Daily Excelsior... Editorial

Was Jawaharlal Nehru
a Hindu ?
By : M. J. Akbar

Venkaiah Naidu is a very in telligent man, which of .....more

Patenting life may pose problems
By : Rahul Gupta

Introduction
The very important question which comes into our .......more

Over to Jaswant Singh
By S. K. Singh

Strobe Talbott should be missing Jaswant Singh at. .....more

Voice against violence
By : Mr Arfat Anjem Mir

Violence in any form and particularly in the form of gun ....more

EDITORIAL

SINISTER PLOT

Police and intelligence agencies do get a pat for pre-empting ISI sponsored plan to blow up American Consulates in Chennai and Calcutta. After successful blasting of American embassies in two countries in Africa, India has been chosen for targetting American interests as the safest bet. It poses many questions that have to be taken note of by our security agencies. First, it was the Bin Laden's call to target every American and every British national for elimination and cause mass destruction to their interests globally for the four day air strikes against Iraq. In interviews published in American media with the most powerful and dreaded terrorist Osama Bin Laden he has asked his ruggadised cadres to put America and Britain on top of their hit list for their crimes against Islamic countries. Second point is reflected in clear nexus between Bin Laden and ISI of Pakistan. Interrogation of the ISI hardcore Nasir establishes the nexus beyond any doubt. Third poser relates to Nisar being a Bangladeshi whose services has been utilised for terrorist activities in this country. This confirms the apprehensions expressed by Assam Governor Lt. Gen. (Retd) Sinha who in his report to the Centre has clearly mentioned risk to our security as also undermining of our economy if unabated Bangladeshi influx does not stop and those who have already infiltrated in this country deported forthwith.

The fourth poser is that Chennai and Calcutta based American consulates were to be blasted in preference to Mumbai or Delhi consulates. It indicates that ISI networks in these two cosmopolitan cities is much more authentic and impressive which would have facilitated success of their nefarious designs with ease and provided easy escape route. It is apt to mention that W. Bengal has Leftist Government which has never complained to the Centre about presence of no less than 1.2 crore Bangladeshis there due to vote-pocket culture. One really wonders if Leftists have ever been concerned with national security. They are the ones who opposed Pokhran II nuclear tests tooth and nail. If such be their concerns for external threat perceptions to the country, one really is left with no option to hold them guilty of taking internal security very lightly. Likewise, selection of Chennai consulate does proves that all is not well in Tamil Nadu. It is here that Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated. It is here that Advani had a narrow escape when he was targeted for elimination by terrorists having easy time in Tamil Nadu. It is here that Coimbatore blasts took heavy tool of innocent citizens life. True, Tamil Nadu was quick to enact PUDA (law more or less similar to TADA) and banned certain Pan-Islamic organisations operating on behalf of ISI of Pakistan. It thus follows even now Chennai is considered safe haven for their operations. ISI nexus with LTTE stands established. And successive Tamil Nadu Government invariably had soft corners for Tamil Tigers, Karunanidhi Government included.

Fifth poser relates to killing two birds with one stone. By blasting American interests in India, Pakistan wanted to derive permanent wedge between India and America thereby causing further destabilisation of Vajpayee Government which has not been to the liking of Uncle Sam for its unflinching stand of providing this country with formidable nuclear deterrent. It is always the duty of the host country to provide essential security cover to all foreign missions. The threat to American interests is real in that before launching 4 day carpet bombing of Iraq it had chosen to close down at least fifty American embassies spread in places where Islamic fundamentalists have reckonable presence. India however has been considered quite safe by USA and Britain. Any terrorist act here would have made India look very awkward.

Lastly, it is only one ISI agent who is nabbed. His six accompalices are yet untraced. Again, such acts always have 'standbys'. Abortion of one automatically activates the other ones. Incidentally in intelligence terminology, all such groups function independent of each other although their mentor is the same. It is possible that another group is already at work to hurt American and British interests deep enough to cause visible fissures in our relations with those countries. It is here that our intelligence has to be geared up to pre-empt ISI designs. Advani says that they have already destroyed more than 15 ISI modules in the country. The question is that it is only tip of the iceberg and their tentacles are indeed far and wide. The much-hyped white paper on ISI activities yet remains elusive. Vajpayee Government will be well advised to gear up its various agencies to take on the subversives ruthlessly for safeguarding not only national security but also our foreign interests. There is simply no room for any complacency until last of the ISI agent has been either killed or nabbed or thrown back into Pakistan.

