EDITORIAL
No
cake will eat
Gandhi cleaned his
commode, lived like the poorest Indian of his time,
travelled third class and ate what, probably, the most
wretched would have refused to touch. He carried his own
food to his long meetings with the last viceroy.
Mountbatton once got curious and rose to see what this
greatest Indian ate. He found the food not only frugal to
the extreme but positively foul smelling. Yet one of his
great followers Sarojini Naidu told the nation that it
'cost them' heavily to 'keep Gandhi in poverty'. That was
a clear indication that future leadership of this country
would not think highly of the simple living and high
thinking 'humbug'. That they would not be sparing in
their comforts. Indeed, the Governments here have not had
many pretensions to frugality of living. They live in
styles that would have shamed the most extravagant of
erstwhile Maharajas. They did, shame those Maharajas that
is, for a time and then the Maharajas descended upon the
political stage to teach the political arriviste style
and elegance. The politically arrived ones, in turn,
taught the Maharajas much about how to draw upon the
public monies for their personal ends. And today, the two
together wallow in riches called public monies. 'In the
interest of public', of course. They travel in luxury,
live in luxury, and eat luxuriously. The stints in power
are long luxury rides, sanctioned and approved by the
housefuls of peoples representatives, debited to the
public account and accepted by the people as right and
proper......more
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 |
Pakistani:
A victim
of its own creation
By G G Pamidi
Much has been said, discussed and debated on the reasons
for the failed Agra .....more
What
about ‘Burqa’ for
Kashmiri women?
TALES OF TRAVESTY
By: Dr. Jitendra Singh
It is strange though not unexpected that not a single
socalled Human Rights activist ..more
UTI
muddle
By B N Koul
Small investors in the country flocked to various schemes
of Unit Trust of India particularly. .....more
Doordarshan
turns a blind eye towards the north-east
By Vishnu Khare
We've just been pounded by every image imaginable from
the fairgrounds of Agra.........more
Environmental
education- A disturbing realism
ACADEMIC PULSE
By Prof S K Bhalla
Perhaps, a large number of our populace is unaware of the
fact that the introduction ....more
NDA's
fragility worry Vajpayee
By Kedar Nath Pandey
Prime Minister A B Vajpayee’s admission of
"inability" to manage the NDA is....more
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EDITORIAL
No cake will eat
Gandhi cleaned his
commode, lived like the poorest Indian of his time,
travelled third class and ate what, probably, the most
wretched would have refused to touch. He carried his own
food to his long meetings with the last viceroy.
Mountbatton once got curious and rose to see what this
greatest Indian ate. He found the food not only frugal to
the extreme but positively foul smelling. Yet one of his
great followers Sarojini Naidu told the nation that it
'cost them' heavily to 'keep Gandhi in poverty'. That was
a clear indication that future leadership of this country
would not think highly of the simple living and high
thinking 'humbug'. That they would not be sparing in
their comforts. Indeed, the Governments here have not had
many pretensions to frugality of living. They live in
styles that would have shamed the most extravagant of
erstwhile Maharajas. They did, shame those Maharajas that
is, for a time and then the Maharajas descended upon the
political stage to teach the political arriviste style
and elegance. The politically arrived ones, in turn,
taught the Maharajas much about how to draw upon the
public monies for their personal ends. And today, the two
together wallow in riches called public monies. 'In the
interest of public', of course. They travel in luxury,
live in luxury, and eat luxuriously. The stints in power
are long luxury rides, sanctioned and approved by the
housefuls of peoples representatives, debited to the
public account and accepted by the people as right and
proper.
Which Maharaja, which
Shehenshah, ever got the popular approval for his normal
household expenses, so readily as the present day rulers
do? Apparently the people are not very happy if their
rulers do not display the full epaulettes of power and
glory to which they have elected them. Probably, the
people take a vicarious delight in seeing their
'servants' well attended, well attired, well kempt. Hence
the sanctions for spending on ministers' housing,
furnishings, and other creature comforts come with
alacrity, without any questions. The TA expenses of an
ordinary clerk would have to go through half a dozen
scrutinies, there is a moratorium of sorts on purchase of
essential office furniture by the subordinate offices,
even the stationary grants have suffered a cut 'in view
of resource crunch', but no curtailments visit the
expense accounts of the ministers themselves. Nor those
of the legislators. No expense is spared to get them the
comforts and amenities that the wealthiest of the land
would not dream of. Indeed, the cash starved State is
happy and fulfilled that the august men and women accept
this hospitality from the public funds.
