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` 30RNI REGD NO. ORIENG/2004/13647VOLUME 12, ISSUE 7 | FORTNIGHTLY

INDIAFIRSTS P E A K S Y O U R M I N D

BACK IN THEGAME

The return of Amar Singh to theSamajwadi Party fold indicates a

revival of his political fortunes, butthe road ahead may not be as

smooth as he would like

IF20160601

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1 JUNE 2016 INDIA FIRST 3

When America’s top tennis player of thenoughties, Andy Roddick, was askedabout his rivalry with the world’s top ten-

nis player of that decade, RogerFederer, the former had famouslysaid that he would have to winsome of the matches against theSwiss in order for it to be deemeda rivalry. Not many disagreedwith his view, because Federerhad won eight of their past ninemeetings, but Roddick wonmuch respect and many fans be-cause of his sportsmanlike atti-tude.The Congress party seems to

be in a similar position againstthe Bharatiya Janata Party now asRoddick’s was to Federer’s over adecade ago. But there ends theanalogy.Last month the people of India

once again witnessed a starkcontrast in the fortunes of theircountry’s sole two national par-ties. While the stock of BJP ap-peared to be soaring with amaiden victory in Assam elec-

tions followed by the Modi government’s two-year an-niversary celebrations, the one of Congress seemed tobe heading further south as it was seen smarting fromnot just the electoral losses in Assam and Kerala butalso its arch-rival’s grand celebrations in the nationalcapital.The BJP’s latest tenure at the Centre has not been

flawless like Federer’s game during his heydays. In factit has been far from perfect and the ruling regime hasseen its fair share of ups and downs. But the most im-portant difference between the BJP and the Congressat present, as many political pundits point out, is theway they are playing the political game.The BJP is, by and large, playing a positive game:

From holding star-studded public events to connect-ing with the masses through social media, the BJP isgoing the extra mile to make sure that the public isaware and up-to-date with all the good work it hasbeen doing since coming to power. The saffron party hasalso clearly seemed to have learnt from the mistakes ithad made during the Delhi and Bihar assembly electionsand never repeated it. It has also moved away from issuesthat could be used by its critics to paint it as a Hindu ex-tremist divisive force. That explains the slow but sureelectoral gains it has made over the past few years, withthe party now ruling over half of the country’s 29 stateseither by itself or as part of a coalition.The Congress, on the other hand, is playing a pre-

dominantly negative game: From the 2014 Lok Sabhaelections up until the recent as-sembly elections, it has continuedto be in denial about the organisa-tional and leadership problemsthat have been responsible for itscontinued political decline. Manymedia observers are pointing outthat the Congress leadershipseems to be focusing solely onpotential chinks in the BJP ar-mour and waiting for Team Modito make mistakes so it may blowit out of proportion. The Con-gress is also being widely accusednow of obstructionism in the Par-liament just so it can spite BJP,even if at the expense of nationaldevelopment.History has shown that in all

spheres of life, whether it be sportsor politics, a positive approach iskey to success. Therefore, as thingsstand today, it is advantage BJPwhile Congress is facing a breakpoint. n

FROM

THE E

DITOR

’S DE

SK

“The most important difference betweenthe BJP and the Congress at present … isthe way they are playing the politicalgame”

By SUNJOY HANSEditor-in-Chief

AN UNEVENMATCH-UP

4 INDIA FIRST 1 JUNE 2016

CONTENTS

19KASHMIR

GOOD TIMES STILLA-COMINGNot much seems tohave changed inJammu and Kashmir’sfortunes since powerchanged hands in NewDelhi

08COVERSTORY

Recent assembly election results indicate that time isrunning out for Congress to engineer a comeback

SHINING IN RUINSThe golden days ofAyutthaya as a globalhub might be long overbut its hey days as aworld-class heritagesite are certainly not

36TRAVEL SOLO AND SURE

Indian women aretravelling alone andsmart like never before

ROUGH PASSAGEWith many projects andproposals in limbo, theport industry in Odishais suffering

18STATE

INDIAFIRSTEditor-in-Chief Sunjoy Hans[email : [email protected]]

Consulting Editor Pankaj Kumar

Associate Editor Siddhartha Tripathy

Senior Special Correspondent Kabita Dash

General Manager Bimal Ku. Bhanjdeo

Legal Advisors Yasobant Das, M.R. Mohanty

Orissa Correspondent H.K. Rath (Bapun)

Delhi Correspondent Samita Chaudhary

Special Correspondents Tarun Khanduja,Ashok Mehta

Production Head Debabrata Mishra

Assistant Art Director Prabhakar Hota

General Manager Finance Niranjan Das

Owned by Sri Jagannath Publications Pvt. Ltd. 4th Floor, Lalchand Market Complex, Unit-III,Station square, Bhubaneswar

Editorial Office4th Floor, Lalchand Market Complex, Unit-III,Station square, Bhubaneswar

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All rights reserved throughout the world.Reproduction in any manner is prohibited. Printedand published by Sunjoy Hans on behalf of the Sri Jagannath Publications Pvt. Ltd.

RNI Regd No. ORIENG/2004/13647Volume 12, Issue 7, 1 June 2016, Fortnightly

email : [email protected]

S P E A K S Y O U R M I N D

38TOURISM

STILL ON THE SLIDE


In a nutshell

Bad TimingMeant to be an opportunity to

highlight the power ministry's"achievements" in the last two years, thepress conference of union ministerPiyush Goyal on May 20 was short-cir-cuited by repeated outages. But as is thewont of politicians, Goyal sought toblame the power breakdowns on "slow-ing down of works" put in place in 2014to ensure outages were prevented in thenational capital. "The speed of works forimplementing our plans in Delhi -- putin place when we [National DemocraticAlliance] formed the government at theCentre in 2014 -- have slowed down overthe last year," Goyal said. He told re-porters he had met Delhi governmentofficials on the matter recently. Goyalsaid certain plans had been put in placeto ensure Delhi had uninterruptedpower supply and become "islanded"like Mumbai in case of large-scale out-age. Goyal also recalled his own "bap-tism by fire" after assuming charge ofthe portfolio in the 2014 summer, whencyclonic storms uprooted electricitypoles in Delhi, leading to a massiveblackout. "I had warned the Delhi gov-ernment at the time to be prepared forextreme summer and they had reas-sured me they were taking all care tomeet the growing demand," the minis-ter, who belongs to the Bharatiya JanataParty, said. "Hope they [Aam AadmiParty government] will ensure all ofDelhi gets uninterrupted power. Weshould not politicise every matter ormeeting," he said, adding that the

Arvind Kejriwal government had alsobeen seeking to surrender about 2,000megawatt of power. n

Solar TreeACSIR laboratory in West Bengal

has designed a 'solar power tree'that takes up only four square feet ofspace and produces about three kilo-watts (kW) of power - enough to powerabout five households. "The challengewas to come up with a design so as to

generate more solar power in less landspace," Sibnath Maity, chief scientist atthe Central Mechanical Engineering Re-search Institute (CMERI) in Durgapur,which developed the "tree", said. "Forone MW of power, one needs five acresof land. To generate 10,000 MW wewould need 50,000 acres. Now this posesa dilemma in states like West Bengal andBihar," Maity said. The "solar tree" wasrecently inaugurated by union Scienceand Technology Minister Harsh Vardhanduring his maiden visit to the CMERI,

Kapoor vs GandhiCongress workers recently named a public toilet in Allahabad after

Rishi Kapoor, apparently as a retort to the actor's recent rant overthe naming of many public institutions after Nehru-Gandhi family. SomeCongress workers, from the youth wing of the party, hung a poster, namingthe Sulabh public toilet in the Shivaji Park area after the Bollywood filmactor and inviting the people to use the public toilet more and more. Lastweek, Rishi Kapoor in a series of tweets questioned why "har cheez"[everything] in the country is named after the Gandhis. "Change Gandhifamily assets named by Congress ... Baap ka maal samjh rakha tha? [Dothey consider it their father's property?]," tweeted the 63-year-old actor."If roads in Delhi can be changed why not Congress assets/property kenaam? Was in Chandigarh wahan bhi Rajeev Gandhi assets? Socho? Why?"the veteran wrote. "We must name important assets of the country whohave contributed to society. Har cheez Gandhi ke naam? I don't agree.Sochna log!" said another tweet by Rishi. "Why Indira Gandhi airport In-ternational? Why not Mahatma Gandhi or Bhagat Singh Ambedkar or onmy name Rishi Kapoor. As superficial! What say?" Kapoor tweeted. n


which is a constituent of the Council ofScientific and Industrial Research(CSIR). Maity said one conventionalsolar photovoltaic system of five kW re-quires 400 square feet of area. The threekW solar power tree resembles a treewith branches at different tiers andcould be squeezed on rooftops andhighways with a space requirement ofaround four square feet. n

Gandhi GraceSonia Gandhi was there and so was

Sheila Dikshit but there was nopolitics on the agenda -- and neither didanyone seek to inject politics into theevening’s event. The occasion was therelease of the book “The Unseen IndiraGandhi" (Konark), penned by Dr K.P.Mathur, who was the former prime min-ister’s personal physician for 16 years tillher untimely death on October 31, 1984.Now 92, Mathur managed to get SoniaGandhi to grace the event for her latemother-in-law, a fact that was not an-

nounced by the organisers and tookmost of the audience at the India Inter-national Centre by surprise. Sonia wasrelaxed, came early and mingled easilywith the guests over tea and pakoras be-fore the event began. With even the se-curity men around her relaxed, manypeople took advantage of the occasionand their proximity to one of India’smost guarded leaders to take selfies withher, exertions which she mildlyprotested at but then gave in. But no onetalked politics. Wearing a maroon sareeand blouse, Sonia was content to sit inthe audience and got up only to receivea copy of the book from the author, whowas part and parcel of the Gandhihousehold and knew the family, includ-

ing her children, Rahul and Priyanka, in-timately. Interestingly, no one from theruling establishment could be seen. n

Goa GambleThe BJP's Goa unit has demanded

that Delhi Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal should apologise for reportedlysaying that the western state is knownfor sex, drugs and casinos. StateBharatiya Janata Party president VinayTendulkar also warned that candidatesof Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party wouldlose their election deposit in all 40 con-stituencies, should the party considercontesting the upcoming state legisla-tive assembly polls. "The Delhi chief

Bedi’s New JobBJP leader and former IPS officer Kiran Bedi has been appointed Lieu-

tenant Governor of Puducherry. The Congress-DMK alliance re-turned to power in the union territory after the May 16 elections to the30-member assembly. The first woman to join the elite Indian Police Serv-ice (IPS) in 1972, Bedi held key positions in her career, including InspectorGeneral (Prisons) at Delhi's high-security Tihar jail. Known for her admin-istrative experience and integrity, her work in one of Asia's largest jails wonher the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service in 1994. She was cred-ited for introducing yoga, meditation, literacy drive, computer skills, feed-back boxes for the inmates during her stint at Tihar and is often said tohave successfully transformed the prison into a "reformatory". Bedi hasalso courted controversies during her service. While working as deputycommissioner of police (traffic) in 1982 during the ninth Asian Games, shewas nicknamed 'Crane Bedi' for extensive use of cranes to tow awaywrongly parked cars. After joining the BJP in January 2015, Bedi had said:"Mujhe kaam karma aata hai. Kaam karana bhi aata hai [I know how towork; I know how to get work done too]". However, the BJP was virtuallywiped out in the Delhi assembly elections, winning only three seats in the70-member assembly. She herself lost in the Krishna Nagar constituencyin east Delhi. n

minister during the AAP rally said thatGoa is known for sex, drugs and casinos.Kejriwal should apologise to the peopleof Goa ... He has come to Goa and in-sulted Goans. He should apologise toGoans or he should be ready to faceconsequences, which will be bad," Ten-dulkar said. When reporters tried topoint out that Kejriwal had in fact saidin his public address that drugs, sex andcasinos was how the BJP-led coalitiongovernment perceives tourism in Goa,Tendulkar remained adamant. "No. Hehas insulted Goa," he said. Tendulkarhowever conceded that his party gov-ernment could not succeed to shift casi-nos and do away with the casinoindustry as promised in their 2012 pollmanifesto. The issue of relocation ofcasinos, majority of which were permit-ted by the previous Congress-led coali-tion government, has been a majorpolitical issue for the last decade, withboth the Congress as well as the BJP ac-cusing each other of pandering to thepowerful casino lobby. n

Seating StalinExpressing her happiness at DMK

treasurer M.K.Stalin attending herswearing-in ceremony and thankinghim, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J.Jay-alalithaa said the seating was per proto-col and there was no intent to showdisrespect to him or his party. In a state-ment, Jayalalithaa said: "I am informedthat the Public department had followedthe protocol manual in allocating seatsin the hall for the event. "If this seatingplan caused him any discomfiture, Iwould like to assure him that there wasno intent to show disrespect to him orhis party." She said had the officersbrought to her notice that Stalin wouldbe attending the event, then instruc-tions would have been given to the offi-cers to provide him a seat in the first

row, relaxing the norms. "I convey mygood wishes to him and look forward toworking with his party for the better-

ment of the state," she added. Soon afterJayalalithaa and her council of ministerswere sworn-in, DMK presidentM.Karunanidhi complained that theruling AIADMK had insulted his partyby relegating Stalin to the back rows.Karunanidhi said that the DMK, bywinning 89 seats in the elections willbe the principal opposition party inthe assembly and Stalin would be onthe front rows in the house, but at theceremony, R.Sarathkumar, of AIADMKally All India Samathuva MakkalKatchi but had lost in the elections,was seated in the front row, and Stalinand other DMK leaders alloted seat inthe tenth row. Governor K.Rosaiah ad-ministred oath of office and secretaryto Jayalalithaa and her 28 ministers ata function held at the Madras Univer-sity's Centenary Hall. n


Off Camera While Kerala's chief minister-designate Pinarayi Vijayan speaks of

fighting corruption at all levels, all the CCTV cameras were re-moved from the Chief Minister's Office just a day ahead of his swearingin.Former chief minister Oommen Chandy had installed the camerassoon after he assumed office in 2011 and had said that these were meantto show to the world that he had got nothing to hide. The cameras wereconnected to the official website of the chief minister and were live roundthe clock. "We have completely vacated the office and when we went inthere on Monday, all the cameras had been removed," said an official fromChandy’s office who did not wish to be named. The removal of the cam-eras comes at a time when Vijayan has said tackling corruption would beon his agenda. n


POLITICALLY INCORRECT

A fortnightly update on the faux pas of the movers and shakers of Indian politics

“Those who fear so much fortheir modesty, why did theygo there? This isshamelessness. Making suchallegations [of molestation]is very cheap. These girlsdon't deserve to besupported. Theyintentionally threwthemselves on others andare now blaming others”

West Bengal BJP presidentDilip Ghosh blasted JadavpurUniversity female students forbringing molestation chargesagainst ABVP activists.

