In just a month, the United States will head to the polls, and the world is closely watching as the 2024 presidential race unfolds. The Republicans have once again nominated Donald Trump, while the Democrats, after President Joe Biden stepped aside due to health concerns, have officially backed Vice President Kamala Harris as their candidate. This strategic delay in Biden’s exit may have been designed to divert Republican efforts and resources, some analysts suggest, but now the race is on, and the future of the U.S. presidency hangs in the balance.

Kamala Harris’s candidacy raises important questions about her chances of success. Biden’s influence on her campaign will be significant, tying her to both his accomplishments and his shortcomings. However, she brings her own set of strengths, including her extensive political experience as a senator, prosecutor, and vice president, along with her unique identity as an Asian-American and Black woman. Yet, much like former President Obama, her “Blackness” dominates the narrative, even though her multicultural background plays a crucial role in her appeal.

The big question remains: Could Kamala Harris become the first Black female president of the United States? She faces challenges, but her diverse identity and political track record may attract voters across different demographics. However, some critics suggest her nomination is more about meeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) requirements than competence, which could pose hurdles. Additionally, detractors have labeled her as a "DEI hire," an accusation that might resonate with certain conservative voters.

Harris's educational background, having attended Howard University, one of the most prestigious historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), adds to her credentials, but it contrasts with Obama’s Harvard pedigree, leaving some to wonder if her university experience will impact her candidacy. Another challenge she faces is personal—accusations about not having biological children, despite her role as a stepmother, with some attacking her as part of a "childless cat ladies" narrative. While this seems trivial, in a country with strong conservative undercurrents, such issues could resonate with certain voters.

On policy, Harris may struggle to define herself. Critics point to her background as a prosecutor, questioning whether it will be viewed seriously or just as a punchline in Trump's campaign rhetoric. Furthermore, foreign policy could be a weak point, as Republicans are likely to hammer home critiques of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and other foreign policy decisions made under the Biden administration. Immigration, too, is a hot-button issue that Republicans are using to link her to unpopular decisions.

Trump, on the other hand, will be emphasizing his strong political base, nationalist appeal, and his perceived successes during his previous presidency, especially regarding the economy and his hardline stance on China. His connection to white, working-class voters remains strong, and his recent health scare and legal battles have only solidified his image as a political fighter. However, Trump’s divisive rhetoric, especially against immigrants and Muslims, is reminiscent of authoritarian tactics seen elsewhere. He continues to use inflammatory language, such as describing Democrats as radical leftists and calling for the defeat of Marxism, socialism, and communism.

If Harris wins, some argue it won’t bring a dramatic shift in U.S. policies, especially since foreign and domestic policies rarely undergo major changes when the presidency changes hands in America. However, if Trump is reelected, the consequences could be far-reaching, both for the U.S. and the world.

As the race tightens, Kamala’s choice for vice president will be critical. A strong running mate, perhaps someone like Gavin Newsom, who complements her experience and identity, could bolster her campaign. Newsom’s leadership in a solidly Democratic state would be crucial in shoring up the party’s strongholds, especially in the 18 blue wall states that Trump has been targeting.

The outcome of this election will have significant implications beyond U.S. borders. Republicans and Democrats have distinct policies on trade, foreign investment, and immigration, all of which will affect relations with countries like India and African nations. As Trump and Harris both gear up for their campaigns, the world is watching closely. The possibility of the first Black, Asian, and female president in U.S. history is tantalizing, but her path to victory is far from certain.

Ultimately, the outcome of this election will shape not only America’s future but also the global landscape. The world waits to see if the U.S. is ready to embrace this historic moment.

Former Law Minister Hansraj Bhardwaj played a transformative role in reshaping India’s legal landscape, significantly improving the lives of judges, lawyers, and the common people seeking justice. His tenure saw a series of reforms that uplifted the judiciary’s working conditions and brought long-overdue changes to the legal profession. Bhardwaj’s vision was not only to modernize the system but also to make justice more accessible, particularly to the underprivileged, thereby leaving an enduring legacy.

Uplifting Judicial Pay Scales and Perks

One of the major achievements during Bhardwaj’s tenure was the introduction of better pay scales and perks for judges, ensuring they received compensation reflective of their status and responsibilities. The judiciary had long struggled with inadequate salaries, which often affected morale and recruitment. By pushing for competitive pay, Bhardwaj ensured that judges were rewarded for their important role in upholding democracy and the rule of law. The revisions in pay scales also included provisions for regular increments, making the judicial profession more attractive to qualified candidates.

Housing and Infrastructure

Bhardwaj recognized that housing and infrastructure were critical to the efficient functioning of the judiciary. He spearheaded efforts to provide judges with well-maintained, government-allocated housing. This move allowed judicial officers, particularly those stationed in remote areas, to live in comfortable conditions, reducing the stress and instability often associated with their roles. By improving the availability and quality of housing, Bhardwaj created a more stable and conducive environment for judges to focus on their work.

In addition to housing, Bhardwaj oversaw improvements in court infrastructure. New chambers for advocates, modern court buildings, and air-conditioned courtrooms were introduced to enhance the working environment. These changes were instrumental in ensuring that the legal proceedings were carried out efficiently and in a more professional setting.

Better Travel Allowances and Vehicles

Recognizing the extensive travel that many judges, especially those in rural areas, had to undertake, Bhardwaj improved travel allowances and provided vehicles for judicial officers. This initiative reduced the personal strain on judges and helped them better manage their workloads. Travel allowances for attending court proceedings and official duties were significantly enhanced, ensuring judges had access to reliable transportation, whether by road or air, for both local and long-distance travel.

Health and Life Insurance

Bhardwaj introduced comprehensive health and life insurance schemes for judges and their families, safeguarding them from the uncertainties of medical emergencies and providing them with financial security. These initiatives ensured that judges and legal professionals could focus on their work without worrying about health expenses. Life insurance, too, was a critical addition, offering security to families of those serving in the judiciary.

Digitization and E-Library

A visionary in embracing technology, Bhardwaj championed the digitization of court records, ensuring the legal system moved toward a more efficient, transparent, and accessible future. By implementing electronic record-keeping, he eliminated delays associated with physical documents and made the retrieval of case files faster and easier. Digitization also played a crucial role in improving case management and streamlining the flow of information.

The introduction of e-libraries was another key reform. These libraries provided judges, lawyers, and law students access to a vast array of legal literature, judgments, and case laws online. The shift to digital resources revolutionized research, enabling faster and more comprehensive legal analysis.

Lok Adalats and Speedy Justice

Bhardwaj’s reforms were not just aimed at improving the lives of judges and lawyers but also at addressing the needs of ordinary citizens. He strongly advocated for the expansion of Lok Adalats, or people’s courts, which provided speedy justice to the poor and marginalized. Lok Adalats became an essential tool in reducing the backlog of cases, offering an alternative dispute resolution mechanism that was both cost-effective and timely. Bhardwaj’s focus on the efficient dispensation of justice, especially for those who could not afford long-drawn legal battles, reflected his commitment to making the legal system more inclusive.

Conclusion

Hansraj Bhardwaj’s tenure as Law Minister marked a watershed moment in India’s judicial history. Through reforms in pay, housing, infrastructure, healthcare, and digitization, he not only improved the quality of life for judges and legal professionals but also enhanced the overall efficiency of the judicial system. His emphasis on Lok Adalats ensured that justice was not a privilege reserved for the few but a right available to all, especially the underprivileged. His legacy continues to influence the Indian legal system, promoting a more equitable and modern judiciary