PLUM PORTFOLIOS

There are indeed some vital or what we call as plum portfolios which every ministerial aspirant likes to occupy. By far the most coveted slot happens to be the Railway Ministry followed by Defence. Home slot is equally crucial, sensitive enough to be entrusted to only close confidants. Then follows the Minister for Power and no less important being the Gas and Petroleum slots. It is thus natural in coalition dominated Government that every constituent party bids for the most important portfolios. Although in principle it is the Prime Minister's prerogative to allocate portfolios, none can blame those who provide the crutches for demanding the coveted slots. It thus follows that Samata Party being most stable partner of the ruling alliance managed both the top-notch slots of Defence and Railways while Petroleum went to AIADMK ally with whom Jayalalitha is now estranged and that Southern alliance broken. BJP however retained other vital slots like Home, Finance, Power and External Affairs besides I&B. And when it is cabinet expansion time, the alliance partners not only ask for the best but even play politics to undermine each other's slots already held. It is here that the issue becomes contentious which has deferred cabinet expansion for the second time. Railways incidentally remain the most attractive one as this is the only ministry presenting separate budget. It has the largest work force of nearly 16 lakh. It is spread in every nook and corner of the country with 63000 kms of track. It provides maximum job opportunities. It has also its own security wing (Railway Protection Force). No wonder Railways provide enough of cushion to the incumbent to appease its constituency in terms of expansion of railway network, providing jobs and commanding enough of resources independently of the Central budget. All successive railway ministers have thus appeased their respective constituency and State which they represented. Mamta wants it precisely for such reasons. Jayalalitha's claim for Petroleum slot is however different proposition with political contours. She wants her former pre-electoral ally incumbent Ramamurthy to be ditched by snatching Petroleum slot from him. Vajpayee thus plays truant for the second time by deferring the 'evil of expansion' once again.

Was Jawaharlal Nehru a Hindu ?
By : M. J. Akbar

Venkaiah Naidu is a very in telligent man, which of course is why his party, the BJP, has made him into its national voice and television voice. Last year, when during the depths of the BJP wipeout in the Assembly elections a section of the BJP, searching for a convenient scapegoat, wanted to shoot the messenger, the party leadership protected him. They knew that he knew the art of spin.

A spin doctor in politics does precisely what the word suggests. He (or indeed she) does not hurl bouncers, forcing either the media or the electorate to duck. The objective is not punishment but persuasion, a difference which so many refuse to understand. A good spin doctor takes a fact and converts it into a suggestion that may have little to do with the fact and everything to do with the objective. The profession of course is flourishing in the United States, where democracy and media have become interdependent. Bill Clinton, a master at the game himself, is the perfect example of successful spin. His problem was a bit of irregular stress relief in the Oval Office; he has converted it into a vast right-wing conspiracy to depose a President who works for the American people against a coalition of vested interests. The point to note however is that it works because the decisive element in the spin is true: Clinton is in fact a good President for Americans, and has brought sustained prosperity to his country curing his stewardship. The art is to divert attention to your preferred reality.

The other day Mr Naidu, while denying that the attacks against Christian missions and missionaries by various members of the Hindutva clan were part of a political action programme against Mrs Sonia Gandhi, a Roman Catholic, threw out a line that is a classical start of a web. Mr Naidu referred to Jawaharlal Nehru, and delicately dangled a parenthesis that needs to be addressed. Mentioning India's first Prime Minister, Mr Naidu said that "I suppose" he (Nehru) could be called "a Hindu".

Mr Naidu supposes. He is not certain whether Jawaharlal Nehru can be called a Hindu.

It is an uncertainty with a history.