“The RBI governor iswilfully and deliberatelywrecking the Indianeconomy ... He is mentallynot fully Indian”

BJP leader SubramanianSwamy in a letter to PrimeMinister Narendra Modiseeking immediate sackingof Raghuram Rajan as RBIgovernor.

“Everyone knows about the character of avillain. Kher is not only a reel life villain, butalso in real life. I don't want to say anythingmore on his statement made in Kolkata”

BJP MP Yogi Adityanath locked horns withBollywood actor Anupam Kher for his remarksabout him at the Telegraph Debate where he saidthat the likes of ‘Yogi and Sadhvi should bethrown out of the party for speaking nonsense.


Cover Story

STILL ON THESLIDE

Recent assembly election results indicate that time is running out for Congress to engineer a comeback


“If the basic principles are in-tact, then no failure is perma-nent.” These were Congress

president Sonia Gandhi’s words of wis-dom delivered at a Youth Congress func-tion commemorating the 25th deathanniversary of her husband and formerprime minister Rajiv Gandhi last month.The context, even if not explicitly stated,was clear – given this was her first publicaddress after her party’s dismal show inthe recent assembly elections.While her address was warmly ap-

plauded by her audience at the event, itseemed to cut no ice with the generalpublic or political observers – just likeher official statement released on May19, soon after the assembly election re-sults from four states and one union ter-ritory were declared. “The Indian National Congress ac-

cepts the verdict of the people of Assam,West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Puducherryand Kerala with utmost humility … Wewill introspect into the reasons for ourloss and will rededicate ourselves to theservice of the people with greatervigour.”Those words sounded hollow to many

not just because call for introspectionsounded all too familiar, almost giving asense of déjà vu, from the year 2013when Congress lost Rajasthan andDelhi, to the year after when it sufferedreverses in Haryana, Maharashtra and

former Andhra Pradesh, not to mentionthe Lok Sabha elections.That was particularly because nothing

seemed to have come out of such intro-spective exercises (a growing perceptionis these were never performed at all)since nothing much had apparentlychanged in the party’s makeup ormodus operandi over the past few years,both of which were widely reckoned asbeing responsible for its electoral deba-cles.The state of Assam, a Congress

stronghold for the past decade and ahalf but from now on to be ruled by theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is beingcited by many political experts as thelatest – and a classic – example of whatis amiss about the Grand Old Party. Theypoint out that the chief architects ofBJP’s maiden victory in the northeasternstate were in fact from its arch-rivalparty: Congress vice president RahulGandhi and Lok Sabha MP from Assam,Gaurav Gogoi (the son of hitherto Assamchief minister Tarun Gogoi).For over a decade since coming to

power in Dispur, it had been smoothsailing for the Congress government. Itran like a well-oiled political machineunder the able chief ministership ofGogoi Sr and his equally resourcefulright-hand men Himanta Biswa Sarmaand Rakibul Hussain. Sarma’s perform-ance during this span as the Minister of

State for Agriculture, Planning & Devel-opment, Finance, Health and Educa-tion, not to mention his role as an adeptelection strategist, had contributed tohis rising popularity not only with thepublic but also the party high com-mand. And none of this happened to thedispleasure of Gogoi Sr – until Gogoi Jrentered the scene.When Gaurav Gogoi – long away from

Assamese soil for higher education,among other things – toured all overAssam in 2011 only to find out that hisfather’s legacy might be inherited by hisfather’s trusted aide, trouble beganbrewing between the chief minister andSarma. Unfortunately, this power tusslecontinued over much of the third termof Congress in Assam, thwarting any fur-ther development in the state, untilSarma left Congress and joined the BJPlast year.After engineering the BJP’s election

campaign and seeing it through to vic-tory in Assam, Sarma recounted his sideof the story with Congress during an in-terview with a television channel.“The Congress is run on a concession

basis. Sonia Gandhi made Rahul Gandhithe party vice president not because ofmerit but because he is her son. Simi-larly, Rahul conceded some ground toAssam chief minister. This culture ofconcession starts from 10 Janpath andgoes down to the panchayat level. As

2012 2014


many as 34 of the 126 Congress candi-dates in Assam were sons and daughtersof big politicians,” he pointed out."Rahul Gandhi should make the Con-

gress a normal opposition. To keep theparty growing, he has to change. This isa clear message. He is no God andshould not behave like one," said theBJP leader, who was recently sworn in as

a cabinet minister. "You became the Congress vice presi-

dent because you are the son of SoniaGandhi. You made Gaurav Gogoi an MPover and above the normal 'karyakarta'of the Congress because he is the son ofTarun Gogoi. This politics has been re-jected by the people of India,” contin-ued Sarma, who was also appointed by

the BJP leadership as convener of theNorth-East Democratic Alliance, re-cently constituted for all round develop-ment of the northeast region and bettercoordination among the sister statesand Centre."That is why (Prime Minister) Naren-

dra Modi is the hero of Indian politicsbecause he is not of 'blue blood'. He hasgot to the top from a normal position,”Sarma went on.“I once asked Rahul Gandhi he must

step down and fight elections like nor-mal party workers and then become ourmaster. He had no answer! I told him ifthe youth Congress elections are fornormal 'karyakartas' (party workers),why not for him? He had no answer!When he had no answer, he startedplaying with his dog. That is how hewants to run the party,” he added.“Till Congress replaces blue-blood

culture, there is no future,” Sarma con-cluded.In Sonia’s defence, some political ob-

servers point out that she had almostbrought the infighting amid the AssamCongress leadership to an end in 2013,but Rahul Gandhi prevented that fromhappening. He clearly sided with GauravGogoi by not only rejecting Sarma’s de-mand (supported by 54 Congress MLAs)for replacement of Gogoi but also by re-fusing to make Sarma the party presi-dent in the state.Sources close to these developments

revealed that Rahul Gandhi finally hadthe time and ears for Sarma when newsabout the latter joining hands with theBJP began making rounds. The Gandhi

2016

CONGRESSRULEDSTATES INTHERECENTYEARSIN RED

Congress President Sonia Gandhi addresses during an election rally.


scion reportedly called Sarma repeat-edly for a discussion on the very day hejoined the BJP, but it had already be-come a case of too little too late.Speaking of Rahul Gandhi’s inordi-

nate delays, many political pundits haverecalled how he had talked about learn-ing from his party’s embarrassing loss toAam Aadmi Party in the Delhi assemblyelections in 2013 and promising of“doing a better job in a way that youcan’t even imagine” the next timearound, or how he had vowed to bringabout any major organizational changein the party's central set-up after its dev-astating defeat in the 2014 general elec-tions. Except for having emerged in a feistier

and more articulate avatar after his two-month-long sabbatical last year, theynoted, Rahul Gandhi has had little elseto show so far for all those promises, de-spite his party suffering one electoralloss after another – a total of nine as-sembly elections since 2014. Even now,when a mere six out of the 29 states ofIndia remain under Congress rule – twostates in north India (Himachal Pradeshand Uttarakhand), one in south India(Karnataka); three states in east India(Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya) – it hasbeen pointed out how the party resiststaking the steps direly necessary for therevival of its political fortunes.In the wake of the Congress party’s

electoral results in Assam, Kerala, WestBengal and Tamil Nadu, a few partyleaders such as Digvijay Singh andSatyavrat Chaturvedi had called for amajor “surgery” in the party instead of“cosmetic” introspection. Lest thesemight show the party’s top-level leader-ship in an unflattering light, the party’sspokespersons went on an overdrive at-tributing both of the party’s recentlosses in Assam and Kerala to the anti-incumbency factor (just like they haddone in some previous elections overthe past few years). Even Digvijay Singheventually rephrased his remarks andput them in context by publicly reiterat-ing his faith in the Gandhi mother-sonduo as the only “surgeons” qualified todo so.Many prominent Congress members,

from Shashi Tharoor to Salman Anees,articulated their thoughts, through var-ious opinion pieces and interviewsacross the media, about the problemsfacing Congress and what it needs to doto overcome those. None had the courage to suggest that

the party might need to look beyond theGandhi dynasty for credible leadershipin the future, yet they seemed to havethe conviction to say that reports of theirparty’s crisis were greatly exaggerated.Even as they did so, more and more

stories and opinions pointing to thecontrary were coming out across the

media.Some reports revealed there is grow-

ing concern in party circles over the se-ries of its recent defeats. Many analystssaid Congress does not have a properstrategy to win states and this is crucialfor it to stay in serious contention forpower in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Senior journalist and political com-

mentator H.K. Dua said Congress stateunits were ridden by factionalism andthe party faces a major challenge to winback states. “How will they govern thecountry when they are losing state afterstate. You cannot come to power at theCentre unless you win major states. It isvery important to win Uttar Pradesh,Punjab, Gujarat but Congress strategy isnot clear,” Dua stated. He said Congress needs to forge unity

in its units and promote new leadershipin states.A Congress leader, who spoke on the

condition of anonymity, said that themorale of workers was down after theseries of defeats. “The party morale is at its lowest ebb.

Today you need fighters who put in theirheart and soul in the work given tothem. People have got tired to seeing thesame faces in states. There should begenerational change. The young leader-ship should be in the forefront," he re-vealed. The leader said parties such asBJP were far quicker in bringing about

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi addresses a press conference in Guwahati.


correctives compared to Congress. “Whatever isthe party's strategy for revival, it should be un-veiled fully,” he said. Senior journalist and politicalcommentator Kuldip Nayar said BJP was replacingCongress as the dominant national party. Nayarsaid Rahul Gandhi was not attracting votes and theCongress should get out of "dynastic obsession"."The party seems to have lost its way. If there is nostrong alternative, people will go to BJP in 2019,"he concluded.While some noted that the rise of regional lead-

ers has also contributed in great measure to Con-gress’s current predicament, a rising number ofvoices in the media and across the political spec-trum pointed out that the party is digging its owngrave by continuing its covert policy of having zeroopenness to reforms. There are many accounts inthe press of how even someone like PrashantKishor, the current political strategist of Congressand former election campaign manager of the BJP,is struggling to carry out desperately needed re-forms within the grand old party, which he coulddo with relative ease in its saffron counterpart.Then, there were others who deep dived into the

history of Congress and suggested that Congresswas destined to be doomed ever since formerprime minister Indira Gandhi decided to make it afamily fiefdom. Before her, they noted, the partyhad many leaders such as Lal Bahadur Shastri thatit could fall back on after Pt Jawaharlal Nehru. Butafter her, the party only had her son Rajiv Gandhi,who had no experience in politics, as its primeministerial option. And ever since Rajiv Gandhi’sassassination, the party has always looked up tothe remaining members of his family as its de factoleaders who unfortunately lack the charisma oftheir family members who have passed away.While some sections of the media have been

terming Rahul Gandhi as the Bahadur Shah Zafar(India’s last Mughal emperor) of the Gandhi-Nehrudynasty, others have been suggesting that the BJPslogan of “Congress-mukt Bharat” could indeed bean imminent reality. Fortunately, the mainstream perspective still

classifies these as premature obituaries in light ofthe 130-year-old long history of Congress in India,its deep-rooted presence in the country’s collectiveconsciousness, and the instances when the partyhad staged a successful comeback after serious po-litical setbacks over the past decades.However, there seems to be a nationwide con-

sensus on a few things relating to the beleagueredparty: Whether it be with or without the Gandhidynasty, simply waiting for the BJP and Modi tomake mistakes, floating conspiracy theories aboutthe saffron party’s association with the Sangh Pari-var, and projecting itself as the sole national em-bodiment of India’s secular soul can only go so farif the Congress does not ring in the changes itneeds within to continue surviving as a relevantpolitical force over the long term.And if it does not do so sooner than later, the

people of this country – not the BJP – may see toit that the abject failure the Congress has beenfacing of late might as well become a permanentone. n

BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma celebrates party's performancein the recently concluded Assam Assembly polls in Guwahati.


There was a palpable sense of optimism inthe country when Narendra Modi wassworn in as Prime Minister on 26 May

2014 in a star-studded ceremony which sawmany heads of states in attendance. After 10 yearsof corruption-ridden UPA (United Progressive Al-liance) rule and weak leadership, a majority winfor the BJP (Bhartiya Janata Party) and a decisiveleader like Modi were enough to send expecta-tions skyrocketing. Two years on, disappoint-ments have given way to some cynicism but theoverall mood still remains gung ho. India's prob-lems are so vast and varied that nothing short ofa magician can make them disappear in time asshort as two years, which is why Modi made itclear from day one that he will need 10 years todeliver on the promised goods. While opposition parties have baulked at the

scale of recent celebrations to mark the govern-ment's second anniversary saying little has beenachieved during the BJP rule, economists and ex-perts warn that two years is not enough to pass adefinitive verdict on a government. The seedlingsof policy and framework have been planted by agovernment which shows both energy and intent,but only time will tell whether they can prosperand bloom in our political climate.With the launch of more than 50 schemes and

projects, the last two years have seen a major shiftin Lutyens Delhi, pulling the bureaucracy out oflethargy and forcing public servants to keep upwith the PM who has a punishing 20x7 workschedule. If schemes like Digital India, Skill India,Make in India and Swachh Bharat gain even par-tial success, India would have much to celebratefor.The good news is that inflation in the country

is down, ambitious plans to expand the railwaysand the roads are underway and India's GDP hasrisen to 7.6% in the fiscal year ended March 31.The bad news is the government's studied silenceon fringe right-wing elements often overtakes thedevelopment agenda in the country and the cru-cial Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the landbill have been stalled in parliament for two years. MODI MARKSHEETAbout two-thirds of people in a survey by a cit-

izen engagement platform said they are happywith the two years of the Narendra Modi-led gov-ernment's performance. A survey done by Local-Circles concluded its 20 point citizen poll withover 15,000 citizens voting on each question.According to the survey, 64 percent citizens say

the government performance met with expecta-tions, while 36 percent found it below expecta-tions.The key areas where more efforts were needed,

include with regard to women and child safetyand controlling price rise. Citizens rated the di-rect benefits transfer initiative highly overSwachh Bharat and Make in India. Overall, 76percent citizens feel optimistic about their andtheir family's future in India. Most want the gov-ernment to focus on bringing investments andcreating jobs in the next three years, said the re-port. More findings came from 'Kulhar', an organi-

sation founded by Mr Kush Sharma, who hasbeen a researcher with both the BJP and the Con-gress. The organisation tracked all the poll prom-ises made by the BJP and found that the Modigovernment has fulfilled 18 per cent of its prom-ises while work is in progress on 52 per cent,going by the numbers.