Thus it looked on with
gratifications as the hon'ble speaker of the State
legislature proudly presided over the completion of
repairs to the MLA hostel in Srinagar. The cost? A cool
50 crore, with orders to spend another 11 crores by the
next month. That is roughly 50 lakh per member of the
legislature on repairs alone. Quite an amount by any
standards. But not by the standards of the members
themselves, who draw tens of thousands each month for
traveling to their homes, get free petrol and take
another cool 25 lakh as pocket money for the year. Yes,
it is officially called Constituency. Development Fund,
but then every expense in the public account is called by
some fancy name or the other to comfort the psyches of
the people. That done, the monies can be spent on
anything, anywhere, in any manner. If an MLA is to
develop the constituency with the fund to kya
development agencies jakh mar raheen hain,
you may ask? You may also ask whether it would not have
been more economical to give each legislator 25 lakh to
build a house of his own on one of the score of plots the
Government has so gratuitously allotted each of them and
save the other half for this cash starved State? But you
cannot. Because, as the speaker said, the members in
house, present and voting have 'approved' these expenses.
They have also 'resolved' through 'proper legislative
procedure' to give themselves hefty salaries, fat pocket
monies, full travel allowances and sanctioned to squander
the rest on other creature comforts for themselves. Thank
you.
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Pakistani:
A victim of its own creation
By G G
Pamidi
Much has
been said, discussed and debated on the
reasons for the failed Agra Summit talks
and the possible future scenarios.
However, one fact that somehow seems to
have been underplayed is its fallout on
the Jehadi outfits and effect of their
activities in and outside Pakistan. What
needs to be analysed is to examine if it
will create serious domestic problems for
Pakistan. Will it adversely affect
Pakistan's relations with important
neighbours and big powers? Is it on a one
way road to being declared a terrorist
State?
No doubt
there is a clear distinction between
Jehad and terrorism. Islam explicitly
outlaws terrorism and delineates Jehad as
a fight or struggle against injustice of
any kind. But over the years, the
activities of some militant groups have
unfortunately become indistinguishable
from terrorism, thereby damaging
Pakistan's reputation as a stable,
moderate and forward-looking Islamic
country. It has created a serious problem
on their domestic front. A stage appears
to have been reached when the interests
of Pakistan and those of militants are no
longer fully aligned. Consequently, the
result is that Islamabad's support of the
militants in Jammu and Kashmir in the
name of Jehad, has indirectly and
inadvertently promoted violence in
Pakistan.
Now, what
is 'Jehad'. The necessity to defend the
believers and ensure the survival of the
faith forced the Prophet to elaborate and
elucidate the concept of a "just
war". His raids from Yathrib (which
from his adoption of it and its adoption
of him won the glorious name of
"Madinat an Nabi" meaning
"the City of the Prophet") were
made to prevent the Meccans mobilising
large supplies of ammunition and huge
forces to attack and wipe out his
faithful few.
Muslim
armies were forbidden to cause the
destruction of property, the burning of
houses, the wasting of crops and
pastures, the filling of wells or the
deprivation of food. Mercy must be shown
to the conquered. The utmost
consideration must be manifested towards
the enemy's children, aged, women and
sick, whether mentally or physically
afflicted.
Professor
Muhammad Hameed-ullah of Paris University
in his book on "The Prophet and
War" (p.9) writes" The Arabia
which acknowledged the Prophet and Islam
is a peninsula of over one million square
miles in area the size of all Europe west
of Russia. Yet no more than 150 persons
lost their lives in the reduction of that
entire peninsula, so that in the course
of ten years a maximum of 15 deaths per
annum because of fighting must be
reckoned. Few other conquerors in history
can show such a record."
The
Prophet, sending his toops to fight, is
reported by the book on the Jehad (Volume
2, p.424) to have addressed them in the
following terms: 'Go in god's name for
God's cause with God's aid, and act as
God wishes you to act. Show no treachery
or falsehood towards His commands.
Mutilate no one. Show mercy to the aged,
the incapable, women and children. Only
when it is inevitable cut down a tree.
Grant sanctuary to any prisoner from the
last to the highest in order that they
may hear the word of truth. Who so
follows that truth becomes your brother.
If he refuses, release him to go to his
home when peace is made. At all times and
in every situation pray for God's help
and obey His guidance about your
conduct."
