous consequences, from the tradition established by Jawaharlal Nehru. The Emergency was the culmination of a process of centralization of power that Indira Gandhi initiated. It is not unfair to suggest that she had little faith in democratic practices and institutions. In foreign policy, she brought about a pronounced pro-Soviet tilt which led her to support the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. She shackled India's economic growth and private investment and entrepreneurship by institutionalizing red tape and a permit and licence raj. This opened up opportunities for venality and corruption. She used the latter with devastating effect on the polity to fund the Congress party and elections. It is thus difficult to be dispassionate about Indira Gandhi and her era. Historians of subsequent generations could describe the period that bears her indelible stamp as a very dark period for India. What cannot be denied, however, is that in her time she was immensely popular. But she made scant use of that support to take India forward. Prime ministers with far less support — to wit P.V. Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh — have achieved much more, especially in the fields of economic reform and foreign policy. A large majority might well be an Indian prime minister's worst curse. |
| Remembering 'Iron Lady' Indira Gandhi | ||||
| 31 Oct 2009, 0941 hrs IST | ||||
| Congress President Sonia Gandhi and AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi were present at the Shakti Sthal in New Delhi on Saturday (October 31) to pay their respects to former PM Indira Gandhi. They attended a function at Shakti Sthal to remember her on her 25th Death Anniversary. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Vice President Hamid Ansari were also present at the memorial function. Under her regime India reached its heights -- with the birth of its nuclear programme, but also fell to its depths with Operation Bluestar. TIMES NOW pays a tribute to India's first and only lady Prime Minister -- 'Iron Lady' Indira Gandhi. She was born into politics, a life that chose her with Pt Nehru as father, Indira Gandhi learnt the ropes of Indian governance observing India's first Prime Minister. HK Dua, Editor-in-Chief, The Tribune said, "Indira was a more hardened politician than Nehru." She inherited Nehru's vision to some extent, but she was a more a hard politician then a then Nehru was. With 'Garibi Hato', she gave the country its first slogan of populism, one that captured the imagination of her electorate. Kuldeep Nayar, Senior Journalist said, "'Garibi Hato' captured the imagination of the nation. When she gave the slogan, there was a lot of poverty in India, where people did not have anything with them. So she requested the people to vote for her and in return she would remove poverty. This slogan captured the imagination of the people and they voted for her. But then she could not do anything then as opposition increased in voice and also volume." In 1971, Indira Gandhi deftly handled our neighbour by assisting the war for liberation of East Pakistan. Saeed Naqvi, Journalist said, "After the 1971 war Mrs Gandhi transformed herself from 'Gungi Gudiya' to 'Durga. Gandhi came with a bang after the Bangladesh war, when Shri Atal Biharee Vajpayee in a park in Connaught Place called her "Durga" in his speech after victory over Bangladesh." She made the country proud by initiating the nuclear weapons program. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said, "In Pokhran - 1 Mrs. Gandhi completed that which Pt Nehru had envisioned. She is the basic founder of technological development today." From the Emergency, to her ouster from the Prime Minister's office to her landslide victory, Mrs. Gandhi proved that she was the Iron Lady of India! Her crumbling moment came in 1984 when she announced Operation Bluestar making it her biggest political blunder. She lived a life on the tight rope, being judged at every step, she took decisions that gave India its most controversial political period times that are etched in our memories even today! |
Nation pays homage to Indira Gandhi on her 25th death anniversary
The dance of death in in Kanpur (25 years after Indira Gandhi's assassination)
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Nation pays homage to Indira Gandhi on her 25th death anniversary while Addressing the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, former US president, George W Bush said that both US and India were engaged in an ideological battle against extremists who kill innocents!
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh led the nation in paying homage to former Premiere Indira Gandhi on the 25th anniversary of her martyrdom at Shakti Sthal here on Saturday.
Tributes were also paid on behalf of President Pratibha Devi Singh Patil, who is on a foreign visit.
"(By signing the deal) the US recognised India's nuclear weapon's programme. It is India's passport to the world," said Bush.
"In 2006 we signed a historic accord.... India has now the opportunity to get energy without making pollution," said Bush.
The framework of the India-US civilian nuclear agreement was a July 18, 2005 joint statement by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and then US president Bush. Under it, India agreed to separate its civil and military nuclear facilities and place all its civil nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. In exchange, the US agreed to work towards full civil nuclear cooperation with India.
Her death came as a violent response to the Indian Army storming the Golden Temple in Amritsar in June 1984 to confront heavily armed Sikh extremists.
Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari also visited Shakti Sthal and paid his tributes.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party General Secretary Rahul Gandhi also paid floral tributes to Indira Gandhi
A prayer meeting was organised at the official residence of Indira Gandhi. This was attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, family members of Gandhi and other dignitaries.
A series of programmes are being organised across India to commemorate Indira Gandhi's martyrdom.
Sonia Gandhi is scheduled to give the prestigious 24th Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration for the year 2008 to noted journalist, writer and human rights activist Balraj Puri at a function in New Delhi.
In 1984, Indira Gandhi launched Operation Blue Star to crush secessionist movement in Punjab and sent troops into the Golden Temple of Amritsar.
She was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31st of the same year.
Gandhi is remembered for leading the nation to new heights on national and international fronts.
India wants to resolve all issues with neighbours: PM
Reaching out to Pakistan for the third consecutive day, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said India wishes to resolve all outstanding issues with it and all other neighbours through dialogue and spirit of partnership overcoming the "areas of difficulties".
He noted that Pakistan is grappling with a major problem on account of rising terrorism and wished it success in dealing with it.
"We seek to live in peace with our own neighbourhood and with the world. We have always been and wish to remain good neighbours and good global citizens," Singh said addressing the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit here.
Contending that India's destiny is "intrinsically linked" with that of its neighbours, he said "we seek good relations with each one of them".
India promises level playing field to US varsities
India has promised a level playing field to top US institutions in a bid to encourage foreign investment in the education sector as New Delhi seeks partnerships with global institutions to provide quality education at home.
'With the expansion of the higher education sector and the needs of Indian students, we need not just to allow education providers in India to grow, but we also need to provide for foreign investment in the education sector,' India's Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said at a press conference here Friday.
Sibal, who was here to seek partnership with leading American universities for an Indian initiative to set up 14 innovation universities to push research and development, said he was encouraged by the response, which made the trip 'exceptionally satisfying'.
With the growing expansion of Indian education coupled with the passage of the Right to Education bill, India would have to add hundreds of universities, expand areas of vocational training and provide a reformed curricula, he said.
Grappling with the issue of quality, 'we need to bring in education providers who have experienced hundreds of years of quality education and have systems in place to provide quality education', Sibal said.
'The foreign institutions coming to India would have to work within the framework of law. But we have explained that to them. But they'll get a level playing field,' he said.
During the visit, Sibal met US Secretary for Education Arne Duncan besides presidents of several leading US universities individually and at a round table at Georgetown University where he spoke on 'Expansion of India's Education Infrastructure and Opportunities for Foreign Universities'.
The Indian delegation, headed by Sibal, also participated in a meeting hosted by the US-India Business Council on the subject of investment and collaboration opportunities in higher education in India.
Among those he met in Washington were the presidents of Duke and Georgetown universities. He had met with the presidents of Harvard University, Yale University, Boston University, New York Academy of Sciences and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in New York earlier.
Obama election 'was uplifting moment': Bush
Barack Obama's election as president of the US was an 'uplifting moment', his predecessor and Republican rival George W. Bush said in New Delhi Saturday.
The election of Obama, a Democrat and the US' first African American president, 'was an uplifting moment for our democracy... not my first choice, but I wish him every success', Bush said amid laughter at the HT Leadership Summit here.
Bush favours UNSC seat for India
Former US President George W Bush today favoured a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) seat for India, saying it has "arrived" as a strong democratic country in the world. He also wanted India and the US to work together to win the war on terror in Afghanistan to bring peace and stability in the region.
"We must see the possibility of a seat for India in the United Nations Security Council," Bush said, speaking at the HT Leadership Summit in New delhi. "India has arrived as a strong democratic country in the world.
It is a tolerant, peaceful and multi-religious democracy," he said. Bush, who visited India in 2006 when the two sides chartered out the road map for further strengthening Indo-US strategic partnership, said the two countries shared the same values of freedom and democracy.
On Afghanistan, he said, "America and India must work together to win the war in Afghanistan. The mission in Afghanistan has been long and difficult and costly.
I believe it is necessary for stability and peace." He wholeheartedly agreed with US President Barack Obama that the US-India relations were not only one of the most important ties in the world, but they should also be one of the best.
But he cautioned that it would not happen automatically and the two nations would have to make important choices, including cooperation in the war in Afghanistan.
Rukhsana's house attacked in Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu, Oct 31 (IANS) Jammu and Kashmir's teen braveheart Rukhsana, who had killed a top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander last month and grabbed national headlines for her show of courage, came under attack again when terrorists fired grenades at her village home. Luckily, no one was present inside the house at the time.
Police said the incident took place late Friday in Kalsi village of Rajouri district, about 180 km from here.
'Rifle grenades were fired at the house and the police post in Kalsi village in Thannaa Mandi area of Rajouri late last (Friday) night,' Rajouri Senior Superintendent of Police Shafaqat Watali told IANS.
Watali said the rifle grenades exploded without causing any loss. Rukhsana, 18, and her family had been shifted to a safe place in Rajouri as an attack was feared. Police had received the intercepts of the militants planning an attack on Rukhsana's house.
'But it (the attack) does speak of their intentions to take revenge from the girl, who killed the LeT militant Abu Osama,' Watali said.
Vigil in the village has been stepped up and police have assured the people that they would be protected.
Rukhsana shot to the limelight after she hit back at terrorists who had barged into her house on Sep 27. Top LeT commander Abu Osama was attacked with an axe and shot at with his own rifle by Rukhsana and her brother Aijaz. She also fired at the two other militants, who were injured but managed to escape.
'US growth spurt mitigates uncertainty for India'
Sat, Oct 31 06:08 AM
After having helped the government frame economic policies in exceptional times that brought the global financial system to its knees, the finance ministry's chief economic advisor is moving on to assume his new role as an executive director to the IMF. A day before he leaves office, Arvind Virmani, who was appointed CEA in July 2007, tells Gunjan Pradhan Sinha that the US growth spurt in the third quarter will accelerate the revival of domestic investment. Excerpts:
With the US clocking positive growth numbers for the first time in months, how do you think it will change the scenario in India and the world?