Cover Story

WORK INPROGRESSTHE FIRST TWO YEARS OF THE MODI GOVERNMENT HAVE SEENMORE HITS THAN MISSES BUT MUCH REMAINS TO BE DONE


About two-thirds of people in a surveyby a citizen engagement platform saidthey are happy with the two years ofthe Narendra Modi-led government'sperformance. A recent study showed

that the Modi government has fulfilled18 per cent of its promises while work is

in progress on 52 per cent.

"I have actually undertaken themaximum reforms ... but I havean enormous task ahead formyself"– PM Narendra Modi in aninterview

The analysis was made after studyingall the 246 promises listed in the high-lights of BJP’s manifesto for the 2014general elections. However, forty nine ofthe 246 promises, which were generic innature, were excluded. FISCAL FIXModi says his government is working

with determination to fulfil its promisesto people and had been able to checkleakages to the tune of Rs36,000 crore inits two years in office. If the governmentcan stop such leakages, the fiscal healthof the country will improve tremen-dously.The government had also identified

over 1.62 crore fake ration cards andchecked other malpractices such as ap-pointment of fake teachers. Referring to the government's push

for LED bulbs, he said it will help save20,000 MW once the governmentachieves its target of providing suchbulbs in 500 cities and this will help saveRs.1 lakh crore needed to install 20,000MW power.

In his speech at the "Ek Nai Subah"event held at India Gate in the capitalcity to mark completion of two years ofhis government, Modi targeted Con-gress over alleged corruption during theUPA rule and said his government willprovide cooking gas connection to fivecrore poor rural women by 2019. Comparing corruption to a termite,

Modi said his government had taken aseries of steps to tackle it including mak-ing payments through direct benefittransfer and using Aadhar, while leakageof Rs.15,000 crore in LPG subsidy wassaved.Taking a dig at Congress leader Rahul

Gandhi who had got subsidised cylin-ders increased from nine to 12 duringUPA rule, Modi said over one crore peo-ple had given up these on his appeal."Is it not a change? It is an example of

people's participation," he said. Modisaid his government had reposed trustin people and more steps will be takento reduce "red-tapism".

REFORMS ANDROADBLOCKSIn an interview to The Wall Street

Journal on the eve of his second an-niversary in office, Modi has said in thetwo years in office his government hasmade policy changes to curb corruptionand opened up more of the economy toforeign investment while filling gaps inrural infrastructure."I have actually undertaken the max-

imum reforms," Modi said. But, headded, "I have an enormous task aheadfor myself."The prime minister said he has set a

path for accelerated growth that thestates now need to help navigate. Modisaid that many of the changes he has putin place would have been regarded inprevious administrations as difficult toimplement, but now that he has donethem, to his critics they no longer qual-ify as "big bang".He said he has "opened up more of

the economy to foreign investment andmade changes to curb corruption, filledgaps in rural infrastructure and made iteasier to do business". The prime min-ister also said he would look to states tofurther liberalise the country's rigidlabour laws."Labour reform should not just mean

in the interest of industry. It should alsobe in the interest of the labourer," Modisaid.He said he expects the long-pending

Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill to bepassed this year. The bill has been stuckin the Rajya Sabha of parliament, wherethe government is in a minority. Modisaid in the last two years, India played aprominent role in global affairs. “Today,unlike before, India is not standing in acorner,” he said.Modi will visit Washington early next

month where he is to meet PresidentBarack Obama and address a joint ses-sion of the US Congress.

CRITICISM MOUNTS One of the loudest critics of the BJP

was its own ally Shiv Sena which pre-sented its own report card of the govern-ment, terming Modi a "high-flier” whois strong on announcements but shorton delivery.In the past two years, the National

Democratic Alliance (NDA) governmenthas announced around 40 majorschemes, but nothing has happenedthereafter, the Shiv Sedna said in an editin the party mouthpiece Saamana. TheShiv Sena is not only a constituent of theNDA but also shares power with the BJPin Maharashtra.

"Despite making a shower of variousschemes, barely half a dozen, like'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan', 'Jan Dhan Yo-jana' or 'PM Gramin Sadak Yojana' havereached the people ... This means thecountry cannot be run merely onschemes," the Sena chided.Taking another swipe at the Modi gov-

ernment, it said the previous govern-

ment had run the same schemes underdifferent names, but due to large-scalecorruption, the country's economy gotderailed.Although spared of any major scams,

the country still reels under severe infla-tion which doesn't show signs of ebbing,the Sena pointed out."On the borders, Pakistani terror con-

tinues, our brave solders are being mar-tyred regularly, but India continues to'hug and kiss' the neighbor," it said.

Amidst all this, the prime minister'sregular foreign jaunts have been criti-cised, but for a country grappling withneighbours like Pakistan and China,India must collect maximum number offriends worldwide -- "So, Modi hastaken wings --", the Sena pointed out.Meanwhile, the Congress described

the two years of the Narendra Modi gov-ernment as disappointing because ithad failed on all fronts, including in re-viving the economy."This government lives on advertise-

ments. This government has totallyfailed to revive the economy. Core sectorgrowth negligible. Rupee is sliding, infla-tion is very high and job creation is low-est. The prime minister had promised 10crore jobs per year but job creation(rate) is 1.32 lakh," senior Congressleader Ghulam Nabi Azad said."It is the two years of disappointment

and the big achievements of this govern-ment are creation of social tension,provocation by BJP leaders, unnecessarycontroversies and mob violence," saidAzad, who is also the leader of opposi-tion in the Rajya Sabha.Top lawyer and Former Union Minis-

ter Ram Jethmalani too attacked thegovernment for its alleged failure to fulfilits poll promises of bringing blackmoney back to the country."Till today, not one dollar of black

money has been brought back. Thepromise of the government to put Rs.15lakh out of the recovered black money inaccount of each citizen was only an elec-tion gimmick," Jethmalani said.Other parties have also accused the

government of being regressive and hurt-ing the secular fabric of the nation. Ac-cording to CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury,since Modi took power in May 2014, therewas a relentless pursuit of aggressive com-munal polarization in a bid to change thecountry's secular character "into the RSSversion of a rabidly intolerant fascistic'Hindu Rashtra'".It is easy to judge Modi's popularity

looking at recent surveys which showthat a majority of Indians still have a lotof faith in Prime Minister NarendraModi. The anniversary event saw Modiand his ministers talking much abouttheir schemes and pet projects in thelast two years, but they must now focuson making a success of their undertak-ings rather than making a show of self-congratulatory rhetoric (somethingwhich drove the last NDA governmentout of power). His reputation as the manwho gets things done won him the lastelection, but to win over the nation hehas to make sure his team talks less,works more.n


THE GOOD n INFLATION COMES DOWNn JAN DHAN YOJANAn LPG SUBSIDY REFORMSn SWACHH BHARAT MISSION

THE BADn COLD BLACKMONEY TRAILn DISSIDENCE IN UNIVERSITIESn GST BILL/LAND ORDINANCEn UTTARAKHAND

EMBARRASSMENT

AND THE UGLYn MURDER OF RATIONALISTSn SECULAR VIOLENCE AFTER n BEEF BANn HATE SPEECHES BY LEADERS

Modi says his government isworking with determination tofulfil its promises to people andhad been able to checkleakages to the tune ofRs36,000 crore in its two yearsin office. If the government canstop such leakages, the fiscalhealth of the country willimprove tremendously


Despite earning humiliating so-briquets such as ‘dalaal’(power broker), ‘daga kartoos’

(spent force) and many more from lead-ers of the ruling Samajwadi Party inUttar Pradesh, Amar Singh returned tothe party last month, powered by aticket to the Rajya Sabha. And the ‘AmarMitra Katha Part II’ seems to be on theroll yet again.Samajwadi Party (SP) chief and Amar

Singh’s old friend Mulayam Singh Yadavhad his way and ensured that his pro-tégé returned to the upper house of par-liament on a party ticket. But insiderssay, the decision was not easy during theparliamentary board meeting. However,it had the signature ‘dhobi patak’ (awrestling move wherein an opponent isslammed straight to the ground) of ‘Ne-taji’ Mulayam.Party general secretary Ram Gopal

Yadav, instrumental in Singh’s exit in2010, was “silently uneasy”; and bêtenoire Azam Khan was vocal in his oppo-sition. But the ‘Amar Mitra Katha’ hadbeen scripted and the deal was sealedmuch before the meeting, sources said.Realising that there was a large sec-

tion in the ruling party that was averseto his return, sources say the Thakurleader had “mended fences and hisways” with some of the satraps. It allstarted with a “very emotional meetingwith Mulayam some months ago” whenthe two sat down in a Lutyens’ bungalowin Delhi to reminisce about the oldtimes.Mulayam sought his son Akhilesh

Yadav’s endorsement on Amar Singh’sreturn to the fold. Though not com-pletely convinced, Akhilesh reluctantlyagreed like an obedient son, and theAmar bandwagon started rolling.On May 18, Amar Singh said that he

only came to know of the developmentat 10 a.m. the previous day. He refusedto comment any further. Known to forgive and forget and move

on in the political and personal space,Mulayam now is set to sign on the dot-ted lines for return of his friend to theSamajwadi Party.But even as Amar Singh’s re-entry to

the SP was being talked about since heshared the dais with Mulayam andAkhilesh Yadav at an event in 2014, lifemay not be that easy for him in the com-

ing days. Insiders say Ram Gopal Yadav, Azam

Khan and Rajya Sabha MP JayaBachchan still do not favour AmarSingh, but they may continue as “mutedrebels”. State Parliamentary Affairs Minister

Khan, known for his vitriolic attacks onAmar Singh, has fired the first salvo.Late on May 17, soon after reaching

his Rampur assembly constituency,Khan said he “was hurt by the develop-ments”. Referring to Mulayam, Khansaid the Samajwadi Party supremo “wasthe maalik (owner) of the party and thathe had little choice but not to challengehim.” However, PWD Minister and Mu-

layam’s brother Shivpal Singh Yadav dis-missed any dissidence. It may be notedthat Shivpal has always been close toAmar Singh, who recently threw a wed-ding reception party in Delhi for Shiv-pal’s son. Jaya Bachchan is also likely to act as a

stumbling block for Amar Singh in thefuture. However, for now he seems to bewith the right set of people, heading fora new innings in politics. n

Politics

BACK IN THE GAMEThe return of Amar Singh to the Samajwadi Party fold indicates a revival of hispolitical fortunes, but the road ahead may not be as smooth as he would like


It has been a long time since theOdisha government had proposedto develop 13 ports along its 480-

km-long coastline. But except for theDhamra and Gopalpur ports, no sub-stantial development has taken placeover the past several years and its desireto become a maritime trade hub hasmet with several hurdles.The state government proposed five

ports in Balasore's Bichitrapur, the Sub-arnarekha's confluence (Kirtania), Ba-habalpur, Chandipur and Inchudi.Besides, proposals were made for con-struction of ports at Chudamani andDhamra in Bhadrak district and at Palur,Gopalpur and the Bahuda's confluencein Ganjam district.The other two ports were in the As-

tarang and Baliharchandi area in Puridistrict and at the Jatadhar's confluenceof Jagatsinghpur district.Of these proposals, Dhamra port, a

joint venture between Tata Steel andLarsen & Toubro (now owned by AdaniGroup), and Gopalpur port are opera-tional other than the Paradip port – theoldest and fully operational port in thestate.At least two planned ports have hit a

wall of uncertainty with the defenceministry objecting to the commercialports on security grounds. The ministryis opposing the proposed ports atChandipur and Inchudi in Balasore dis-trict, a commerce department officialsaid. Since the locations of these pro-posed ports fall under missile testingrange of the Defence Research and De-velopment Organisaton (DRDO), therehas been no progress in developingthem, the official added.The state government has already

signed a Concession Agreement (CA) fordevelopment of three ports at Dhamra,Gopalpur and the Subarnarekha'smouth. Besides, MoUs have been signedfor development of a port by Posco atJatadhari's mouth in Jagatsinghpur dis-trict, Astaranga in Puri district and Chu-damani by the Aditya Birla group inBhadrak district.However, there is uncertainty over

Posco's proposed port project at an in-vestment of about Rs.5,000 crore. Sinceits proposed 12-million-tonne steelproject has temporarily been put onhold, the company is unlikely to developthe captive port that was meant to caterto the import-export needs of the proj-ect."Posco has temporarily put on hold

the proposed steel project in Odisha,"Industry Minister Debi Prasad Mishratold the assembly recently. Besides, acase has been pending in Orissa High

State

Rough PassageWith many projects and proposals in limbo, the port

industry in Odisha is suffering

Court for the past five years challengingthe state government's 2004 Port Policy.The Hyderabad-based Navayuga En-

gineering Company Ltd is developingthe port at Astaranga in Puri district atan investment of Rs.3,500 crore."We have already requested the NHAI

(National Highways Authority of India)and the railway ministry for road andrail connectivity to the port. We haveurged the centre to grant environmentclearance to set up the proposed port.But there is a land acquisition hurdle assome locals have managed to get a stayorder," Commerce minister RameshMajhi revealed.He said the state government is trying

to get vacated all the court orders thatare hindering the development of thestate's port sector.The Chennai-based Creative Port De-

velopment, which is developing a portat Kirtania, is also facing a land acquisi-tion hurdle. "While acquisition is underprocess, the land has not been trans-ferred to the company as a case is pend-ing in the Orissa High Court," theminister informed.Meanwhile, a technical and economic

review was carried out on the proposedport at Baliharchandi while surveys have

also been conducted for the proposedports at Bahabalpur, the Bahuda's con-fluence and at Bichitrapur.A perception has gone around that

several developers are not interesteddue to the restriction on the export ofiron ore, but Dhamra Port CEO SubratTripathy disagreed.“We can't say that port developers are

not interested to invest in Odisha. Thereis need to create infrastructure andsmoothen land acquisition for the portsector,” Tripathy said.Adani Group-owned Dhamra Port