India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru once remarked, “Events crowd in upon us in such quick succession that we are apt to miss their true significance.” The American Vice President Kamala Devi Harris is forging ahead of former President Donald John Trump by leaps and bounds in the upcoming US Presidential Elections in all but one of the dozen different polls tracked by the polling aggregator 538 (originally rendered as FiveThirtyEight) after their effervescent Presidential Debate on 10th September 2024 in Philadelphia (colloquially referred to as “Philly”), the birthplace of American Independence famous for The State House Bell, now known as the Liberty Bell, which is at once recognizable by its discernible crack and bears the timeless message: “Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants thereof”. 538 gives Trump only a slender 39% chance of winning the electoral college while boosting Kamala’s odds to a clinching 61%! The Presidential Debate was a watershed moment for Kamala enabling her to steer confidently towards the Gettysburg ideal of “government of the people, by the people, for the people”. From the moment Kamala ascended onto the stage at the National Constitution Center and firmly shook Trump’s hand with amazing aplomb and élan to introduce herself, she displayed her unmistakable “I-am-in-command” credentials. It was an astute and pace-setting opening move! Since the two had never met before, her decision to shake his hand imbued her with astonishing maturity and gumption. Michael Richard Beschloss, the charismatic NBC News Presidential Historian and author of nine books, declared that Kamala had “delivered what is easily one of the most successful debate performances in all of American history”. On 21st September 2024, Kamala challenged Trump to another debate in the lead-up to the election and revealed that she had accepted a debate invitation from Cable News Network (“CNN”) on 23rd October 2024. Three other influential American poll pundits viz. Allan Lichtman (known as the “Nostradamus” of US presidential elections), Nate Silver and Alan Abramowitz have predicted Kamala’s victory. Significantly, Kamala has received full and unequivocal star power and celebrity endorsement throughout the length and breadth of Uncle Sam’s land. Mary Louise “Meryl” Streep, Jennifer Lynn Affleck (nee Lopez), popularly known as “J.Lo”, and Julia Fiona Roberts were among the celebrities who pitched for Kamala in a breezy online 90 minutes star-studded event hosted by Oprah Winfrey on 19th September 2024 on CBS News in Farmington Hills, Michigan, zeroing in on women’s reproductive rights that touched the innermost chords of voters from the fairer sex in the United States. And not to be outdone, Jane Seymour Fonda, Taylor Alison Swift and George Timothy Clooney are triggering the Kamala swing with impassioned gusto in the greatest republic, the greatest democracy and the greatest nation under the sun!

The name “Kamala” is a majestic name stemming from the ancient Sanskrit word meaning “lotus flower”. The lotus (botanical name “Nelumbo nucifera”) is a flower permeated with an enormous wealth of spiritual symbolism, inextricably linked to Hinduism and Buddhism.  In Christianity, the lotus is associated with Thomas the Apostle and his twenty-year-old presence in India. He is regarded as the Patron Saint of India among its Christian adherents and the Feast of Saint Thomas on 3rd July is reverentially celebrated as Indian Christian Day. This is because he was brutally assassinated with a spear at St. Thomas Mount (previously Mylapore, the hallowed birthplace of the celebrated Tamil philosopher Valluvar and the Hindu saint and philosopher Peyalvar) in Chennai on 3rd July in AD 72 and his mortal remains were finally interred in the magnificent 1523 Portugese built Roman Catholic church St.Thomas Cathedral Basilca. I have visited St.Thomas Mount several times where the sculptured statue of Christ the King on the cross inside the St.Thomas Cathedral Basilca is flanked by two peacocks with his feet proudly resting on a lotus. The lotus is also mentioned in Job 40:21-22  in the Holy Bible: “Under the lotus plants it lies, hidden among the reeds in the marsh. The lotuses conceal it in their shadow; the poplars by the stream surround it.” Each religion lends a slightly varied touch, but the lotus invariably reflects spiritual awakening, purity, rebirth, creation and eternity. Fully grounded in the earth, the lotus heeds the call of the sun each morning, breaks the surface of the water and blooms untouched by the mud; each petal remains clean and pure. Closing at night, it sinks below the water’s surface, only to resurface again in the morning. Lord Gautam Buddha aptly observed, “As the lotus rises on its stalk unsoiled by the mud and water, so the wise one speaks of peace and is unstained by the opinions of the world.” And here I am irresistibly drawn to the inimitable Washington born American actress Goldie Jeanne Hawn who received the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her stellar performance in Cactus Flower in 1969. Even though Hawn’s mother Laura (née Steinhoff) was the daughter of Jewish immigrants from Hungary and she was brought up as a Jewish girl, Hawn became deeply involved in Buddhist philosophy way back in 1972 and is today a practising Buddhist and proudly claims, “Buddhism is my religion and Judaism is my tribe.” Notably, in her well-known memoir entitled “A Lotus Grows in the Mud” co-authored in 2005 with the renowned British novelist Wendy Holden, she reverberated the thoughts of Buddha, “The lotus is the most beautiful flower, whose petals open one by one. But it will only grow in the mud. To grow and gain wisdom, first, you must have the mud — the obstacles of life and its suffering…The mud speaks of the common ground that humans share, no matter what our stations in life… Whether we have it all or we have nothing, we are all faced with the same obstacles: sadness, loss, illness, dying and death. If we are to strive as human beings to gain more wisdom, more kindness and more compassion, we must have the intention to grow as a lotus and open each petal one by one.” Before taking leave of Buddhism and its association with the lotus, I am highly emboldened to advert to you the incredible story of the fabulous mystic, master scholar and outrageous yogi Padmasambhava, the Lotus-Born, who was miraculously born from within a lotus with a thousand petals in the middle of a lake in the land of Oddiyana, having been sent as a meteor from the heart of the “Buddha of Boundless Light” and went on to live for more than five hundred years.  He is also known as “Guru Rinpoche” or “Precious Master” and is revered by Tibetans as the real founder of Buddhism in Tibet who subjugated demons, transformed a huge fire into the lotus-shaped Rewalsar Lake (also known as  “Tso Pema”) located in the mountains of the Mandi district in Himachal Pradesh and spread Buddha’s message far and wide with a missionary zeal. Harris is a name of diverse origins across the globe. The name is traditionally patronymic as it’s often tied to Harrison, meaning “son of Harry”. It was most popularly used as a surname in England and Wales in the days of yore. Harris has seeds in the names Harry and Henry, meaning “home ruler” in both German and Old English. Harris is also a variant of the Scandinavian name Harold, meaning “army ruler.” Harrisburg (named after the 17th century Yorkshire-born American businessman John Harris Sr who landed in Philadelphia with just sixteen guineas [equivalent to four ounces of gold] in his pocket!), situated on the east bank of the Susquehanna River, is the capital city of the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the seat of Dauphin County. Harrison City is situated in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Significantly, William Henry Harrison was the ninth and shortest serving President of the United States, as he was the first President to die in harness. His grandson Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States.

Kamala was born on 20th October 1964 at 9.28 pm at Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center in Oakland, California. And here it would not be out of place to mention that the popular 28-year-old Oakland-born 5’10’’ tall chocolate-addicted actress and singer Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman effusively remarked in the Dec 2015/Jan 2016 issue of the New York-based fashion and entertainment bi-monthly magazine COMPLEX, “Oakland kids are always the best”! Kamala’s Chennai-born and bred mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was a biologist who arrived in the United States from India in 1958 at the tender age of 19 to enroll in graduate school in endocrinology at the University of California ("UC"), Berkeley. An intensive research career of over 40 years ensued, during which her work on the progesterone receptor gene led to pioneering advances in breast cancer treatment. Kamala’s Jamaican-African father Donald Jasper Harris arrived in the United States from Jamaica in 1961 on an Elias A. Issa Scholarship (founded and funded by the House of Issa at the behest of the Kingston merchant Elias A. Issa in 1938) and enrolled in UC Berkeley to specialize in development economics. The first Afro-American scholar to be granted tenure at the Department of Economics at Stanford University, he now enjoys the coveted emeritus status there. The Stanford Daily in November 1976 described Harris as a Marxist scholar the university viewed as “too charismatic, a pied piper leading students astray from neo-classical economics”. Kamala’s parents met in the fall of 1962 at a meeting of the Afro-American Association at UC, Berkeley, and got married on 5th July 1963 without following the convention of introducing Harris to Shyamala’s parents beforehand or having the ceremony in her native place. The couple had another daughter Maya Lakshmi Harris who was born in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, on 30th January, 1967. Maya is today a versatile lawyer, public policy advocate and writer. Kamala’s marriage to Dough foundered and the couple separated and were officially divorced in 1972. Shyamala won custody of the two children a year later. Thereafter, the children were raised largely by their mother but saw their father only on weekends. While growing up, Kamala maintained close contact with her Indian family and frequently traveled with her mother and sister to Chennai. In her 2019 memoir “The Truths We Hold: An American Journey” Kamala wrote, “My mother, grandparents, aunts and uncle instilled us with pride in our South Asian roots. Our classical Indian names harked back to our heritage, and we were raised with a strong awareness of and appreciation for Indian culture.” At the same time, she wrote about her mother, “She knew that her adopted homeland would see Maya and me as Black girls, and she was determined to make sure we would grow into confident, proud Black women.” She also had a word of praise for her father whom she described as a “brilliant student”. And at the Democratic National Convention, she recalled with a sense of helpless nostalgia, “At the park, my mother would say, ‘Stay close.’ But my father would say, as he smiled, ‘Run, Kamala, run. Don’t be afraid. Don’t let anything stop you.’ From my earliest years, he taught me to be fearless.” Kamala studied political science and economics at Howard University, a historically Black college. While there, she pledged to the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, one of the “Divine Nine” sororities and fraternities founded by Black students. She was also on the debating team and was elected to the student council. After graduating from Howard in 1986, Kamala earned a law degree from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly known as Hastings College) in 1989.