Over the past three- four months we have got indications that recession in the US is coming to an end. The recent news confirms only one fact — that the future won't be worse. Even though it is a larger than expected bump up, recovery will follow the pattern of wavy and stretched out 'U' for the global economy. For India, it spells out mitigation of the uncertainty which crept in due to the external environment. In my expectation, it will accelerate revival of domestic investment and the economy will be less dependent on stimulating forces.
And for the rest of Asia?
Countries heavily dependent on exports would not see a fast paced recovery compared to India. Until they change their orientation, a number of nations including China would have to wait before investment levels pick up. A stimulus approach is a short term measure, it cannot be sustained for long. India is at an advantage as it has a neutral export policy and huge domestic demand.
How do you see inflation panning out in the next few months?
I expect the gap between whole sale price index inflation and consumer price index -industrial workers to narrow. CPI should peak and then start waning. There are already faint glimmerings of this. It could be peaking now. Inflation is expected to go up but not as much as CPI (IW). It will hover around 6 per cent in March 2009-10.
With talk of right timing for withdrawing fiscal stimulus measures, what is your view for the Indian economy?
The fiscal stimulus has two aspects — micro and macro. Micro measures such as interest rate subvention given to certain sectors have time limits. In that sense they have an automatic expiry. For the macro level measures that widened the fiscal deficit, there are indications that we need to go away from it. The FRBM document for the current fiscal sets targets for the next two or three years, which in all likelihood would be met. The winding down will start and by March the picture will be clear.
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During preparations this spring for the Pakistani campaigns in Swat and South Waziristan, President Obama personally intervened at the request of Pakistan's top army general to speed the delivery of 10 Mi-17 troop transport helicopters. Senior Pentagon officials have also hurried spare parts for Cobra helicopter gunships, night vision goggles, body armor and eavesdropping equipment to the fight.
US military surveillance drones are feeding video images and target information to Pakistani ground commanders, and the Pentagon has quietly provided the Pakistani air force with high-resolution, infrared sensors for F-16 warplanes, which Pakistan is using to guide bomb attacks on militants' strongholds in South Waziristan.
In addition, the number of Special Forces soldiers and support personnel who are training and advising Pakistani Army and paramilitary troops has doubled in the past eight months, to as many as 150, a US adviser said. The Americans do not conduct combat operations.
The increasing American role in shoring up the Pakistani military's counterinsurgency abilities comes as the Obama administration debates how much of a troop commitment to make in neighboring Afghanistan. It also takes place as Taliban attacks are spreading into Pakistani cities. It is unclear whether Pakistani authorities are using any of the sophisticated surveillance equipment to combat the urban terrorism.
Underscoring the complexity of the relationship between the allies, Pakistani officials are loath to publicize the aid because of the deep-seated anti-American sentiment in Pakistan. And they privately express frustration about the pace and types of aid, which totals about $1.5 billion this year.
At a military briefing on Saturday, the Pakistani army spokesman, Gen Athar Abbas, said the fight in South Waziristan was a purely Pakistani enterprise, unaided by the US or anyone else. "Let us finish the job on our own," he said.
Hasan Askari Rizvi, a military analyst in Lahore, said publicly acknowledging the military aid — an open secret in Pakistan — could hand militants fresh ammunition for propaganda attacks.
"The Pakistanis insist on 'no US face' on their war. Period," said one senior US military officer.
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Indira Gandhi: Fearlessness in the national interest
R Rajamani, a retired bureaucrat, worked in the Prime Minister's Office between 1978 and 1983. During his tenure he worked for three prime ministers: Morarji Desai, Charan Singh and Indira Gandhi [ Images ]. Later in his stint as additional secretary at the Cabinet Secretariat and as secretary (electronics), he was associated with then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi [ Images ].
Having worked for Indira Gandhi for three years between 1980 and 1983 he had the occasion to observe many of her qualities.
He remembers Indira Gandhi on her 25th death anniversary.
My respected senior colleague in the PMO H Y Sharada Prasad was once asked why he did not write about the prime ministers he worked with. He laughed and said: "Who am I, a child trying to inscribe my name on the giant oak trees of the forest?"
This did influence me in desisting from writing or talking too much about the four prime ministers I worked for, especially Indira Gandhi for whom I worked for three years as joint secretary. There were other reasons too.
Again Sharadaji used to say that when one wrote years later about events which had occurred earlier in which one played some part, there is a temptation to put in words what one thought in retrospect one should have said then, but never really said them!
However, the main reason for avoiding these reminiscences was that I remember only the good things about people whereas most readers seem to want to read about the seamy side of great personalities.
If I do communicate my thoughts now it's not because of the temptation to break into the limelight but in the expectation that people will know that the good that men do lives after them while the evils are interred with them.
There is devilishness and godliness or goodness in all of us in varying degrees (saints excepted) and it is pleasant to talk about the good traits and deeds of great people.
What qualities in Indira Gandhi should I talk about? Before I answer this question I should emphasise that all the four prime ministers I worked for had most of these qualities in varying degrees and it was indeed a privilege and a great learning experience with them.
I have chosen Indira Gandhi because I had the longest term with her. The qualities of fearlessness, courtesy, humour, wide interests and wisdom, deep commitment to Indian science and technology, passion for the environment, objectivity and the ability to see many things through not only a national but also an international prism -- these were some aspects of her life and personality which come out in the episodic narrative I have chosen to adopt.
Fearlessness
I single this out as the strongest trait -- fearlessness to do what she thought was in the national interest and fearlessness in the personal sense; physical and mental courage in adverse circumstances. This was translated into courage which infected others.
I am reminded of the golden age of the Independence struggle when leaders led from the front as in the case of T Prakasam or G B Pant, who always stood in the first row to face bullets or lathis.
It was the hallmark of Indira Gandhi's father Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru [ Images ], who one remembers in the Avadi Congress session jumping into an enclosure to calm down some misguided sections which was trying to disturb the proceedings unmindful of the appeals of even Kamaraj Nadar!
One example in her life was when the door opened in the aircraft where she was sitting alone in the front cabin soon after take-off. The advice from the cockpit asking her to go to the back section was not heeded and when we tried to persuade her to come back she gave only a disarming smile which radiated her fearlessness. She did not leave the seat until we landed.
Of course, one has read about the fearless way she handled the Bangladesh war and other similar situations, putting the national interest above those of personal safety.
Courtesy
As for courtesy, she had this in abundant measure and was the picture of friendliness with whomsoever, she interacted, whether it was a poor lady in a village in Medak district (of which was an MP) or a visiting dignitary from abroad.
The manner in which she reciprocated Cuban President Fidel Castro's bear hug at the Non Aligned Summit is etched in memory. She responded shyly, but without fuss, thus cementing a friendship.
The only occasion when I found her losing her cool was when we were in the Andaman islands, visiting the Onge tribe there. As the helicopter hovered above the settlement built for the Onges, she asked me to find out what the tin roofed structures were.
When we landed I found out these were hutments made for the Onges who normally lived in small huts on treetops and moved from place to place as their defecation mounds grew under the trees. This was ecologically sustainable as the land was nourished and they had a cooler micro-climate atop the trees.
When I reported this to her, I realised she was upset. To compound this, the Onges who were clad in multi-coloured T-shirts were brought for dancing around her. When she asked the anthropologist present whether this was their usual mode of dress, he whispered they were not in the habit of wearing anything except a brief loin cloth and both men and women were bare-bodied.
On hearing this, she was in a rage and asked all the officers present if they realised what they had done this to these innocent people by locating them in hot tin sheds, away from their natural habitat and worse, making them wear ill-fitting and colourful clothes which they were not used to.
She thundered if they thought the prime minister of India would hesitate to talk to her people whether in their clothes or lack of it and how they had destroyed most of their values forever.
Humour
Indira Gandhi was not given to flippant humour, but showed flashes of mature humour on occasions.
Thus when the Indian Board for Wildlife was meeting and there were two consecutive items on the agenda, one relating to Save the Crocodile Project and the other to the scrapping of the Andhra Pradesh Preservation of the Elephants Act, I scribbled a note to her to say this was like the 'Gajendra Moksha' in reverse. She laughed heartily and read this out loudly to the members of the Board.
This got me into some difficulty with the Andhra Pradesh forest minister when we left the meeting and he said I have created a situation to seem as if the AP government was being insensitive to the cause of conservation, even though the ground reality was that there were no elephants in the state and there was no point in continuing an archaic enactment as a successor to the old Madras state.
I told him politely this was said in good humour and there was no reason why Andhra Pradesh should not have wild elephants now. Soon after this episode one was happy to know that wild elephants have indeed come into Andhra Pradesh in Chittoor district and now have a sanctuary for themselves!
The other bit of humour was displayed by the prime minister when she came up to me sitting in the officers's box in Parliament. When I tried to stand up deferentially, she smiled and said, "Don't tower over me like that. Sit down" and let my tall frame go back into the chair and shaking in mirth!
Interests
Her wide interests and wisdom were manifested often in the midst of all the routine and pressure of work. Whenever she found time, especially on domestic air travel, she would read a book.
Her interests were in a wide spectrum and covered not only the economic and political issues which were the daily bread and butter in her office but also discussions on India's future in wrestling with problems of education, health and employment.
After a visit to Medak where she saw the good effects on welfare, hygiene, nutrition and health of women and children as a result of a pilot Integrated Child Development Services Project a few years after it was wound up, she included this in her Twenty Point Programme.
Her interests extended to our culture, heritage and the arts; testimony to which is the present day INTACH (the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) and IGNCA (the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts), for which the ground work was done in her time.
She could visualise India's future lay in new initiatives in electronics, renewable sources of energy, ocean development, bio technology and entrepreneurship development in young technocrats to turn job seekers into job givers.
She helped create suitable administrative and technical structures. I must add that I have named only a sample of the initiatives which were the result of her wisdom and farsightedness.
The firm belief that science and technology were the anchors of the economy governed Mrs Gandhi's efforts in this field. She created scientific departments and encouraged both research efforts and the technological spinoffs.
Examples abound but mention can be made of the beginning of the Indian scientific expeditions to Antarctica and her belief in twinning new science and technology with traditional practices having a scientific content.
Thus when the scientists of the Indian Council of Medical Research were extolling the virtues of the plant ocimum sanctum in stress relief, she asked them what the Indian name was. When told it was Tulsi, she smiled and said "My grandmother knew this about Tulsi and used to give us Tulsi tea whenever we were too naughty!"
