Point-of-View

Indian Cricket's Real Test at Tests(England)

2011-08-07T23:55:00.000-07:00

It has been always said with unsaturated frequency that Indian batsmen lack skills & acumen to play against rising ball at faster & bouncy pitches abroad. This verbal attack on Indian batting order (leaving aside exception of the few Indian batsmen) has till now proved correct at ongoing Test series in England. Looking at the last two test matches India has played against England at Lords & Nottingham; the Indian batting order seemed tap dancing against the bouncers thrown at the them by English bowlers. The lack of technique to play hook and pull shots was clearly visible in most of the opening and middle order batsmen. The tigers at home & rabbits abroad tag looked quite correct in both the tests played by India except for the class of Dravid, Tendulkar, and Laxman.

The English bowlers on the other side looked like making fun of the famous Indian batting order by pitching regular short deliveries and one-off cutters that shook the timber at regular intervals. The other worrying thing is the injuries week going on with the Indian camp where every other day one odd player is out of the field due to physical injury. Looking at the current scenario & no good bench strength for the test matches, Indian team is clearly lacking will and focus to save their numero uno position from England. The Indian bowling attack is also weakened by injuries faced by Zaheer Khan and frequently in and out of form, Harbhajan Singh. All said & done, the Indian fans can just pray for team India to float out through this turbulence & at least save the test series & their own reputation abroad.

The Wall hits back with a brilliant 100 against West Indies

2011-06-27T21:49:00.000-07:00

Dravid showcased his class again in the Test match against Windies, coming up with a brilliant 112 in tough conditions. While Indian team scored only 252 in their second innings; it was enough for them to take the game away from the Windies.

"It was a satisfying one. Obviously, satisfying in the context of the game," Dravid said of his fourth century against the West Indies. "We needed to get a decent score to put them under some pressure."

Indeed, it was a pleasure to watch for his fans.

Present Tense... Future continuous tense

2011-05-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

10 Things to Learn from America

2011-05-05T11:12:00.000-07:00

It pays you, but takes back with interest in huge installments. Ex. Afganistan, Pakistan, South Korea
It fails badly, but comes back equally strongly with all its resources.
Irrespective of who is the President, it always displays unity in terms of matters of national interests.
It thinks that it is Super Power; that is why it is.
It has many drawbacks in education, social, moral, and economic fabric; but harps on improving every sphere.
It values its citizens.
Its enemies and friends are based on solely one motive; its own national interest.
Its not emotional and becomes comfortably ignorant of facts that relate to other countries or individuals.
It never compromises on its military assets and upgradations no matter how much ahead it is with respect to other countries.
It never fails to show dollar diplomacy.

The Arabian countries are on Fire... from within

2011-03-21T10:50:00.000-07:00

Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, Muscat....wait a week at you can add three more countries to the tally. What is happening in the middle east is a chain reaction of protests against their own dictatorial regimes by the people and for the people. Though a part of its success can be attributed to western media in the background and social networking sites at work. It seems like a case of keeping the ball rolling.

Japan, Tsunami, and Nuclear Crisis

2011-03-14T23:58:00.000-07:00

Japan, with it location just in the centre of ring of fire, and a huge population living on the coastal areas just became the epicentre of one of the biggest earthquakes in recent history. While earthquakes and volcanoes are not a new phenomenon for Japanese people, the recent earthquake was big enough to shake even the rest of the world out of sleep. The proximity of Japan near to the Pacific Ocean and its comparative small land area makes matter worse. Thus the quake was immediately followed by a huge Tsunami which swept away all the cities and human civilization on its way.

If that was not enough, their is a continuous danger of nuclear radiations spread because of blasts in 3 nuclear plants due to cooling being cut of after the quake. As Japan gets together its resources for evactuation and relief work; it would be quite a long time when it actually gets on to its feet because it is not only a natural calamity that has occured but also a man-made one with the inclusion of nuclear radiation leakages.

In this time of crisis, the world should give full support to the Japanese as they are known for their resilience and hard work. And there is a lesson for all other countries and people to learn that nobody is safe even if you have world class technology at your doorstep. Respect for nature and its resources should not be taken lightly and this should be taught to kids from primary school so that when they grow up into adults, they can understand the significance and importance of the planet they are living in.