Company Ltd (DPCL) witnessed a de-crease in cargo handling in 2015-16 dueto hurdles in the export of iron ore. Ithandled 14.8 million tonnes in 2015-16against 15 million tonnes in 2014-15,Tripathy said.The second phase of the port's expan-

sion is in progress for creating 13 berthsto handle all types of cargo.Meanwhile, Paradip Port Trust (PPT)

plans to raise its cargo handling capacityfrom 118.50 mpta to 325 mpta by 2025to become the country's biggest port.The port achieved an all-time cargorecord of 76.38 million tonnes during2015-16 against the previous year's traf-fic of 71.01 MT. n


Months after taking over as theprime minister two yearsago, Narendra Modi, sport-

ing a woollen cape-like Kashmiri gar-ment called a pheran, addressed a hugerally in Srinagar promising “to give jus-tice” to the people caught in one of thelongest standing conflicts in the worldfor decades now.Nearly 18 months since the December

2014 rally and after the two years of theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led govern-ment in Delhi, challenges remain inKashmir despite the issue finding a spe-cial mention in Modi’s agenda of gover-nance.The rally ahead of the 2015 state as-

sembly elections came months after theIndian Army, for the first time in nearlythree decades of fighting the separatistconflict, had convicted at least six sol-diers for their alleged involvement in astaged 2010 gunfight in which threecivilians were killed and passed off asforeign militants.The conviction was “proof of my in-

tentions. I have come to give you jus-tice”, Modi said at the public meetingthat was followed by frequent visits,more rallies, and, ultimately, the forma-tion of a coalition government in thestate along with the regional PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP).The prime minister visited Srinagar

again last November with a financialpackage of Rs.80,000 crore ($12 billion)and vowed to continue former BJPprime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’sprinciple of “jamhooriyat”, “insaniyat”and “Kashmiriyat”.However, little has changed on the

ground – both politically and develop-mentally – in Jammu and Kashmir thatlies at the tipping point of the nuclear ri-valry between India and Pakistan.Vajpayee, famously hailed for his

peaceful initiatives with Pakistan tosolve the Kashmir dispute, had ap-proached the problem from multiple di-mensions. While engaging withPakistan’s then military dictator PervezMusharraf, he also held negotiationswith Kashmiri separatists.Modi’s tactic has been in contrast to

his predecessor. When it came to Kash-mir he made it clear that he needed “noadvice or analysis from anywhere in theworld”.The prime minister not only chose to

keep Kashmiri separatists at bay but alsodisengaged Pakistan as an external di-mension to what he says is an internalproblem to be solved with jobs and in-clusive development.“This is an inward-looking exercise. Va-

jpayee understood the issue. Modi gives

Kashmir

GOOD TIMESSTILL A-COMING

Not much seems to have changed in Jammu and Kashmir’sfortunes since power changed hands in New Delhi

jingoistic postures. He ignores the basicreality. It is a dispute (between India andPakistan) that not only previous centralgovernments have accepted but is alsorecognized by the Indian constitution,”said Sheikh Showkat Hussain, a professorat Central University, Kashmir.Hussian said jobs and development

could not be substitute for resolving thelarger Kashmir problem and bringinglasting peace in the region.Recent spells of unrest – like violent

stir in a Srinagar college, and deadlyprotests in Handwara that left five peo-ple dead in firing by security forces inMarch – have proved that peace in Kash-mir has always been too fragile that getsdisturbed even by a whiff of a scandal ora true or false report of human rights vi-olations by security forces.On the development front, Jammu

and Kashmir has not seen manychanges. Officials in the state finance

ministry revealed that only a portion ofRs.80,000-crore financial package hasbeen released and most of it has beenspent on the partial rehabilitation of thesurvivors of the 2014 floods.Joblessness remains a primary con-

cern for policymakers. The state, ac-cording to official figures, has an upwardof a million jobless men and women andthe problem can’t find a solution in merefinancial packages unless backed byconcrete initiatives that guarantee em-ployment.“Nothing has happened (on job front)

so far,” said a state finance ministry of-ficial, requesting anonymity.He said the problem is not of jobless-

ness only but the larger issue is of skillshortage. “The government has recentlyconstituted a skill development mission.It is a starter. But if you ask how manynew jobs were created I will say none,”the official said. n


India can enhance its rice yields by2.5 percent and wheat by 3.3 per-cent if emissions leading to the

generation of ground-level ozone couldbe mitigated, say scientists who havedeveloped an ozone risk estimate data-base.It could aid policymakers examine

suitable mitigation strategies for cropprotection against ozone pollution, theysay."We found out that the total loss of

wheat and rice from top 10 producingstates in India is estimated to be 2.2 mil-lion tonnes (3.3 percent) and 2.05 mil-

Agriculture

‘Cut Down Ozonefor Better Harvest’

Indian scientists seem to have found anenvironmentally friendly way towards improving

national food security

lion tonnes (2.5 percent), respectively,"said Gufran Beig, senior scientist at theIndian Institute of Tropical Meteorology,Pune.“So if we can control the emissions of

ozone precursors (like volatile organiccompounds and nitrogen oxides), thenwe would produce that much more,”Beig added. Ozone production requiressunlight and high ozone concentrationcoincides with the crop growing season.It is generated in the troposphere (the

lowest layers of the atmosphere associ-ated with weather) when sunlight trig-gers complex reactions involvingshort-lived climate pollutants, volatileorganic compounds (VOC), nitrogen ox-ides (NOx) and carbon monoxide thatoriginate mainly through burning of fos-sil fuels.Ozone pollution is known to impact

human health, crops and ecosystem,and exposure to elevated levels ofground-level ozone for longer durationcan impact crops directly (yield or bio-mass). Also, ozone damage can occur toplants without any visible signs.To shed light on the links between

emissions and crop losses, the study onthe ozone risk database was done by

Sachin D. Ghude, C.K. Jena, D.M. Chate,and G. Beig of IITM; Rajesh Kumar of USNational Center for Atmospheric Re-search; and SH Kulkarni of the Centrefor Development of Advance Comput-ing, Pune.Published in the "Current Science"

journal in April, it highlights that al-though VOC is one of the culprits, incomparison to NOx, its effects are onlya “distant second”.“Our model suggests there is a rela-

tively 93 percent decrease in ozone-in-duced crop yield losses if the NOxemissions are mitigated,” said Jena.To create software simulations and

models, the team used most suitablespatial crop distribution and productiondata available for India and the latestemission inventories for 2005."These are long-term studies; so it is

relevant. Since 2005, ozone has anywayshown an increasing trend and so theimpact is likely to be more pro-nounced," Beig explained.The study also maps crop losses in

million tonnes.The rice-producing states that are vul-

nerable to relatively high ozone expo-sure are Punjab (0.85 million tonnes),

Andhra Pradesh (0.33 million tonnes),Uttar Pradesh (0.25 million tonnes) andWest Bengal (0.23 million tonnes).Similarly, other wheat-producing

states vulnerable to high ozone expo-sure are Uttar Pradesh (0.61 milliontonnes), Madhya Pradesh (0.49 milliontonnes), Rajasthan (0.23 million tonnes)and Maharashtra (0.22 million tonnes).Beig iterates current ozone exposure

impact assessment studies evaluatedthe global losses of major agriculturalcommodities amounting to 79 millionto 121 million tonnes and costing $11billion to 18 billion, and projected eco-nomic damage of about $12 billion to 35billion by 2030. A recent study by theWorld Meteorological Organization/United Nations Environment Pro-gramme (WMO/ UNEP) identified Asiato be vulnerable to ozone pollution.“In India, the major problem in urban

areas is due to particulate matter, butozone pollution is a huge concern inrural pockets. The result of our analysisprovides first-hand and important infor-mation to policymakers to propose orimplement emission control of ozoneprecursors to ensure improved nationalfood security,” Beig concluded. n


Among the foremost thinkers ofall ages, his contribution toknowledge spans maths, logic,

history, philosophy and computer sci-ence at the very least. But he did not ig-nore the world as it was, championingreason, freedom and choice and oppos-ing war, organised religion, nationalismand totalitarian politics. One of the fewphilosophers to win a Nobel Prize for lit-erature, Bertrand Russell, whose 144thbirth anniversary fell on May 18, wasalso the only one to appear in a Bolly-wood film.He had a somewhat contradictory life.

An aristocrat by birth and part of the es-tablishment (his grandfather was twiceBritain's prime minister), he alwaysquestioned authority, social norms (es-pecially conventional sexual morality)and established ideology. A profoundlyoriginal thinker in some complex realmsof human knowledge, he was also a pro-lific, accessible and witty writer, whotook pains to explain philosophy andscience to the layman. A committedpacifist, but he thought war was prefer-able to tyranny.He was an earnest and staunch votary

of human freedom but did not havemuch faith in his fellow men's capabil-ity, especially in their susceptibility tothe “herd” mentality (“Man is a rationalanimal - so at least I have been told.Throughout a long life, I have lookeddiligently for evidence in favor of thisstatement, but so far I have not had thegood fortune to come across it...”).And his life was also long and event-

ful.When he was born (May 18, 1872),

Queen Victoria was just over midwaythrough her reign and the world was stillto use electricity, and when he died(February 2, 1970), her great-greatgranddaughter Elizabeth II had been onthe throne for nearly two decades, andman was using power derived fromsplitting the atom. In the near century ofhis lifespan, he lived through two terri-ble global conflicts and many other warsand crises, revolutions and fall of em-pires, but not always as a passive ob-server.His childhood was unhappy due to

the suffocating, traditional atmos-phere at the home of his grandmotherwho raised him after the early death ofhis parents. But her emphasis onstanding on principle and independ-ent thinking influenced him and herfavourite Bible quote – “Thou shalt notfollow a multitude to do evil” – be-came his own motto.But more than his academic career

that saw him displace the prevalent

History

The Timelessnessof Bertrand RussellThere is much to learn from the lasting legacy that the

multifaceted British genius has left behind

British philosophical tradition of ideal-ism with analytic philosophy, attempt tocreate a logical basis for mathematics,and explore the meaning of words andlanguage, it is his political thought andactivism that keeps him relevant.He opposed the First World War and

the conscription it entailed (even goingto jail for his views), and later opposedrearmament but then believed the de-feat of Nazi Germany was more impor-tant than avoiding war. In thepost-World War II period, he attackedStalinist totalitarianism, sought Com-munist China be recognised, played apublic role in the Cuban Missile Crisis,pilloried US involvement in Vietnam,and was an outspoken votary of nucleardisarmament.The last earned him a seven-day jail

stint in 1961 – at the age of 89 – whenafter being arrested during a protestmarch, he refused the magistrate's offerto exempt him from jail if he would

pledge to “good behaviour”.It was his stature as a peace activist

that also led to his figuring in Bollywoodfilm “Aman” (1967) where he gives hisblessing to hero, Britain-trained doctorGautamdas (Rajendra Kumar), whoseeks his advice on whether instead ofgoing home to India to practice, heshould go to Japan to tend to victims ofthe Hiroshima and Nagasaki atombomb attacks.But what can we learn from him for

today? Much, especially his distrust ofthose who actively seek power over oth-ers, suspicion of deep state control overthe individual and concentration of eco-nomic power in hands of individuals orcorporations, of ideologies and regimeswhich are like religions with “unthink-ingly loyal disciples convinced by aworld-picture which claims a monopolyon the truth” and is “intolerant of dis-sent” and not to take anything forgranted. n


Almost 77 percent of Indian par-ents expect to live with theirsons in old age while seven

percent want to live with their daugh-ters, according to the India Human De-velopment Survey (IHDS), conductedjointly by researchers from University ofMaryland and National Council of Ap-plied Economic Research (NCAER), NewDelhi.These are the findings from the IHDS-

2 (2011-12) data-set, covering a repre-sentative sample of 41,554 householdsacross 33 states and union territories inboth rural and urban areas.In Haryana, the state with India’s low-

est child sex ratio (834 females per 1,000males), 90 percent of respondents saidthey would prefer to live with their sonsin old age rather than their daughters.Maharashtra was next, with 85 per-

cent of parents saying they expectedsupport from sons.While 73 percent of the people sur-

veyed said they should ideally have onedaughter, 11 percent said they shouldideally have two daughters.While as many as 60 percent said they

ideally wanted one son, 26 percent saidthey wanted two sons.While more people (73 percent) want

at least one daughter, when asked pref-erences for an extra child, only six saidthey wanted daughters.The survey was based on indirect

questions to test people’s attitudes.Some questions asked: How many sonsor daughters would they ideally prefer tohave? If they were to have an extra child,what sex would they prefer?IndiaSpend, a data-driven, non-

profit, public interest journalism organ-isation, plotted the preference for sonsas the extra child with the sex ratioacross Indian states.Maharashtra has a low child sex ratio

(894 females per 1,000 males) and a highpreference for a son (39 percent) for anextra child.The main reason Indian parents pre-

fer sons is that Indians expect to dependon them in their old age.More than three-fourths (77 percent)

of the respondents said they expect tolive with their sons when old. Only 16percent Indians said they would con-sider living with their daughters.States in the south see higher percent-

ages than the national average.Tripura has the highest percentage of

parents (72 percent) preferring to livewith daughters in their old age, followedby Tamil Nadu (17 percent).The perception that parents can live

with daughters has improved over thelast seven years: Asked if they would

Society

From Womb to Tomb: India’s Son Obsession Rising education levels are not doing much to changethe medieval mindset of Indians, who still prefer to have

male children and live with them in old age


consider living with daughters, 14 per-cent said yes during a survey in 2004-05;16 percent said yes in 2011-12.As many as 74 percent of Indians ex-

pect sons to support them financiallyduring old age. Only 18 percent saidthey may consider taking money fromdaughters in old age.