On another occasion, as we came out of an inspection bungalow we were camping at, she pointed out to me a small plant with pink and white flowers and asked if I knew what it was. Not hiding my ignorance I said I do not know the name but in my part of the country it was known as the smashan flower, being found only in crematoria and burial grounds.
She smiled and educated me that it was the plant vinca rosea (since renamed catharanthus rosea) which bore the common name of Periwinkle. She added for good measure that the chemical extract of the flower was being used for treatment of a type of cancer.
No piece like this on her would be complete without mentioning the passion for conserving India's natural resources, whether it was the forest, or the flora and fauna, or the rivers, water bodies, coral reefs and so on.
Her special interest was in ecosystems like the mountains, islands, coastal, coral reefs and riverine tracts. She was the only head of government from outside Sweden to attend the first UN Conference on the Human Environment and drawing the linkages between under-development poverty and the conservation of natural resources.
She was alarmed at the degradation of Indian forests and coastal ecosystems and their mindless conversion in the name of development without exploring alternatives.
She got enacted the Forest Conservation Act and made us introduce environmental impact analysis in public sector projects. The coastal zones were protected under her directive, which stood the test until a law was enacted later.
The only two projects she stopped in the interests of conserving biodiversity and the fragile Himalayan ecosystem were the Silent Valley Project and the Tehri Hydro Electric Project. It is noteworthy that in both cases there were alternatives to produce the same power with micro and mini hydel sets causing no damage to the environment. Unfortunately, the Tehri project was reopened later underlining the mindset that 'Big is Beautiful'.
In the present day context with spotlight on conservation of electricity to moderate climate change one cannot but remember her frugality in eating and her keenness to switch off all lights when she left a room.
The measures she took to promote solar and wind energy and increase afforestation through social forestry were noteworthy and gave a clear impression that she was a champion of a clean and green environment for all generations of Indians.
Her objectivity and ability to understand different sensibilities and perspectives were outstanding and this was tempered by her being able to be nationalistic and yet breathe a universality of spirit.
Once her personal secretary had collected a sheaf of petitions and sorted them out and was giving one set to me as she was boarding the plane.
She was quick to spot this out of the corner of her eye and said no, that is not for him as it is political and only the other set should be given to him. Thus, she recognised the need for objectivity in recognising the role plays among people who worked for her.
When there was a discussion on India signing an International Labour Organisation vonvention on child labour and the official view was hesitant, she looked at it from both national and international prisms and ruled that we cannot do wrong just because other countries got away with doing things wrong about their children and getting away with it.
Before I finish I should relate what happened when I had returned to Andhra Pradesh to work in the state government. In August 1984, Mrs Gandhi visited Hyderabad en route to Medak to inaugurate an ordinance factory. As her principal secretary Dr P C Alexander was coming with his wife and wanted me to go to the airport to take Mrs Alexander to my house while he went on the visit. In the afternoon when he came home he asked me why I did not try to see my old boss Indira Gandhi.
I told him, how, as a mere bureaucrat, it was not possible for me to muscle into the largely political crowd surrounding her. He told me sternly that I should make an attempt in the evening when they were leaving.
At the airport I made an effort, but again the crowd was such that she reached the ladder of the aircraft and so I was turning back disappointed.
Mrs Gandhi, on reaching the landing, seems to have spotted my back and called out "Rajamani, what are you doing here?"
I went up to the aircraft and she lent over and asked me how my daughter, son and wife were and whether I was OK. I mumbled something in the affirmative, being overcome by her affection in remembering me even after one-and-a-half years of leaving office and conscious of all eyes of all the visitors including the chief minister being on me!
She sweetly said "All the best to you and the family" and left. Sadly, that was the last I saw of her.
In all the short references and cameos I have tried to capture some of the fine qualities of Indira Gandhi but by no means is it a biographer's job or an incisive presentation which would satisfy the purist. Perhaps it ends up as a feeble attempt at inscribing one's signature on a giant oak tree in the forest after all!
As told to Radhika Rajamani.
http://news.rediff.com/special/2009/oct/30/rrajamani-remembers-indira-gandhi-on-her-25th-death-anniversary.htm
Two dominant flaws in Indira Gandhi's character that explain most of her controversial political moves during her 16 years as prime minister were her insecurity and her authoritarian mentality. Of course, it would be wrong to infer from this that Indira Gandhi had no good qualities. She in fact had many but these were overshadowed in decision-making by her insecurity and authoritarianism.
These two contradictory concerns troubled her mind continuously and produced many zigzags, even somersaults, in her policy. Except for her determination to emasculate all her potential challengers in the party, I consider in retrospect Mrs Gandhi as a very erratic leader. To call her strong and decisive therefore is a very superficial reading of her leadership. As a consequence of her deeply felt sense of insecurity, she was given like a cat when cornered, to extraordinary courage and when not cornered she usually reacted on anxiety. I came to realise this from my personal experiences in dealing with her. I first met Indira Gandhi in 1965 when she was information and broadcasting minister in Shastri's Cabinet. She had come to address a meeting at Brandeis University located in a small town called Waltham near the Harvard campus. At that time I was a young professor of economics at Harvard University having got my PhD in the shortest possible time. This appointment had made a splash in the local press since Asians those days were rarely taken into the Harvard faculty. So Mrs Gandhi who always fancied the company of intellectuals, sent me word through a common contact to meet her which I did, and spent chatting with her for a few hours at Brandeis. She spoke bitterly about how the nation had forgotten Nehru, how trite Shastri was, and what advice I would give as a professor to make Rajiv Gandhi study hard in UK. My contact thereafter with Mrs Gandhi continued till 1969, when I returned to India and joined the Jan Sangh. She thought I was mad to do so and conveyed the same with much irritation to me through my father who was then in civil service. After that it was hostility between us all the way till 1981. In the last three years before her assassination in 1984, after I had done a favour for her government on the China question, cordiality in my relations was restored. Thereafter, frequent tit-bit conversations with her took place during official dinners and other engagements which I attended as deputy leader of the Janata Party in Parliament. Dove with steel claws Mrs Gandhi, in my view, cared a lot about US and European opinion about her while she seemed, for what shall remain for as unexplained reasons, obligated to protect the Soviet Union's interests in India. Thus her first move as PM in the Sixties was to adopt West's prescriptions for reviving the Indian economy, such as devaluation of the rupee and by empowering the well-to-do or 'kulak' farmers through the green revolution package. She got kudos for it in The New York Times. But soon she somersaulted and swung to harsh licensing, land reform and nationalisation of banks since the pro-Soviet Left began baying for her blood. All this gave a huge boost to black money generation and corrupted Indian society. She disregarded the US interests when the Bangladesh issue arose in 1971, but very soon just before liberation, she spared West Pakistan from military devastation by declaring prematurely a ceasefire, and then a year later signed the Simla Agreement which meant restoration of status quo in Pakistan's military capability with US and Chinese help. Thereafter she invited Henry Kissinger to visit India and tried to pacify the US which had fiercely opposed the Bangladesh military operations. But once in India and pacified, Kissinger flattered her with the remark that she was 'a dove with steel claws'. Why she sought to pacify the US, post-Bangladesh liberation, is an interesting episode by itself but too long to narrate here. With the declaration of Emergency, this wooing of the US continued, with Sanjay Gandhi taking the lead. She declared the State of Emergency in 1975 because in her authoritarian bent of mind she could not tolerate popular opposition which JP generated and represented. JP made her insecure since he had impeccable credentials as a freedom fighter against British colonialism and a clean image too. She tried hard to discredit him but failed. Her authoritarian nature was fortified because, with exceptions, opposition leaders' for personal reasons lacked the capacity to stand up to her methods. This encouraged her to clamp down on democratic freedom, jail 1,40, 000 innocent persons without trial, impose press censorship, extend the term of Parliament, thus postponing the elections by a constitutional amendment passed by a captive Parliament. Many opposition leaders wrote her apology letters and crawled out of jail on parole. Silence of the graveyard descended on the nation. Suddenly, she turned around and declared elections at the most inappropriate time for her in early 1977, thereby losing the majority for the party and her own seat in Parliament. Why did she call for elections? While there could be several reasons, I think the censure of long time Nehru's liberal friends in the US and the UK, as well as the soothing advice from Jiddu Krishnamurthi (who was highly popular in high society abroad) drove her to doing what her son Sanjay thoroughly disapproved — to declare elections. It is also possible that Jimmy Carter being elected the new President of US in late1976 could have increased her anxiety about her legitimacy. Of course, my dramatic entry and escape from Parliament in August 1976 may have made her wonder as to how strong the underground had grown. Wooing the Hindu vote In June 1984, she launched Operation Blue Star on the Golden Temple in Amritsar which Chandrashekhar and I strongly opposed. I spoke to her twice in April that year urging her not to contemplate any such action, which was rumoured those days as imminent. I told her that there were better ways of dealing with militants inside the temple. Her answers were vague and reflected a great deal of anxiety about the issue. In the 1982 Jammu & Kashmir elections she had successfully played the Hindu card, and had in Parliament denounced 'Muslims who cheer the Pakistani cricket team against India'. Hence, many thought the Punjab operation too was for wooing the Hindu vote. But after talking to her, I became convinced that it was the Soviet Union's pressure exerted on her through CPI(M)'s Harkishan Singh Surjeet and via an individual living in her household about whom Mrs Gandhi always sounded apprehensive in conversations with me. After Blue Star, I met Mrs Gandhi in August 1984 for the last time in the Lok Sabha corridor. She seemed then deeply anxious about Sikh anger and asked what could now be done. I had already told her about the Udham Singh mindset, and hence all now could do was shrug my shoulder. As I look back on her long tenure, I feel sad for India. The country had given her a huge mandate. Yet her unhappy childhood, her agonising marriage, her disappointment with her siblings, friends, relatives, and most of all her inability to trust anybody induced in her unhealthy insecurity and an authoritarian mindset that caused her to fritter that mandate. She will be remembered by posterity for the ignominy of Emergency and Operation Blue Star, without balancing for the Green Revolution, the liberation of Bangladesh, and for daring to test the nuclear bomb. (The author is a former Union minister)BANGLADESH- INDIA RELATIONSHIP:TRANSIT AND OTHER NATIONAL ISSUES
(New Age, 0ctober 17, 2009) the Editor in his editorial, (New Age, 0ctober 18, 2009) has
correctly voiced his opinion under the topic, 0ne ´test case´ is bitter enough. Congratulations to the Editor for his excellent analysis.