Egypt Crisis and Leasons to be learnt

2011-02-05T01:32:00.000-08:00

Often the dictatorship ends when the anger in general public reaches its peak. This is what is happening in Egypt currently. The revolution against HOSNI MUBARAK's regime tells the same story. There is a lot of anger amongst Egyptians against the present rulers. It took over a decade for the anger to build up. People got frustrated by their ruler’s negligence, lack of civic apathy, high corruption, loss of jobs, and above all no democratic freedom. Their demands are certainly legitimate and need to be heard. They are together for the CHANGE and want to overthrow current regime which is not a distant dream anymore. EGYPT, which is known for its cultural history and pyramids, is today fighting a battle for its PRESENT and FUTURE.

Indeed, this is a lesson learnt for the leaders and especially us as a whole that the world is made of commoners and then they come together, they become the strongest force in the world. No matter how difficult it may look, but the power of masses fighting for a right cause cannot be neglected anymore.

In INDIA also, we see CORRUPTION, misuse of power, and criminalization of politics to name a few that literally make us frustrated. High-end businessmen, POLITICIANS and criminals go scott FREE because they have links with someone sitting at a higher position. This is also one form of AUTHORITATIVE DEMOCRACY and the Indian politicians should be aware that it is not long before the ANGER and frustration on the system comes out in open and brings PEOPLE on the streets.

Mobile Phones -- The lethal buzz?

2011-02-03T00:33:00.000-08:00

New Delhi, Feb 3: There have been numerous rhetoric doing the rounds on the ill-effects of mobile radiation for a while. The results are out and they are not pleasing at all. It has been found that radiation from mobile towers pose grave health risks including memory loss, lack of concentration and digestive disturbances. The fact was revealed by an Inter-ministerial committee formed by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology to study the hazards posed by mobile phones.

Buzz up!
If the damages are not lethal for humans, its even worse for birds and insects as well. The committee has attributed the radiation effects to the disappearance of butterflies, bees, insects and sparrows.

The eight-member committee, comprising representatives from the Health Ministry, Department of Biotechnology and Member Secretary, DoT. The committee found startling violations of radio frequency levels according to international standards. They have recommended that mobile phones not complying to standard levels of specific absorption rate (SAR) should be banned. SAR measures the he amount of radio frequency energy absorbed by the body while using a phone.

"The localized SAR value as per the Indian guidelines standard is 2 watt per kg, averaged over a six minute period and using a 10 gram average mass. With higher SAR values of mobile handsets the public could potentially receive much higher radio frequency exposure. We have recommended that SAR levels to be lowered down to 1.6 watt/kg, as prescribed by the Federal Communication Commission of US," a committee member said.

The committee also recommended that mobile towers not be installed in highly populated residential areas, schools, play areas and hospitals. The recommendations submitted by the committee will be used to chalk out a national policy and better guidelines on electromagnetic frequency (EMF) radiation for telecom towers.

The report also revealed the disturbing after-effects and said, “People who are chronically exposed to low-level wireless antenna emissions and users of mobile handsets have reported feeling several unspecific symptoms during and after its use, ranging from burning and tingling sensation in the skin of the head, fatigue, sleep disturbances, dizziness, lack of concentration, ringing in the ears, reaction time, loss of memory, headache, disturbance in digestive system and heart palpitation.”

A member of the fact finding mission, Dr R S Sharma who is also an ICMR scientist said that the effects of the radiation are deadlier in Indians when compared to Europeans due to their low body mass index and low fat content. The tropical climate in India also aggravating the effect. The report pointed out that children, adolescents and pregnant women could be at the maximum risk and recommends the use of hands-free technology to lower physical contact with the body and the cell phone. "People having active medical implants should keep their cellphone at least 30 cm away from the implant," it adds.