ALL FOR BOYS Young graduate mothers gave birth to

899 girls per 1,000 boys, lower than thenational average of 943, according to anIndiaSpend analysis of Census data.Higher education levels have helped

in better family planning, but they donot eliminate the preference for boys,the analysis reveals.The reason, experts said, could be that

the educated are more likely to affordsex-selective abortions to kill chances ofgiving birth to girls.India outlawed sex-selective abortion

in 1994. The Census 2011 data for fertil-ity of women based on education levelsalso show that educated mothers gavebirth to fewer children, IndiaSpend re-ported. Urbanisation and better educa-tion appear to correlate with aworsening sex ratio (number of femalesper 1,000 males). The sex ratio of chil-dren ever born (that is, including chil-dren who died at birth or later) to allwomen was 895 in rural areas but 878 inurban areas. Preference for sons is nolesser among the educated, according to

Tulsi Patel, Delhi University professorand editor of the 2007 book Sex-selec-tive Abortion in India.“With better control over fertility and

reproductive outcomes, also comes theconviction of dispensability of daugh-ters,” she said.The one positive trend is that younger

women (between the ages of 20 and 34)reported a better sex ratio than womenin older age groups. Mothers between 20and 34 gave birth to 927 girls per 1,000boys, whereas the average for all womenwas 890. This indicates that althoughyounger mothers are less likely to prefermale children than before, educationand urbanisation do not appear to behelping.“Discrimination against girls, selec-

tive female foeticide, and low sex ratioare more common among the educatedand the prosperous part of the society

throughout India,” said this study bytwo Leiden University researchers Kam-lesh Madan and Martijn Breuning.The study also noted that when abor-

tion was legalised in 1971, it was “usedextensively in urban areas for sex-selec-tive abortions”.Also, the equipment, being expensive,

was “available mostly to the affluent andthe well-informed part of the popula-tion in the cities”.The trend, it seems, has not changed

even today with lesser costs and higherincomes. Another 2011 study, publishedin The Lancet, pointed out that therewas decline in sex ratio for a second-born child if the first-born was a girl.“Declines were much greater in motherswith 10 or more years of education thanin mothers with no education, and inwealthier households compared withpoorer households.”“Selective abortion of girls, especially

for pregnancies after a first-born girl,has increased substantially in India,” thestudy concluded.While the sex ratio dipped for more

educated mothers across India, the op-posite was observed in Kerala, the statewith the best sex ratio (1,084).Illiterate women in Kerala (between

the ages of 20 and 34) gave birth to 940girls per 1,000 boys, and this went upwith education: 950-960 girls for moreeducated women, going up to 971 girlsfor graduates and above. n

“Discrimination against girls,selective female foeticide, andlow sex ratio are more commonamong the educated and theprosperous part of the societythroughout India” – A recent study by two LeidenUniversity researchers KamleshMadan and Martijn Breuning


While scientists and faithfulswill ensure that the debateon the existence of a univer-

sal spirit – call it God or a supernaturalforce – goes on, a research study has re-vealed that the conflict between scienceand religion has its roots in your brain.According to the researchers, human

brain is divided in two parts – one givento analytical or critical thinking and theother comprising an empathetic net-work.When it comes to choosing between

faith or science, this is how the brainworks.In order to believe in a supernatural

power or a universal spirit, people ap-pear to suppress the brain network usedfor analytical or critical thinking and en-gage the empathetic network.On the other hand, when thinking an-

alytically about the physical and mate-rial world, people just appear to do theopposite, say researchers from Ohio-based Case Western Reserve Universityand Massachusetts-based Babson Col-lege in the US.The brain has a role to play in every-

thing that happens to and by the humanbody and mind.“You cannot do anything without the

brain. So the faithfuls suppress analyti-cal/critical part of their brain while theyare enjoying their faith or praying. It,however, does not mean that they can-not be nerds and analytical at othertimes,” Richard E Boyatzis, professor oforganisational behaviour at Case West-ern and a co-author of the researchstudy, said.In a series of eight experiments, the

researchers found the more empatheticthe person is, the more likely he or sheis to be religious.The research is based on the hypoth-

esis that the human brain’s two oppos-ing domains are in constant tension.“Because of the tension between

these two networks, pushing aside anaturalistic world view enables you todelve deeper into the social or emo-tional side,” says associate professor ofphilosophy Tony Jack from Case Westernin a paper published in the journal PLOSONE.According to Santhosh Babu, celebrity

coach and managing director of Organ-isation Development Alternatives,human brain is capable of understand-ing that we do not understand every-thing. Therefore, there is a “rationalcomfort” in trusting someone or some-thing on issues which are beyond ourunderstanding and capabilities.“The moment we believe in some-

thing, there is a perceptual constraint

Human Interest

Mind overMatterBeing a believer or non-believer has more to do withthe brain than was previously known

that stops the analytical or curious partof our brain. Once the brain believes insomething strongly, only the data thatsupport that particular belief is allowedto enter our awareness,” Babu ex-plained.

The US researchers also examined therelationship between belief in God withmeasures of analytic thinking and moralconcerns, in eight different experiments– each involving 159 to 527 adults.Consistently through all experiments,


the team found that both spiritual beliefand empathic concerns were positivelyassociated with frequency of prayer,meditation and other spiritual or reli-gious practices. Experts feel that for thehuman mind, the uncertainty that sur-rounds a state of “not knowing” is asource of anxiety, fear and depression.“Surrendering to a ‘higher power’ al-

leviates that state of ‘not knowing’ as itis easier to believe that things are hap-pening as per will of God or destinyrather than not being able to put an ex-planation for those acts or phenome-non,” emphasises Dr Sunil Mittal, seniorpsychiatrist from Cosmos Institute ofMental Health and Behavioural Sciencesin New Delhi.Religious beliefs, however, can help

cope with difficult events such as deathof a loved one, loss, disability andcalamities.“The human mind does feel con-

flicted about believing in somethingthat it has never seen or cannot define.However, the ‘power of belief’ itself is es-sential to help find answers and cope

with difficulties in life, be it belief inGod, in destiny or any other higherpower,” Dr Mittal said.But some psychiatrists say the un-

known also holds challenges for themind.“One can be spiritual without being

religious and vice versa. Uncertaintymay lead to depression, fear and anxiety,

but may also be rewarding as it providesa stimulus for progression on a journeythat may lead to the development of theself and personal beliefs in response tothe challenges faced in life,” says DrShobhana Mittal, a Delhi-based seniorpsychiatrist. To question, analyse andthink critically is an innate quality of thehuman mind. But the religion-scienceconflict can, however, be avoided by re-membering simple rules, say others.“Religion has no place telling us about

the physical structure of the world asthis is the business of science. Scienceshould inform our ethical reasoning butit cannot determine what is ethical ortell us how we should construct mean-ing and purpose in our lives,” explainsJack. For Dr (Brig) S Sudarsanan, seniorconsultant psychiatrist from BLK SuperSpecialty Hospital in the capital, whilethe conflict between belief in God andatheism has gained significant momen-tum in the recent past, “spirituality is in-creasingly being thought of as a keyfunction of the brain”. That may be an-other debatable point. n

“Religion has no place tellingus about the physical structureof the world as this is thebusiness of science. Scienceshould inform our ethicalreasoning but it cannotdetermine what is ethical ortell us how we should constructmeaning and purpose in ourlives” – Tony Jack, associateprofessor of philosophy fromCase Western


In a recent "Mann Ki Baat" address,Prime Minister Narendra Modistressed that every government

should focus on quality learning andoutcomes rather than the school enrol-ment.His concerns, expressed on April 24,

2016, are not unfounded.As many as 62 percent of children in

India attended a government primaryschool in 2014, compared to 72.6 per-cent in 2007-08 – indicating a surgingpreference for private schools – accord-ing to a recent analysis of data by Indi-aSpend, a data-driven, non-profit,public interest journalism organisation,in a recent survey on education releasedby the National Sample Survey Organi-sation (NSSO).At the upper primary level, the per-

centage of students in governmentschools reduced from 69.9 percent in2007-08 to 66 percent in 2014.An urban-rural divide is evident: Only

31 percent of children attended govern-ment primary schools in urban areas,against 72.3 percent in rural areas in2014. Yet, this does not mean learningoutcomes have improved, IndiaSpendreported last year.

No more than 26 percent of childrenin class V can do division, a drop of morethan 10 percent over four years, accord-ing to the 2014 Annual Status of Educa-tion Report by Pratham, an educationNGO.Despite spending Rs.586,085 crore

($94 billion) over the past decade on pri-mary education, India has been unableto arrest the decline in learning, Indi-aSpend reported.Till Class XII, students prefer private

institutions over government, with 58.7percent citing "better environment forlearning" as the major factor for study-ing in private schools at the primarylevel.Only 11.6 percent cited "English as a

medium of learning" as a reason forstudying in private schools.

However, when it came to graduation,post-graduation and diploma studies,many enrolled in private institutions be-cause they did not get admission to agovernment institution.For instance, 43 percent of respon-

dents pursuing a diploma cited inabilityto get admission in a government insti-tution as the reason to enroll in a privateinstitution, while the same number was27.5 percent for students pursuing grad-uation degrees and above.The trends were uniform in rural and

urban areas – although the demand forEnglish-medium instruction in urbanareas was higher by seven percent at theprimary level – pointing to growing ed-ucational and career aspirations.As many as 71 million students (26

percent of all students) enroll for privatecoaching in India: 273 of every 1,000males and 243 of every 1,000 females.Further, 89 percent of them cited

"augmenting basic education" as thereason for additional tuition.India’s private coaching market was

likely to touch $40 billion (Rs.2.6 lakhcrore) by the end of 2015, according toa report by Assocham, a trade watch-dog. n

“As many as 71 million students(26 percent of all students)enroll for private coaching inIndia: 273 of every 1,000 malesand 243 of every 1,000females”

Education

The Public-Private ParadoxAspirational India is increasingly preferring private schools over government ones,

but this trend reverses at the higher education levels


The consumption of whisky in itstraditional avatar has long beenin vogue in the country, but

whisky cocktails are also gaining popu-larity as more Indians are travellingoverseas and experiencing internationaldrinking trends.The emergence of “craft cocktail bars

specialising in whisky cocktails seem tosuggest that the trend is here to stay”,said Vineet Agrawal, head of marketing– Indian subcontinent and Maldives,Brown-Forman Worldwide LLC, thecompany that manufactures the popu-lar Jack Daniel's whisky brand.American whiskies are currently wit-

nessing a "renaissance globally", saidAgrawal, who believes the consumptionof whisky cocktails is "more of a lifestylechoice"."Well-travelled Indian millennial con-

sumers are not very different from theircounterparts across this digitally con-nected world. We also see a lot ofwomen, who traditionally have shiedaway from whisky, now finding a suit-able alternative as they discover Ameri-can whisky through such cocktails,"Agrawal added.Rohan Jelkie, brand ambassador,

Moet Hennessy India, says while whiskyhas been the "oldest base spirit" forcocktails compared to others, whiskycocktails have certainly made a come-back."Whisky-based cocktails like the Old

Fashioned, Manhattan and the WhiskySour are some of the most classicrecipes that have been around since the1850," Jelkie noted."Unique cocktails made with whisky

have definitely made a comeback andconsumers have loved them. And theyare definitely here to stay," he added.Jamie Walker, a brand ambassador of

USL-Diageo Reserve, said perceptionsabout drinking whisky are also chang-ing."In the past, whisky has been typecast

as a spirit only to be enjoyed neat ormaybe ice and water, but this is chang-ing. I find when I do whisky dinners andcocktail sessions, gentlemen are noweager to taste the cocktails and (I'm)often surprised at how much they enjoythem," Walker said.As far as festivals promoting whisky

cocktails are concerned, Jelkie said theyplay a very important role in spreadingawareness of the spirit in the country."Such cocktail fests are a great plat-

form to drive category education for theend consumer," he said.Jelkie even hosted a seminar at Tales

of the Cocktail, the world's biggest cock-tail festival, in New Orleans a few years

Tourism

Whisky CocktailsMake a Comeback

ago.He said that the fest has “helped build

the cocktail culture in the US over thepast decade”.Similarly, Jack Daniel's hosted a

whisky cocktail festival in India last year,enabling consumers to try the drink in arefreshing avatar.As the temperature in the capital con-

tinue to soar, whisky cocktail recipes areapt to beat the heat.While Agrawal recommended recipes

like Jack Julep (a combination of JackDaniel's Old No. 7, simple syrup,crushed ice and mint sprig) and LemonNo. 7 (a combination of Old No. 7, triplesec, sour mix, lemon, cherry and lemon-lime soda), Jelkie recommended theGlenmorangie Mint Julep, a combina-tion of Glenmorangie The Original, freshmint, sugar and cracked ice.Dean Callan, global brand ambassa-

dor of whisky brand Monkey Shoulder,recommended a classic mix of whisky,lemon, ice and ginger ale.However, Callan also had important

advice about drinking whisky cocktailsduring summer."When you are drinking cocktails in

the heat, you need to keep drinkingwater as you will dehydrate. If you are athome, and you have a bottle of whisky,the first thing should be to try picking acocktail that only uses the base spirit,"he said.Most importantly, there's no specific

way of appreciating the drink, Walkernoted. "If you find a drink or a combination

that you like then that is good for you,stick with it. There is no correct way todrink whisky, and as such there is no de-finitive way to mix it in a cocktail," headded. n

“In the past, whisky has been typecast as a spirit only to beenjoyed neat or maybe ice and water, but this is changing. I findwhen I do whisky dinners and cocktail sessions, gentlemen are

now eager to taste the cocktails and (I'm) often surprised at howmuch they enjoy them”

– Jamie Walker, a brand ambassador of USL-Diageo Reserve


Forty-five-year-old DhaneswarBoro is excited that his days of il-literacy are over. He can now

write his name in Assamese and he isgradually getting to know his rights as anIndian citizen.But it was a bleak story till last year.