I am confident, that together with me, the conscious Citizens of Bangladesh would equally agree with all the relevant points indicated therein which I submit here to highlight and analyze further:
1. We cannot but express our apprehension about another ´test case´. The Farakka Barrage, which was supposedly a test case for three weeks, continues to further misery in Bangladesh even over three decades later. Another test case may prove to be too bitter a pill to swallow.
2. While connectivity among the peoples of the two countries, and indeed the entire region, is imperative in order to bring about a more cohesive integration of the subcontinent has substantial advantages, it certainly cannot be at the cost of the individual country´s strategic, political and economic disadvantage that might threaten individual sovereignty. The Asian Highway route is yet is yet to be decided and it appears that the government is all but ready to submit to tacit Indian pressure of agreeing to a route that would not increase Bangladesh connectivity and provide India with a transit of sorts as both the entry and exit points of two of the three proposed routes would be through India.
The above interests of our friendly neighbor, India, according to my judgment are contributing to an overall negative attitude due to lack of transparency in placing the demands and in the manner the respective Authorities of both Governments are wheeling and dealing to finalize it. I wish to indicate herein two points in support of this view:
1. Ejaz´s report confirms that 0fficials of the foreign affairs, shipping and communications ministries would want to know how the decision would be implemented and how it could benefit both neighbors. A senior 0fficer, involved in the process said, we consider allowing India transit once as test case and its result will decide the fate of other proposals floated earlier by New Delhi.
2. We are not being informed as to whether the interests of Bangladesh are being included into the deliberations for the Indian Government´s concurrence; issues that are pending for long namely, SAFTA and SAPTA, reduction in non-tariff, para-tariff and tariff barriers for Bangladesh products to be exported to India, removing barriers to Bangladeshi investment, making the Joint Rivers Commission functional ,solutions to Farakka Barrage and other installations and transit to Bhutan and Nepal through India with a view to fostering harmony and integration of the region.
I wish to avail this opportunity to ask the Government of India four very pertinent questions: 1.How, over the last 38 years, prior to Independence of Bangladesh, did they solve the communication, administrative and economic problems of Tripura and Arunachal(the seven sister states)? 2. Why are they being impatient with the Government of Bangladesh´s deliberation on this matter before it can make a final decision? 3. How much cooperation has the Government of India extended to the Government of Bangladesh to solve the above mentioned pending issues of interest to Bangladesh to enhance the "Friendship" between the two? 4. Why India doesn´t feel that there could be security threats to Bangladesh when it wants transit through approximately 600 miles of Bangladesh land to Arunachal and use of Ashuganj port plus Akhaura-Tripura 31 km road connection; when both areas are hot beds for insurgency?
My personal opinion is that, India should continue dealing with these areas as it had been doing before over the previous 38 years and there is no necessity to burden Bangladesh with their domestic problems and security threats that can arise from insurgents.
Security threat was cited by the Indians, when it denied Bangladesh the use of Calcutta port in 1972, (our Chittagong port was difficult to operate then, in view of several sunken ships in and around the port area during the War); and 16 miles of transit through Indian land for trade between two SAARC countries, Bhutan and Nepal. Why can´t Bangladesh do the same?
About cooperation from India to Bangladesh to enhance friendship, it would suffice to say "the less said the better"; while at private and Citizen level the friendly atmosphere is so cordial, it is a pity that over the last 38 years no initiative from either side of Government and political level has been initiated to improve friendly relations without asking of any favor from each other. At Government and political level we still remain suspicious and recall the errors of the past; I include herein a few pointers for the readers knowledge. Relations began to sour from the time the exile Mujibnagar government was installed and immediately after Independence, on 16 December 1971, when representatives of Bangladesh government and Mukti Bahini were absent from the ceremony of surrender of Pakistan Army to Indian Army, shifting of Jute headquarters to Delhi and placing an Indian as head of Rakhi Bahini and implementation of the seven point agreement between late Indira Gandhi and the then acting president of the exiled Mujibnagar government, late Syed Najrul Islam (ref The war preparation of India-Pakistan and war by Dr.Kalidas Baidyowas)was being implemented. Late Jean Dixit, first High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh wrote in his book "Liberation and Beyond, "India´s failure to return part of the military equipment captured from Pakistani forces to Bangladesh and its defense experts suggesting that Bangladesh need not have a large armed force equipped with armour etc also created misunderstandings and revived old suspicions about Indian hegemonism". The list is too long and to shorten it we note with dismay the most recent signs of uncooperation,(1) pressurizing Bangladesh government to cancel the connection through Myanmar for the Asian Highway and the (2)Tipaimukh Dam episode. My article "Will dams "damage" the relationship? published on July 24,2009 in the The Financial Times, can be read by those interested in details as well suggestions to its solutions , which in return can help in improving relations.
Next, for the knowledge of Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister and Citizen of Bangladesh, I wish to present here an example of a good strategic diplomacy that will help Bangladesh to negotiate with India. Prior to her decision to help Bangladesh during the war late Indira Gandhi made twenty years treaty with Soviet Union(Russia) which guarantee India economical, political and military assistance (arms and ammunition needed for the war). Inspite of this treaty late Indira Gandhi didn´t alter the important principles of Indian foreign policy. She made it clear that Soviet Union would not receive any special privileges—much less naval base rights- in Indian ports, despite major Soviet contribution to the construction of ship building and ship repair facilities at Bombay (Mumbai). By repeatedly emphasizing the nonexclusive nature of its friendship with Soviet Union, India kept open the way open for normalizing relations with China and improving ties with the West. (http://countrystudies.us/India/133.htm)
0ne marvels and admires the late Indira Gandi´s intelligence and strategy, which should be a learning lesson and an eye opener, for our Prime Minister, to know that friendship with neighbors can be retained, while diplomacy means strategy without bending our backs to grant special privileges that could be detrimental to our own Country; and that friendship begets friendship, which is imperative for our neighbors to offer.
Agartala, May29, 2009 ICT by IANS (www.thaindian.com) states that Bangladesh has agreed in principle "and this what the ´test case´ is about" to allow India to use its water ways to transport heavy machines for 0il and Natural Gas Corp´s(ONGC) upcoming740-MW power project in Tripura. This gas based project, the biggest ever of ONGC is coming up in south Tripura´s Palatana and is expected to be operational by 2012. Tripura Chief Secretary, Shashi Prakash said if necessary India is ready to provide Rs.100 million to Dhaka to improve the poor road (linking Agartala) on the Bangladesh side. "Dhaka and New Delhi are now considering adding Ashuganj as the ninth port of call for easy transport of Indian goods from other parts of the country to the land-locked north-eastern region through Bangladesh.
I can only presume, that our Foreign Minister as well as our Prime Minister, is well aware of the above facts, and wish to remind them of the Bhopal gas tragedy. 0n December 2, 1984 tons of toxic gas leaked from a pesticide plant owned by Union Carbide in Bhopal (India), killing 3.800 people almost immediately. Thousands more were injured. The people are still suffering from lungs problem and respiratory diseases and the new born children are facing problems of poor visions, proper growth and loss of memory. Union Carbide accepted responsibility and established 100 million dollars charitable trust fund to build hospital for the victim yet the Government failed to provide victims of quality medical care. The victims are suffering.
Should any accident like the Bhopal gas tragedy happen within Tripura, (a) either during installation and connection or (b) objections and possible sabotage by the Citizens of Tripura for use their available gas or (c) later during its operation by ONGC; who will take the responsibility and what measures will taken to protect the lives of Bangladeshi Citizens, residing within close proximity to Tripura border area? This factor cannot be overlooked.
What does India mean by Ashuganj as its "ninth port of call"? How will the Rs.100 million be given; as direct payment or as loan to Bangladesh to be paid back with interest? What would be the terms and condition of the use of the port by India and whether Bangladesh too can use it for its economic benefit without being pressurized by India for their exclusive use.
It is imperative, to obtain complete explanations from the Indian Government, on all the points at the earliest, for Bangladesh to evaluate the entire deal so that an agreement may be signed by May 2010 , as Foreign Minister Dipu Moni has conveyed to her Indian counterpart S.M.Krishna in Delhi on September 8, 2009.
Two vital issues that demands inclusion here are: 1 Maritime Boundary and 2. Bangladesh´s Border and its defending institution BDR.
1.The most important issue is that of maritime boundary that Bangladesh has lodged with the United Nations. Will friendly India support Bangladesh claim to settle the issue on the principles of equity rather than on principles of equidistant, which both India and Myanmar are favoring? Foley Hoaq is retained by Bangladesh for arbitrations against India and Myanmar over boundaries in Bay of Bengal´s resource-rich waters. In separate proceedings against each of its two neighbors, Bangladesh has referred to binding arbitration its maritime boundaries in the territorial sea(out to 12 nautical miles from the shoreline), the Exclusive Economic Zone(or EEZ,to 200 nautical miles from shore), and the continental shelf(beyond 200 miles from shore). Paul Reichler who heads the team says, "Unfortunately, negotiations have been deadlocked for years, leaving international arbitration as the only way for Bangladesh to achieve peaceful and lawful resolutions of these maritime boundary issue, and definitive borders that will ultimately allow it to access natural resources that will benefit the Bangladeshi people." Neither India nor Myanmar has yet responded to the arbitration notifications, which were filed by Bangladesh on 0cober 8, 2009. They each have 30 days under the applicable rules to appoint an arbitrator or one will be appointed for them. Reichler further informs that arbitration of this type can take up to 3 to 4 years from the initial notification to final decision. In addition to Reichler, Bangladesh is also represented by Foley Hoaq partners Lawrence Martin and Andrew Loewenstein, as well as Professor James Crawford of Cambridge University in the United Kingdom and Professor Payam Akhavan of McGill University in Canada-(Ref:www.reuters.com).
Myanmar Ambassador in Dhaka, Phae Thann 00 ,in an exclusive interview to UNB has expressed his frustration and queried that when bilateral talk were progressing why Bangladesh had to go to UN for arbitration? Since he is also expresses that, on going talk will continue in November this year and is optimistic that "one day we will have a mutually agreed settlement", I only wish to draw his attention, right now, to the above statement from Paul Reichler and to act accordingly. He should also read the two part article of Shah Mohammad Saifuddin, "Bangla-Myanmar Relation" published in New Age, dated 0ctober 19 and 20, 2009. 0ut of curiosity, however, I would like to enquire of him, if the November 2, 2008 activity of Myanmar of sending four ships of Daewoo escorted by two Mayanmar´s naval war ship to drill when delimitation of boundary between the three friendly countries has not been settled?