The children seem to be the worst hit with the extreme use of cell phones and according to Girish Kumar, a professor in the Dept of Electrical Engineering at IIT Bombay claims, “"There is a 400% increase in the risk of brain cancer among teenagers using cell phones for long periods. The younger the child, the deeper is the penetration of electromagnetic radiation as children`s skulls are thinner.” Girish's findings were taken into account by the government appointed committee.

Another study by the Jawaharlal Nehru University also pointed out the effects of radiation on male fertility and how it effects the defence mechanism of cells.

The committee plans to submit the report so that the government can take some notable action on the hidden hazards of radiation. "We have recommended amendment in the Indian Telegraph Act 1885 and rules so that only mobile handsets satisfying radiation standards should be permitted in the country," R S Sharma said.

English can sometimes be funny - Starting the New Year with some Humour- Happy New Year

2011-01-09T08:36:00.001-08:00

In An Office:
TOILET OUT OF ORDER... PLEASE USE FLOOR BELOW

In A Laundromat:
AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINES: PLEASE REMOVE ALL YOUR CLOTHES WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT

In A London Department Store:
BARGAIN BASEMENT UPSTAIRS

In An Factory:
WOULD THE PERSON WHO TOOK THE STEP LADDER YESTERDAY PLEASE BRING IT BACK OR FURTHER STEPS WILL BE TAKEN

Outside A Secondhand Shop:
WE EXCHANGE ANYTHING - BICYCLES, WASHING MACHINES, ETC. WHY NOT BRING YOUR WIFE ALONG AND GET A WONDERFUL BARGAIN?

Seen During A Conference:
FOR ANYONE WHO HAS CHILDREN AND DOESN'T KNOW IT, THERE IS A DAY CARE ON THE 1ST FLOOR

Notice In A Farmer's Field:
THE FARMER ALLOWS WALKERS TO CROSS THE FIELD FOR FREE, BUT THE BULL CHARGES!

The Opening Ceremonies- Games & Sports

2010-11-13T11:58:00.000-08:00

There seems to be a trend that has been started not long time ago of showcasing country's strengths of art, culture, military, sports etc. through the medium of opening ceremonies of Olympics, Commonwealth, Football WC, or Asian games. The latest in the trend being the Commonwealth Games, India and Asian Games Guangzhou, China. I would not like to compare the economic might of the two countries here & preparedness per say for the games; however, I wish to highlight the stress on spending billions of dollars on the lavish opening ceremonies.

Or to get my point straight, is such a huge expenditure even necessary at all? What does all the show & hupla bring about to a nation. Would it affect tourism, economy, sports persons, common people, or it is just plain ego satifisfaction for the national heroes & leaders alike? After all, it is just a ceremony, the real sports is played in the stadiums where the actual heroes are decided. Shouldn't this money be spent on the athletes, people, and economy rather than openly splurging on the pomp & show of the ceremonies?

Obama's visit to India

2010-11-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

US President Obama is set to visit India a few days from now. The visit holds significance as various issues ranging from terrorism to economy, IT sector jobs to removing curbs on Indian defence sector, permanent seat for India in the UN, rising Chinese influence to Af-Pak crisis etc. are going to be discussed. Though US still has economic & military might to remain ahead of any other nation for the next two decades or more; it regularly needs fuelwood in the form of jobs, high security environment for its nationals, curb on its military expenditure worldwide, and giving push to democracies around the world.

As Asian countries like India and China lead the world's recovery after the recent recession; it is becoming more likely that the next decades will hold a lot of significance in determining the next powerhouses of the world. To Mr. Obama & US, India is a significant partner in various fields- a huge destination for investments, a great democracy, a power house of skilled people, a rising economic & military superpower, an anti-terror ally, and above-all a peace-loving nation. US & its NATO allies are also engulfed with various issues in different parts of the world like Pakistan, Afganistan, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Palestine, China, & South-east Asia etc. Most of these are strategic & long-term issues that need constant push in terms of money & manpower. Apart from this, US also needs logistic support from the neighbouring countries for setting up bases for its military personal, getting intelligence inputs, deciding future strategies etc.