Perhaps the problem began with Motilal Nehru, whose elder brother Bansi Dhar was so thorough a believer in the rituals of a Brahmin that he would not allow even his children to be present when he ate. Motilal shocked his fellow Kashmiri Pandits when he began eating lunch at the High Court. But the great scandal took place when Motilal Nehru refused to perform a prayashchit, or penance for purification, for the sin of overseas travel after his first visit to England. Writing to his mentor Pandit Prithinath in 1899, Motilal said : "I will not (come what may) indulge in the tomfoolery of Proschit. No, not even if I have to die for it... I know what your biradari is and if necessary, in self-defence, I will ruthlessly and mercilessly lay bare the tattered fabric of its existence and tear it into the minutest possible shreds !" Motilal Nehru was excommunicated. When an uncle came over to visit, Motilal joked with him:" You may not dine with me without polluting yourself, but I suppose we could share a whisky and soda ?"

It was not an attitude that would endear Motilal to the keepers of the Hindu Mahasabha flame. They charged Motilal with apostasy and "anti-Hinduism"; they dropped hints that he might even be eating bee." In the elections of 1924, the Swaraj Party, lead by Motilal, was accused of being "anti-Hindu" by Lala Lajpat Rai and Madan Mohan Malaviya.

The man who best defined the Hindutva family's attitude to Jawaharlal Nehru was the president of the All-India Hindu Mahasabha in 1950, N.B. Khare. He called Jawaharlal "English by education, Muslim by culture and Hindu by accident". That year the revivalist lobby within the Congress successfully challenged Jawaharlal. Purushottam Das Tandon, who as chief of the Congress in Uttar Pradesh had kept urging Muslims to adopt a "Hindu culture", defeated Nehru's candidate Acharya Kripalani in the contest for leadership of the Indian National Congress. Nehru called it a victory of reactionaries and would not rest until he had obtained Tandon's resignation. When pragmatists advised Nehru that the Tandons represented a certain mood in the country and were best kept within the fold in view of the coming general elections. Nehru replied that he did not want a Congress victory at the cost of Congress' soul. In those general elections, no formal political party put up a candidate against Nehru from his constituency, Phulpur; but the Mahasabha forces backed a sadhu, Prabhudutt Brahmachari, who quickly became the main challenger. The evidence could add up to a book; we only have a column at our disposal. Jawaharlal Nehru's crime was actually a very simple one: he would not respond to the growing threat of Muslim fundamentalism by a corresponding Hindu fundamentalism. He did not want the Congress to become a Hindu League in answer to the Muslim League. This left large sections of the evanescent political class either bewildered or angry or both. Both Nehru had two imposing assets: a mentor called Mahatma Gandhi and the support of the people - most of whom, of course, were Hindus. The Hindutva family was always uncertain about Gandhi, admiring (secretly) his Hindu asceticism, his visible faith in the Hindu doctrine: only a believer could die with "He Ram" on his lips. They never could reconcile this with the Gandhian philosophy that never lost sight of a virtual duty towards the minorities, a humanism that was a sacred trust as important as religion. Gandhi's Hinduism was humanism, and his humanism did not divide human beings into categories, whether over religion or caste. It was this faith that lay at the core of Jawaharlal's philosophy. Gandhism was his powerful shield, not because Gandhi was either a Mahatma or a martyr; but because Gandhi had articulated the essential faith of the Indian people and given it the power of a political and social force by his leadership. Gandhi made Jawaharlal his heir because he believed that the Hindus of India would understand and respond to the Hinduism of Nehru.

Jawaharlal himself was never shy of being called a Hindu : how could man who was quite happy to use the prefix Pandit to his name be accused of denying his religious and culture essence ? Time and distance have made him Jawaharlal Nehru; while alive, he was only known as Pandit Nehru or Panditji, even in the headlines of the English press. Was this just a political appendage, a cynical gesture to keep Hindus happy : Unlikely, because Jawaharlal was not a hypocrite by nature or inclination. He had no qualms, in his beautiful last will and testament, about saying that he wanted his ashes immersed in the Ganga not because of its religious significance but because of the deep emotional bond he felt towards the river which had nourished him and his beloved India. "When I die. I should like my body to be cremated... The Ganga, especially, is the river of India, beloved of her people, round which are intertwined her racial memories, her hopes and fears, her songs and triumphs, her victories and her defeats... Smiling and dancing in the morning sun - shadows fall: a narrow, slow and graceful stream in winter, and a vast roaring thing in the monsoon, broad-bosomed almost as the sea, and with something of the sea's power to destroy, the Ganga had been to me a symbol and a memory of the past of India running into the present, and flowing on to the great ocean of the future."