Such are
the noble teachings of Islam. However,
needless to add, this has been grossly
misrepresented and a totally distorted
version of Jehad is being followed.
The rise
of fundamentalism and violence in
Pakistan has created a serious challenge
for Islamabad's foreign policy: how to
maintain a balance in its relations with
the other Islamic countries. The policies
followed by successive governments have
invited outside interference in the
internal affairs of Pakistan. By allowing
Iran and Saudi Arabia to fund and help
some sectarian organisations of their
liking, they have virtually encouraged
Teheran and Riyadh to fight a proxy war
on the soil of Pakistan, with disastrous
consequences for sectarian harmony and
law and order situation in that country.
Cognizant
of the seriousness of the situation, the
military regime is attempting to reform
the system and it is trying to get all
madrasas to register with the Government,
expand their curricula, disclose their
financial resources, seek permission for
admitting foreign students and stop
sending students to militant training
camps. But the Madrasas, by and large
apparently seem to have ignored the
Government instructions as, reportedly,
only 4,350 of the estimated 40,000 or
50,000 madrasas in Pakistan are said to
have registered with the Government. They
are also ignoring Government instructions
not to send students to militant training
camps. As the Government has so far
shirked to take any action against
madrasas who have refused to register, it
seems Islamabad does not want to touch
the hornet's nest and is following the
precept that discretion is the better
part of valour. It is also widely
believed that it is the clout that these
fundamentalist organisations hold which
forced Musharraf to adopt a hawkish
posture during the recent Agra Summit.
The
activities of Pakistan and Afghanistan
based Islamic militants have led to a
convergence of interests between as
diverse powers as USA, Russia, China,
India and Iran, resulting in their
consensus against "Jehadi
militancy". The most serious threat
to Pakistan's relations with other
countries is the agenda of some militant
groups to export militancy to other
countries. The US State Department says
that South Asia has replaced the Middle
East as "the leading focus" of
terrorism in the world. The Russians
believe that there are training camps in
Taliban-held territory where rebels from
Uzbekistan, Tajikestan, Kyrghstan,
Chechnya and Dagestan (the last two being
Russian republics), have taken shelter
and are operating from there.
Even
China, a close ally of Pakistan, is
concerned about the spread of religious
extremism from Afghanistan. There have
been reports that Uighur separatists from
the Chinese province of Xinjiang have
taken refuge in Afghanistan and are being
trained in terrorist camps there. During
his Islamabad visit some time go, the
Chinese Foreign Minister, reportedly
discussed with Pakistani officials the
issue of terrorism with particular
reference to Afghanistan.
The gun
culture is a legacy of the Zia era, as
the first "international Jehad"
was conceived, patronised and promoted by
the Americans to fight the erstwhile
Soviet Union during the Afghan war. The
blunder that successive Governments in
Pakistan have committeed was not to
disband the gun culture after the
withdrawal of Soviet troops from
Afghanistan. The militancy and violence
of the past ten years have tarnished the
image of Pakistan as a modern,
progressive and forward looking country.
In a
newspaper report of July 28, published
prominently in almost all the leading
national dailies, it has been reported
that Pakistan has come precariously close
to being declared a terrorist State by
the United States. The time has come when
the policy makers in Islamabad cannot
afford to be oblivious of the fact that
the interests of Pakistan and those of
the militants are no longer aligned. They
must recognise that the culture of
violence being propagated and practised
by the militants and extremist elements
will not only destabilise the entire
region but will also prove disastrous for
the long-term interests of Pakistan.
Being declared a terrorist State, will
only make it an international pariah. One
hope that better sense will prevail on
the powers that be in a Pakistan.
|
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What
about ‘Burqa’ for Kashmiri
women?
TALES OF TRAVESTY
By: Dr.
Jitendra Singh
It is
strange though not unexpected that not a
single socalled Human Rights activist has
come out forcefully and vociferously
against the recent incident when some
self-styled Islamic militants threw acid
on the face of two Kashmiri Muslim women
who had chosen to move out without
wearing the traditional
"Burqa". Incidentally, these
are the same very Human Rights activists
who donot miss a single opportunity to
insinuate the security forces for their
alleged misconduct with women while
carrying out the legitimate search
operations.
Does
this mean that these socalled Human
Rights activists and the socalled
intellectuals are motivated primarily by
the "itch" to play politics by
targetting the security forces in the
name of human rights but they have no
genuine commitment to the human rights of
the common citizens including the
womenfolk? Why is it that these socalled
intellectuals feel instantly agitated if
a security person carries out a routine
search on a suspected woman - insurgent
but they discreetly choose to remain
quiet if a terrorist throws acid on the
face of a college going girl?