After gaining a law degree, Harris worked as a deputy district attorney in the city of her birth Oakland from 1990-98, earning a reputation for solidity as she prosecuted cases of gang violence, drug trafficking, sexual abuse, homicide and robbery. In March 1994, San Francisco Chronicle’s legendary columnist Herb Caen described the scene at former San Francisco Speaker and Mayor Willie Lewis Brown’s surprise 60th birthday party. Brown had a penchant for dating much younger women. The celebrated Hollywood actor Clint Eastwood Jr. (who served for two years as the Mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California!), was there, wrote Caen, and he “spilled champagne on the Speaker’s new steady, Kamala Harris.” In his column, Caen described Kamala as “something new in Willie’s love life. She’s a woman, not a girl.” The relationship (which Kamala described later as “an albatross hanging around my neck”) ended in smoke after two years, but her connection to Brown, three decades her senior, did have a tremendous effect on her career and helped boost her connections across San Francisco high-society and California political elite. In 1998, Kamala was named Managing Attorney of the Career Criminal Unit of the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office where she prosecuted three strike cases and serial felony offenders. She then served as the head of the San Francisco City Attorney’s Division on Families and Children. She rose determinedly through the ranks, becoming the first African American and South Asian American woman  District Attorney in 2004 in San Francisco’s history, a post she held with distinction till 2010. Kamala’s mother Shyamala died of colon cancer in Oakland on 11th February, 2009, at the age of 70. Later in 2009, Kamala carried her mother’s ashes to Chennai and one one sunny morning walked down with her uncle to the beach in Besant Nagar where she used to stroll with her grandfather as a child and scattered the ashes on the waves. As a trailblazer throughout her entire life and career, Kamala was deeply attached to her mother and never fails to talk about the lessons she learned from her mother in glowing terms. In a Facebook post on 8th May 2022, on the occasion of Mother’s Day, 2022, she recalled, “My mother would often say to me: ‘Kamala, you may be the first to do many things. Make sure you are not the last'. This instantly brings to my mind the immortal words of Abraham “Abe” Lincoln, the towering sixteenth President of the United States who is universally hailed as the father of modern democracy (about whom Philip Henry Kerr, 11th Marquess of Lothian [one time British Ambassador to the United States], in a letter to Nehru written on New Year's Eve, 1935, wrote, “I think that the greatest political figure that the democratic world has thrown up is Abraham Lincoln”) - “The greatest lessons I have ever learned were at my mother's knees... All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” and “I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.” Kamala’s best-selling book  “Smart on Crime” was co-written with the well-known California-based writing collaborator and content consultant Joan O’C. Hamilton in 2009 was considered a model for dealing with the problem of criminal recidivism. In 2010, she succeeded Edmund Gerald “Jerry” Brown Jr. as California’s attorney general, becoming the first female, Black and South Asian attorney general to be catapulted to that office. After taking office in 2011, she demonstrated political sagacity. One of Kamala’s crowning accomplishments as attorney general came in 2012 when she, along with 40 other attorney generals, reached a multi-billion dollar deal (five times higher than that originally offered which she rejected as “crumbs on the table” despite pressure from the administration of President Barack Obama!) with five U.S. banks that settled over flawed mortgage foreclosure practices. The deal provided relief to those affected by those unfair practices, with the average eligible homeowner receiving $20,000 in mortgage aid. Her refusal to defend Proposition 8 (2008), which banned same-sex marriage in California, helped lead to its being overturned in 2013. Though Kamala had personally opposed the death penalty earlier in her career, she announced in 2014 that she would appeal a federal court ruling that declared it unconstitutional because delays in capital punishment in the state rendered it cruel and unusual. Years later, as a senator and during her 2020 run for President, Kamala pushed for a federal moratorium on the death penalty after California Governor Gavin Christopher Newsom signed an executive order halting executions in the state. In 2012, Kamala delivered a memorable address at the Democratic National Convention, elevating her national profile to dizzy heights. On 22nd August 2014, she tied the knot with Douglas “Doug” Craig Emhoff, a New York-born Jewish-American entertainment lawyer (who is presently a partner at the global law firm DLA Piper), at the iconic Santa Barbara County Courthouse (the jaw-dropping, gorgeous example of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture marked by its distinctive four-faced clock tower!) at a small and intimate ceremony presided over by Maya…Doug wore a garland as a nod to Kamala’s Hindu roots and she broke a glass to honour his Jewish heritage! Interestingly, the two first met in 2013 on a blind date set up by a mutual friend Chrisette Hudlin (now the wife of the noted Afro-American Hollywood director-producer Reginald Alan Hudlin), a public relations consultant, in Los Angeles. They now have a wonderful blended family embellished by their two “brilliant, talented, funny kids” Ella and Cole (brought into this world by Dough’s first film producer wife Kerstin Mackin)…named after two Afro-American celebrities viz. John William Coltrane, the phenomenal Jazz saxophonist and band leader, and Ella Jane Fitzgerald, the monumental singer, songwriter and composer known the world over as the “First Lady of Song” and “Queen of Jazz”! Widely feted as a rising star within the party, Kamala was roped in to run for the US Senate seat held by Barbara Sue Boxer, who was on the verge of hanging up her gloves. In early 2015, Kamala declared her candidacy, and on the campaign trail, she doggedly battled for immigration and criminal justice reform, an increase in the minimum wage and protection of women’s reproductive rights.

Kamala joined the US Senate after being elected in 2016 and a new chapter in her checkered career unfolded. When she took office in January 2017, Kamala became the first Indian American and only the second Black American woman in the Senate; the first being Carol Moseley Braun. She joined the Congressional Black Caucus as well as the Congressional Asian-Pacific American Caucus. She also began serving on both the Select Committee on Intelligence and the Judiciary Committee, among other assignments. She became known for her prosecutorial style of addressing witnesses during hearings. In June, she drew particular attention for her questioning of U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who was testifying before the intelligence committee on alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, after she had publicly called on him to hang up his boots. In 2016, Kamala was one of 17 attorney generals to reinforce efforts to fight climate change by addressing power plant greenhouse gas emissions. She joined a coalition led by New York Attorney General Eric Tradd Schneiderman to investigate whether fossil fuel companies had misled the public on the true impact of climate change. A year earlier, she defended President Obama's Clean Power Plan, which aimed to reduce emissions by 2030. She also supported the Environmental Protection Agency’s standards to limit gas emissions from oil and natural gas operations. During her tenure as attorney general, she reached several settlements with oil companies over alleged violations of state laws. In 2011, she announced a $24.5 million settlement with Chevron over allegations that it violated state hazardous materials and waste laws. Kamala later settled with BP West Coast in 2016 for alleged violations of state laws governing the operation and maintenance of underground gasoline tanks. In 2016, her office obtained a landmark $1.1 billion judgment against Corinthian Colleges, a chain based in Southern California.

In January 2019, Kamala published her memoir  “The Truths We Hold: An American Journey”. Shortly thereafter, Kamala announced that she was seeking the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020. From the word go, she was seen as one of the leading contenders, and she gained attention when, during a primary debate, she had a contentious exchange with fellow candidate Joseph “Joe” Robinette Biden Jr. over his opposition to school busing in the 1970s and ’80s, among other race-related topics. By September 2019, her campaign was in dire straits and in December she voluntarily dropped out of the race. She continued to maintain a high profile, notably becoming a leading advocate for social justice reform following the death of George Perry Floyd Jr, an African American who was murdered on 25th May 2020 by a white police officer Derek Michael Chauvin in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest made after a Cup Foods grocery store clerk suspected Floyd of having used a counterfeit twenty-dollar bill. Her valiant efforts muzzled all her detractors who had questioned her tenure as attorney general, alleging that she had failed to investigate charges of police misconduct, including questionable shootings. As racial injustice emerged as a major issue in the United States, many Democrats emphatically mulled the idea of Biden choosing an African American as his vice presidential running mate. In August, Biden chose Kamala and she thus became the first Black woman to appear on a major party’s national ticket. On 20th January 2021, Kamala was sworn in as Vice President – the first woman, the first Black American and the first South Asian American to be elected to this position. After she was elected Vice President, Kamala thanked her mother, crediting her with her success in her victory speech in a voice choked with visible emotion, “To the woman most responsible for my presence here today, my mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, who is always in our hearts…When she came here from India at the age of 19, she maybe didn't quite imagine this moment, but she believed so deeply in an America where a moment like this is possible.”