Nehru wrote, and wrote beautifully. He wrote to his daughter from prison, letters that became the classic known as the Discovery of India. And this is what Jawaharlal told Indira about the Mahabharata.

Even apart from the philosophy of the Gita, it lays stress on ethical and moral principles in statecraft and life generally. Without this foundation of dharma there is no true happiness and society cannot hold together. The aim is social welfare, not the welfare of a particular group but of the whole world, for the entire world of mortals is a self-dependent organism. Yet dharma itself is relative and depends on the times and conditions prevailing, apart from some basic principles, such as adherence to truth, non-violence etc. These principles endure and do not change, but otherwise dharma, that amalgam of duties and responsibilities changes with the changing age... The Mahabharata is a rich storehouse in which we discover all manner of precious things... The teaching of the Mahabharata has been summed up in the phrase: ‘Thou shalt not do to others what is disagreeable to thyself.’ There is an emphasis on social welfare and this is noteworthy, for the tendency of the Indian mind is supposed to be in favour of individual perfection rather than social welfare. It says: ‘Whatever is not conducive to social welfare, or what ye are likely to be ashamed of, never do.’ Again: ‘Truth, self-control, asceticism, generosity, non-violence, constancy in virtue — these are the means of success, not caste or family’. ‘Virtue is better than immortality and life’. ‘True joy entails suffering.’ There is a dig at the seeker after wealth: ‘The silkworm dies of its wealth.’ And finally the injunction so typical of living and advancing people: Discontent is the spur of progress.’

These are the words of a man who understood what he believed. I am sorry to say this, but I think Mr Venkaiah Naidu only believes what he understands.

Patenting life may pose problems
By : Rahul Gupta

Introduction
The very important question which comes into our mind when we think of Genetic engineering, should life scientists and companies be allowed to claim the blue print of species ? Can life be patented ? Is life a commercial property ? Is this ethically right ?

Genes and Genetic Engineering

Genetic engineering is the manipulation of genes by man. It refers to artificial synthesis, modification, addition and repairs of the genetic material (DNA) to alter the phenotype at will. It has evoked a great interest because it may, some day, enable the geneticists to set right the disease causing genes for the improvement of human race, and even to create life.

History of patenting life forms

The word patent means "A writ form a sovereign conferring sole right an invention".

Patenting of life forms is a recent phenomenon. In 1978 the US patent house rejected an application for an oil eating bacterium invented by biologist Dr. Ananda Chakrabarty. The turning point came in 1980 when nations supreme court overruled that decision granting Chakrabarty licence and stating for the first time that life (living things) can be patented. Eight years latter, in 1988, the genetically engineered "Horrard Oncomo use" became the first patented animal. Since then more than 79 animals, over 1800 genes and cell lines have been patented.

Reason for patenting

Patents were developed so that inventors would also benefit financially from the use of inventions. As modern entrepreneurs, Corporations, overtook individual entrepreneurs, right began to be assigned to large companies rather than inventors. Patents being valid for 20 years give virtual monopoly over these products or processes to licences.

Drawbacks of patenting

Patents - in today's world make important products more expensive and less accessible. They promote secrecy and hinder information exchange. They exploit taxpayer funded research. And, first world patenting of third world genetic resources represent a theft of community resources.

Indians are at great loss as compounds like Azadirachtin derived from the neem tree (Azadirachta Indica) and others has been patented.

Market Monopolies

Bulk of planet's biological diversity is located in developing countries and more specifically where aborigines and small farmers live. Patents would create market monopolies over biological resources and exclude the original innovators from their rightful access to local, national and global markets. India is already having to contest claims from other countries of patent rights.

By modifying an organism', genes a scientist cannot claim to have invented life. It is absurd. How can life be patented. Thus bioethics needs to draw a guideline for activities relating to human genetics.

Public Opinion

Though the patenting of human parts and genes may not currently affect society but in coming years it may pose a problem that concerns us all. Decisions about life patents must be made by the citizenry and not by patent bureaucrats.