Life remained stuck in a morass of un-derdevelopment in Bakrapara village inRani development block, just 30 kmfrom the state’s main city of Guwahati.However, the winds of change are nowblowing, thanks to Guwahati’s NPS In-ternational School that has adopted thevillage as part of its CSR (corporate so-cial responsibility) initiative.For decades, Dhaneswar and his fel-

low villagers here lived without the basicfacilities. Their life revolved around cul-tivating land, fishing and selling thecatch in the local market. Many amongthem earned their living as daily labour-ers. The developmental schemes of thecentral and state governments did notreach this village, which lies in the Dis-pur assembly constituency.The curse of illiteracy passed on from

one generation to another – the 70 fam-ilies here could not afford to send theirchildren to school due to lack of money.The dark shadow of poverty loomedlarge.But all that’s in past now, ever since

the village was adopted by NPS Interna-tional School in 2015.“We adopted the village in 2015 as

part of our Corporate Social Responsi-bility and we are working for the better-ment of the living conditions of thepeople,” NPS International School di-rector J.N. Das said.“The families here belong to the BPL

category and we are training them on al-ternative livelihood options.“We have brought in experts to train

the villagers on rearing pigs, ducks andchicken, which has benefited them eco-nomically,” Das added.Thanks to the effort, several villagers

have now taken up rearing pigs, ducks,goats and chicken, moving away fromtheir traditional occupations.It is also changing for the senior vil-

lagers, for whom the school organisesliteracy camps. They are also beingtrained on health, hygiene and other is-sues. The initiative also has an environ-mental aspect to it: the villagers arebeing made aware about the hazardouseffects of plastic.“We are telling them about the need

to conserve the environment,” Das in-formed, adding that the the village hasbeen declared a ‘no-plastic zone’ andanyone found dumping plastic andother non-biodegradable waste is

slapped with a fine.The villagers have planted about 100

saplings last year as part of the green ini-tiative.Das’s claims are endorsed by

Dhaneswar. “There have been so manychanges here after the NPS Schooladopted the village. We are learning howto conserve the nature. My wife hasbeen trained on rearing duck andchicken. It is benefiting us economi-cally,” Dhaneswar said.“Politicians come here only at the

time of elections. But now, the days arechanging for good. I feel the youngergeneration will see better days,” chimedin Dipak Basumatary, another villager.A primary school was set up in the vil-

lage about 20 years back. The few chil-dren who study there now have achance to interact with their counter-parts at the NPS International School.“These interactions will certainly ben-

efit our children as they will learn a lotof new things,” said Ila Kachari, an eld-erly village woman, who proudly addedthat she too can now write her nameafter participating in the literacy pro-gramme. “The village used to be back-ward. But we are now developing it as amodel village. We are ensuring that thevillagers participate in all the activities,”Das said. n

Development

Where the Past Did Not LastFrom being one of the most backward villages in Assam to becoming a model one,

Bakrapara has come a long way in a very short period of time


Almost a year after the devastat-ing 7.8 magnitude earthquakehit the Himalayan nation of

Nepal, a new international report says astaggering 4,312 landslides were trig-gered by the temblor and aftershocks.It says the major destruction by the

landslides was of newly developed set-tlements, and the total loss and damagewas estimated at US$7 billion.The report “Impact of Nepal’s 2015

Gorkha Earthquake-Induced Geohaz-ards” says the lives of eight million peo-ple, almost one-third of Nepal’spopulation, were impacted. But thedamage due to landslides and glacierlake floods was less than anticipated.Supported by Skoll Global Threats

Fund, the Kathmandu-headquarteredInternational Centre for IntegratedMountain Development (ICIMOD),along with scientists from the US, Eu-rope and the region prepared the reportby mapping the landslides using satel-lite images, aerial surveys and field vis-its.In Nepal, home to more than one-

third of the Himalayan range, the dam-age by the quake was devastating,compared to the Tibet Autonomous Re-gion in China or India and Bangladesh.Within Nepal, more than 8,800 people

died, 22,000 were injured and 100,000displaced.The earthquake on April 25 last year,

pushed an additional 2.5 to 3.5 percent

of the Nepalese population into povertyin 2015-16, the researchers wrote intheir 36-page report that aims to im-prove the management of geohazards.Scientists have discovered that there

was major destruction to the newly de-veloped human settlements comparedto older ones.These settlements were along the

Pasang Lamu highway in the Trishulivalley and Kodari highway in theBhotekoshi and Sunkoshi valleys.Tatopani village, bordering China, toowas hit by rock falls.According to the report, the temblor

induced two disastrous avalanches –one in Langtang valley and another atthe Mount Everest base camp.The most destructive and probably

the largest landslide triggered was amassive one initiated nearly 7,000 me-tres above mean sea level which com-pletely buried Langtang village.The Mount Everest base camp was

also hit by an earthquake-induced iceavalanche, even though the shaking atthis point was light.The collapsing icy mass swept away a

part of the Everest base camp andclaimed 22 lives.It was the worst single day in the his-

tory of Everest and occurred a year afterthe previous worst day in the mountain’shistory on April 18, 2014, when ice ava-lanches hit the Everest climbing routeover the Khumbu glacier, killing 16 peo-

ple, the researchers wrote.The indication is that ice on the

mountain was ready to collapse. Spring-time melting triggered the collapse in2014 and probably conditioned the icefor collapse in 2015 so that only a lightshaking was needed to break it loose,they said.The saving grace is that the earth-

quake did not cause floods from the out-burst of glacial lakes.“This was both fortunate and surpris-

ing. The good news, however, does notnecessarily indicate that future earth-quakes will have a similarly low impactas they could strike closer to and moredirectly beneath the glacial lakes,” saidthe researchers.They warned that many of the land-

slides and landslide dams and possiblythe increased instability of glacial lakeshave the potential to lead to a chain ofhazards in the future.The situation of Himalayan glacial

lakes needs to be observed carefully inChina, India and Nepal to confirm thepreliminary conclusions that the risk offloods from the outburst of glacial lakeshas not been visibly heightened by theearthquake, says the report.“After the earthquake we joined hands

with regional and international expertsto map the positions of landslides anddebris flows. We undertook several stud-ies to assess its impact,” ICIMOD direc-tor general David J. Molden said. n

Environment

Not Out of the WoodsThe good news about the terrible quake in Nepal last year, which

triggered over 4,300 landslides and afflicted thousands of lives, is that itcould have been a lot worse. The bad news is it yet can


Before it takes a call on import-ing Indian tigers, Cambodia'sforestry administration is on a

special mission – scouting for signs ofindigenous tigers in its dense jungles,where according to reports they are"functionally extinct".“More than hundred cameras have

been installed and more are being set upin the southern part of the CardamomMountains and eastern part of the Mon-dulkiri Protected Forests to look forsigns of tigers," said Keo Omaliss, Direc-tor, Department of Wildlife and Biodi-versity, Cambodia. Omaliss said they are also searching

for tigers in the north-eastern region ofCambodia, a large part of which comesunder Mondulkiri and which also sharesborder with the neighbouring Yok DonNational park in Vietnam.He said they are doing it with the help

of Wildlife Alliance, a non-profit wildlifeconservation organization which hasprogrammes in Cambodia. The last wild tiger in Cambodia was

spotted in 2007 in the Eastern Plain dryforests landscape of Mondulkiri forests.Cambodia lost most of its tigers due to

poaching and deforestation. It is nowleft with vast tigerless bio reserves,which includes the 1,700 sq km of Mon-dulkiri Protected Forests, 1,500 sq kmLomphat Wildlife Sanctuary, 2,000 sq

km Seima Protected Forests – a mixedevergreen forest, and 470 sq km ofPhnom Nam Lyr Wildlife Sanctuary. "This programme would also help us

with tiger prey assessment. However,the focus is to get sign of any tiger outthere," Omaliss said. “Before reintroducing tigers in Cam-

bodia over the next five years, with In-dian help, we also need to prepareourselves. We don't have intensive re-search on the tigers or the tigers’ prey,"he said, adding that talks with India areon but not official yet. Indian Environment Minister Prakash

Javadekar denied about any proposal forrelocating Indian Royal Bengal Tigers toCambodia, in Lok Sabha on May 5.He however, during a conference on

tiger conservation last month reiteratedIndia's willingness to help increase thetiger population in countries wherethere was a low tiger count. The prime location in Cambodia to

search for tigers are the Mondulkiri Pro-tected Forests and the CardamomMountains covering over one millionhectares of area. This is also the regionwhere Cambodia aspires to reintroducetigers from India in two separate en-closed breeding areas.The camera traps in Cardamom

mountains, in the western and southwestern region of Cambodia, would also

help check illegal logging in the area.Asked what makes him believe that

some Indo-Chinese tigers that onceroamed in the Cambodian jungles arestill alive, Omaliss added, "I am opti-mistic that some tigers are still roamingin Cambodian jungles silently, becausethat’s the nature of tiger."“There had been no report recently of

hunting or poaching in the Cambodianforests. Around ten tigers were confis-cated from poachers in the past fiveyears. Besides, the area is vast and tigersare few so it’s hard to spot them, but thatdoesn't make them extinct."Omaliss also doesn’t agree with the

apprehension of some tiger expertsclaiming that introducing Indian tigersin Cambodia is a bad idea. "I dont agree that tiger introduction

would not be successful. The key pointis prey. If the tigers get their food thenthey will thrive. Indian and Cambodianjungles are not very different," saidOmaliss. A WWF report also finds tigers from

India or Nepal best suited for re-intro-duction as the habitats are similar."There are tigers from different re-

gions in the zoo of UK and USA and theyare doing fine. Besides, given the righttigers and tigresses, of right age andbuild, the rehabilitation would be a suc-cess," Omaliss said. n

Wildlife

At the Last CountCambodia is combing its forests in search of indigenous tigers, but may

soon come knocking at India’s doors for some


Sandeep Patil-led selection committeenamed as many as five fresh faces for thelimited overs tour to Zimbabwe and theWest Indies-bound Test squad.Thakur, a three-time Bharatiya Janata

Party (BJP) MP from Hamirpur in Hi-machal Pradesh, has been active insports administration for more than adecade now. He found himself elevatedto the top post of the world's richestcricket board during its Special Generalmeeting on May 23.Thakur, who was elected Himachal

Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA)president at the age of 26, was also theyoungest to head a state cricket associ-ation affiliated to the BCCI.According to some seasoned BCCI of-

ficials, Thakur worked hard to turnaround a "backward state" like Hi-machal and establish one of the mostimpressive venues on the world's cricketmap. Thakur created modern cricket fa-cilities not just in picturesque Dharam-sala but also in smaller towns like

Bilaspur and Una.Cut to the players. On May 23, the se-

lection committee named two youngsquads for the upcoming tours of Zim-babwe and the West Indies.While the One-Day International

(ODI) and Twenty20 International(T20I) squads witnessed the inclusion ofVidarbha opener Faiz Faisal, Karnatakabatsman Karun Nair, Punjab batsmanMandeep Singh and Haryana spin duoof Jayant Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahalfor the Zimbabwe tour, the Test squadfound its lone new face in Mumbaiseamer Shardul Thakur.These inclusions meant that senior

pros Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Yu-

vraj Singh and Amit Mishra found them-selves out of the reckoning despite beingamong the sure-starters in their respec-tive Indian Premier League (IPL) fran-chises.Raina, who despite being amongst

runs in the IPL, failed to impress theselectors who decided to opt for therookies. But Mumbai's RohitSharma's inclusion in the Test squadhas not cut much ice as the 29-year-old has found the going tough in thelongest format.With the board and selectors reposing

their faith in youngsters, it will be inter-esting to see how they deliver.While Thakur and his new office bear-

ers' immediate challenge will arrive inJuly, when the Supreme Court issues itsorder on implementing the Justice R.M.Lodha Committee reforms in cleansingthe BCCI, the players will have to grabthe opportunities with both hands ifthey are to cement their places in theplaying XI. n

From administration to selection ofuncapped players in the national

team, the Board of Control for Cricket inIndia (BCCI) of late seems to have foundyouth as its new mantra.Recently, while the board witnessed

the election of 41-year-old AnuragThakur as its second youngest presidentafter Fatehsingh Rao Gaekwad, the

Sports

BCCI: Counting on New Blood

With the board and selectorsreposing their faith inyoungsters, it will be

interesting to see how theydeliver


Smartphone shipments are on thedecline globally. Deviceslaunched with same features

and specifications and price cuts are sofar unable to make a visible impact. Sowhat is going to drive the sales num-bers? The answer is content, and globaland Indian internet-based videostreaming service providers havespruced up efforts to woo the Indianconsumers.At present, video content contributes

approximately 40 percent of the totalmobile data traffic in India. Various in-dustry estimates predict a compoundannual growth rate (CAGR) of 83 percentfor over-the-top (OTT) video contentdemand in the next five years in thecountry.It was global streaming giant Netflix

that set the Indian video content indus-try on fire with its entry nearly fourmonths ago. Other players like US-based YuppTV, Mumbai-based nexGTVand China-based LeEco (offering freevideo content services bundled with its“superphone” Le 1s Eco) have un-leashed the content war.“It is early days in India and there is

still much to learn and discover so thatwe can keep making the Netflix experi-ence better. So far we are pleased withhow consumers in India are discoveringNetflix,” says Jessica Lee, director, com-munications (Asia), Netflix.In 2016, Netflix plans to spend about

US$5 billion on programming rights, in-cluding many original and licensed titlesaround the world. That includes morethan 30 new Netflix original series (orseasons of existing series.)In India, Netflix is set to acquire recent

Bollywood titles, memorable classic ti-tles and the best of regional cinema(Tamil, Gujarati, Punjabi and Marathi).“For now, we see that the shows Indi-

ans love are very much similar to whatwe see in other markets. The top onesare Netflix originals like ‘Master of None’,‘Narcos’, Marvel’s ‘Daredevil’ and Mar-vel’s ‘Jessica Jones’,” Lee said.“Our goal is to bring Indian cinema to

not only all regions of the country but tothe world. So you will find Indian film ti-tles in all countries in which Netflix ex-ists – accessible to our more than 81million members. For example, ‘Brah-man Naman’, a coming-of-age comedyby celebrated Indian director ‘Q’, willsoon be available globally on Netflixalone,” informs Lee.According to Uday Reddy, CEO and

founder of internet-based TV streamingprovider YuppTV, with the smartphoneusers in the country expected to touchover 700 million by 2020, the contribution

Technology

Video Streaming:The Next Round

The smartphone competition in India is poised to go “over the top”

of video content in the overall data con-sumption can rise as high as 85 percent.“Entertainment for today’s mobile-

friendly viewership is no longer con-fined to the walls of living rooms.Instead, the ongoing digital revolutionhas enabled one’s entertainment solu-tions to be carried in the palm of one’shand,” Reddy said.Founded in 2006, with offices in At-

lanta and Mumbai, YuppTV offers over200 television channels in 12 languages.“At present, we have more than 25,000

hours of entertainment catalogued inour library and add approximately 2,500hours of new on-demand content on adaily basis. In terms of diversity, we havemore than 200 Live TV channels, over2,000 movies, and over 100 TV shows,”informs Reddy.YuppTV recently launched YuppFlix,

an on-demand movie streaming servicefor the Indian diaspora, and YuppTVBazaar, an online marketplace for thepremium content curator.The outlook for the Indian OTT video


content industry looks extremely posi-tive this year. According to a recent re-port from market research firm MediaPartners Asia (MPA), the OTT market inIndia is expected to cross 100 millionunique monthly users by 2020.OTT players are also set to benefit

from the evolving entertainment prefer-ences of the Indian digital viewers aswell as the availability of better moneti-sation channels.“At nexGTv, we currently receive close

to two million subscribers every month,browsing through our extensive contentcatalogue which comprises nearly20,000 hours of programming acrossLive TV, movies and video-on-demand(VOD) in over 10 different languages,”says Abhesh Verma, COO, nexGTv.“With multiple offerings such as

‘nexGTv SPOTLight’, ‘nexGTv Kids’ appand premium original content addinggreater diversity to our library, we areconfident that nexGTv will soon emergeas the industry leader in the Indian OTTentertainment segment,” Verma said.Is poor internet connectivity a real

enemy for the OTT players?