On 23rd June 2023, Kamala hosted a grand State Luncheon in honour of the visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Harry S. Truman Building in Washington, D.C. In her welcome speech, Kamala said, “And around our country, we see the impact of Indian Americans, from the C suites of American companies to neighborhood businesses, from the studios of Hollywood to university research labs across our country. So, as many of you know, India is a very important part of my life.  When my sister Maya and I were growing up, our mother would take us from the Bay Area to India pretty much every other year. And the purpose of those trips were many, including that we would well understand where she came from, what produced her; so that we could spend time with our grandparents, with my uncle and our chittis; and to understand the love of good idli. And we traveled to visit my grandparents in what was then called Madras. And I will tell you, my grandfather was one of the most favorite people in my life, truly..on those visits, I was the only member of our family that my grandfather allowed to join him for his morning routine…Throughout these walks, I recall my grandfather teaching me lessons about not just what it means to have a democracy but to keep a democracy. And I do believe it is these lessons that I learned at a very young age that first inspired my interest in public service... In fact, it is a large part of who I am today — these lessons I learned from my grandfather, P.V. Gopalan, and the dedication, determination, and courage of his daughter, my mother, Shyamala.  And it is the reason that I stand before you today as vice president of the United States. The history and teachings in India and of India have not only influenced me, but they, of course, have shaped the entire globe…Throughout history, India has inspired millions of people around the world, whether through philosophy and theology, the power of civil disobedience, or the commitment to democracy…As we look toward the future, the United States and India, the world’s oldest and largest democracies, instinctively turn to each other and are increasingly aligned.” It is indeed a happy coincidence that Modi is right now firmly ensconced on American soil on an action pact visit and has already participated in the fourth Quad Leaders Summit in Biden’s hometown Wilmington in Delaware, which was also attended by Kamala. Modi and Kamala are bound to have had a tête-à-tête on the sidelines of the Summit or otherwise!

As Biden’s Vice President, Kamala was tasked with addressing the root causes of increased migration from Latin America to the American southern border, promoting national legislation to protect voting rights and preserving women’s access to abortion, which was significantly stifled in many states following the 2022 controversial ruling in Dobbs vs.Jackson Women’s Health Organization in which the US Supreme Court held that the Constitution of the United States did not confer the right to abortion. Kamala became a vocal and effective crusader for the right to complete reproductive health care, including abortion, and continued that theme as part of Biden’s 2024 campaign. As President of the Senate, Kamala cast the most tie-breaking votes in history, shattering a nearly 200-year-old record. On 21st July 21, 2024, Biden unilaterally suspended his campaign for re-election in 2024 and endorsed Kamala for President. Kamala was endorsed by Jimmy Earl Carter, William Jefferson, Bill Clinton, Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton, Obama and Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama, the Congressional Black Caucus, and many other leading Democrats. In the first 24 hours of her candidacy, her campaign raised $81 million in small-dollar donations, the highest single-day total of any presidential candidate in American history. By 5th August 2024, Kamala had officially secured the nomination via a virtual roll call of delegates. The next day, she announced Minnesota Governor Tim James Walz as her vice presidential running mate. On 22nd August 2024, the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention, Kamala officially accepted the Democratic nomination for president and her acceptance was certified by the Democratic National Committee. She thus became the first Black woman and the first Asian American in U.S. history to win the presidential nomination of a major party.

I do not possess a crystal ball, but I'm willing to bet one of my arms right now that Kamala is the most clearly positioned heir to the White House. The eyes of the world are upon Kamala intently watching this Afro-American Vice President (through whose veins the sacred blood of India flows in abundant measure!) as she braces herself for the most challenging Presidential trial of strength that lies ahead of her…indomitable, unflinching, unswerving and relentless! Victory shall be hers and her victory shall be the victory of every single woman on earth! God bless Kamala! God bless America!

A BRIEF NOTE ON THE AUTHOR

The author is an internationally reputed senior lawyer practising in the Supreme Court of India and various High Courts and Tribunals in India. He has been closely associated with some of the topmost Indian corporates as a lawyer and advisor. He addressed a select gathering of MPs and other eminent persons in the House of Lords in February 2009 and was awarded the prestigious “Ambassador of Peace Award”. In April 2009, he was also invited to the House of  Commons. He was also invited by Chatham House and by the Universal Peace Federation in London several times. He is an avid debater, public speaker, writer, broadcaster, telecaster, artist, painter, sculptor, music critic and filmmaker. 

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has reportedly been advised by international agencies to align with the National Conference ahead of the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) assembly elections. This partnership is seen as a way to frame their joint victory as more than a regional outcome. Regardless of the specific winner, regional pro-Islamist political parties are expected to secure a collective victory in the elections. Notably, Pakistan is unlikely to interfere with the process, as it is essential for the global conspiracy against India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the elections appear legitimate through significant popular participation.

Once elected, the J&K assembly is expected to immediately challenge the Indian government’s 2019 decision to rescind Articles 370 and 35A. The political parties projected to win the elections have promised to repudiate this move. They will likely contest the 2019 rescinding as unconstitutional, arguing that it did not have the consent of the J&K Assembly—a point that former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran and others have suggested was constitutionally envisaged.

This move could precipitate a national crisis, as the issue is expected to reach India's Supreme Court. Narendra Modi’s government cannot accept such a challenge to the nation’s constitutional integrity, especially given the practical consequences of the 2019 rescinding, which has already been ratified by Parliament and the Supreme Court. The government will face intense pressure, as any repudiation of the articles by the J&K assembly would present a severe threat to India’s political credibility.

However, concerns have been raised that the Supreme Court may not address this issue swiftly, potentially allowing the crisis to escalate. The Court could deprive the J&K assembly’s actions of legal validity by denouncing its resolution, but there is speculation that it may instead delay the matter, allowing political tensions to grow. Interestingly, the Chief Justice of India has pushed for the elections to be held by September, reportedly threatening the Election Commission with contempt of court if the elections are delayed.
Should the Modi government take no action in response to the unfolding crisis, its authority could be significantly undermined, and the legitimacy of the Delhi government may suffer as the newly elected J&K assembly moves forward with its challenge to the 2019 decision.

This could set the stage for a broader political crisis, with national protests erupting against any firm measures taken by the government. Some observers believe this could paralyze the country, combined with a potential Khalistani uprising in Delhi, which is allegedly being prepared openly. This destabilization might also include bombings and train derailments, adding to the national turmoil.

At this critical juncture, key NDA allies like Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu could threaten to withdraw their support unless Narendra Modi resigns, aiming to defuse the crisis. Such a resignation would pave the way for Articles 370 and 35A to be restored through new parliamentary legislation, with the blame for the preceding chaos being placed squarely on Modi’s 2019 actions.

Global media, in turn, would likely amplify calls for regime change. For Modi, resigning and allowing the NDA to continue without him might be preferable to seeing the coalition collapse entirely. His departure would offer some personal security issues, as there may be no safe haven abroad. Ultimately, Modi's resignation would halt India’s rise as a global player, with many of his domestic and international adversaries prioritizing his political downfall over the country’s future trajectory.

The recent visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the residence of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, which was followed by a video of a private prayer being circulated on social media, raises questions about the ethical boundaries that must be maintained between the judiciary and the executive. While the Modi government has made significant strides in areas such as digital infrastructure, national security, and anti-corruption measures, this particular incident reflects a disturbing trend of breaking conventions and undermining institutions that form the bedrock of democracy.

The circulation of a video from the CJI's private residence, especially one depicting a personal religious ceremony, is an unprecedented violation of an individual's right to privacy. In a country where the judiciary is seen as a cornerstone of democracy, any intrusion into the personal life of the Chief Justice is not just unwarranted but potentially harmful. Private religious or family gatherings should remain personal, not fodder for public consumption, especially when they are used to fuel political narratives.

For Prime Minister Modi to attend a private function at the residence of the Chief Justice is one thing. But to turn that private event into a public spectacle by allowing videos to be made and then amplifying them on social media sets a dangerous precedent. It brings the judiciary into the public eye in ways that could undermine its impartiality, demoralize its members, and create an environment where judicial independence is questioned.

One of the hallmarks of a functioning democracy is the separation of powers. The executive, judiciary, and legislature must operate independently, and their leaders should uphold a clear boundary between personal interactions and institutional relationships. By visiting the CJI’s house and making the event a matter of public discourse, the prime minister may have breached these boundaries, contributing to the politicization of an institution that must remain apolitical and impartial to safeguard justice.