2. Prior to independence, Bangladesh was the Eastern Part of Pakistan and due to poor relations with Pakistan as a whole, East Pakistan, though enjoying the "Bengali affiliation" with West Bengal was considered as security threat and therefore India had a strong vigilant force manning the border but never formulated national policy to fence the entire border and skirmishes between BDR and BSF and shooting civilians was very rare. What prompts the Indian Authorities to evolve a national policy to fence the entire border area with Bangladesh side now, when it envisages Bangladesh to be a friendly country? Why the BSF have to kill innocent civilians and engage into skirmishes with BDR? BSF shot dead 53 Bangladesh nationals from January to September this year, Home Minister Sahara Khatun informed parliament today-Sangsad Bhaban; 0ctober 12 (UNB) i.e 6 people killed in a month and skirmishes between BSF and BDR are very frequent and always initiated by BSF.
I believe that, the Citizens of Bangladesh have confidence on their elected representatives, to honestly and properly evaluate the pros and cons of these national matters especially that of the use of Ashuganj port, in the parliament, to form a national consensus before formally conveying the final decision to our friendly neighbor, India. However, if the 0pposition party continues to boycott the parliament, then deliberations within the parliament by the ruling party and its alliance only, will be partial and therefore unacceptable to Citizens. The next best choice, for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, is to declare an open public debate though media and seminars for a period of two or three weeks and then fix a date for, "public referendum". The 0pposition cannot avoid participating in the public debate or the ´referendum´, because they cannot afford to loose more credibility for future elections.
My suggestions are based on facts that it essential to follow democratic system through which the consent of the governed must be obtained in order to legitimatize the Government´s diplomatic steps and the Foreign Policy. Precisely, with this view in mind, I wish to draw the attention of our Prime Minister that, unilateral decision to permit one time ´test case´ to India would be a wrong judgment. Aristotle says, "At his best man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice he is the worst." Let us all pledge to stay within the perimeters of law and justice.
| NOSTALGIA - An anniversary year for two extraordinary journals | ||
| - ASHOK MITRA | ||
The year happens to be the anniversary occasion for two journals, both quite out of the ordinary. The formidable Economic (now Economic and Political) Weekly completed 60 years of its existence in January. September marked half-a-century of publication of that curiosum of a periodical, Seminar. The EPW's deft blending of serious academic thinking with incisive critiques of contemporary goings-on is non pareil in the world. Seminar too, in its own manner, stands out as a spectacular phenomenon. It presents in its pages diverse musings on a single theme, and each month it is a new theme. This has been the proceeding, month after month, across six hundred-odd issues. A further overlap between the EPW and the Seminar is that both started as cottage craft, a small-scale family affair. The EPW was a brainwave of two brothers, Sachin and Hiten Chaudhuri; Seminar, on the other hand, was the handiwork of a husband-and-wife team. Lahore Government College, in the early 1940s, used to fawn on the boys and girls attending it from affluent, and perhaps not so affluent, families. They crammed its sprawling lawns, corridors and lecture rooms. Spring was always in the air: excited roaming in literature and political philosophy, intense discussion on the mysteries of the atom, loads and loads of Faiz's poetry, thrill at reports of heroic Soviet résistance, at Stalingrad and elsewhere, against the advancing Nazi aggressors. It was almost inevitable that Raj Malhotra and Romesh Thapar would be sucked into the Students' Federation and the proximity of the communist party. Romesh had a flair for writing, drawing and acting, his calligraphy was beautiful, Raj had elegance and, apart from her passion for art and aesthetics, was full of ideas. The sufferings and deprivation of the poor hurt their sensibility; the courting couple dreamed of a future exclusively dedicated to the cause of the people. The Indian People's Theatre Movement was then a vibrant, thriving organism. It was sheer joy to be part of it. It also taught Raj and Romesh the virtues of method and discipline. With Partition, Lahore could no longer provide a base. They married early and moved to Bombay, possibly because it was the headquarters of the IPTA. Romesh had his hands full with writing, producing documentary films, acting, even performing cameo roles in one or two Bombay films. Raj did her comradely bits. The Ranadive phase brought an end to that chapter. The IPTA was in disarray, Raj turned to looking after the household and rearing the children, Romesh pottered around, contributing to this or that newspaper, producing an impulsive book on the national political scene, getting a shade disenchanted with films and plays. Then a thing happened. They befriended Sachin Chaudhuri, or it could have been the other way round. Sachin Chaudhuri was a beguiling guest in all seasons; Raj and Romesh were wonderful hosts. The format and contents of the Economic Weekly fascinated them. What about embarking on an adventure along the same direction as Sachin's, starting a journal which would be socially relevant and yet have a persona of its own, flaunting a predilection for intellectual rigour but not at all airy-fairy, and with a focus on concrete issues? A weekly publication invited a thousand headaches; why not, instead, a monthly publication? Choose for each month a particular topic and invite a dozen or thereabouts of knowledgeable people to expand their thoughts around it? In a university or college seminar, one speaker usually makes an introductory presentation, which is followed by comments from others attending, and, after some meandering, the discussion reaches a dénouement, or sometimes — no harm done — does not. The 1950s, it needs to be remembered, were the decade of panchsheel. Mao Zedong and Chou En Lai were much admired names in this country, Mao's edict of allowing a hundred thoughts to contend had bowled over the Indian middle class. Constituents of this class were, more often than not, wont to take themselves excessively seriously. Seminar did not mind, to each his or her ego. Seminar delightfully carried the burden of both naïveté and pseudo-sophistication in its issues. The strategy was to leave it to the readers to separate the wheat from the chaff. It had, however, something additional to offer: reviews of books touching on the month's theme and a carefully composed bibliography of relevant literature. Could one ask for more? The range of subjects Seminar has coped with over these decades nearly takes one's breath away: politics, economics, international relations, Pakistan, the liberation of Bangladesh, anthropology, sociology, atomic energy, literature, sports, psephology, problems of individual political parties, national security, Kashmir, Centre-state relations, public finance, police reforms, public undertakings, globalization, the poverty level, urban planning, housing and architecture, the food crisis, agriculture and land reforms, trade unions, the Naxalites, the Green Movement, archaeology, global warming — one can go on and on. A new month, a new theme, now and then, return to an old theme at an interval of 10 or 15 years. Like the Economic Weekly, Seminar too had its blooding in Bombay. While Sachin Chaudhuri and his weekly dug roots in Apollo Bunder, the Thapars soon moved to New Delhi where the climate was perhaps marginally less commercial, if marginally more bureaucratic. Because of their wide social connections, Romesh and Raj could afford not to worry over bureaucratic artefacts. In any case, everybody knew everybody else in New Delhi's upper layers; that social reality permitted Raj and Romesh to invite, with confidence, all and sundry to partake of the eclectic fare they served. For it is not just the range of issues Seminar has expatiated on that overwhelms. Equally impressive is the range of people who have written for it: politicians (ministers not excluded), civil servants, major domos and prima donnas from different sections of the academia, economists, sociologists, physicists, mathematicians, anthropologists, defence strategists, film stars, art critics, danseuses, thespians, civil society activists, architects, city planners, diplomats, sports personalities, defunct and still active revolutionaries. Much of this was possible on account of the concept of Seminar which attracted persons with different backgrounds and experience. Romesh's grit and persuasive power, supplemented by Raj's charm, did the rest. Both the Economic Weekly and Seminar were initiated as exercises in the small scale. The Economic Weekly, despite its founder's great reluctance, had to transform itself in the middle of life; the romanticism of running an enterprise on a shoestring basis needed to be abandoned; its social relevance called for that change. The EPW therefore broke out of the contours of cottage existence. Although it remains under the care of a private trust, it has increasingly accepted some of the constraints of a near-corporate entity even while jealously preserving its freewheeling left-liberal outlook. Since the Thapars had ample private means and it was only a monthly publication, Seminar did not have to take the EPW route. It is content to stay small-scale, it has changed neither its format nor its textual contents. Raj and Romesh are gone, the progeny has taken it over, the daughter and son-in-law duo run it with the same quiet efficiency that has been the hallmark of Seminar from the very first issue of September 1959. It is, however, a new generation. While Seminar remains essentially the same, in some details it is a teeny-weeny bit different. The globalized environment provokes new challenges, which has to get reflected in the themes Seminar chooses to accommodate, it has to, to be contemporary. It has, therefore, both changed, and not changed; let it be left at that. Seminar, of course, spells continuity. It would, however, be a very odd sort of obliviousness not to mention an interruption in its being. This happened during Indira Gandhi's Emergency. Romesh and Raj abhorred the idea of submitting matter intended for publication in Seminar to the queen's censure. They preferred to close down the journal. Not too many were prepared to follow their example. Seminar remains unique in that respect too. For an old-timer, what at the end matters, though, is nostalgia, nostalgia which takes one back perhaps two score years, nostalgia for the neat little Seminar office on the first floor of Malhotra Building, its cool interior décor, Romesh, with his half-grin, half-grimace and rich baritone, commanding the visiting friend to take a seat and listen to his latest political grouse, Raj, ever full of tact, grace and affection, trying to rescue the friend from Romesh's overdrive and fill him with the most recent New Delhi gossip — or, better still, organize, right in the office premises, an impromptu lunch of luscious ravioli. |
'No one like Indira Gandhi became PM again'