On June, 7, 1988 the people of Switzerland decisively rejected in a referendum proposal to outlaw production and patenting of genetically modified plants and animals. They became first in the world to vote on the issue.

Like people of Switzerland, every body in India and rather whole world should know pros and cons of this topic/subject.

Bright side of Research

Scientists believe that research should not to stopped. We have to weigh the risk of genetic engineering against its benefits.

In India and in other developing nations where the quality and quantity of food supply and medical care are not guaranteed and where population growth is rapid, genetic engineering can change the nutritional content of the food, boost food production by making proteins, fats and vitamins.

Human Genome Project

This project started in U.S. in 1990. It aims to identify all estimated 80,000 genes in human D.N.A. determine the sequences of 3 billion chemical bases that make up human D.N.A. Store them in databases and develop tools for data analysis. D.N.A. sequence differences between people can reveal who is healthy and who is striken or susceptible to diseases like cancer.

Detailed genome maps enabled researchers to seek genes associated with Alzheimer's disease, inherited colon cancer, familial breast cancer etc. Replacement of defective genes through gene therapy will surely prove a boon for humanity.

One out of every 1,000 to 3,000 babies is born with genetic defect. Some of these defects are harmless, while others may be due to single gene. Gene therapy is answer to this problem. By this defective gene can be repaired or a normally functioning gene can be introduced i.e. Extra genetic material can be introduced.

With Gene replacement therapy (GRT) simple replacement of a mutant or an altered gene in place of non mutant gene can occur.

Treatment of cells of the embryo by replacing the defective gene and then reimplanting the embryo in Uterus along with germ-line gene therapy in which foreign genetic material can be inserted into sperm or eggs where they could be passed on to succeeding generation. These techniques are a boon for human beings. Sequencing the genome of bacteria would be useful in area of environmental clean up, energy production, toxic waste reduction etc.

Cloning :

Jan Wilmut et al achieved a breakthrough when they created first cloned animal, a lamb, Dolly.

Also two sheeps Polly and Molly have been genetically engineered to produce factor IX (a blood clotting factor, used in the treatment, of Chrismas disease) that shall help haemophilics.

Human embryo cells can knot/fuse with embryo cells from apes and other animals farming a single embryo. This would give in surrogate in mothers womb. Such hybrids could serve various purposes, in studies related to developmental biology effect of chemical compounds and to provide hearts for transportation to humans.

Dark side

The ethical, legal and social dilemmas raised by increased availability of genetic information is another issue. The problem is, who should have access to information and how it will be used ?

It becomes worse if it goes in the hands of a wrong person.

Conclusion

When scientists can clone animals then they can clone humans too. World has a duty to protect not just the sanctity of human life but also that of animals. Cloning goes against creative plans of God, the dignity of person and of marriage.

Also around the world there is occurring misuse of human parts in the name of research.

In fact man is trying to play God, is it ?

It is early to make a conclusion but think, we have a great responsibility of feeding and healing billions of people which justifies probing secrets of life to some extent.

It is rightly predicted that "Biology" would be science of 21st century corresponding by Bioethics may emerge philosophy of next century.

Over to Jaswant Singh
By S. K. Singh

Strobe Talbott should be missing Jaswant Singh at the Indo-US talks in future. Atal Behari Vajpayee has kicked up his ambassador-at-large, to head the External Affairs Ministry, with a formal designation, perks and protocol, responsible to Parliament. Protocol in particular ordains that Jaswant Singh talk only to Madeline Albright, but the tough lady who seems to fashion herself after Margaret Thatcher is in no mood for Jaswant, or any other mortal being from India. Which means, Vajpayee has won an External Affairs Minister, but has lost his chief negotiator. A gap again in the learning process, both for the Prime Minister and his BJP.

Mr. Jaswant Singh is a man of substance. He has established his credentials in the world of diplomacy and evolved working equations with some of the key US policy-makers, specially Assistant Secretary of State Strobe Talbott. A skilful negotiator, he conducts dialogue with professional dignity and sophistication. Of course, he tends to be less communicative, probably thinking that diplomacy is a subtle art of maintaining secrecy, doing things away from the public glare. However, effective communication matters a lot in today's competitive diplomacy. A degree of secrecy, of course, has to be maintained in a sensitive negotiation. But the absence of effective communication can lead to a wrong impression among the people about the government's ability to deliver the goods.

