Politics
The recent report of the National Crime Records Bureau that Kolkata is the safest among all major cites of India is indeed very welcome news. Technically, Coimbatore is the safest, but it is hardly a major city. But what is more noteworthy is that the rate of crime here is less than one eighth of Delhi’s, in spite of the fact that more money, manpower and resources are heaped on the nation’s capital. Kolkata's crime rate is one fourth of that of Bengaluru which is a much desired destination and when compared to Mumbai, this city is far better off.
Exactly 20 years ago, when Inder Kumar Gujral, then prime minister, set free the two arms of the State-controlled media, All India Radio and Doordarshan, he had sincerely hoped to insulate them from government control. He knew radio and television as he had been India's information minister 22 years earlier till he was evicted by Indira Gandhi. In this interval, every political party had sworn to liberate the two State media but they reneged once they captured power.
It is astounding how the University Grants Commission (UGC) could issue an order to all vice chancellors, which is beyond its powers. On October 27, it directed them to observe Sardar Patel’s birthday on October 31 and to send a compliance report with photographic evidence like some untrustworthy schoolboys. With just three days’ notice, all higher education institutions in India were to organise ‘Unity Runs’, inter-college competitions, dramas, songs, essays; design t-shirts and invite freedom fighters.
হাতে ঠিক তিন দিন সময়। বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় মঞ্জুরি কমিশন হঠাৎ দেশের সব বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের উপাচার্যকে নির্দেশ পাঠাল, ৩১ অক্টোবর সর্দার বল্লভভাই পটেলের জন্মদিন পালন করতে হবে। ‘একতার জন্য দৌড়’, আন্তঃকলেজ প্রতিযোগিতা, নাটক, গান-বাজনা, প্রবন্ধ লেখার আয়োজন করতে হবে, টি-শার্ট বানাতে হবে, স্বাধীনতা সংগ্রামীদের আমন্ত্রণ জানাতে হবে। এই গোত্রের হুকুম দেওয়ার কোনও এক্তিয়ার যে তাদের নেই, সে কথা ভুলে গিয়ে কমিশন আদেশ করল, অনুষ্ঠানের ছবিসহ রিপোর্ট পাঠাতে হবে দিল্লিতে।
European explorers of yore never ceased to be amazed at how the eerie silence of the night in tropical and equatorial forests was suddenly shattered at the crack of dawn, by the loud crescendo of numerous sounds appearing out of nowhere. The genetically argumentative Indian who had suddenly remained so quiet for three long years, even when fellow Indians were systematically dragged out and killed in the name of religion, has finally started speaking out. Rather loudly.
Dark rumbling clouds from Myanmar have already cast their fearful shadows over the eastern part of this sub continent but even so, India, that preaches VasudhaivaKutumbakam, wishes they just blow away. Fate may, however, not oblige as we face the biggest human rights crisis in recent times that may explode on our faces if we are not careful and positive. The whole world is shocked at the undisguised and endless genocide and the India has to take a firm and clear stand.
শেষ পর্যন্ত, ১৯৮২ সালে, মায়ানমার রোহিঙ্গাদের নাগরিকত্ব কেড়ে নেয় এবং ন্যূনতম সুযোগসুবিধা থেকে তাদের বঞ্চিত করতে থাকে। কিন্তু এত কিছু সত্ত্বেও যখন রোহিঙ্গাদের রাখাইন থেকে উৎখাত করা যায় না, তখন শুরু হয় রাষ্ট্রের সাহায্যে সংগঠিত সাম্প্রদায়িক আক্রমণ। রোহিঙ্গারা এর প্রতিবাদে তৈরি করে আরাকান রোহিঙ্গা স্যালভেশন আর্মি, যারা পাকিস্তান ও পশ্চিম এশিয়ার মুসলমান জঙ্গিগোষ্ঠীর সাহায্য নিয়ে প্রত্যাঘাত করে। খবর পাওয়া গিয়েছে যে, কিছু রোহিঙ্গা আইএস জঙ্গিদের মদত পাচ্ছে এবং তারা বাস্তবিকই ‘সন্ত্রাসবাদী’। কিন্তু সেটা পুরো ছবির একটা অংশমাত্র।
মায়ানমারের ঘনিয়ে ওঠা ভয়াল মেঘ ইতিমধ্যেই ছেয়ে ফেলেছে দক্ষিণ এশিয়ার পূর্বাঞ্চলকে। এই মুহূর্তে আমরা এক অতিকায় মানবাধিকার সংকটের মুখোমুখি দাঁড়িয়ে। যদি অবিলম্বে এই সংকটের মোকাবিলায় শক্ত হাতে হাল না ধরা যায়, তা হলে অদূর ভবিষ্যতে তা আমাদের ওপরে এসেই আছড়ে পড়বে। মায়ানমারে রোহিঙ্গাদের ওপর লাগাতার আক্রমণে সারা বিশ্ব স্তম্ভিত। এই সময় এ ব্যাপারে ভারতের একটি পরিষ্কার ও দৃঢ় অবস্থান নেওয়া প্রয়োজন।
There is no point in denying that the Indian bureaucracy is one of the worst in the world and is widely notorious for its labyrinthine rules and genetic negativity. India is also among the most corrupt nations; surely a large part of the bureaucracy must have either connived in it or abdicated its tasks. On the Corruption Perceptions Index, India's rank is 79th, which is rather shameful, while, where 'the ease of doing business' is concerned, we have moved just a couple of notches but are still below 129 other nations.