Does this
mean that the human rights campaign by
the country's socalled intellectuals is
quite selective, shrewd and clever if not
wicked and self-seeking? Is it to be
concluded that these socalled
intellectual activists are intelligent
enough to understand that security forces
are soft targets for their human rights
campaign because there is no fear of
retaliation from a soldier in uniform who
is commanded by a certain rule of
discipline but the same cannot be said of
a mercenary - killer who follows no rule
of land and who is, if annoyed, capable
of resorting to violence against anyone
including these human rights campaigners?
And, what
about the country's women activists and
feminists who ostensibly fight for
women's liberation and who miss no
opportunity to raise a hue and cry over
stray allegations of dowry harrassment or
marital injustice faced by women? Why are
these irrepressible protagonists of
women's cause now feeling shy to come to
the rescue of haples Kashmiri women? Is
this so because politicking to woo the
women constituency is much safer than
taking up cudgels against a terrorist
organisation that threatens women?
Last
but not the least, where are the
country's Muslim political and religious
leaders who are otherwise never tired of
accusing the Vishwa Hindu Parishad,
Bajrang Dal and Shiv Sena for the alleged
assault and aggression against India's
Muslim community? Does their studied
silence about the violent imposition of
socalled "Islamic" dress code
in Kashmir imply that they approve of
terrorism against Muslim women as long as
this is perpetrated by a Muslim
fundamentalist group like
"Lashkar-e-Jabbar" and not by a
Hindu organisation? But remember, this
dangerous double game can one day
boomerang in a big way on the Muslim
community itself. Today, a fundamentalist
terrorist group is imposing
"Bhurqa" on Muslim women,
tomorrow like the Afghan Taliban it will
order long beards and "Salwars"
for Muslim men and thereafter it will
order the Muslim children to follow the
"Islamic" Madarasa school
syllabus thus depriving them of the
benefits of modern scientific education
and computer technology.
It is high
time the country's human rights
activists, women feminists and, mot of
all, the Muslim leadership itself must
accept the challenge to resist this mad
fanaticism. And, if none of them rises to
the occasion, then it is the common man
himself who must take up the challenge.
For it is the common man who has the
highest stakes and who will suffer the
most unless he defies the gun-totting
self-styled "Mullahs" whom even
the Islam and the Holy Quran donot accord
legitimacy. The cue for Umapathy
comes from the bard's sardonic refrain "Yeh
Jo Madarase Ke Bighre Hue Hain Mulla,
Inko Mahkhaane Mein Le Aao Sanvar
Jaayenge!"
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UTI
muddle
By B N Koul
Small investors in
the country flocked to various schemes of Unit
Trust of India particularly US - 64, as it came
to be known as high return, dependable investment
guaranteed by the Govt. Thus over a course of
time, UTI mobilised deposits worth Rs 65000/-
crores. The Chairman and Directors of UTI are
hand picked by the Govt and investors have
absolutely no say in their selection or
appointment. Rightly therefore Govt, should also
be responsible for their performance or
non-performance. However, after the US-64 scam
became public, the Govt/Finance Minister has been
quick to distance himself from UTI. This is
highly deplorable. It is now widely known that
investors money collected by UTI has been
frittered away in extending patronage to various
individuals/Firms for considerations other than
merit of investment proposal.
Thus a few
officials appointed by the Govt have been vested
with sweeping financial powers to decide the
disposal of Rs 65000/- crores of over 20 million
investors and investor has neither any
information nor any control over the same. He had
been glum in the belief that a Govt, headed by Mr
Atal Behari Vajpayee will certainly safe-guard
his interest. But is distaught at Govt, disowing
its responsibility for the loss suffered in the
investment made by him.
Even if, for a
moment it is accepted that the officials incharge
have been men of very high integrity, which is
certainly not true, there is still absolutely no
guarantee about their competence to handle such a
demanding assignment. Anybody having access to
the leavers of powers in Delhi can get himself
posted, disperse favours with accumulation of
riches for himself as well and investors be
damned. So long as stock-market was having a free
run, the problem would not precipitate but due to
sen-sex slipping week after week, the whole
racket burst out in open.
But lo and behold,
Mr Subramanyam the Ex-Chairman of UTI and some of
his officers are being investigated in case of
one investment decision of Rs 32.00 crores.