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The Gandhi family portraitNDTV.com - Oct 29, 2009 Indira Gandhi was born on 19 November 1917 to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Kamala Nehru. The Nehrus were a distinguished Kashmiri Pandit family and Indira ... Committee to be formed for IGNP areaTimes of India - Oct 29, 2009 JAIPUR: Chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday directed officials to initiate stern action against water theft from the Indira Gandhi canal, ... The world at the SummitHindustan Times - Oct 29, 2009 Sonia Gandhi declared that as much as people ran down Indira Gandhi over bank nationalisation, the global economic crisis proved that Indira had been right ... Inside the Golden TemplePunjabNewsline.com - 1 hour ago It has been 25 years since prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated Oct 31, 1984 perhaps, as a consequence of Operation Bluestar at Amritsar's Golden ... 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IGNOU launches 'train the trainer' programme India Business Blog (blog) Protect me? They can't even protect my art: MF HusainTimes of India - - Oct 29, 2009 But, then, did Indira Gandhi or Rajiv Gandhi have any less security?'' On its part, the home ministry plans to approach the Supreme Court and request it ... Exploring Delhi's parantha paradiseHindustan Times - Oct 29, 2009 India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his daughter and late prime minister Indira Gandhi have been patrons of the shops that sell paranthas with ... Nehru to Salman: Visiting Delhi's parantha paradise (Eating out with IANS)Sify - Oct 28, 2009 India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his daughter and late prime minister Indira Gandhi have been patrons of the shops that sell paranthas with ... Govt may consider law to deter honour killingsTimes of India - Oct 28, 2009 The schemes are named `Sabla' and `Indira Gandhi Matratava Sehyog Yojana' respectively. Sabla is aimed at empowering adolescent girls along with improvement ... States urged to expedite Women Empowerment Schemes Press Information Bureau (press release) The accused did not want to be defendedDaily News & Analysis - - Oct 29, 2009 New Delhi: For me, covering the nine-month-long assassination trial of Indira Gandhi for a national daily was a mixed bag of experiences. ... Indira Gandhi remembered on her 25th death anniversaryHindustan Times - 4 hours ago Gandhi was assassinated by her bodyguards on October 31, 1984. An exhibition on the life and times of Indira Gandhi, national integration rallies across the ... Scars of Operation BluestarSify - Oct 28, 2009 It has been 25 years since prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated on Oct 31, 1984 perhaps, as a consequence of Operation Bluestar at Amritsar's ... Congress to observe 25th death anniversary of Indira Gandhi as 'martyrdom day'Times of India - Oct 19, 2009 NEW DELHI: Radio, television and print media will reverberate with the message of Indira Gandhi as Congress plans to rekindle the former Prime Minister's ... Tracking Jammu and Kashmir's rail historySify - Oct 28, 2009 Manmohan Singh Wednesday became the sixth Indian prime minister - after Indira Gandhi, her son Rajiv Gandhi, IK Gujral, Deve Gowda and Atal Bihari Vajpayee ... Video: On track: Train in Kashmir  NDTV.com Manmohan extends hand of friendship to Pak Rising Kashmir Nationalization of Indian Banks and the Financial CrisisDesicritics.org - 10 hours ago If one reads media articles of the day, it is shocking to hear the praise given out to Indira Gandhi for nationalizing India's banks in the 60's on account ... Milestones in Indira Gandhi's lifeIndia Business Blog (blog) - Oct 27, 2009 NREGS to be named after Mahatma Gandhi: Manmohan Singh New Delhi, Oct 2 (ANI): Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced on Friday that the National Rural ... 'Knowledge Is The Next Big Idea In India'Tehelka - 18 hours ago ... he told then prime minister Indira Gandhi that he wanted to elevate the telephone from being a mere instrument to conduct a conversation into a tool for ... IGNOU, Ericsson sign pact for education using 3G telephonySify - Oct 26, 2009 In a first-of-its-kind initiative in India, the Indira Gandhi National Open University ( IGNOU) has signed a pact with Swedish telecom giant Ericsson to ... IGNOU to give study material through SMS Deccan Herald IGNOU ties up with Ericsson for 3G Mobile education services Economic Times Jagan shoots from the lipTimes of India - Oct 23, 2009 He first refused to grace the chair reserved for him in front of three portraits of Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia, and then chose to address the ... Jagan to trust Sonia to 'take Express Buzz Govt to pay tribute to woman who made India proudEconomic Times - Oct 26, 2009 To those who were children in the 80s, this is the most memorable touchstone of Indira Gandhi's vision for the nation: A singular pride for a country by its ... It happened on October 31TeleText - 7 minutes ago 1984 India PM Indira Gandhi was shot dead by members of her bodyguard. 1971 A terrorist bomb exploded at the top of the Post Office Tower in London. ... |
Politics News
BJP questions Raja's silence over alleged NDA-era scam
ANI - 12:35 PMNew Delhi, Oct. 31 (ANI): Countering allegations levelled by Telecom Minister A Raja that the BJP-led NDA government was involved in the "biggest ever spectrum allocation scam", BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi has asked why Raja has remained silent so far.
- Karnataka BJP rebels claim support of 60 MLAs (Update-Karnataka BJP) ANI - 12:35 PM
Bangalore/New Delhi, Oct.31 (ANI): Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu on Saturday claimed that the rebel Reddy brothers have the support of 60 MLAs and will head to New Delhi on Sunday to meet the party's central leadership.
- Japan preparing up to $5 bln in Afghan aid -paper Reuters - 12:22 PM
Japan is preparing new aid for Afghanistan of up to $5 billion to be used to help former Taliban fighters find jobs and build roads, a big increase from previous commitments, the Nikkei newspaper said on Saturday.
- Warring Karnataka BJP factions move to Delhi to resolve crisis ANI - 11:10 AM
New Delhi, Oct.31 (ANI): Representatives of warring factions in the Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be meeting in Delhi over the weekend to patch up their differences, even as the party general secretary in charge of Karnataka, Arun Jaitley, has ruled out a leadership change in the state.
- Virbhadra begins campaign in Himachal's Jawali seat IANS - 10:59 AM
Shimla, Oct 31 (IANS) Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh Saturday started the Congress party's election campaign in Himachal Pradesh's Jawali constituency, ahead of the by-elections next week.
- We want 21 berths: NCP HT - 10:50 AM
Talks between the Congress and its ally, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), continued for the third day in a row as the NCP refused to accept anything less than half the ministerial berths in the state government.
- India remembers Indira on 25th death anniversary IANS - 10:35 AM
New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) Indians Saturday flocked to Shakti Sthal to pay homage to former prime minister Indira Gandhi on her 25th death anniversary Saturday. Known as 'Iron Lady', she ruled the country for 15 years in two stints before being assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards.
- Mayawati blames Centre for sugarcane farmers' stir HT - 10:30 AM
With thousands of farmers setting afire their sugarcane crop in western UP for low prices, Chief Minister Mayawati on Friday shot off a letter to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh blaming centre for ignoring interest of farmers.
- BJP buys time, calls Karnataka rebels to Delhi HT - 10:30 AM
They don?t have the numbers to challenge his leadership but the BJP rebels pushing for the ouster of Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa have remained firm.
- NCP wants 21 of 43 ministerial berths HT - 10:30 AM
Mumbai, Oct. 30 -- NCP wants 21 of 43 ministerial berths Government formation in Maharashtra was further delayed on Friday as the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) refused to accept anything less than half the ministerial berths in the cabinet. The NCP wants the Congress to give it 21 berths in the 43-member council of ministers. The Congress has not responded to the NCP's demand yet.
- Obama election 'was uplifting moment': Bush IANS - 10:23 AM
New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) Barack Obama's election as president of the US was an 'uplifting moment', his predecessor and Republican rival George W. Bush said here Saturday.
- India wants to resolve all issues with neighbours: PM PTI - 10:12 AM
Reaching out to Pakistan for the third consecutive day, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said India wishes to resolve all outstanding issues with it and all other neighbours through dialogue and spirit of partnership overcoming the "areas of difficulties".
- Obama discusses Afghan plan, may be near decision Reuters - 09:08 AM
U.S. President Barack Obama heard the opinions of the Pentagon top brass on a commander's troop request for Afghanistan on Friday, and the White House said his lengthy strategy review was nearing the end.
- How he was nearly hanged in 1999 IE - 06:08 AM
R Govindasamy had escaped the gallows by a whisker nearly a decade ago at the Central Prison in Coimbatore.
- BJP summons rebels to Delhi IE - 06:08 AM
The crisis in the BJP's Karnataka unit is far from over and the party's central leadership has now summoned Karnataka rebel MLAs and ministers, besides Assembly Speaker Jagadish Shettar, to the Capital to hammer out a solution.
- Modi tests positive for H1N1 IE - 06:08 AM
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has tested positive for H1N1. Modi, who returned from a three-day visit to Russia on October 27, has been quarantined at the Chief Minister's residence and advised rest for a week.
- Khadse will lead BJP in Assembly, maybe Oppn too IE - 06:08 AM
Muktainagar MLA Eknath Khadse will be the BJP leader in the Maharashtra Assembly. A meeting of all BJP MLAs in Mumbai unanimously chose Khadse, effectively paving the way for his election as the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, too.
- Petroleum depots to be out of city, says Gehlot IE - 06:08 AM
In the aftermath of the IOC fire that still rages on near Jaipur, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday announced that petroleum depots and transit stations would soon be shifted out of the city limits.
- Keep doors open for students from other states: Agatha IE - 06:08 AM
Union Minister of State, Ministry of Rural Development, Agatha Sangma, an alumnus of ILS Law College, Pune, termed the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) viewpoint opposing students from other states coming to Maharashtra for education as narrow-minded.
- NCP still battles it out in Maval, Shirur IE - 06:08 AM
Post elections, the Nationalist Congress Party has a problem keeping its flock together in Maval and Shirur parliamentary constituencies.
World News
Is the Taliban winning in Pakistan?
Peshawar, Oct 31 (DPA) For Rubina Ajmal, life has come to a standstill since Wednesday's car bombing that targeted women buying clothes, bangles and cosmetics in a crowded market in Pakistan's north-western city of Peshawar, killing more than 100 people.
- Japan preparing up to $5 bln in Afghan aid - paper Reuters - 12:25 PM
- India isolating itself globally on Pakistan: editorial IANS - 12:17 PM
- Obama White House visitor logs feature famous names ANI - 12:05 PM
- Phoenix Police arrest Iraqi man for running over 'too westernized daughter' ANI - 12:05 PM
- Now, 'aphrodisiac' coffee to enhance men's sexual performance! ANI - 12:05 PM
WORLD
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WORLD
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WORLD
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WORLD
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WORLD
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WORLD
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General
- Southern African states to hold Zimbabwe summitReuters - 09:36 AM
Southern African countries are expected to hold a summit on the political crisis in Zimbabwe, a regional group said on Friday, to try to keep the unity government from crumbling.
- Tsvangirai under pressure to end cabinet boycottReuters - Fri, Oct 30
A southern African delegation is pressing Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC to end a cabinet boycott in an effort to resolve rifts threatening Zimbabwe's power-sharing government, a regional official said on Friday.