Seeing the current world picture, US or any other country can't ignore the role played by India in any of the above points. While taking into consideration all these, we can expect some core decisions & agreements being signed between the two nations. India on the other hand, needs to press for the qualitative impact of the visit & get clear picture on various issues affecting its relations with US vis-a-vis Pakistan, China, permanent UN seat, nuclear treaty, and outsourcing industry. The current visit will thus determine the future course of action between the two great democracies.

Britain faces 500k immediate job losses....

2010-10-20T11:22:00.000-07:00

(Washington Post)LONDON - The British government on Wednesday announced historic spending cuts, aimed at reducing the country's deficit, that will cost the public sector half a million jobs.

The measures announced by Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne will span four years and include an average cut of 19 percent in central government departments' budgets, an $11 billion reduction in welfare spending and an increase in the pension-eligibility age to 66. The government acknowledged that 490,000 public-sector jobs would be lost over the four years as result of the cuts.

Only the budgets for schools, the National Health Service and overseas aid were spared. Education spending is actually set to increase slightly by nearly $5 billion, despite the government scrapping a multi-billion-dollar school-buildings program. The Defense Ministry must find savings of about 8 percent, compared with the 19 percent average, but is facing a loss of 42,000 jobs over the next five years.

(Washington Post)

Pakistan's ISI is pushing Taliban to fight US: Report

2010-10-07T21:22:00.000-07:00

New York: Close on the heels of a White House report that slammed Islamabad for not doing enough to battle terrorists holed up near the Af-Pak border, the American media said Pakistan's ISI was pushing the Taliban to attack US troops and their allies based in Afghanistan.

Several similar charges against ISI have been made in the past but 'The Wall Street Journal' suggested that this one was the "strongest yet" and showed a "deteriorating relationship with an essential ally in the Afghan campaign" which had received billions of dollars in aid.

Some Taliban commanders and US officials have accused Pakistan's spy agency of telling the insurgents not to surrender and the Americans also say they have heard similar accounts from captured militants.

"The ISI wants to arrest commanders who are not obeying (ISI) orders," a Taliban militant in Kunar province was quoted as saying by the Journal.

"The ISI wants us to kill everyone -- policemen, soldiers, engineers, teachers, civilians -- just to intimidate people," he said, adding that when he refused the ISI had tried to arrest him. "Afghans are all brothers; tomorrow we could be sitting together in one room."

A senior Pakistani official, however, dismissed the allegation. "Whenever anything goes wrong in Afghanistan, ISI is to be blamed," the official said. "Honestly, they see ISI agents behind every bush in Afghanistan."

Now, the ISI's motivation to keep friendly relations with the insurgents is believed to be desire to keep its leverage in Afghanistan when the US eventually leaves, as well as preventing India from getting cosy inside the war-torn country, the report said.

The newspaper further pointed out that the suspicions against the ISI are once again renewed at a time when the US is shifting focus to the militants that have found sanctuary in the lawless tribal regions of Pakistan, which border Afghanistan.

The Taliban and Haqqani network are believed to be planning and executing the majority of their attacks from the safe havens in North Waziristan and South Waziristan tribal areas.

sanctuaries the Taliban and Haqqani have in Pakistan "is a concern we share," Gen David Petraeus, top US commander said in Afghanistan, said recently, amid reports that the CIA is using US military resources to beef up its drones attacks inside Pakistan -- a tactic many Pakistanis detest and view as violation of their sovereignty.

Despite high praise for Pakistan's fight against terrorism from the top brass, reports suggest that many US officials are frustrated at its alleged double game, which was also highlighted in the massive leak of Afghan-related documents pulled off by WikiLeaks, earlier this year.

The newspaper said that Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has repeatedly warned that elements within the ISI have had ties with extremist organisations and called on the intelligence agency to "strategically shift its focus."

Despite several accusations that the ISI is in cahoots with the Taliban, the US has not publicly accused Islamabad since it is not clear whether this is ISI policy or a few rogue elements are acting out.

The ISI-Taliban nexus goes back decades when the spy agency along with the CIA trained the militants to fight against the Russians in Afghanistan. Some US officials say the top levels of the ISI are committed to trying to reform the agency.

"It is difficult to know how much the lower levels of ISI answer to senior leadership," a military official was quoted as saying by the WSJ. Other officials, however, say that such activities cannot go on unless with nod from the top.