Public anger is sought to be assauged by ordering
an enquiry but the whole thing is an exercise in
white-wash initiated under the directions of
Finance Minister. It is un-beliveable that
mandrins in Finance Ministry including the
Finance Minister himself have been allowing UTI
officials, including its Chairman to exercise
such huge financial powers without discreet
suggestions and their compliance. Off course,
there will be nothing on record to prove this but
pointers are very clear.
The fate of other
UTI schemes like ULIP is no better. ULIP up to
1999 had been giving an annual dividend but in
the year 1999-2000, zero dividend was shown. On
enquiry from a franchise holder of ULIP, he very
reasonably argued that nature of scheme, has been
charged to growth fund where the value of unit
will increase year after year to give the returns
but he had no answer when informed that the sale
price of units against the instalment paid by the
subscriber in the previous year was higher than
the re-purchase price in the current year. Thus
the investors can clearly see their capital being
eroded and at the same time by changing the
nature of the scheme, the Govt has also been
deprived of the tax on dividend. It is
interesting to note that basic nature of the
schemes is changed arbitrarily without the
concurrence of the investors in a manner that no
blame comes to the UTI in the event of loss or
decrease in profitability.
In contrast to
ULIP scheme of UTI, life Insurance Corporations
is definitely working better as they guarantee a
minimum amount of bonus every year. Obviously UTI
does not believe in having fetters its exercise
of vast financial powers by way of a minimum
performance level.
Govt Rection : Apart
from dis-owing any responsibility towards
investors, Govt has made a lot of noise about the
freeze on US-64, in the name of small investors.
This can be seen as a clever ploy to divert the
attention of the public by fudging the issues and
in the name of ensuing liquidity to small
investors, it has asked the UTI management to
redeem the US-64 at par value of Rs 10/- against
the original purchase price ranging from Rs 13.5
to Rs 14.5 thus inflicting a loss of 25% to 32%.
On the investors. This brazen fraud on small
investors is being made out as a big deal to
confuse the public. Time and again Indian public
has proved that it is certainly not stupid. They
trusted the NDA Govt, or the BJP because of the
leadership of Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, who is
known for his personal integrity but have found
him wanting in the matter of looking after their
had earned money causing loss to the Govt as well
as to the public.
I) If the Govt of
the day is keen to set right the financial mess
that is UTI today, it is very important to
involve the investors by way of their
representatives in the audit and examination of
each investment decision made in the last five
years, so that public know the trut and detterent
punishment is handed out those found guilty. This
will have salutory effect on the functioning and
Management of other public sector financial
Institutions like IDBI, ICICI, LIC, GIC, and
Nationalised Banks etc.
II) In future a
way has to be devised whereby investors become
participatory in any major financial decision
either by way of having their representatives on
the board or any other system giving full
publicity to the decisions taken.
III) Besides UTI
should be restrained from changing the very
nature of any scheme unilaterally and in case the
said change is approved by the board including
the representatives of the small investors. The
investors in that scheme should be given the
option to exit from the scheme with the benefits
of the original scheme.
IV) Above all,
Govt has to find a way of compensating the loss
of investors in US-64 by offering a min.
re-purchase price of Rs 13/- as of now by
devolving a suitable financial package.
V) Besides the
salaries, perks and commissions of the UTI
employees and franchise holders need to be linked
to returns on investment decisions so that they
have a stake in the system rather than feeding on
the bones of the investors inspite of bad
performance.
In Unit Trust of
India, case, the issues involved is not only the
redemption of US-64 for small investors but it is
the redemption of the credibility of the Vajpayee
Govt with the Indian public otherwise writing on
the wall is absolutely clear.
|
Doordarshan
turns a blind eye towards the north-east
By Vishnu Khare
We've just been
pounded by every image imaginable from the
fairgrounds of Agra. And yet, before the
'historic' Indo-Pak summit, there were other
matters of national interest - for instance, the
sudden violence and massive protests that erupted
in Manipur and adjoining areas in the North-east
after the central government extended its
ceasefire with the Naga insurgents. The peaceful
protests still continue but the media seems to
have forgotten all about it.
It is one of the
ironies of the electronic media in India that
Doordarshan, the alleged national broadcaster and
public service channel, is weakest in the two
areas where it is needed most : the North-east
and Kashmir. Because the government - no use
pretending about Prasar Bharati's autonomy - has
made periodic loud noises without any meaningful
follow-ups.