- S.Africa's Zuma dismisses fears of leftist takeoverReuters - Fri, Oct 30
South African President Jacob Zuma on Friday sought to dispel fears that the ruling ANC's labour and communist allies were pushing the country's economic policy to the left.
- Chinese High Court upholds death penalty of Xinjiang riot convictsANI - Fri, Oct 30
Beijing, Oct. 30 (ANI): A High Court in China' Xinjiang province on Friday upheld the verdict of the first-instant trials in the Urumqi violence, which sentenced 21 people that included death penalty to nine.
- Mandelson warns against backsliding in trade talksReuters - Fri, Oct 30
British Business Secretary Peter Mandelson urged countries on Thursday not to reverse previous pledges in world trade talks, saying a deal would provide an important stimulus for the recession-hit world economy.
US
- Madoff to SEC watchdog: agency held me in aweReuters - 08:26 AM
Bernard Madoff believed U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission employees were too dazzled by his stature on Wall Street to properly probe his operations and uncover his massive fraud, documents released on Friday showed.
- Coast Guard probes fuel spill in San Francisco BayReuters - 08:18 AM
A two-mile-long (3.2 km) slick of bunker fuel stretched across part of San Francisco Bay on Friday after a refueling mishap between a tanker and a barge alongside, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
- Good diet and breast cancer risksIE - 06:08 AM
After a close acquaintance was diagnosed with breast cancer, I recalled that October is commemorated worldwide as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
- US non-military intelligence budget totals nearly $50 bn in 2009IANS - 05:32 AM
Washington, Oct 31 (IANS) The US non-military intelligence budget totalled $49.8 billion in 2009, marking a $2-billion increase from the previous year, officials said.
- UN agrees to begin talks on first arms trade treatyIANS - 02:30 AM
New York, Oct 31 (DPA) The UN General Assembly's disarmament committee agreed Friday to begin discussions aimed at establishing an arms trade treaty with the support of some the world's biggest arms traders.
Europe
- Levi Johnston may sue Sarah Palin over child custodyANI - 11:10 AM
London, October 31 (ANI): Levi Johnston, the father of Sarah Palin's grandson, has decided to go to the court alleging that the former US Vice President candidate is preventing him from meeting his 10-month-old child.
- France ex-Prez Chirac to be tried for fraudHT - 10:50 AM
Former French President Jacques Chirac will be tried for abuse of public funds in an affair dating from 1983 to 1995, when he was mayor of Paris, French media reported on Friday.
- Somali pirates ask $7 mln to free UK couple - reportReuters - 08:41 AM
Somali pirates have demanded a $7 million ransom for a British couple captured on their yacht in the Indian Ocean, according to a phone call from a man purporting to be a member of the gang broadcast by the BBC on Friday.
- Somali man marries girl 95 years his juniorIANS - 06:19 AM
Moscow, Oct 31 (RIA Novosti) A 112-year-old Somali man has married a 17-year-old girl in central Somalia.
- Your age on your pageIE - 06:08 AM
BELOW ZERO One embryo as good as multiples for pregnancy Women who receive just one embryo during in-vitro fertilization are as likely to produce a child as those implanted with two, suggests a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Middle-East
- Thousands demonstrate against naturalisation law in BahrainIANS - Fri, Oct 30
Manama (Bahrain), Oct 30 (DPA) Thousands of demonstrators in Bahrain Friday demanded an end to the alleged politically-motivated naturalisation of Sunni Arabs and Asians on the island.
- Al Qaeda group claims rocket fire on IsraelIANS - Fri, Oct 30
Beirut, Oct 30 (DPA) A group linked to Al Qaeda claimed Thursday to have fired a Katusha rocket from southern Lebanon into northern Israel without causing any damage.
- U.S. set to respond if Iran defiant - top Obama aideReuters - Wed, Oct 28
The United States will be ready to respond if Iran fails to take tangible steps soon to meet its commitments over its nuclear program, President Barack Obama's national security adviser warned on Tuesday.
- Deaths of 77 orphans prompts inquiry in SudanReuters - Tue, Oct 27
The deaths of 77 children at Sudan's main orphanage has sparked an investigation, officials said on Tuesday, in a case that has lifted the lid on the plight of abandoned infants in Africa's largest state.
- Reuters Summit - "Don't worry" over Egypt's succession, says PMReuters - Tue, Oct 27
Egypt's prime minister said on Tuesday it was still too early to expect President Hosni Mubarak to decide whether to run again for president in a 2011 election, and sought to reassure investors over the issue of succession.
International
- Venezuela arrests eight Colombian 'paramilitaries'Reuters - 08:17 AM
Venezuela said on Friday it had arrested eight Colombians and two local residents suspected of paramilitary activities on the border between the two feuding South American neighbors.
- Colombia, U.S. sign military cooperation dealReuters - Fri, Oct 30
BOGOTA, Oct 30 Reuters) - Colombia and the United States signed a pact on Friday increasing U.S. access to military bases in the South American country, deepening its standing as Washington's main ally in the region.
- Commute death sentence of Mujib killers, says lawyerIANS - Fri, Oct 30
Dhaka, Oct 30 (IANS) Bangladesh's Supreme Court should commute the death sentences of four former army officers convicted for killing the country's founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and allow life imprisonment as their appeals have been pending for several years, a defence counsel has pleaded.
- Three former Pakistani generals accused of fraudIANS - Fri, Oct 30
Islamabad, Oct 30 (IANS) Three former Pakistani Army generals have been accused of causing a Rs.1.8 billion loss to the government by illegally trading on the volatile stock market despite a diktat against this by the prime minister.
- Security beefed up in KarachiIANS - Fri, Oct 30
Karachi, Oct 30 (IANS) Security has been beefed up in this southern port city ahead of the Friday prayers with additional contingents of police and paramilitary Pakistan Rangers deployed at different roads to avert any terrorist incident.
Asia
- Clinton met fake Kim Jong-il, claims Japanese academicANI - 11:40 AM
Tokyo, Oct.31 (ANI): A Japanese university professor has claimed that former US President Bill Clinton met a fake North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in August this year. He also said that the original communist dictator had died in 2003.
- Pak Rangers claim arresting another RAW agentANI - 11:10 AM
Lahore, Oct.31 (ANI): Pakistan Rangers have claimed arresting yet another alleged Indian spy, the third such arrest in the past one week, from the border area of Kasur.he alleged Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent, named Kashwa Bhaghwan, was apprehended during a routine patrol along the border region, a Rangers spokesman said.
- Disposing-off Al-Qaeda critical for Pak's survival : ClintonANI - 11:10 AM
Islamabad, Oct.31 (ANI): Visiting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton continued to reprimand Pakistan on its laid back attitude towards tackling the terror menace, and has said that the country can not come of the crisis until it works sincerely to dispose-off Al-Qaeda and other outlawed organisations.
- Clinton talks toughHT - 10:50 AM
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has questioned Pakistan's commitment to hunt top al-Qaeda leadership hiding in Pakistan and accused it of failing to track them down.
- Iraqi Kurdish leader backs Turkey's reform stepsReuters - 09:26 AM
Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani on Friday praised Turkish steps to address a decades-old Kurdish conflict and called for an end to ethnic violence during a visit to the region by Turkey's foreign minister.
Business News
Nine U.S. banks seized in largest one-day haul
U.S. authorities seized nine failed banks on Friday, the most in a single day since the financial crisis began and the latest stark sign that substantial parts of the nation's banking industry are being crippled by bad loans.
- China sees rocky export rebound, shrinking surplus Reuters - 10:33 AM
- Health insurers cut group gains HT - 10:30 AM
- India promises level playing field to US varsities IANS - 10:24 AM
- IBM replaces exec charged in insider trading case Reuters - 09:10 AM
- U.S. Bancorp gets $18 bln seized bank assets Reuters - 08:40 AM
BUSINESS
'India to top Asia's salary growth rate in 2010'
BUSINESS
India, China leading Asia out of global downturn
BUSINESS
Here's a look at the best states for business
BUSINESS
Ford Motors to step into small cars with the Figo
BUSINESS
Audi introduces new Q7 in India
BUSINESS
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BUSINESS
'India to top Asia's salary growth rate in 2010'
BUSINESS
India, China leading Asia out of global downturn
General
- Select edible oils strengthen on marriage season demandPTI - 12:45 PM
New Delhi, Oct 31 (PTI) Select edible oils strengthened on the wholesale oils and oilseeds market during the week on continued buying by vanaspati millers and retailers for the marriage season.
- Iran says in talks on Nabucco participation - reportReuters - 12:29 PM
A senior Iranian energy official said Tehran was holding "unofficial" talks with some European firms about its participation in the 7.9 billion euro Nabucco gas pipeline project, a news agency reported on Saturday.
- Prices of all commodities move upPTI - 12:26 PM
Chennai, Oct 31 (PTI) Prices of all commodities went up in the wholesale foodgrains market here during the week under review.
- IT authorities raid Koda''s residencesPTI - 12:11 PM
Ranchi, Oct 31 (PTI) Income Tax sleuths today raided the residences of former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda after the Enforcement Directorate registered a case against him and his three former ministerial colleagues for alleged money laundering and diversion of state funds.
- Sensex dips below the 16K level, may fall furtherPTI - 12:03 PM
Mumbai, Oct 31 (PTI) Stocks: The 30-share benchmark Sensex plunged 10 per cent in two weeks to fall below the psychological level of 16,000 points even as the market showed signs of a further slide ahead on growing concerns of a likely interest rate hike after the RBI raised inflation projection.
India
- Gradual exit from stimulusHT - 10:50 AM
The government will watch its step as it rolls back tax breaks and other incentives announced last year to help the economy tide over the blow of a worldwide recession, linking their exit to growth in the domestic economy in the coming months, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here on Friday.
- Shell, Essar talk refinery stakesHT - 10:50 AM
Royal Dutch Shell has entered into an exclusive negotiations with the Ruias-promoted Essar Group regarding the sale of its stake in three refineries, one in Britain and two in Germany.
- 'Consumer inflation pressure is for real'HT - 10:50 AM
Inflation is not what you think it is. While wholesale price-based indices show that inflation has come down ? indeed turned negative ? a lot of that is based on statistical base-year effect. On the ground, inflation pressures are real, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said.
- 'We're committed to insurance'HT - 10:50 AM
Akhil Gupta, deputy group chief executive officer & managing director of Bharti Enterprises Ltd told Hindustan Times that Bharti and Axa have no intention of moving out from the insurance industry and are here to stay.