Now that Mr. Jaswant Singh is at the helm of the External Affairs Ministry, we should expect better clarity in the conduct of our foreign affairs. As it is, India's credibility in international relations has suffered considerably in recent months. In the first place, national consensus, which was the hallmark of India's foreign policy, seems to have broken down. This has been apparent from the position the various political parties have taken on the CTBT and related strategic issues.

It is necessary to maintain a consensual approach to foreign affairs. This is possible if a process of regular consultation is kept up between the ruling party and the Opposition. Mr. Inder Kumar Gujral, both as Foreign Minister and Prime Minister, tried to promote the culture of consensus. He and Mr. P. V. Narasimha Rao earlier fully utilised the skills and affability of Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, then Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, to pursue larger national goals in foreign affairs.

Under the Prime Ministership of Mr. Vajpayee no serious efforts have been made to evolve a coordinated approach to vital foreign policy issues in consultation with the Opposition parties. His first meeting with the Opposition leaders the other day in this respect shows he has realised his folly. But that is too late in the day. Perhaps the Prime Minister has been too preoccupied with crisis management of the coalition government and is hard-pressed for time. But foreign policy is a critical area in today's competitive global diplomacy. It is, therefore, absolutely necessary that the nation should speak with one voice.

Broadly speaking, foreign policy is normally designed to be above political controversy so that it reflects the best interests of the nation. This fact alone demands a deeper probing of the realities and testing of new concepts and options.

It so happens that our foreign policy has lost its original moorings and is now moving into areas of unrewarding or frustrating submission and compromise. Global changes can be seen as giving us a chance to carry out corrections without any damaging repercussions. But are we responsive enough to these changes?

As it is, enough damage has already been inflicted on India's image abroad. A new beginning is definitely called for. Perhaps in coordination with the Prime Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh should be able to take concrete steps to promote consensus on foreign policy and national security. It is also necessary for the Opposition parties to refrain from playing political football with issues that are vital to India's interests and security.

Not that Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee does not have grip on foreign affairs. In a way, he symbolises some sort of a continuity in the Nehruvian school in foreign affairs. But he has often been caught in contradictory pulls of his own key functionaries. This confusion should end now since Mr. Jaswant Singh is expected to be his own boss in the foreign office.

What is required now is a clear sense of direction. India has flip-flopped for too long on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Where does it stand now? After the five nuclear tests on May 11 and 13, a guarded official statement said that India was willing to "adhere to some of the provisions of the CTBT". This had the rest of the world in confusion since it is well-known that an international treaty approved by 140 nations in the UN is almost impossible to be opened. Also, a treaty cannot possibly be acceded to on a piecemeal basis.

It must be said that the government has bungled badly in tackling the CTBT issue. At one stage the Prime Minister reportedly said the government had no objection to signing the treaty. Later he did an about-turn and said that it would not sign the treaty in its present form. This was followed by yet another statement from the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mr. Brajesh Mishra, that India was not looking for textual changes in the treaty. Two days later, the Prime Minister again said that India was not close to signing the CTBT and that it was flawed.

A series of conflicting statements from the highest level does no credit to any government. This is a classic example of how not to conduct foreign affairs. The nation has to have total clarity on what is good for the country's interests. Linked with this is India's strategic dialogue with USA. The nation has no idea where exactly the matter stands. The USA has made it clear that Washington is not interested in Mr. Nawaz Sharif's linking of the CTBT with the Kashmir issue. The Assistant Secretary for South Asian Affairs, Mr. Karl Inderfurth, has dismissed this matter as a mere political posturing meant for Pakistan's domestic consumption.

In any case, from India's point of view, the vital question remains unanswered. Issues are surely complicated, but the country expects both consistency and coherence in foreign affairs. How can a bridge of consensus be built with the Opposition if the government itself is not sure of what it wants? The moral is clear: The Foreign Ministry under Mr. Jaswant Singh will have to do serious homework on several critical areas so that New Delhi is able to effectively cope with the new global challenges, including the economic sanctions. The need of the hour is to put India back on the global map as a vibrant nation with a pro-active economic thrust.