The Mumbai filmi
tamasha arranged by the then information and
broadcasting minister's son at the time of the
launch of Kashmir's Kashir channel, left the
locals cold. The fact that Kashmiris still get
better reception and better programmes from
Pakistan speaks volumes for DD's total failure in
putting across what should be intelligent and
subtle counter-propaganda programmes for the
Kashmiris on both sides of the border.
As for DD's
programmes about the North-east on the national
channel, the less said the better. Even Bhupen
Hazrika took the easy way out and stuck largely
to Assam and Bihu dances.
But, compared with
Kashmir, the North-east is worse off. It will be
recalled that in the recent past, when Sushma
Swaraj inaugurated with great fanfare yet another
grand bonanza for the North-east, most of the
chief ministers present made highly critical
comments at the function in her presence about
the way DD treats the North-east. The unfortunate
chief minister of Meghalaya, who was introduced
as the CM of Tripura by a characteristically
ignorant anchor, had some very harsh things to
say about what Maghalaya's citizens got - or
actually did not get - from DD.
It is an old story
now, but when I was in Manipur about two years
ago, I asked the room boy of a charming little
hotel in Imphal where I was staying, as to which
line I could get Doordarshan on may room TV.
"What is that?" he asked. "You
tell your cable operator and he will know,"
I suggested. The boy came back and said,
"Yes, the cable operator knows, but he says
he will not give it because nobody wants
it."
I mentioned this
to Manipuri Film director Aribam Shaym Sharma and
he replied : "Yes my children never watch
DD. They prefer Indonesian TV because it gives
the latest American films with the original
English dialogue."
I also found that
youngsters in the North-east love the pop music
they get from China and many are hooked to
Australian and Thai TV and radio. They also get
the best international sporting events from the
channels of neighbouring countries - not DD.
What DD and the
powers-that-be do not realise - or are too
embarrassed to admit - is that there are large
English-speaking communities in the North-east,
including Christians, who are excellent
performers and connoisseurs of western classical
and popular music. Many are not interested in the
standard filmi and other routine music which DD
doles out monotonously. When DD should be weaning
them away from neighbouring channels, they get
short-changed by our great national channel.
When I was in
Shillong, people said that they found it far
easier to get Bangladesh TV and radio than DD
Guwahati. People in Laban said they "got
Bangladesh" but not Guwahati, the official
explanation being "because of the hills and
mountains" - an excuse we have also heard in
Kashmir. Most shameful is that viewers living in
low-lying area of Guwahati say they had to use
special dishes to get DD.
More dangerous is
the alienation of AIR's north-eastern staff from
the rest of India. I met a bright young Naga
executive from the North-east channel of AIR
(which, strangely enough, has a freak following
in Latin America). He said : "We are never
posted outside the North-east, not even to Delhi,
to get a wider perspective of the rest of the
country. That is the only way to make the
Northeast feel it is apart of India. I would
learn about the rest of India and also project
the north-eastern viewpoint and needs to our
policy makers."
But that has not
yet happened.
While the print
media and private television channels have
increased their North-east coverage - along with
more bylines and faces from the region - all that
DD has managed down the years is to have one
Assamese director general, the late U.L. Baruah,
and a newscaster appointed by P. Sangma when he
was I&B minister. The newscaster reads the
news in Hindi and is the only one allowed to wear
a skirt, which DD innocently describes as
"tribal dress".
When it comes to
programmes about the North-east on the national
channel, an expert like Sanjay Hazarika was
replaced by poor script-writers and anchors who
were allegedly favourites of the then Assam
government. A north Indian woman whose father has
been posted in Assam was also given a long
innings for a morning programme - although her
knowledge of local languages and culture was
almost nil.
Till my last visit
to Guwahati, DD had no proper news room; its
correspondents were not encouraged to go far out
in the field; some good dispatches were
frequently ignored at headquarters or arrived too
late due to poor communications.
Those of us who
only visit the North-east but love it all the
same should stop feeling hurt.
I grew up in
Shillong. But during a visit, a Khasi girl asked
me, "Are you from India?" Perhaps, we
deserve such a question. INAV
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Environmental
education- A disturbing realism
ACADEMIC PULSE
By Prof S K Bhalla
Perhaps, a large
number of our populace is unaware of the fact
that the introduction of environmental education
at undergraduate and postgraduate level has
become obligatory on the part of University
system after the judgement of Apex court in the
case of M C Mehta Vs Union of India and others.