"I haven't seen evidence that the ISI is not in control of all of its parts," said a senior US defence official. A Taliban commander from the southeastern Paktia region said the ISI "is supporting those under its control with money, weapons and shelter on Pakistani soil."

Pakistan, on its part, has consistently rejected these accusations and maintains that no country has done more to fight terrorism.

Earlier, a declassified White House report said that Pakistan is not doing enough to combat terrorists and extremists in its restive tribal belt where some of the most wanted insurgents are hiding.

"The Pakistan military continued to avoid military engagements that would put it in direct conflict with Afghan Taliban or al-Qaeda forces in North Waziristan," the WSJ reported citing the 27-page White House report which is to be given to Congress.

Source: Agencies

Happiness is a matter of choice: Australian behavioral scientist

2010-10-05T22:07:00.000-07:00

Australian behavioral scientists on Tuesday ruled out the theory that happiness is linked solely to genetics, in a study viewed as a breakthrough in psychological research.

The results of a 25-year study on 60,000 Germans showed long- term happiness is determined by lifestyle decisions including choice of partner, employment and religion.

According to ABC News, study leader and Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne of Australia, Bruce Headey, said the study turns the long-term notion of happiness being linked to personality on its head.

"Happiness isn't just a matter of heredity, it isn't just in the genes," he said.

"Genes might be about 50 percent of the story but the rest depends on lifestyle choices - choices relating to your partner and also relating to your work life."

The study will be published in the official journal of the United States National Academy of Sciences, and is based on data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, conducted by scientists partly from Australia.

It analyzed responses from a national representative sample of people aged 16 and over who answered questions every year from 1984 to 2008.

On relationships, the findings reveal that individuals with neurotic partners are significantly less happy than those with more emotionally stable partners.

"People who select or happen to be selected by partners with relatively benign personalities, with low levels of neuroticism, and who are reasonably extroverted and outgoing, they tend to be happier than average, and happier than they would just on the basis of their own personality traits," Professor Headey told ABC News.

The study discovered people who prioritized their relationship with their partner and children were happier than those were interested in career or material success, as were those with altruistic goals such as helping people or being involved in social or political activities.

Working shorter hours did not necessarily lead to happiness, but working a lot more or less than they wanted made people very unhappy.

"Other things that matter are social activities, getting involved in social and community things with friends in an active kind of way," Professor Headey said.

He said a link between religion and happiness is also evident.

"Religion seems to work for people - people who regularly attended church or mosque were a bit happier on average than people who were non-religious or non-attenders," he said.

"So having some kind of belief system that gives you a sense of meaning or purpose is important for happiness."

Professor Headey said the findings are the first of their kind on such a large scale.

"In terms of what we research in terms of this empirical work on the determinants of life's satisfaction it is I think something of a breakthrough," he said.

"People want to be happy, they want to know what they can do to make a difference and this gives some indication of the kinds of choices that matter.

"So we don't have to be stuck with the idea that happiness is set, like disease or height or genes."

Laurel and Hardy

2010-09-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

Don't rest on your past Laurels, start facing the present Hardies.

India is Different- Its story through some pictures

2010-09-26T09:35:00.000-07:00

Developing world's energy crisis - Taking power to the people

2010-09-03T10:33:00.000-07:00

AROUND 1.5 billion people, or more than a fifth of the world’s population, have no access to electricity, and a billion more have only an unreliable and intermittent supply. Of the people without electricity, 85% live in rural areas or on the fringes of cities. Extending energy grids into these areas is expensive: the United Nations estimates that an average of $35 billion-40 billion a year needs to be invested until 2030 so everyone on the planet can cook, heat and light their premises, and have energy for productive uses such as schooling. On current trends, however, the number of “energy poor” people will barely budge, and 16% of the world’s population will still have no electricity by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency.