Modi's action, deliberate or not, sends a troubling message about the relationship between the executive and judiciary. It risks creating a perception that the judiciary, particularly its top leader, can be influenced, scrutinized, or even targeted in subtle ways. This is not just a matter of invading the privacy of an individual; it is an infringement on the sanctity of an institution.

Modi's government has been known for breaking conventions and long-standing traditions, often under the guise of modernizing or streamlining governance. While this has, in some cases, led to positive changes—such as promoting digital infrastructure, boosting the morale of the defense forces, and improving India’s global image—it has also led to worrying trends in other areas.

Crony capitalism, for example, has flourished under Modi’s rule. While his government has effectively tackled corruption at various levels, there have been accusations of favoring large industrialists and business houses close to the government. This imbalance has raised concerns about the growing influence of a few corporate players in shaping policy decisions that should ideally serve the wider public interest.

Similarly, the Modi government’s centralized decision-making process has sidelined other democratic institutions, with Parliament being frequently bypassed for ordinances and an increasing concentration of power in the hands of the executive. The judiciary, in particular, has faced numerous challenges, including delayed appointments and political pressure, leading to a perception that its independence is being eroded.

While Modi’s tenure has witnessed significant advancements in various sectors, his repeated tendency to break conventions and put personal or political interests ahead of institutional integrity poses a serious threat to India’s democratic framework. The very institutions that have safeguarded the country for decades—the judiciary, Parliament, the Election Commission—are being strained under the weight of centralized, personality-driven governance.

The CJI incident is just the latest example of this. Instead of fostering respect for institutional boundaries, the prime minister's actions reflect a tendency to blur the lines between personal, political, and institutional roles, often to the detriment of the very systems he claims to uphold.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership has been marked by a combination of undeniable successes and worrying missteps. His government has contributed to national security, economic development, technological progress, historic digitalization, and major leaps in space science. But his repeated disregard for conventions threatens to weaken India’s institutional framework. The recent episode involving CJI Chandrachud’s private ceremony being made public is emblematic of this troubling trend. India’s democracy relies on the strength of its institutions, and any attempt to infringe upon their autonomy for political gain must be recognized and resisted.

India lives in a strange dichotomy. On the one hand, we hark back to our glorious past to claim our cultural and material superiority. On the other hand, we remain blissfully ignorant and even dismissive of the achievements of our people in the present times. We have this strange habit of looking back in nostalgia and ignoring the work being done in the present. Due to this inherent dilemma, India has done grave injustice to its talented and gifted people. India does have a lot of achievements to show, but only if we care enough to have a look at them. One such unrecognized genius from India was D.R.Kaprekar, a mathematician who is followed by mathematicians the world over. Still, our own countrymen need to be made aware of their life and work.

Kaprekar was a school teacher in Nashik, who was obsessed with numbers and called himself Ankamitra (friend of numbers). He was by profession a school teacher, and unlike other mathematicians of his times, was not affiliated to any research association or Institute for most of his lifetime. He only possessed a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, but his fascination with number theory and recreational mathematics allowed him to research numbers and their fascinating qualities. His most important contribution to the field of mathematics is the Kaprekar Constant and Kaprekar Numbers. Kaprekar constant is the number obtained by taking  4 digits and arranging the largest and the smallest number using those 4 digits. After a maximum of seven stages, one would arrive at the Kaprekar constant, which is 6174. Similarly, for a 3-digit number, the Kaprekar constant is 495. The Kaprekar constant was discovered in 1946 and presented for the first time at the Madras Scientific Conference in 1949, but it didn’t receive international attention till it was talked about by Martin Gardner in 1975. Kaprekar Numbers, on the other hand, were numbers that can be obtained by dividing their squares into two parts and adding them together. For example, the square of 45 is 2025, which can be divided into two parts 20 and 25, the total of which is 45, making it a Kaprekar Number. Apart from these two internationally recognized numbers, Kaprekar also worked on another series of numbers like the Harshad Number (numbers which are divisible by the sum of their digits), Self Numbers (numbers which cannot be formed by adding the digits of any integer with the integer), and Demlo Numbers (numbers with a left, middle and right part, which are squares of a Repdigit. E.g. 121 is a Demlo Number for the Repdigit 11) etc. Despite his significant contributions to the field of mathematics, he is largely forgotten in his own country, while continuing to feature in International publications and discussions. Who is responsible for such a callous attitude towards our own achievements?

Firstly, we have internalized our scientific inferiority to the West so much that we rely on validation from the West to recognize the worth of someone’s work in our own country. Rabindranath Tagore got his worth in India, only after his Nobel Prize win for Literature; Satyajit Ray achieved more acclaim from the West than in his own country. Great Mathematician Ramanujan didn’t find patrons for his incredible talent in India but attained legendary status in the Western world. Every year, the great brains of our country go abroad in search of better opportunities, and when we see people like Satya Nadela, Indira Nooyi, and Sunder Pichai heading the global conglomerates, we try to take pride in their achievements. However, similar talents are unrecognized and underappreciated in their own country. When Kaprekar presented his theory at the Madras Scientific Conference, his work was not taken seriously and was deemed childish. His work was published in little-known scientific journals, and some were self-published as Pamphlets. Today, his works have inspired a lot of derivative works, but unfortunately, his work is still seen as inferior as compared to applied mathematics, and India has still not recognized the genius of Kaprekar.

Secondly, there is a serious problem in academia, which values institutional affiliation over the quality of research. Since Kaprekar was not qualified to be a professor or researcher, and did research out of his interest, he was not taken seriously by the academia. Indian academia works on the principle of “publish or perish”, which values the credentials of a scholar based on the number of journal publications, citations, and conferences, for a person like Kaprekar, it was difficult to make space for himself because his body of work was strikingly different from the kind of mathematical research that was conducted in Universities at that time. In India, the research arena is dominated by elitist groups of people, who attempt to block ideas and research that doesn’t suit their agenda. People like Kaprekar, who came from a small town without access to quality research facilities or even the avenues to publish their research, had to struggle to get their work published. The impact and reach of his research were severely restricted because it was published by the local press and not by some publisher of great academic repute. Had Karpekar received support from research organizations, his work would have reached greater heights. 

The third problem lies in the lack of institutional support from the government in promoting research and nurturing talents in India. India despite having such a huge population lags in conducting original and quality research, as the government support for research and researchers is abysmal, and the research scholars always find themselves financially and intellectually vulnerable. Kaprekar received a grant of Rs. 500 from UGC only after his retirement in 1962. However, many researchers are still waiting for institutional support from the government, and many more leave the field of research for better career opportunities. The lack of funds obstructs the visibility and the reach of research,  and researchers find it difficult to publish their work in reputed journals due to the high processing fees and the lack of government initiatives for publication support and outreach programs for research scholars, which harms talented yet disadvantaged scholars like Kaprekar.

Thus, we see that people like Kaprekar remain unrecognized in their own country, while the Western countries recognize his work and contributions in the field of mathematics. India needs to be inward-looking in recognizing and nurturing talents, and it should focus on nurturing the present and building the future rather than relying on the laurels of the past. It is the collective responsibility of the state, society, and academia to create an ecosystem that is conducive to the growth of new talent, new ideas, and innovations in India, which can be the building block for the prestige of the nation on the global pedestal.

(The Author is the Project Head at the Delhi-based Think-Tank World Intellectual Foundation. The Co-Author is a Research Associate at the World Intellectual Foundation)

Today is a red letter day in as much India and the world are celebrating the 136^th  birth anniversary of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the second President of India who was a monumental philosopher, educationist, scholar and statesman of international repute. From the hallowed soil of Singapore (conceived in the city of my birth Kolkata by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles where our freedom struggle in a purely military sense materialised under the inspiring leadership of Netaji  Subhas Chandra Bose who galvanised the grand “Azad Hind Fauz” or the Indian National Army  that had been formed with the voluntary participation of Indian soldiers who had been captured by the Japanese Army in Singapore during the Second World War after what Sir Winston Churchill aptly described as “the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history”!), our Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his homage to Radhakrishnan and his lasting impact on education and saluted the strength and leadership of educators.