The constitution of India too states that ''it
shall be the duty of all citizens to protect and
improve the natural environment including
forests, lakes, rivers and wild life and to have
compassion for living creatures.
It is patent fact
that there are very few departments of
Environmental science at the University level to
prepare the requisite reading material for the
instructors to enable them to train the students.
The first and foremost thing that requires to be
taken care of is the preparation of necessary
reading material to suit the proposed syllabi and
conform to standards. After the preparation of
the material the teachers can be trained in the
prescribed course. Long back an experiment had
been made by the Academic Staff College. Andhra
University by organizing an inter disciplinary
Refresher course in Environment Science. Experts
in other Universities have already produced
text-books for use.
As already stated
in the columns of this Daily the University
Grant, co-mission has launched an experimental
programme of Vocationalisation by identifying 35
subjects and a part of the content of those
courses can be judiciously recoast to include
environmental education. There is also
possibility of introducing environmental issues
by way of recasting of the syllabi of a few
subjects to incorporate the necessary
information. A course in history can contain a
few chapters on the significance of Environment
from historical point of view. In the same way a
course in Zoology can contain aspects relating to
environment if we mean business.
Here in
colleges of Jammu we derive the maximum
satisfaction by teaching two number brief essays
on environment forming part of G Eng. course of
BA/BSC/B.Com Part I and think we have done our
constitutional duty of developing the
''Scientific temper and spirit of inquiry and
reform''. Also there is no denying the fact that
of and on NSS wings of Colleges operational
half-heartedly in colleges and at Universities
level to organise programmes viz debates and
symposia on environment where in long winded
lectures on environment are delivered to be
faithfully covered and reported in local and
national media without any significant change in
the ground situation. To derive satisfaction
only from intractive methods like dialogue,
seminar, project method etc can be of no avail in
the long run and hence useless. To quote from a
paper ''Imparting of environmental education
should provide opportunities to experiment with
innovative techniques that may come in the
process of making it a mass educational
movement'' Some NGO's and financial institutions
do also dable in environmental education
programmes to exhaust their meagre funds diverted
in this behalf for the sake of publicity and to
justify the amount received.
The need of the
hour is to make environmental education more
purposeful not only by sermonizing but by
chalking out a time bound strategy which may
succeed in making some lasting dent in this
unmanagable area. For this we need professors
with a difference to wade through the vast desert
of indifference and stagnation on this front. A
partial educational programme shall produce
partial nation. Let environmental education not
be reduced to words and semantics only but be a
fruitful educational excercise.
NDA's
fragility worry Vajpayee
By Kedar Nath Pandey
Prime Minister A B
Vajpayee’s admission of
"inability" to manage the NDA is a grim
reminder that the coalition is fragile even if no
one expects it to collapse now. For a government
and a party, which have been claiming that
Vajpayee-led coalition is doing a good job under
the given circumstances, it is self-flagellation.
Also, it is bound to come handy for the
Opposition to make its point that the NDA is a
rag-tag group.
Of late a certain
dejection is written across his mien. His usual
alert, aggressive self is missing, particularly
his penchant to break out into Urdu sayings which
are not infrequently laced with a pungent sense
of humour and irony. The question is : What is
behind this metamorphosis of Mr Atal Bihari
Vajpayee who, it must be acknowledged without any
hesitation, has rendered yeoman’s service to
the nation ever since he ascended the
"political throne" in New Delhi?
Indeed, it is not
difficult to find a slew of reasons for the Prime
Minister’s (hopefully temporary)
transformation, the saving grace being that the
burden of the developments would, perhaps, have
made a far more serious impact on a lesser
person. First, take the economic front which , as
everyone knows, has become a cause of serious
concern for the nation in general, and the
Government in particular especially the
economy’s inability to show any signs of a
recovery from the recessionary phase it has been
in the past year and more.
Naturally, a host
of reasons for the economy’s current plight
has been offered, not all of which can be
dismissed as being uninformed and, therefore,
unimportant. There is no denying the fact that
the situation is highly complex, the implication
being that there is probably no single reason
that can be cited confidently as being the chief
culprit behind the slowdown. Having said this,
the minor point can perhaps be made that a lack
of demand generally speaking is the common factor
in all the explanations proffered for the
economy’s recessionary phase.