But why wait for top-down solutions? Providing energy in a bottom-up way instead has a lot to recommend it. There is no need to wait for politicians or utilities to act. The technology in question, from solar panels to low-energy light-emitting diodes (LEDs), is rapidly falling in price. Local, bottom-up systems may be more sustainable and produce fewer carbon emissions than centralised schemes. In the rich world, in fact, the trend is towards a more flexible system of distributed, sustainable power sources. The developing world has an opportunity to leapfrog the centralised model, just as it leapfrogged fixed-line telecoms and went straight to mobile phones.

But just as the spread of mobile phones was helped along by new business models, such as pre-paid airtime cards and village “telephone ladies”, new approaches are now needed. “We need to reinvent how energy is delivered,” says Simon Desjardins, who manages a programme at the Shell Foundation that invests in for-profit ways to deliver energy to the poor. “Companies need to come up with innovative business models and technology.” Fortunately, lots of people are doing just that.

Husk Power Systems, an Indian firm, uses second-world-war-era diesel generators fitted with biomass gasifiers that can use rice husks, which are otherwise left to rot, as a feedstock. Wires are strung on cheap, easy-to-repair bamboo poles to provide power to around 600 families for each generator. Co-founded three years ago by a local electrical engineer, Gyanesh Pandey, Husk has established five mini-grids in Bihar, India’s poorest state, where rice is a staple crop. It hopes to extend its coverage to 50 mini-grids during 2010. Consumers pay door-to-door collectors upfront for power, and Husk collects a 30% government subsidy for construction costs. Its pilot plants were profitable within six months, so its model is sustainable.

Another project, in India, aims to convert women from gathering wood, which denudes forests, to using canisters of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). India’s four state-owned regional power companies, including Bharat Petroleum Corporation, will build a national network of thousands of LPG-powered community kitchens. Local entrepreneurs will then provide the LPG and charge villagers to use the kitchens in 15-minute increments.

Harish Hande, managing director of Selco Solar, a social enterprise in India that promotes the adoption of new energy technologies, says the important thing is not so much to deliver energy to the poor, but to provide new ways to generate income. His firm has devised a solar-powered sewing machine, for example. Last year Mr Hande started an incubation lab in rural Karnataka, in southern India, to bring together local customers and engineering interns from MIT, Stanford and Imperial College, London. The lab is currently piloting a hybrid banana dryer that runs on biomass during wet spells and sunlight on dry days to make packets of dried banana—so that farmers no longer have to rely on selling their crop immediately.

Technology Quarterly

Old advertisements- great ideas

2010-08-29T02:50:00.000-07:00

Chinese Jam- this time it is traffic

2010-08-28T10:03:00.000-07:00

Baffled by the world's longest traffic jam, the Chinese government has mobilized hundreds of policemen to clear the 100-km long stretch of the Beijing-Tibet highway, riddled with vehicles for 13 days, with the pile-up almost reaching the outskirts of the capital. There have been no reports of road rage, and the main complaint has been about villagers on bicycles selling food and water at 10 times the normal price.

The Poorest Countries of the World- see how lucky you are

2010-08-25T11:01:00.000-07:00

Top 10 Poorest Countries in the World

Country	GDP Per Capita ($)
Democratic Republic of Congo	300
Zimbabwe	500
Liberia	500
Guinea-Bissau	600
Somalia	600
Comoros	600
Solomon Islands	600
Niger	700
Ethiopia	700
Central African Republic	700

Obama- now in another controversy- his religion. But, should ANYBODY care?

2010-08-22T00:08:00.000-07:00

Is it worth making a controversy on US President's religion when the world is already reeling under so many other troubles. The media is going hyperactive on the issue instead of putting focus on larger and more dangerous issues the world is facing today. I think Mr. Obama with also agree with that.

Here is the excerpt--- A day after controversial evangelical leader Rev. Franklin Graham said Barack Obama was born a Muslim because of his father's religious beliefs, the White House again asserted that the president is a 'committed Christian' and prays daily.

Graham, son of famed presidential religious adviser Billy Graham, told CNN on Thursday that while he believes Obama is now a Christian, the president was born a Muslim because the 'seed of Islam' is passed through the father.

On Friday, White House spokesman Bill Burton said that while Graham is entitled to his own opinion, the president is Christian.