To ‘begin the beguine’, I am highly emboldened to narrate an amusing incident that took place when Radhakrishnan commenced his maiden visit to the United States on 3^rd June, 1963. When he alighted from his aircraft, the weather was stormy with heavy rains in Washington. President John Fitzgerald ‘Jack’ Kennedy (popularly known as ‘JFK’) greeting his Indian counterpart with a warm handshake and a smile expressed disappointment at the rain that had dampened the warm reception he had arranged for him. To this, Radhakrishnan smiled and remarked courteously, ‘We cannot always control events, but we can always control our attitude towards events.’

There is an old English saying, “Mighty oaks from little acorns grow”. Radhakrishnan was born on 5^th September 1888 into a very humble Telugu-speaking Niyogi Brahmin family, in the Murugan Temple town of Tiruttani of Chittoor district in the erstwhile Madras Presidency. A born genius, Radhakrishnan took to Swami Vivekananda’s philosophy like a duck takes to water from a very early age. He studied at the Tiruttani Primary School and then moved on to study at the Hermansburg Evangelical Lutheral Mission School in Tirupati. He joined Voorhees College in Vellore for his high school education and joined Madras Christian College in 1904. In 1908, he obtained his Master’s degree in Philosophy from the same college. Whilst in college, Radhakrishnan was induced to make a systematic study of Indian traditional thought and philosophy by the disparaging remarks of one of his British teachers about Hindu philosophy and culture. He immediately undertook an in depth study of the Bhagavad Gita and the Vedanta and soon felt so confident about his grasp of these classics that he offered to present a dissertation on the subject “The Ethics of the Vedanta and its metaphysical presuppositions” as a part of the MA degree examination of the Madras University. This was published in 1908 when he reached the tender age of twenty and at once established his fame as a notable philosophical writer of immeasurable ability. A momentous factor in Radhakrishnan’s life was his incisive reading of the translated works of our prodigious national poet and Nobel laureate Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore’s poetry and prose resonated with Radhakrishnan’s own thoughts and he believed that Tagore’s philosophy was the genuine manifestation of the Indian spirit. Radhakrishnan authored more than twenty major philosophical works, notably, “The Philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore”, “Indian Philosophy”, “Eastern Religion and Western Thoughts”, “The Principal Upanishads”, “Recovery of Faiths” and “Fellowship of the Spirit & Religion in a changing world”.

Throughout his entire life and extensive literary career, Radhakrishnan sought to define, defend, and promulgate his religion which he variously identified as Hinduism, Vedanta and the Religion of the Spirit. Inspired by Swami Vivekananda, he sought to demonstrate that his brand of Hinduism was both philosophically coherent and ethically viable. And like Swami ji, he believed that complete education was the only way for the development of an individual and aptly propounded, ‘The end-product of education should be a free creative man, who can battle against historical circumstances and adversities of nature.’ He commenced his teaching career at the reputed Madras Presidency College in 1909 and stayed there till he was appointed as a Professor of Philosophy at Madras University in 1918. Three years later, Radhakrishnan was invited by the prolific educator, jurist, barrister, mathematician and Vice Chancellor of Calcutta University Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee to hold the George V Chair in Philosophy at Calcutta University. In 1929, he became the Principal of Harris Manchester College, Oxford. In 1931, he was knighted by King George V for his services to education but scrupulously preferred to be addressed by his academic title - Doctor. In 1931 itself, he was appointed the Vice-Chancellor of the newly founded Andhra University at Waltair. In 1936, he joined as Hibbert Lecturer and subsequently as Spalding Professor of Eastern Religion and Ethics at Oxford University where he taught Indian Philosophy with remarkable aplomb and elan. He was also elected a Fellow of All Souls College.

Simultaneously, he served as the Chancellor of Delhi University and the first Indian Vice-Chancellor of Banaras Hindu University with the blessings of the redoubtable scholar and educational reformer Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya. In 1938, he was elected as a fellow of the prestigious British Academy. In 1941, he assumed the Chairmanship of the University Grants Commission. Radhakrishnan was elected the first Vice-President of India in 1952. For his sterling contributions to philosophy and statesmanship, the Bharat Ratna, the highest award of the nation, was conferred on him in 1954. He was elected as the President of India on 13^th May, 1962 whereupon some of his students and friends requested him to allow them to celebrate his birthday on 5^th September. He replied nonchalantly, “Instead of celebrating my birthday, it would be my proud privilege if September 5th is observed as Teachers’ Day.” From then onwards, the day has been observed as Teacher’s Day throughout the world. Significantly, after he became the President of India, our first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who was one of his closest friends and ardent admirers, paid him his personal tribute in glowing terms, ‘He has served his country in many capacities. But above all, he is a great teacher from whom all of us have learned much and will continue to learn. It is India’s peculiar privilege to have a great philosopher, a great educationist and a great humanist as her President. That in itself shows the kind of men we honour and respect.’

In conclusion, I am irresistibly drawn to the ever-inspiring words of the legendary American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow from his timeless poem “Psalm of Life”:

‘Lives of great men all remind us, We can make our lives sublime, And, departing, leave behind us, Footprints on the sands of time;’

BRIEF NOTE ON THE AUTHOR

The author is an internationally reputed senior lawyer practising in the Supreme Court of India and various High Courts and Tribunals in India. He has been closely associated with some of the topmost Indian corporates like Tata Sons Ltd., Tata Consultancy Services Lt., Tata Steel Ltd., Reliance Industries Ltd., ITC Ltd., ICI India Ltd. and Hindustan Unilever Ltd. as a lawyer and advisor. He addressed a select gathering of MPs and other eminent persons in the House of Lords in February,2009 and was awarded the prestigious “Ambassador of Peace Award”. In April,2009, he was also invited to the House of  Commons. He was also invited by Chatham House and by the Universal Peace Federation in London several times. He is an avid debater, public speaker, writer, broadcaster, telecaster, artist, painter, sculptor, music critic and filmmaker. He is also an indefatigable lover of Western classical music and has one of the largest private collections of Western classical music in India.

On 12^th January 2024, the world and India, in particular, commemorated the 161^st  birth anniversary of our legendary scholar,  saint and spiritual leader Swami Vivekananda, famous the world over as the “Messenger of Indian Wisdom to the Western World”. Our Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi, whose single greatest source of inspiration was Swamiji (and who by a strange co-incidence proudly bears the name of  Swamiji “Narendra”), tweeted, “Hundreds of salutes to Swami Vivekananda, who established Indian spirituality and culture on the global stage, on the occasion of his birth anniversary and National Youth Day. His thoughts and messages, full of energy and enthusiasm, will continue to inspire the youth to do something from time to time.” Significantly, during Modi’s maiden visit to the United States as the Prime Minister of India in September, 2014, the 44^th American President Barack Obama presented  Modi a rare  1200 page book entitled “The World’s Congress of  Religions” documenting Swamiji’s historic speeches at the Parliament of World Religions at the Chicago Art Institute in 1893 with an accompanying note saying - “This gift celebrates Swami Vivekananda's valuable contribution as a bridge between India and US and honors our two nations' shared traditions of pluralism and diversity.” Modi,who had in the days of his youth abortively tried to become a monk at the Belur Math (the Headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission in Howrah on the banks of the river Hoogly which was founded by Swamiji and where his mortal remains were consigned to flames on 4^th July, 1904 in a sandalwood funeral pyre), subsequently tweeted on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi’s 145^th birth anniversary on 2^nd October, 2014 that he would cherish the gift forever. Here, my mind is irresistibly drawn to Mahatma Gandhi’s historic visit to Belur Math on 12^th January, 1921, on the occasion of Swamiji’s 58^th birth anniversary,when he paid a most glorious tribute to Swamiji,“ I have come to pay my homage and respect to the revered memory of Swami Vivekananda, whose birthday is being celebrated today. I have gone through his works very thoroughly, and after having gone through them, the love that I had for my country became a thousand-fold.”