If this is, in
fact, so, then obviously every effort should be
made to prop up demand which, through the
multiplier mechanism, can get the great wheels of
the economy rolling once again. But, of course,
this is easier said than done for the simple
reason that the "solution" (or aspects
of it) – advocated by knowledgeable people
who advise the Government on a routine basis and
on special occasions – either has not
produced results for lack of effective
implementation or, simply, the appropriate
"solution" has still not been found to
the specific problem plaguing the Indian economy.
For the Prime
Minister, who is not an acknowledged expert on
economic matters, this is an unacceptable state
of affairs at the political level, with which be
is primarily concerned. Being first and last a
political animal, Mr Vajpayee knows that he can
persuade the people that the economy will be
turning around shortly only for some time, and
that if he persists with a chimera that somehow
refuses to transform itself into reality within a
limited period of time, the political results
could be devastating for him personally and for
his Government generally.
What has
compounded the Prime Minister’s problem is
that his political position is extremely unstable
in that his own political future and that of his
Government is totally dependent on a clutch of
regional parties. In other worlds, even in the
best of times, he has to perform the role of a
tightrope-walker with virtuosity if he wants to
continue as Prime Minister. In the worst of times
– as now – he has to perform the same
act but on a rope that is swinging wildly, being
tugged in all directions by power-hungry regional
political satraps who have only one ambition,
that is, to strengthen their own positions in
their own fiefdoms even if it is at the expense
of the government in New Delhi. Indeed, given his
vast experience, Mr Vajpayee knows that
"allies" such as Mr Chandrababu Naidu
of Andhra Pradesh and Mr George Fernandes of
Bihar, among others, would not think twice of
leaving him in the lurch once they see the
political writing on the wall indicating a change
in political fortunes in New Delhi.
The Prime
Minister’s political problems have been
compounded not just by the unsatisfactory
performance of the economy but also by the
political fallout of disturbances such as the
post-Budget stock market scam (which is now
gathering steam in view of the JPC enquiry) and
the UTI fiasco which has harmed the very image of
"government" as being the most secure
financial repository in the eyes of the average
citizen. (It must be stated that the new Chairman
of the UTI is making a heroic effort to restore
that credibility but, as with such things, it is
most unlikely that the damage that been done
already will be completely repaired. As
Jawaharlal Nehru is reported to have said in
another context, a broken vase cannot ever be
repaired and returned to its pristine glory.)
The Prime
Minister’s woes do not end here. The
"Tehelka’ expose is currently
hibernating the guise of a continuing probe, and
it is more than likely that, despite the best
efforts of some interests within the NDA to get
through the probe as quickly as possible, the
entire episode will end with a bang and not a
whimper. Indeed, since the Defence establishment
has been quick off the mark by taking action
against some of its own personnel who reportedly
featured in the expose, it is not unlikely that
the example will cast a long and dark shadow on
the fate of some political personalities, as it
ought to, who are still clinging to the hope of
getting back their ministerial which will allow
them to continue with the job of being ace
"political fixers" in the capital.
More recently, the
Prime Minister’s image has taken a severe
beating from the fallout of the Manipur problem
the implementation of the ceasefire with the
Nagas, the entire issue being further compounded
by the latest announcement that the territorial
limit of the ceasefire agreed with the NSCN (I-M)
for 2001-02 would be restricted to the
territorial limits of Nagaland. The political
upshot of this affair has been that the Prime
Minister’s stock (and that of most other
politicians, not to speak of the associated
political parties) has touched rockbottom among
the people of the North-East.
To add to all
this, the Agra fiasco has dealt a devastating
blow to the reputation of the Prime Minister
being an astute player in foreign affairs, the
surviving thought being that the Pakistani
dictator took New Delhi for a roller-coaster ride
of nearly a month prior to the summit without any
effective response form the Indian side till the
very end of the Agra do. Admittedly, the India
response is only now getting into its stride,
which is acceptable on the principle that such a
response is better late than never. But certainly
no one liked the idea of the Pakistani strongman,
who engineered the Kargil episode that resulted
in valuable Indian lives being lost, being
allowed to call the diplomatic shots at his whim,
particularly when what he was trying to say was
totally unacceptable form the Indian point of
view.
To cap it all, the
gunning down of the erstwhile "bandit
queen" right in the heart of Lutyens Delhi
has underscored the point that no one is safe
from the assassin’s gun even a stone’s
throw away from the nerve centre of power of the
Indian republic. So what does Mr Vajpaee do from
here? The hunch is that the country will have to
wait till the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections
early next year to know the answer. INAV
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