IANS - Sify news

Floods in Pakistan and its old habit of crying foul

2010-08-19T11:02:00.000-07:00

We have been seeing a lot of devastation around the world caused mostly by nature. These destructions have happened due to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, draught, cyclones etc. Most countries of the world have faced either one or the other kind of the above situations and coped with them. Recently, Pakistan also recd. heavy rainfalls resulting in floods and cloud bursts over its southern provinces. According to Pak media and govt. reports, these are the worst floods in the last 80 years. Yet, what amazes us the totally apathy of the govt. machinery and showing total helplessness towards giving any sort of relief material to the suffering poor.

Time and again, Pak has resorted to the old tactics of begging for funds from the international agencies whether it is fighting home grown terrorists, fighting India, or in this case tackling floods. No doubt, it is a time for trouble in Pak, but what appales most is the lack of self respect. Once again, the Pak politicians are all over the world asking for millions of dollars in aid from the international organizations. It is a known fact that corruption runs deep in to the Pak govt. and the aid money may also be passed in the hands of terror organizations, hence the aid agencies have been skeptical in sending in the money.

Taking all the things into consideration, it is a high time that Pak stands on its own feet and stop crying foul and face the challenges upfront.

The recurrent oil spills and loss to the nature

2010-08-12T21:19:00.000-07:00

In less then two month's time, another oil leak happened, this time on the shores of Mumbai, India. The oil spill was caused due to an accidental collision between two cargo ships in the mid sea.

Fear is in the mind- India with respect to China

2010-08-08T02:09:00.000-07:00

Caveat: India and China are neighbors, both aspiring to become global powers. The two can go on their aspirational route without having to step on each other’s toes. Nothing that is stated below may be taken to infer that the conflict between the two is unavoidable, or likely.

Presently, India suffers from the China syndrome. In TV debates on China, one sees a galaxy of retired diplomats and generals, and other busy-bodies; they are undoubtedly a set of most prescient men of India. What happens in TV studios is series of tired monologues symptomatic of a nation without any iron in its soul. The primary emphasis is to project China as some sort of a super military power. All sort of dooms-day scenarios are painted for India. That is just a manifestation of the Indian (read Hindu) ‘defeatist mindset’, in this case linked to the 1962 defeat.

The root of the 1962 debacle lay in the failure of the Indian army to put up a fight against the Chinese in the Eastern sector. As that was too shameful to be publicly admitted, a propaganda war was unleashed to project China as a vastly superior military machine, against which we could not have succeeded, even if we had tried. Attributes were assigned to the Chinese army, which it did not posses. The following types of deceptively disguised statements were let out:

• Chinese came in wave after wave — what could we possibly do?

• Chinese had vastly superior armaments.

• Their Generals out-foxed ours.

• We were shivering with cold.

The media, always hungry for news, picked up the theme and started playing it around, with a degree of vehemence. At the same time, (defeated) generals came out with a series of books, plugging the same line, i.e. projecting the Chinese army as a ‘super human’ one. The Government refused to give the authentic version. Even after about half a century, the official Henderson Brooks Inquiry report is under wraps.

The bitter truth is that the above types of statements were substantially untrue; in fact, most were patently false. There is no evidence to support the oft-repeated theory that the Chinese came in waves. It is highly unlikely that the Chinese had an overwhelming numerical superiority. For all we know, overall numbers might have been even in our favor; at least should have been. We were fighting in our own backyard.

However, the general public had no option but to believe the make-believe stories told to them by the media and the books penned by the generals. The result was that over time, the concept of the (perceived) superiority of the Chinese army got lodged in our subconscious. It was in keeping with that mindset that Admiral Sureesh Mehta, serving Chief of the Naval Staff, and Chairman of the ‘Chiefs of Staff Committee’ made a statement on 10 August 2009. He went on to publicly proclaim that India was no match for China and the gap was so wide that it was unbridgeable. What an admirable self-goal to be achieved by the Admiral?