Poor internet connectivity causes bro-ken viewing experience and low end-user satisfaction and has traditionallybeen a major obstacle for the OTT play-ers in the domestic market. 4G servicesare yet to reach maximum users and theminimum broadband speed is at 512kbps in India while the world average is5.1 Mbps.“For a seamless streaming experience,

broadband internet is necessary and the

broadband penetration in India is juststarting to pick up. With the nationalbroadband policy, we hope to see an in-creased penetration which will help thegrowth of OTT in India,” Reddy added.To counter poor streaming, Netflix has

introduced a new tool to help membersbetter control how much data they usewhen streaming on cellular networks.“In addition, our adaptive streaming

engine allows us to automatically adjustthe bitrate (measured in multiple of bitsper second) of the video stream basedon a member’s bandwidth so we caneliminate buffering and provide the bestviewing experience in lower bandwidthcountries like India,” Lee noted.There is also a push to create original

video content that is relevant to theevolving tastes and entertainment sen-sibilities of the Indian viewers.“With growing 3G penetration and the

advent of 4G-LTE network, we arebound to see greater adoption and moreseamless service delivery. This, in con-fluence with affordable smartphonesand data plans, will drive OTT contentgrowth,” Verma said, expressing hope. n

“For a seamless streamingexperience, broadband internetis necessary and the broadbandpenetration in India is juststarting to pick up. With thenational broadband policy, wehope to see an increasedpenetration which will help thegrowth of OTT in India”– Uday Reddy, CEO and founderof YuppTV, an internet-basedTV streaming provider


At a time when cancer is fastspreading its tentacles globallyowing to genetic, environment

and lifestyle factors, India is also wit-nessing a steep rise in cancer cases andsignificantly, more and more women arefalling prey to the emperor of all mal-adies, top health care providers stress.According to the National Cancer In-

stitute (NCI) which is part of the US De-partment of Health and Human Services(USDHHS), every 13th new cancer pa-tient in the world is an Indian andbreast, cervical and oral cancers top thelist in the country.“Out of 12.5 lakh (1.25 million) new

cancer patients each year in India, overseven lakh are women," says Dr (Col)Ranga Rao Rangaraju, director (oncol-ogy services) at Max Super SpecialtyHospital in New Delhi.“Nearly 3.5 lakh women face deaths

owing to cancer each year and the figureis likely to go up to 4.5 lakh by 2025,” DrRangaraju said.Imbalance in the circadian clock due

to sleep loss, lack of exercise, wrong eat-ing habits, work-related stress, smokingand alcohol abuse are some of the keyreasons behind high mortality ratesamong women with cancer."Our sedentary lifestyle is the first

thing to be blamed," adds Dr SandeepBatra, senior consultant (medical oncol-ogy) at BLK Super Specialty Hospital.Focused on professional life, urban

women end up in late marriages andchild bearing. Some of them opt for hor-mone replacement therapies which fur-ther increases the risk of cancer.“Artificial hormonal replacement

therapies must be avoided,” Dr Batraadded.Therapies, like controlled ovarian

stimulation (COS) – the hormone treat-ment required for in vitro fertilisation(IVF) –must be avoided as it increasesestrogen and progesterone levels whichhas been suspected to increase breastcancer risk.“One should be ambitious but, at the

same time, have a target to go the familyway in time,” cautions Dr Sameer Kaul,senior consultant (surgical oncologyand robotic) from Indraprastha ApolloHospital. Adopting a healthy lifestyle,maintaining correct body weight andadequate exercise as well as safe sexualpractices can go a long way in prevent-ing cancers, he suggests.According to a recent study, India has

seen a 7.5 percent rise in the number ofcancer patients primarily due to poorlifestyle choices.The lifestyle problems have con-

tributed to breast, ovarian and cervix

uteri cancers among women, says theGlobocan project study conducted bythe International Agency for Researchon Cancer of the World Health Organi-sation (WHO).Women also need to strictly carry out

annual health checkups. A thorough gy-necological checkup must become aroutine after the age of 35.“Cancer treatment should be carried

out only at certified centres run by gov-ernment-laid guidelines so as to max-imise survival rates and improve qualityof life,” said Dr Vedant Kabra, director(surgical oncology) at Fortis MemorialResearch Institute in Gurgaon.Increased awareness among women

is imperative as it results in timely de-

tection which is very important in can-cer patients as it can prevent death.Often for socioeconomic reasons,

along with less awareness, severalwomen tend to overlook risks andsymptoms associated with cancer. Itthus proves fatal as in such cases canceris diagnosed at an advanced stage wherethe treatment becomes ineffectual.“Avoid regular consumption of unhy-

gienic and unhealthy junk foods as itdisrupts the normal body mechanismand triggers the onset of cancer,” notesDr Batra, suggesting that the consump-tion of fresh fruits and vegetables cou-pled with daily exercise and a stress-freeenvironment are keys to ward off cancerrisk. n

Health

As the Crab Creeps UpThe dreaded cancer will continue to afflict a risingnumber of women in India unless they actively takesteps to check it in time, warn experts

“Nearly 3.5 lakh women face deaths owing to cancer each yearand the figure is likely to go up to 4.5 lakh by 2025” – Dr (Col) Ranga Rao Rangaraju, director (oncology services) atMax Super Specialty Hospital in New Delhi


This is for those who are jealousof young Indian men sportingthat perfectly styled beard or

those wishing to wear a perfect one tonot only impress the opposite sex butalso their friends on the social media.According to cosmetic surgeons and

skin specialists, the quest to catch upwith the latest trend of growing andstyling beard and moustache has, oflate, inspired several young adults visit-ing them for that “perfect patch” of thefacial hair involving medications andeven surgical techniques.“There is certainly a demand for a

more sharpened beard these days. Peo-ple do come to get their facial hairsharpened and shaped in order to attainthat perfect rough look. Sharpening isdone using laser treatments,” said Dr.Anup Dhir, renowned specialist in cos-metic surgery at the Apollo Hospital inthe capital.According to experts, young men

want to increase hair density, get rid ofexcessive hair on cheeks just below theeyes as well as neck and even get hairtransplants in a few cases."A strong desire to look better than

the rest is really forcing young men tomake a beeline at cosmetic clinicsacross the country. Sporting beard andtwirling moustaches are consideredfashion statements nowadays. The trendseems to have come from the celebri-ties, including actors and cricketers," ex-plained Dr. Rohit Batra, seniordermatologist at Sir Gangaram Hospital.Batra gets 8 to 10 such cases per

month and according to him, it has beenthree to four years that this trend is con-tinuing and the frequency is increasingday by day.“People come with high hopes and ex-

pectations. In most cases, youths want aluxuriant hair. Also, people with unevenhair growth come to get that perfecthair-do, which involves removal of un-wanted hair and transplants,” Batrasaid.Gone are the days when long mous-

taches and beards were associated withbad guys and girls fell for clean-shavenmen. At least that is what several Bolly-wood movies tend to showcase, with ac-tors like Ranveer Singh sporting atwirled moustache in his latest hit film“Bajirao Mastani”.For Dr. Navin Taneja, director of the

National Skin Centre in the capital, theurge to look good on various socialmedia platforms is responsible for thistrend.“Social networking sites have lately

caught the fancy of the youngsters. Inorder to upload a perfect selfie on social

Lifestyle

Aboard the Shapely Beard BandwagonMore and more young Indian men are going to greatlengths these days to sport that perfect rough look

media sites like Facebook and Insta-gram, one wishes to look stylish,” Tanejanoted.Multiple independent surveys also

claim that women find bearded mensexier than clean-shaven ones.A recent survey by German consumer

product company Braun that offers cut-ting-edge hair removal products, 53 per-cent of men actually feel more attractiveto women when they have a beard while41 percent feel more confident in gen-eral when they’re sporting beards.Hair-growing treatment includes hair

transplant and platelet-rich plasma(PRP) treatment. These are opted bythose who have less or no hair."The cost varies between Rs.35,000

and Rs.50,000 for hair transplant. A ses-sion each for the further PRP consulta-tion is charged at Rs.10,000," Batra

informed.But one should consult the experts

before taking any hormonal therapy.“In some cases the serum testos-

terone is low which can be the cause ofscanty beard, but in most of the cases itis genetically determined. So, unneces-sary overmedication is meaningless andone should not expect unrealistic re-sults,” Taneja warned.Taneja, who claimed to have seen at

least 140 such cases till date, alsowarned youth against opting for unnec-essary medications to look good.“Laser treatments are much easier

than a complete beard transplant,” Dhirsuggested.All said and done, a trimmed

bearded look may be well worth the ef-fort as long as the necessary precau-tions are taken. n


The sheer splendour of Ayut-thaya can make you forgetabout the weather when visit-

ing the Unesco World Heritage Site,some 80 km from the Thai capital ofBangkok, on a balmy May day.Lunch at a riverside restaurant at

modern-day Ayutthaya, followed by avisit to the once flourishing temple citycan be an enriching experience.Founded in 1350, Ayutthaya was the

second capital of the Siamese kingdom.It was a global centre of economics

and trade, and an important connectingpoint between the east and the west. The Ayutthaya royal court exchanged

ambassadors across the world, includ-ing with the French court at Versailles,the Mughal court in Delhi and the impe-rial courts of Japan and China. Right at the entrance of the site, a

plaque gives an idea of what it holds.“Wat Mahathat (The royal temple that

houses Buddha's relics),” it reads.It is situated in the east of the Royal

Palace in Pratu Chai sub-district, PhraNa Korn Sri Ayutthaya district, Phra NaKorn Sri Ayutthaya Province.”It also stated that the construction of

Wat Mahathat's main pagoda wasstarted by King Boromaracha I in 1374and completed in King Ramesuan'sreign.“The pagoda collapsed during King

Songtham's reign and was renovated in1633, after King Prasat Thong ascendedto the throne.” This magnificent city was razed to the

ground by invading Burmese forces inthe 18th century.“At the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767, the

monastery was set on fire in theBurmese attack,” the plaque furtherreads.“The abandoned pagoda fell into

decay during the reign of King Rama VI.Only the symmetrical base with stair-cases remains.”“See here,” said a Thai acquaintance,

“the Burmese chopped off the heads ofall the statues so that people cannot re-vere it as a temple city.”Indeed, it was a macabre sight. Ele-

gantly carved statues in front of a Bud-dha statue, all without the heads.According to the Unesco website,

Ayutthaya flourished from the 14th tothe 18th centuries, during which time itgrew to be one of the world's largest andmost cosmopolitan urban areas and acentre of global diplomacy and com-merce.“Ayutthaya was strategically located

on an island surrounded by three riversconnecting the city to the sea,” the Un-esco website reads.

Travel

Shining in RuinsThe golden days of Ayutthaya as a global hub might belong over but its hey days as a world-class heritage site

are certainly not


“This site was chosen because it waslocated above the tidal bore of the Gulfof Siam as it existed at that time, thuspreventing attack of the city by the sea-going warships of other nations. The lo-cation also helped to protect the cityfrom seasonal flooding.”One can indeed make out the sheer

ingenuity that went into the building ofthis historic city that is spread over anarea of 289 hectares.One highlight of the site is the head of

a Buddha statue among the roots of a

tree.“The head was once part of a sand-

stone Buddha image which fell off themain body on to the ground,” a plaquealongside reads.“It was gradually trapped into the

roots of a constantly growing Bodhi tree.The stone head has rather flat and widefacial structure with thick eyebrows andbig eye lids, straight wide lip, and dis-cernible lip edge, reflecting the art ofMiddle Ayutthaya Period, presumablyaround the mid of 1600s.”

Then there are the cloisters – two lay-ers of brick walls surrounding the mainpagoda.According to a plaque outside these,

the cloister is connected with the end ofthe ordination hall and the royal sermonhall which is an architectural style of theEarly Ayutthaya Period.The overall city was laid out in a sys-

tematic grid and comprised roads,canals and moats.In 1991 it was declared a Unesco

World Heritage Site. n


Throwing caution to the wind,casting aside their doubtsabout safety and all the nu-

ances of planning a holiday, more andmore Indian women are now choosingto travel alone.The reason for going solo: the free-

dom to explore a new destination atone's own pace and re-discover oneselfin the face of new experiences and evenchallenging situations.Gurgaon-based Smriti Shankar, for

example, globetrots on her own andputs it all up in a blog (Travelling Boots)that inspires others to take up the same."Travelling alone and surviving the oddshas built my confidence and made mefocus on the things that I can do. My at-titude has changed from being con-stantly cautious to saying ‘let's give it atry’," Shankar said.Married to a Merchant Navy officer,

Shankar's passion took flight when shejoined him on the ship and would dockat different ports, offering opportunitiesto explore a new place. "The moment Icould access the internet, I would readup about the place and go exploring onmy own using the public transport. Eachtime I would come back with amazingstories, and although there were trau-matic experiences as well, they soonturned into funny stories after a while."Safety, of course, is the topmost prior-

ity for solo women travellers and they dotheir homework well before setting outto a particular destination.“For women, travelling with a male

partner, or in a group, ensures safety,and safety is a priority for any traveller.That being taken care of, one would feelmuch more confident in taking a jour-ney alone,” says Arushi Kher, a Mumbai-based student who takes at least twotrips a year by herself."When I am planning a trip, for example,

I research the place well. Every place has itsdodgy corners and the best way to knowabout it is interact with someone who ei-ther hails from that place or has travelledthere before," Kher said. "It's good to becautious, but don't be so scared that youforget to enjoy the experience"Shankar swears by a few online fo-

rums for travellers on accommodation –mostly home stays and apartments in-stead of hotels – across the world. "Andas far as being cautious goes, sometimesit's good to let go. In Boston for example,I had a long conversation with a man Iwas trying to avoid in a coffee shop, dis-cussing world politics to (Prime Minis-ter) Narendra Modi!""We don't usually talk to strangers

when in a group or as a couple, althoughthis is the best way to open our minds.