It was upon the hallowed soil of Gujarat that Swamiji discovered the true spiritual greatness, nay supremacy,of India. From November, 1891 when he entered Ahmedabad, to 26^th April 1892 when he left Baroda for Bombay, he travelled throughout the length and breadth of Gujarat as a “parivrajaka” or “homeless wandering monk in the quest of truth” carrying only a ”kamandala” (water pot), staff and his two favourite books viz. Bhagavad Gita and The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis,the 15^th Century German Catholic scholar. It was during this period of wandering in Gujarat that Swamiji’s whole outlook to life underwent a steady metamorphosis and was aptly recorded by one of his earliest biographers, “It was as though all India were pressing its life through the channels of his personality. He passed through awful upheaval. It might have been at Porbandar that this spirit took birth.” It was further recorded, “Indeed, he had become transformed into a MAN, aching with pain because of the dangers of the modern transition through which he found the whole land passing. He had turned a great patriot, his heart throbbing with love and aspiration, his whole personality afire with an intellectual struggle to solve the problems with which he found India confronted. … His mind had become a whirlwind of ideas.” The realization that he had a mission to accomplish in Gujarat came during his visit to the coastal city of Porbandar, the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi and Sudama the strong and energetic cowherd friend of Lord Krishna. He told the Maharaja of Porbandar Vikramatji Khimojiraj that, “I have a mission to perform. But I cannot clearly see at present, how I shall begin or where it is to be!” In Porbandar, he told his brother-disciple Swami Trigunatitananda, “Sarada, now I have started to understand to some extent the Master's words. Really I have so much power in me, I feel as though I could revolutionize the world!” Thereafter, in the cell of Sri Sharada Peeth Math (the world’s largest independent women’s monastic order) at Dwarka, the City of Lord Krishna, he perceived a most powerful light - and that was the bright and luminescent future of India. During his visit to the historic Jain temples of Palitana (the world’s only mountain city that has more than 900 temples and is the most sacred place of pilgrimage of the Jain community), he saw India as one huge temple, enraptured by chapels and sanctuaries everywhere. He perceived the glory of Mahabharata, the longest epic poem ever written. Whilst beholding the ruins of the magnificent ancient temple of Somnath, which was destroyed and rebuilt several times, Swamiji felt deep inside him the indelible glory of India’s past. He came in close contact with the honorific Sanskrit scholar Pandit Shankar Pandurang, the Administrator of Porbandar, and began appreciating the teachings of Sanatana Dharma and the need to preach it to the whole wide world. As he studied the Vedas tirelessly with Pandit Pandurang in his awesome library, he became convinced that “India was truly the Master of Religions, the fountain-head of spirituality and the cradle of civilization.” Swamiji also assiduously learnt French as advised by Panditiji who said, “It will be of great use to you, Swamiji”. In fact, he even penned a letter in French to his brother disciples at Alambazar and took them completely by surprise. Pandit Pandurang told Swamiji, “I am afraid you cannot do much in this country. Few will appreciate you here. You should go to the West. Surely you can throw a great light on Western culture by preaching the ‘Sanatan Dharma.’” Thereafter,by a superb stroke of fate, Swamiji heard for the first time about the Parliament of  World Religions in Chicago that was slated to be held in September 1893 and which changed the entire course of his life. Significantly in Gujarat, both his mental and physical prowess got a new spurt of divine energy. His fellow disciple Swami Akhandananda wrote in his memoirs, “I at last reached Mandvi. I saw that there was a great change in his appearance. His presence illumined the whole room.” Here in Gujarat, after being rescued by the Thakore Saheb of Limbdi from the awful clutches of the treacherous Sadhus, Swamiji was embued with a new life. Swamiji came in close contact with some of the most prominent princes, diwans, scholars and eminent personalities of Gujarat. All of them became his great friends and fans and some of them even became his devoted disciples. Reaching Junagadh at the foot of the Girnar hills and famous for the iconic early 19^th Century Shri Swaminarayan Temple, Swamiji became the guest of  Haridas Viharidas Desai, Diwan of Junagadh, and later he stayed with Chhaganlal Pandya, who was the Manager in the Diwan’s office. Diwanji became so much deely attached to Swamiji that even after Swamiji had left Junagadh, he continued to keep in close touch with him. Diwanji found in Swamiji a unique personality and teacher and Swamiji in turn paternally oved and respected him - the difference in their age was 22 years! This will be more than evident from the inspiring and letters of Swamiji addressed to Diwanji. Swamiji wrote to Diwanji from Bombay on 22^nd August, 1892:

“The world is enriched by men, high souled, noble-minded and kind like you, ‘the rest are only as axes, which cut at the tree of youth of their mothers’ as the Sanskrit poem puts it.”

Again, he wrote from Khetri in May, 1893 :

“Believe me that I love you and respect you like a father and that my gratitude towards you and your family is surely unbounded … my dear Diwanji Saheb, I am the same frolicious, mischievous but I assure you, innocent boy you found me at Junagadh and my love for your noble self is the same or increased a hundredfold because I have had a mental comparison between yourself and the Diwans of nearly all the States in Dakshin and the Lord be my witness how my tongue was fluent in your praise (although I know that my powers are quite inadequate to estimate your noble qualities) in every southern court.”

A friend in need is a friend indeed! Swamiji magnanimously helped Diwanji to overcome his manifold problems. He wrote from Poona on 15^th June, 1892, “Perhaps by this time every hitch has been removed from your way in Junagadh, at least I hope so”. Again when Diwanji was in distress, Swamiji wrote to him from Bombay on 22^nd  May, 1893:

“Often and often we see that the very best of men even are troubled and visited with tribulations in this world. It may be inexplicable but it is also the experience of my life that the heart and core of everything here is good, that whatever may be the surface of waves, deep down and underlying everything, there is an infinite basis of goodness and love and so long we do not reach that basis we are troubled but once reached that zone of calmness, let winds howl and tempest rage, the house which is built upon the rock of ages cannot shake. I thoroughly believe that a good, unselfish and holy man like you whose whole life has been devoted in doing good to others has already reached the basis of firmness which the Lord himself has styled as ‘rest’ upon Brahman in the Gita. May the blows you have received draw thee closer and closer to that Being who is the only one to be loved here and hereafter so that you may realise him in everything past, present and future and find everything present or lost in Him and Him alone.”

Swamiji’s biographer Mahendranath Dutta narrates a fascinating incident in his Bengali book “Srimat Swamijir Jeevaner Ghantanabali”. “While Swamiji was staying with the Diwan of Junagadh, Swamiji saw him depressed. On being asked about the reason, Diwanji at first hesitated but then said, ‘There is a letter from British Government from Bombay to the Nawab of Junagadh; I am worried as to what reply I should give because I am appointed by British Government and on the other hand I am an employee of Nawab. I cannot afford to displease either of them and I am, therefore, in a great dilemma.’ Swamiji did not speak a word, just took up a paper and started scribbling something. After some time he told Diwanji, ‘Will this letter do?’ Diwanji was extremely astonished and exclaimed ‘This is just the type of letter I wanted to send!’ Immediately he made out a copy of the letter and sent to Bombay. Diwanji became highly impressed with the practical wisdom of Swamiji.”

At Junagadh,  Swamiji also met the extraordinary Ayurvedic physician  Jhandu Bhatt of Jamnagar about whom he said, “I had been to many places and have seen many beautiful persons, but nowhere have I seen a generous man like Jhandu Bhatt Vithalji.” In and around Junagadh, Swamiji saw many ancient monuments and ruins—the wondrous Uparkot Fort, believed to have been built in 319 BC by the Mauryan emperor Chandragupta, an ancient Rajput palace converted to a mosque by Mahmud Begada, the most prominent Sultan of the Gujarat Sultanate, two ancient wells, the Khapra Khodia Buddhist caves, the “Ashoka Shilalekh” in which the edicts of Emperor Ashoka and of the other emperors are artfully etched on stone and many other places of historical importance. While travelling through the Great Rann of  Kutch, Swamiji had a miraculous experience of actually witnessing a mirage with his own eyes. In a lecture delivered at the famed Thousand Island Park in New York in 1896 entitled “The Real and the Apparent Man”, Swamiji described the phenomenon, “One day I was very thirsty and wanted to have a drink of water, so I started to go to one of these clear, beautiful lakes, and as I approached, it vanished. And with a flash it came to my brain, ‘This is the mirage about which I have read all my life’..The next morning I began my march. There was again the lake, but with it came also the idea that it was the mirage and not a true lake. So is it with this universe. We are all travelling in this mirage of the world day after day, month after month, year after year, not knowing that it is a mirage. One day it will break up, but it will come back again; the body has to remain under the power of past Karma, and so the mirage will come back.” With the princes and diwans in Gujarat, Swamiji not only animatedly discussed philosophy and religion, but also myriad important economic and political problems confronting the world and the nation. He gave them valuable practical advice and even went to the extent of drafting diplomatic letters for them with amazing elan. Though Swamiji scrupulously stayed away from politics, his close association with the princes and diwans in Gujarat created considerable waves and attracted the ire of the ever-watchful eyes of British Intelligence! Thus, the ceaseless wanderings of Swamiji in Gujarat constituted the most significant period of his whole spiritual life!