চলতি বছরের প্রথম ত্রৈমাসিকে (এপ্রিল-জুন) ভারতের জিডিপি বৃদ্ধির হার ৫.৭ শতাংশে নেমেছে। তিন বছরের মধ্যে সবচেয়ে কম। এই সংবাদ শুনে নিশ্চয়ই আহ্লাদিত হওয়ার কারণ নেই। আপাতত পরের রাউন্ডের চমকপ্রদ বক্তৃতার জন্য অপেক্ষা। তবে যেটা উদ্বেগজনক, তা হল রিজার্ভ ব্যাংকের ঘোষণাটি: ৫০০ এবং ১,০০০ টাকার নোটে বাতিল হওয়া ১৫.৪৪ লক্ষ কোটি টাকার ৯৯ শতাংশই জমা পড়েছে ব্যাংকের খাতায়। আমাদের প্রধানমন্ত্রী এখন দুনিয়ার যে প্রান্তেই থাকুন, তাঁর মতামতটি শুনতে চাওয়া ভারতবাসীর অধিকার। নোট বাতিল করলে অর্থনীতির কী কী উপকার হবে, আমরা তাঁর মুখে শুনেছিলাম। এখন যেখানে দাঁড়িয়েছি, সে সম্বন্ধেও তাঁর মতামতটি জানা প্রয়োজন।
The fact that India‟s GDP fell to a 3-year low of 5.7 % in the first quarter of this year is no cause for celebration and it hardly bothers most who have neither capital nor shares, as they await the next fix of spell binding oratory. What is worrisome is RBI‟s confessional report that 99% percent of the 15.44 lakh crore rupees of demonetised 500 and 1000 rupee notes hascome back into circulation.
It was sad to see Prasar Bharati getting into an avoidable controversy and, as its former CEO, I was asked endlessly: was it legitimate and proper to ‘censor’ the pre-recorded Independence Day speech of the chief minister of Tripura, Manik Sarkar? Legitimacy and propriety are two distinct issues, but let us first look at the legal aspect.
Narendra Modi is definitely the best orator India has seen in a long while, but we must remember that he chooses his words with extreme care. So when he referred to the slaughter of Muslims in Gujarat in 2002 by saying that he would feel fain even if puppy came under the wheels of his car, he meant to convey something that many of us missed. In the same vein, the very sharp words that he selected for the farewell speech of India’s longest-serving vice president carried a message that we need to understand.
In the normal course, one would like to stay away from any controversy surrounding an organisation that one has headed for over four and a half years. But since the matter has a bearing on India’s democratic traditions and its federal polity, I would need to clear the air.
As Indians get ready to celebrate the nation's 70th anniversary in a few days, our main worry should not be whether some have suddenly decided to become anti-national, but it should be on a new, dangerous game of competitive hyper-nationalism that has recently been unleashed. Ridiculous ideas are being floated to instil this 'nationalism', like installing a military tank within the precincts of a genetically restless university. With systematic attacks on plurality, the atmosphere has already been heated to the desired degree that facilitates the branding of inconvenient dissent as anti-national.
Nations, even those born yesterday, take immense pride in showcasing their past, often with large doses of exaggeration to establish their ‘ancient’ ancestry: by utilising odd archaeological finds here and there. In contrast, a civilisation like India that is over five millennia old appears to falter in projecting its rich heritage.
None can forget the painful scenes of mindless violence that followed the Partition, but as Govind Nihalani's iconic film, Tamas, showed, all that one needed to start a riot was to kill a particular animal and place its carcass before a place of worship. The business of riots is not really mindless, but what surprises old 'district magistrates' like us who have handled 'riots' is why they are allowed to recur and feed the new cult of communalism that has penetrated Bengal.
The problem with parliamentary democracy often lies in its inscrutable legal jargon. By the time one gets to know the real purport of a Bill, it is all over and done with.
We need, therefore, to act real fast to convince our lawmakers not to rush through with further amendments to the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendments and Validation) Act, 2010.
As a defining moment, the twenty fifth of June of 1975 has more than secured its position on the timeline of Indian history. While the Congress prays hard to just forget the ignominy of Emergency, the prime beneficiaries of this tragic phase, namely the Yadav-led socialist parties, are burping after feasting on power for several decades. As the most fearless and uncompromising opposition to India's Emergency, the Akali Dal earned lucrative political rewards, but the most interesting contender is the ruling party. It is hell-bent on appropriating all credit for everything remarkable, whether in the past or at present.
Unlike other societies, India hardly ever encouraged physical prowess, adventure or competitive sports. We do, of course, have some wrestling but it is restricted to a tiny section of male pehlwans. We read of how the Kshatriyas jealously guarded archery from doubtful aspirants like Karan and how Ekalavya had to pay with his right thumb for daring to excel in an upper-caste elite sport. But, frankly, one sees no evidence of Kshatriyas organising sporting contests, once the Mahabharata was over and done with. Tribals, on the other hand, were more devoted to archery and organised regular hunting meets, but their increasing integration into the mainstream meant that they lost many such traditional skills. What about kabaddi or other village games? We are not saying that no one ever played games: we are simply stating that we did not value sports as highly as many European or African societies did and do.
While politicians quibble over the legality of the recent rules issued by the Central government curbing the movement and trade in cattle of all types and even camels, we may like to take a look at the big picture. The oft-quoted Article 48 of the Constitution is one among the many unrealized directive principles: desirable when able. It talks of banning the slaughter of milch and draught cattle, but the point here is that no one is advocating this patently uneconomical idea. We need to understand that even the best cows become a burden to poor farmers after their lactating period is over. So do old draught animals. Most farmers, many of whom are strict vegetarians, therefore, sell them off so that other humans and cattle can be better looked after.