Tourism

Solo and SureIndian women are travelling alone and smart

like never before

This is what is so great about travellingalone – it's liberating," Shankar said.Piya Bose, who traded her career as a

successful corporate lawyer to start GirlsOn the Go (GOG), a women-only travelclub in 2008, feels that it is a misconcep-tion that Indian women are not intotravelling as much as their Westerncounterparts, although it may seem so."I have always enjoyed travelling

alone and have been doing so since Iwas 16 when I went to South America.There I noticed that while there wereforeigners travelling alone, there weren'tas many Indian women doing so," Boserecalled.At 25, Bose ditched her career as a

lawyer and started GOG, building on thebelief that Indian women wanted totravel, but for the lack of company andprobably confidence did not dare do soalone. In her own words, the response itgenerated gradually was phenomenal –and girls as young as 16 to women as oldas 80 were signing up to fulfil theirdream of travelling.Since they are doing everything on

their own, solo women travellers alsomanage their finances by themselves.Shankar, who quit her full-time job re-cently to focus more on her travellingand writing, said that she calculates all

possible expenses for a trip and starts a“Debt Diet” – whereby she foregoes apurchase for “a couple of nights inVenice” or “a few meals elsewhere”."The best part about travelling on

your own is discovering yourself," saidRakhi Baruah, a writer and mother of aseven-year-old whose first solo trip wasto Pondicherry – a trip initially plannedwith her husband and friends, all ofwhom backed out."I did miss the familiar, but the thrill

of interacting with strangers, of beingable to spend as much time at a certainplace or in doing something, or nothing,surprised me. It helped me introspectand was a huge boost to my confidence.I do holiday with my son and my hus-band, but once a year I take off on myown ... it’s a treat to myself," Baruah said.“There are two myths I would like to

bust,” Shankar said. "One is ‘You getbored alone.’ No, you don't becauseyou are always planning what to donext, and are careful not to repeatmistakes. And second, ‘Don't talk tostrangers’. I have made some lovelyfriends in coffee shops, bus stops,even befriending a protective waitressat Hard Rock cafe. The importantthing is to trust your instinct and walkaway if uncomfortable.” n

“The best part about travelling on your own is discoveringyourself … I do holiday with my son and my husband, but once a

year I take off on my own ... it’s a treat to myself” – Rakhi Baruah, a writer


Seeing some of the scathing re-views for "Sarbjit", I wastempted to fish out the early re-

views of a film released in 1975 whichwas condemned by critics for being“loud”, “brash”, “plotless” and “over-dra-matic”. That film was Ramesh Sippy’s"Sholay"."Sarjbit" is no "Sholay". Thankfully.

But I firmly believe its forceful messageon prisoners of politics and its persua-sive emotional velocity in the scenesshowing the imprisoned man’s sister’sand wife’s suffering, would be acknowl-edged in retrospect as remnants of atruly remarkable cinematic achieve-ment.The sister is played by the helplessly

beautiful Aishwarya Rai Bachchan whorises valiantly to confront and embracethe sister Dalbir’s anguished and defiantfight to the end to free her brother. Thisis Dalbir’s story, more than SarabjitSingh’s. And yet it’s also a film thatdoesn’t spare us Sarabjit’s anguish."Sarbjit" is not a film that holds itself

back. It is a stormy rousing chest-thumping epic saga of a sister who ragesagainst the injustice of her brother’s in-carceration across the border. Director Omung Kumar adeptly

weaves scenes of family ties and theirrude rupture through a skilful pattern ofbright flashbacks and dreadfully pes-simistic present-times when Sarabjit,locked up in a dingy cell far from home,mourns for the loss of freedom.The film has tremendous visual veloc-

ity. Whether it’s Randeep’s Sarabjitlocked up in a cell large enough to housea rat, or shots of Dalbir strolling for-lornly amidst a bloom of yellow flowers,cinematographer Kiran Deohans cap-tures the innermost sanctity of heartstorn asunder by political violence.The sibling theme is treated with an

exacerbated energy by Omung Kumar.The lengthy sequence where the familymeets Sarabjit in his dingy prison cell inLahore is outstanding for usingcramped spaces to convey an emotionalinfinitude. Later there is another sequence where

the sister shares a meal with Sarabjit inthe same confined space. The two actorsespecially Randeep fill that space with ahungering sibling love.This is not a film that believes in sub-

tleties. Kumar lets it all hang out. Thebackground music, the dubbing andsound effects are amplified to augur anoperatic angst. The volume is upped toa crescendo. The scenes of Sarabjit’s torture and his

sense of suffocation inside his dingy ker-chief-sized cell are vividly captured.

Movie Review

'Sarbjit' is a gemSubhash K. Jha

Director: Omung Kumar; Cast: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan,Randeep Hooda, Richa Chadha; Rating: ****

There is also redemption amidst de-spair when clutching a letter from hisfamily Sarabjit suddenly finds all thelights of the rathole of a prison being putout. He then holds the letter in onebeam of light that becomes the life-forcefor a life being rapidly snuffed out.A moment such as the above is so lyri-

cal, it transcends the political vitality ofthe tale that throbs at its temples like anurgent migraine.The director demonstrates a firm grip

over the proceedings. The actors do therest. Aishwarya is in ample, and ampli-fied, command over her character’sgutsy endeavour to break down the de-fences. Though the performance getsshrill at times, it never loses it power. Al-though she remains inevitably glam-orous, her performance getsprogressively clamorous as the tragic fi-nale approaches.Randeep’s physical transformation as

a traumatized prisoner is astonishingand convincing. He invests life-enforc-ing power into his role of a man who islocked away from home until his death.His demeanour as a dying prisoner, sofrighteningly authentic is matched byhis tireless spirit when he tells his sisterthat the name Sarabjit roams free allover the world because of her crusade tofree him.

While Darshan Kumaar as a compas-sionate Pakistani lawyer and Ankur Bha-tia in a very brief part as Aishwarya’shusband merge into the tragic fabric ofthe real-life saga with effortless candour,it is Richa Chadha as Sarabjit’s wife whois the real surprise. In her melt-down scene when she re-

minds her tireless sister-in-law of theirmutual losses of time and hope, Richaexpresses a deep yearning for those of uswho feed on memory. Powered by heart-breaking restrain and screaming si-lences this is Richa’s most accomplishedperformance to date. Makes you wonderwhat the film would have been like if itwas told from Sarabjit’s wife’s perspec-tive."Sarbjit" has immense poignancy at

its heart. But the execution of the themeof a homesick dying man imprisoned ina hostile country often tends to leandangerously close to populism. "Sarbjit" manages to keep its head

above the water even while the proceed-ings frequently revel in crowd-wooingconventions like singing, dancing andrabble-rousing rhetorics.For all its concessions to high drama

and populism, "Sarbjit" is a moving tes-timony to these troubled times whencross-border politics overpowers hu-manism. There is still hope. n


Bollywood

I am proud ofdoing 'Rustom':Ileana D'CruzBollywood actress Ileana D'Cruz, who is all set

to share screen space with superstar AkshayKumar in the upcoming film "Rustom", says she is"quite proud" of being a part of Tinu Suresh Desai'sdirectorial project."The film we have done is fictional...there is a lot

of fiction involved. 'Rustom' is a very intense movie.It's vintage no doubt...I hope people walk in and getimmersed in the story. I am quite proud of (doing)this movie," Ileana, who has launched the SkechersGo Flex Walk range, said.Talking about how so many biopics and period

dramas are being made in the Hindi film industry,Ileana, who was last seen on screen in the 2014 film"Happy Ending" feels it's not a trend but a coinci-dence. "I think it is maybe a coincidence because I know

there are so many films actually have been in themaking for a while or been talked about for awhile...There are so many coincidences that somany biopics are releasing on the same time," saidthe "Barfi!" star. The actress says she hopes "it goes well"."Rustom" is slated to release on August 12. n

When Salman Khan was in tearswhile shooting for 'Sultan'

Superstar Salman Khan, who recently unveiled the trailer of "Sultan"along with the other cast, says the most difficult thing while shooting

the film was donning a "langot" (truss) and he was reduced to tears whilewalking wearing it. "The most difficult part was the 'langot'. Now, I under-stand what the actress goes through when they wear swim suit. When I wastold I have to wear a 'langot', I thought I can do that. When I reached there,we saw like a 5,000 crowd and I was like no way I am doing this. While I waswalking out of the vanity van, I was in tears... I feel violated," Salman toldreporters. "I was never ashamed while removing my shirt but this was themost difficult thing and thank God, people got used to it." Directed by AliAbbas Zafar, "Sultan" which also features Anushka Sharma, sees Salmanessay the role of a wrestler. Salman hopes "Sultan" turns out to be thebiggest hit. "We gave our best and I hope this is the biggest hit of our lives.Ali has given his life for this film if this works its great and if it doesn't I willmove on with my next film but Ali .... He has got Yash Raj with him.. theywill never leave him." While most of the portions were shot in the real lo-cations, Salman says its difficult to shoot this way. "Its always better toshoot on real locations till its under control. No matter how much ever setsyou create, real locations are different. But it is difficult to shoot in real lo-cations... you need police security and all." n


Hollywood

Brad Pittrescuesyoung fanActor Brad Pitt has been

hailed as a hero after savinga young girl from being crushed bya crowd of film lovers who had as-sembled to watch filming of his lat-est movie, "Allied". Pitt rushed toher rescue as a huge crowd gath-ered to watch him shoot in Las Pal-mas, the capital of Gran Canaria inthe Spanish Canary Islands, reportsmirror.co.uk. The drama unfoldedwhen hundreds of fans rushed for-ward to take photographs and self-ies of Pitt, who plays intelligenceofficer Max Vatan embarking on arisky mission behind enemy linesin "Allied". Spanish newspaper Ca-narias7.es reported the girl was indanger of being crushed against asecurity barrier but no one noticed,except Pitt, who leaped into actionand helped her. He grabbed hold ofthe girl and with the help of hisbodyguards, lifted her to safety andon to the road before making sureshe was safe and well with hermother. Shooting of the film, set inWorld War II, started in London butthe entire crew has travelled out tothe Canaries for scenes in bothGran Canaria and neighbouringFuerteventura. n

Angelina Jolie toteach at LSEOscar-winning actress and activist Angelina Jolie is set to become a vis-

iting professor at the London School of Economics. Jolie is among fourhigh-profile contributors to a year-long masters programme on Women,Peace and Security. She will deliver guest lectures and take part in expertworkshops and other events, as well as continue research, reportsmirror.co.uk.Jolie, who is a special envoy for the UN's refugee agency, said: "I am very

encouraged by the creation of this master’s programme". "Ihope other academic institutions will follow this ex-

ample, as it is vital that we broadenthe discussion on

how to ad-

vancewomen’srights andend im-

punity forcrimes that

disproportion-ately affect women,

such as sexual vio-lence in conflict," she

added. She is looking for-ward to teaching and tolearning from the students

as "well as to sharing myown experiences ofworking alongsidegovernments andthe United Na-tions". The course will

start this autumnand will also covercourses including'Gender and Mili-tarisation' and'Gender andHuman Rights'.The other visitingprofessors areWilliam Hague,Madeleine Reesand Jane Con-nors. n


Book Review

Global warming and COP-21, or specificallyat home in India, the 'odd-even' carscheme and the row over Art of Living fes-

tival on the Yamuna floodplains in Delhi, or protestsagainst people's displacement for dams, nuclearplants or other projects - are these just normal poli-tics with an environmental focus or a new branch al-together? Environmental politics is indubitably a new

branch, and one - given what we have done to ourworld (and are doing) - that is set to increase in im-portance in the times ahead. But is it simply the sumof the two words or does it mean more?Or in other words, what ac-

tually does it entail, what is itsprovenance, what forms doesit take, what principles does itembody, how does it relate toother political ideologies, howsuccessful has it been, andwhat is the way ahead? Thesequestions, and others, are an-swered very succinctly butvery comprehensively lucidlyin this slim volume by an in-ternationally-recognized au-thority on the subject.Andrew Dobson, a former

professor of politics, politicaltheory, and environmentalpolitics at Britain's Keele andOpen Universities, beginswith six vignettes - the activi-ties of a COP-21 negotiator toa Chinese economic migrantengaged in basic recycling toa displaced Indian farmer ru-minating over the life he wasforced to leave behind - whichvividly demonstrate the var-ied scope of environmental politics - and its chal-lenges.Though only one is true - the case of the resettled

Indian farmer, Dobson holds that "all of them arerecognizable" but "up until quite recently these sto-ries would have been literally unthinkable" for "en-vironmental politics is a new politics, and stillfinding its feet" though having a history (but notvery long).But the significance is brought out through the cu-

rious correspondence between a climbing rope'slength (45 metres) and our planet's age (4.5 billion

years) to provide a vivid perspective of the extent ofhuman existence and its activities, especially in thelast 200 years or so, which necessitate a specific pol-itics. Dobson then moves on to the ideas behind envi-

ronmental politics, including moral and ethical con-siderations, the disputes it bears, includingregarding purpose, reasons and scope, such as thedifference between 'shallow' and 'deep' ecologies.Then comes the question of its relations and differ-ences with other types of politics, or "what is it aboutthe environmental politics message that makes itstand out in today's political market place, and how

have other type of politics re-acted?"Here the comparison with

four political streams: con-servatism, liberalism, social-ism and feminism - throwsup some interesting - andcounter-intuitive - findingson their policies on environ-ment.An account of environ-

mental politics so far, themovement and the differentforms it has taken, as well asthe genesis, activities andperformances of 'Green' par-ties around the world pre-cedes an outline of the rangeof policy options available toa government in dealing with"complex" and seemingly"intractable" environmentalproblems, which frequentlytake an international aspect.Dobson also discusses

globalization's nature andenvironmental impact, mul-

tilateral environmental diplomacy, including analy-sis of why negotiations for some pacts are successful(ozone), and not for others (climate change) andhow the division into the global 'North' and 'South'is not such a simple affair.But this work, the latest in a series that seeks to

cover almost all facets of human activity, as well ofour world we live in, not only provides an acquain-tance with an issue which is crucial to us (and willprove to be more for coming generations), but alsoa framework for understanding what is happening -and what we need do. n

Deciding the world's future:Environmental politics' story and scope

Vikas Datta

Title: Environmental Politics - A Very Short Introduction; Author: AndrewDobson ; Publisher: Oxford University Press; Pages: 152; Price: Rs.225

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