It is not enough to know how to react to Pakistan's public postures without caring to present India's vital interests in a composite and coherent manner. The ongoing dialogue with the USA apart, the country will need to have a fresh look at its ties with the neighbouring nations, including China. We have to evolve a new approach to these countries by taking into account the changed global scenario on security and economic matters.

Voice against violence
By : Mr Arfat Anjem Mir

Violence in any form and particularly in the form of gun culture is bound to inflict physically, Psychologically and economically. This not only maims and kills those surviving violence literally and spiritually, but also dehumanizes, mentally decapacitates and severly debilitates even the lives of next generations brought up many years after the violence. This is what which stands empirically proven in the contemporary era from the various hit countries through the world.

We have live examples of violence from various parts of the world. Like Palestine, Mozambique, Bosnia Herzogovinia, Yugoslavia etc. are the countries where violence was resorted to for achieving the political goals. Studies of those effected by violence due to civil war, insurgency and conflicts attested the miserable life and worst sufferings of the civilians in these areas. These studies also brought to notice the devastating warfare tactics of torture employed by the counter insurgents in the turbulent zones, inflicted as acts of gratuitous punishment. Everywhere, the strategic aim of forces suppressing rebellion had always been clear and consistent; to break the psychological, physical and spiritual resistance of those raising voice against their rulers. History is witness to such grotesque acts. Most tragically, the innocent civilians had been the soft target and the worst affected due to violence; obviously for no fault of theirs, because they are caught between the guns of two parties fighting for the authority to rule or govern.

As it has been seen from violence prone areas, menfolk would indulge in violent tactics with the aim of gaining political power and authority to rule. They get killed in fierce encounters, locked in jails, seek political asylums and are severely tortured- leaving behind wailing womenfolk and children to suffer doubly. Linda Green(1998) who studied human sufferings in Gautmala due to violence notes "women suffered doubly because they were the victims and survivors of violence. As victims they witnessed unimaginable atrocities, which included the disappearance or brutal killing of their husbands, sons or other family members. As survivors they continued the violence in both their bodies and memories." She has given an account of the social sufferings attributed to violence supplemented by health problems like headaches, gastritis, stomach ulcers, insomnia etc. Apart from this, violence ( a form or severe trauma ) obviously hitting at the psyche besides physique- gives birth to post traumatic stress disorder. Post traumatic stress disorder(PTSD) as a chronic psychiatric illness occuring in individuals exposed to violence is bountifully found in the psychiatric practice and research literature. What does it imply ? Obviously that violence affects all. James Quesada(1996) studied the aftermath powerfully of war in Sandinista Nicaragua. He illustrates how the distress of violence and its aftermath powerfully affects the minds and bodies of even the youngest members of society. The memories of violence are " memories de sangre" i:e blood memories that run through veins consistently over times and the healing of the wounds of violence and psychic trauma takes lifetimes.

In Indian context, the impact of militancy violence in Jammu and Kashmir is needed to be examined in context of physical, material as well as psychological and spiritual consequences. The physical and material damages can be covered with funding and assistance but what about psychological suffering which will take generations to heal. Should we inherit miserable life and psychic trauma to our future generations?

Let us think for a while... Has violence brought any end to our problems ? No! But yes, it has opened new vistas of debilitating health problems and sufferings for all. The violence that started from the valley can be seen to have engulfed whole state into its fire and affected every household in the state either directly or indirectly. It has created widespread chaos, melancholy, distress and depression among the survivors besides rendering homeless thousands, taken away innumerable precious young lives. It has left scores of innocent children without parents and what not - the economic despair, unemployment, development work impairment all are attributed to this violence in the form of gun-culture. We must keep in mind that where-ever gun was introduced for attaining the political agendas, even after achieving the political power- the gun-culture prevailed in a renewed form. We have the example of Afghanistan lying before us. Thus, we should learn a lesson from the Palestinians, Afghans, civilians of Bosnia Herzogovinia and bring an everlasting end to this gun-culture before it is to late.

No religion gives the teachings of adopting violence for achieving the goals. I hope every adolescent and youth will share my this view and will raise voice against and defy violence because it is our common future that is being darkened.

(The author is a search scholar Deptt. of Medical Authropology)