- SAIL posts net profit of Rs 1,663.5 croreIE - 06:08 AM
Powered by fresh initiatives and enhanced sales realisations, state-run steel giant SAIL on Friday said it has registered a net profit of Rs 1,663.49 crore for Q2. This is, however, lower by 17.3 per cent from the corresponding period last year, owing to dipped realisations and rising input costs.
International
- US stocks sink on continued uncertaintyIANS - 05:11 AM
New York, Oct 31 (DPA) Major US stock indices sank nearly three percent Friday as investors exhibited uncertainty about the economy, despite figures that showed a return to growth in the third quarter.
- World's largest cruise liner begins maiden voyageIANS - 02:29 AM
Moscow, Oct 31 (RIA Novosti) The world's largest cruise liner Oasis of the Seas has begun her maiden voyage after leaving Finland Friday.
- Obama stimulus plan created 640,000 jobsIANS - 01:07 AM
Washington, Oct 31 (DPA) US President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package has created or saved more than 640,000 jobs since it was enacted earlier this year, the White House said Friday.
- U.S. consumer spending falls, sentiment soursReuters - Fri, Oct 30
U.S. consumers cut spending in September and turned gloomier this month, underscoring the fragility of the economy's recovery even as signs emerged that manufacturing may be picking up.
- U.S. spending falls, raises concerns about growthReuters - Fri, Oct 30
U.S. consumer spending fell in September after four months of gains as a government program to boost auto purchases ended, adding to fears that economic growth could stumble without government support.
Personal-Finance
- Himalya net profit rises to Rs.8.78 croreIANS - Fri, Oct 30
Shimla, Oct 30 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh-based food processing company Himalya International Friday said its net profit for the quarter ended Sep 30 rose to Rs.8.78 crore from Rs.6.47 crore in the like period last year.
- Sensex falls fifth day straight, ends below 16,000 pointsIANS - Fri, Oct 30
Mumbai, Oct 30 (IANS) A key Indian equity index Friday closed 0.97 percent down for the fifth consecutive day to end below 16,000 points.
- Sensex ends below 16,000 pointsIANS - Fri, Oct 30
Mumbai, Oct 30 (IANS) A key Indian equity index Friday closed 1.07 percent down for the fifth consecutive day to end below the 16,000 points.
- Sensex slips into red; energy, telecom scrips dragIANS - Fri, Oct 30
Mumbai, Oct 30 (IANS) A key Indian equity index slipped into the red Friday after gradually moving down from its morning highs. The benchmark index was ruling 0.2 percent in the negative.
- GAIL profit down 30 percentIANS - Wed, Oct 28
New Delhi, Oct 28 (IANS) State-run gas utility GAIL India has posted a 30 percent fall in net profit for the quarter ended Sep 30 at Rs.713 crore as compared to Rs.1,023 crore reported in the like period last year.
Markets
- Wall St Week Ahead: Goodbye to all that stimulus?Reuters - 08:29 AM
The U.S. economy has been kick-started into growth but stock investors still face an uncertain outlook as Wall Street gears up for comments from the Federal Reserve and a key report on employment next week.
- MMTC issues first global rice import tenderReuters - Fri, Oct 30
India has issued a rice import tender with the state-owned MMTC floating a global tender seeking 10,000 tonnes to be delivered in mid-December on the country's east coast.
- Adani Enterprises says board OKs 1-for-1 bonusReuters - Fri, Oct 30
The board of Adani Enterprises Ltd has approved issuing one bonus share for every held in the company and decided to raise 15 billion rupees through a rights issue, a company said on Friday.
- POLL - Funds may shift more towards midcap stocksReuters - Fri, Oct 30
A majority of Indian equity fund managers are inclined to increase their exposure to mid-cap stocks companies which performed better than largecaps in the last month, a Reuters poll showed.
- BSE Sensex posts worst monthly loss in a yearReuters - Fri, Oct 30
MUMBAI (Reuters) The BSE Sensex fell 7.2 percent in October and logged its biggest monthly fall in a year, after they closed 1 percent lower on Friday as investors gave a thumbs down to results from some key corporates such as Reliance Industries and Bharti Airtel.
Technology News
Facebook wins $712-million in damages in spammer case
Toronto, Oct 31 (ANI): Facebook has won 712 million dollars in damages after a California court ruled against a spammer for trying to get personal information from the users of the social networking website.
- The friendly dashboard robo that can make driving a pleasure ANI - 11:40 AM
- What will 3G mean to you? Y! India News - Fri, Oct 30
- Japan tech giants slump as SKorean rivals rebound, AS AP - Fri, Oct 30
- Now, smartphone games to help diabetic older adults manage health ANI - Fri, Oct 30
- New portable Nintendo DS console meant for groups, AS AP - Fri, Oct 30
TECHNOLOGY
Soon, a camera that can capture your entire life
TECHNOLOGY
Now, a robot named 'Snackbot,' serves tasty treats
TECHNOLOGY
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TECHNOLOGY
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TECHNOLOGY
Motorola introduces Android phone
TECHNOLOGY
Ford harnesses fighter jet technology for its cars
TECHNOLOGY
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TECHNOLOGY
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General
- iPhone comes to China without key feature, 2nd Ld-Writethru, ASAP - Fri, Oct 30
BEIJING (AP) Apple's iPhone made its long-awaited formal debut in the world's most populous mobile phone market, without a key feature and at higher prices than widely available black market models.
- Hebrew, Hindi, other scripts get Web domain nod, ASAP - Fri, Oct 30
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) The nonprofit body that oversees Internet addresses has approved the use of Hebrew, Hindi, Korean and other scripts not based on the Latin alphabet in a decision that could make the Web dramatically more inclusive.
- Hebrew, Hindi, other scripts get Web address nod, ASAP - Fri, Oct 30
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) The nonprofit body that oversees Internet addresses approved Friday the use of Hebrew, Hindi, Korean and other scripts not based on the Latin alphabet in a decision that could make the Web dramatically more inclusive.
- Report: Cyberattacks traced to NKorea, ASAP - Fri, Oct 30
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) North Korea has been identified as the source of high-profile cyberattacks in July that caused Web outages in South Korea and the United States, a news report said Friday.
- Reports: Cyberattacks traced to NKorea, ASAP - Fri, Oct 30
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) The North Korean government was the source of high-profile cyberattacks in July that caused Web outages in South Korea and the United States, news reports said Friday.
Internet
- Coming soon, 'World's Greatest Books Retold Through Twitter'!ANI - Tue, Oct 27
London, October 27 (ANI): Two students in the US have summarised the stories of some of the world's greatest literature in to 140-character messages using the popular microblogging site Twitter.
- Facebook's latest revamp urges users to reconnect with dead loved ones!ANI - Tue, Oct 27
London, October 27 (ANI): Netizens are upset with Facebook's new feature that tells users they can communicate with their dead friends.
- Tomb shows Peru's Moche were Christ's contemporariesIANS - Tue, Oct 27
Lima, Oct 27 (EFE) A tomb at the Sipan archaeological site in northern Peru confirms that the ancient Moche people were contemporaries of Christ, scientists say.
- Successful firing of cryogenic engine a challenge for new ISRO chiefIANS - Sun, Oct 25
Bangalore, Oct 25 (IANS) Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman-designate K. Radhakrishnan, who takes over Oct 31, has said his first priority would be to see that the indigenously built cryogenic engine is made ready for the GSLV launch by the year-end.
- Clean smells promote ethical behaviourIANS - Sat, Oct 24
Washington, Oct 24 (IANS) Cleanliness is next to godliness, so goes an old adage, which has now been borne out by a new study.
Software
- New technology can 'cool' laptopsANI - Fri, Oct 30
London, Oct 30 (ANI): Heating up of your laptop will soon be a thing of the past, for researchers have developed a new technology that could help keep it cool.
- Sacked steel plant worker's 'cry of anger' becomes YouTube sensation!ANI - Thu, Oct 29
London, Oct 29 (ANI): A steel plant worker has instantly gained the status of a rockstar after the 'angry' song he posted on YouTube when he lost his job became a hit.
- Now, Wallace and Gromit-style gadget that cooks breakfast automatically!ANI - Wed, Oct 28
London, Oct 28 (ANI): For all those people who feel too lazy to prepare their own morning meals, scientists have come up with a machine in the style of Wallace and Gromit that automatically cooks breakfast, including an omelette, toast and freshly squeezed orange juice.
- Sony launches EyePet - electronic pet for people too lazy for the real thing!ANI - Fri, Oct 23
London, Oct 23 (ANI): Looking for a pet that doesn't leave a dirty litter tray or cry for walks in the rain? Well, then Sony's EyePet might put an end to your search.
- Dell sees Windows 7 boost starting mid 2010Reuters - Wed, Oct 21
Demand for computers from large companies is likely to pick up by as soon as mid-2010 as a result of Microsoft's launch this week of its Windows 7 operating system, a senior Dell executive said on Wednesday.
Mobile
- Motorola launches new phonesY! India News - Wed, Oct 28
Motorola India Private Limited has launched the multimedia MOTO ZN300, a sleek slider with 3.1 megapixel camera and two MOTOYUVA WX candy bar entry-level handsets with FM radio - the MOTOYUVA WX160 and MOTOYUVA WX180.
- Nokia-Apple row may last more than 1 yearReuters - Wed, Oct 28
A legal battle between Apple Inc and Nokia Corp over patent infringement is likely to last for more than a year, said Bill Merritt, the head of mobile licensing firm InterDigital.
- Rekindling the marketHT - Wed, Oct 28
Now, for the first time, the Kindle e-book reader is available outside the United States. The International edition of the second-generation Kindle was launched on October 19 and can be ordered off the Amazon.com website by users from around the world.
- Affordable and coolHT - Tue, Oct 27
Motorola India Private Limited has launched the multimedia MOTO ZN300, a sleek slider with 3.1 megapixel camera and two MOTOYUVA WX candybar entry-level handsets with FM radio ? the MOTOYUVA WX160 and MOTOYUVA WX180. The ZN300 has video recording too with 8x digital zoom and offers wireless printing. It has up to 32 GB removable memory. The WX180 has a 1.
- Assam girl develops gadget to make mobile charger redundantHT - Thu, Oct 22
Guwahati, Oct. 22 -- A schoolgirl in Guwahati has developed a gadget that could make mobile phone battery chargers history.
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