Now, there is nothing new or novel about our investing our adversaries and tormentors, with super human attributes. We have been doing that from the days of the Ghaznis and Ghauris, Baburs and Abdalis. The sad and bitter truth is that we were always defeated in our conflicts with invading armies. Our response was to project those upstarts as masters of ‘vastly superior military machines’, against which we could not have succeeded. We had the following types of thought processes, even if we might not have made formal statements to that effect:

— Oh, Ghazni was a great Sultan; he was even a greater general; we stood no chance against him.

— Prithviraj had let Ghauri go after capturing him (as per our version). Ghauri did not reciprocate that act of kindness. How mean of him!

— Abdali was ruthless, and always winning. What could we have done?

— Clive was a civilian clerk. He had no business to turn himself into a great general, and start defeating Indian generals.

The refrain of our argument throughout history has been somewhat on the following lines:

‘Defeat was really not our fault; they (our tormentors) were just too powerful.’

Bharat is suffering from a besieged psyche and psychology of victimhood. We are happy to project ourselves as victims. Let us explain by an example. In July–August 2009, the Indian Prime Minister issued a joint statement with his Pakistani counterpart. The statement contained a line that the Pakistan Prime Minister said that they had some threat perception in Balochistan, a border province of theirs. There was no reference, not even a remote one, that that threat was from India.

But all hell broke loose in India. The main Opposition Party, the BJP, walked out of Parliament, and went to complain to the President. Their contention was that Pakistan was trying to imply that that threat could be from the Indian Intelligence Agency R&AW, and that any such suggestion was preposterous. India can never do such a thing; we are a paragon of morality, and satya (truth). In any case, we are ahmisic (non-violent), and worshippers of shanti (peace). So, how can anybody dare imply to the contrary? We are the quiescent type; we cannot be active. We have never been the doers; only things have been done to us. We can only be victims; we are not used to any other role. That was the pith of their protestation and argument.

With that type of mindset, we are projecting China as a sort of super power. No doubt, China is a formidable military machine; but, so are we. Bharat is a humongous country, and is no push over. Being an ex Air Force man, the author would like to record his opinion that our three major weapon systems in Mirages, Mig 29, and Su 31 are the most formidable. In fact, awesome may be a more appropriate word, keeping in view our capability for mid-air refueling. These are amongst the best weapon systems in the world; and so are the men manning these machines. It is possible (but not necessary) that we need some additional numbers. The numbers will get looked after in due course; that aspect need not be over emphasized. The author also ventures to say that the Indian army is also generally well equipped; their T 90 tanks are among the best in the world, and so are the Bofor guns. Upgradation of weapon systems is a continuous process; we do not have to emphasize that in an out-of-the-way fashion, and project that as our weakness.

Let us have a look around. China has some 15 countries around its periphery. With the exception of Russia, all those countries are small; in fact, some are tiny. If those countries were to go by the Indian example, they would have no reason even to exist. Their faces would be forever bereft of a smile; but, we know that that is not the case. Those countries are living with honor and dignity. We have the example of the tiny Vietnam standing up to the formidable Chinese army.

Nothing stated above should be taken to mean that we ignore or sleep over external threats to our security. Rather, those threats should be the main focus of our national attention, which presently, these are not. But for that, we do not have to beat our chest in public over our perceived weaknesses, especially at the official (including highest Defence) levels. India is a big country, it must learn to think and act big. The Indian Armed Forces are capable of taking on any world class military machine, provided we can get our mental act together; some 90% of our problems is in our mind[1]. It may be relevant to quote an Urdu couplet here:

Khud hi ko ker buland itna Raise yourself to a level,

Ki her taqdir se pehle Above all others;

Khuda bande se khud puchhe So, God himself will ask

Bta teri raza kya hai Tell me, what do you wish to be?

Written by: By Air Marshal RK Nehra

Issue: Excerpt: Hinduism & Its Military Ethos

Valley of Flowers, India

2010-08-05T23:42:00.000-07:00

Very recently, I got a chance to trek Valley of Flowers, Uttarakhand, India. The valley stands up to its name with at least 52 recognized species of flora spread across. Apart from that, the trek itself that leads to the valley is quite interesting. The valley is a great recreation spot for young and old enthusiasts about nature and its hidden treasures. Sharing some photographs with you. You can write to me for any further details.