BRIEF NOTE ON THE AUTHOR

The author is an internationally reputed senior lawyer practising in the Supreme Court of India and various High Courts and Tribunals in India. He addressed a select gathering of MPs and other eminent persons in the House of Lords in February 2009 and was awarded the prestigious “Ambassador of Peace Award”. In April 2009, he was also invited to the House of  Commons. He was also invited by Chatham House and by the Universal Peace Federation in London several times. He is an avid debater, public speaker, writer, broadcaster, telecaster, artist, painter, sculptor, music critic and filmmaker. 

India's ambitious Aspirational Block Program (ABP) marks a pivotal moment in the nation's journey towards inclusive growth. By targeting underdeveloped rural areas, the initiative aims to bridge the gap between India's thriving urban centers, upcoming 2nd and 3rd tier cities and its vast hinterlands. This comprehensive approach considers various factors including population density, economic conditions, natural resources, and infrastructure to catalyze development where it's needed most.

 The Challenge of Scale

When comparing India's initiatives with those of other countries, it's crucial to acknowledge India's unique challenges due to its sheer size and population. With over 1.4 billion people, India presents a scale of complexity that few other nations face. This includes diverse cultural, economic, and geographic conditions that require tailored solutions rather than one-size-fits-all approaches.

Rajasthan: A Case Study

Rajasthan's implementation of the ABP can be compared to smaller-scale national experiments in other countries. For instance, the "One Block One Product" initiative in Rajasthan aims to boost local economies by identifying and promoting a principal product in each block. This approach is reminiscent of Japan's "One Village One Product" movement, which successfully revitalized rural areas by focusing on unique local products for economic development.

 Areas Needing More Focus

1. Community Participation and Empowerment

- Comparative Insight: Brazil's participatory budgeting has shown that involving local communities in decision-making leads to better resource allocation and increased accountability.

- Recommendation: Rajasthan could benefit from enhancing community involvement in the planning and execution of development projects to ensure they meet local needs and preferences.

2. Digital Infrastructure and Integration

- Comparative Insight: Estonia's comprehensive digital infrastructure, including the X-Road system, facilitates seamless data exchange and service delivery.

- Recommendation: Rajasthan should focus on building robust digital infrastructure to improve service delivery and governance, ensuring interoperability among various government departments.

3. Capacity Building and Training

- Comparative Insight: Singapore's continuous training programs for public officials have proven effective in maintaining high governance standards.

- Recommendation: Investing in the training of local officials and community leaders in Rajasthan could enhance the effectiveness of the ABP by fostering a culture of excellence and innovation. AI Technology can be used in a big way in order to run this program effectively and also to ascertain and verify that the lessons have been learned and are ready for implementation. They may become largely unpopular but will be immensely effective.

 Areas Needing Less Focus

1. Overemphasis on Technology Without Adequate Support

- Comparative Insight: While technology is crucial, South Korea's experience shows that it must be complemented with adequate support systems and training.

- Recommendation: Rajasthan should balance technological advancements with efforts to improve digital literacy and provide support to ensure widespread adoption and effective use.

2. Uniform Policy Implementation

- Comparative Insight: India's diverse socio-economic landscape requires tailored approaches, as seen in the varied success of national programs.

- Recommendation: Avoid a one-size-fits-all approach in Rajasthan by customizing policies to address the unique challenges and opportunities of each block.

 Learning from Global Success Stories

As India charts its course, valuable lessons can be drawn from nations that have successfully tackled similar challenges:

Estonia: The Digital Trailblazer

While India has made significant strides in digital governance through initiatives like Aadhaar and blockchain-based land records, Estonia's approach offers additional insights into creating a comprehensive digital ecosystem. Estonia's integration of blockchain technology across various public services, not just land records, sets a benchmark for secure and efficient data management.

X-Road and Data Interoperability

Estonia's X-Road is a secure data exchange layer that connects public and private sector databases, ensuring seamless and secure data sharing. This system enhances interoperability and efficiency, providing a model for India to consider as it continues to digitize its public services.

Digital Twins and Real-Time Management

Estonia is exploring digital twins—virtual replicas of physical entities—for managing urban infrastructure and land use. This technology allows for real-time monitoring and management, offering insights that improve decision-making and resource allocation. Implementing digital twins in India's land management could enhance transparency and efficiency.

India could adapt Estonia's approach by:

- Developing secure data exchange systems to improve interoperability among government departments

- Expanding blockchain applications beyond land records to other public services

- Utilizing digital twin technology for real-time data management and improved urban planning

Brazil: Empowering Communities

Brazil's experiments with participatory budgeting in cities like Porto Alegre offer valuable insights into community engagement. This approach allows citizens to directly influence local spending priorities, fostering a sense of ownership and accountability.

India could incorporate these lessons by:

- Establishing local forums for citizens to propose and vote on development projects

- Training community leaders in budget literacy and project management

- Creating feedback mechanisms to ensure continuous improvement of the ABP

Singapore: Cultivating Excellence in Governance

 Singapore's relentless pursuit of administrative excellence provides a blueprint for capacity building. The country's Civil Service College offers continuous training to public officials, ensuring they remain at the forefront of governance best practices.

India could adopt similar strategies by:

- Establishing a dedicated institute for training ABP officials

- Implementing a rigorous performance evaluation system for public servants

- Fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation in governance

South Korea: Harnessing Technology for Public Good

South Korea's integration of technology into public services offers a model for efficient governance. From smart cities to advanced e-government platforms, technology has transformed service delivery and citizen engagement.

India could leverage technology in the ABP by:

- Developing mobile apps for citizens to access government services and information

- Implementing IoT solutions for better resource management in rural areas

- Using big data analytics to inform policy decisions and track program outcomes

United States: Incentivizing Progress

The U.S. Race to the Top initiative in education demonstrates the power of performance-based incentives. By offering competitive grants, the program spurred innovation and improvement in school systems across the country.

India could apply this approach to the ABP by:

- Introducing competitive grants for blocks that demonstrate exceptional progress

- Recognizing and rewarding innovative local initiatives

- Creating a platform for sharing best practices among participating blocks

 Starting from the Basics

While these international examples provide inspiration, it's crucial to recognize that India's journey begins with addressing fundamental challenges. The recent nationwide sanitation drive, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, underscores the importance of starting with the basics.

The ABP must prioritize:

- Continued focus on sanitation and waste management

- Basic infrastructure development, including roads and electricity

- Primary healthcare and education facilities

 The Road Ahead

India's path to rural development through the ABP is undoubtedly challenging, but not insurmountable. By learning from global successes and adapting them to local contexts, India can accelerate its progress.

The ABP represents India's dream of an equitable and prosperous future. By combining international best practices with a deep understanding of local needs, India can transform its rural landscape, one block at a time.

The journey has begun, and with persistent effort and innovative approaches, India can build a society where growth is not just a statistic, but a lived reality for all its citizens. The world watches with anticipation as India embarks on this transformative journey, potentially setting a new benchmark for rural development in the 21st century.

On 8th September, 2022, our Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a 28 feet tall statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, fashioned from a single jet black monolithic granite block weighing 280 tonnes by the celebrated Mysore-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj. The statue had been placed under the Gate Canopy facing India Gate at the end of ‘Kartavya Path’, formerly known as ‘Rajpath’ (designed by Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens, described by the well-known architectural historian Gavin Mark Stamp as ‘surely the greatest British architect of the twentieth (or of any other) century’, consequent upon the death of King George V, the first Windsor monarch and grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II, on 20th January, 1936), that had symbolically sheltered an imposing marble statue of the King, emblazoned with a flowing robe and complete with globus cruciger and sceptre, from the time of its inauguration on 14th November, 1939 that co-incidentally marked the 50th birth anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. In a powerful speech choked with visible emotion, Modi paid a glowing tribute to Netaji, ‘Netaji Subhash was the first Prime Minister of Akhand Bharat who had liberated Andaman even before 1947 and unfurled the tricolour.If India followed the path of Subhash Babu after Independence, what heights would the country be at today? But unfortunately, this great hero of ours was forgotten after independence.’

What is probably not that widely known about Netaji is that he was a true and faithful friend and an unflinching admirer of the Sikhs. After Bose resigned as the President of the Congress party on 29th April,1939 at the party’s session held at Tripuri, near Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, he convened a public rally at the historical Shraddhananda Park in Kolkata, on 3rd May, 1939. Hundreds of Sikhs attended the rally and some even travelled all the way from Punjab. It was here that the formation of the All India Forward Bloc was formally announced for carrying on the ‘anti-imperialist struggle’. Many Sikhs joined the party as founder-members, including one Chaudhari Jaimal Singh, a wealthy landowner from Dasuya in the Hoshiarpur district of Punjab (referred to in the Mahabharata as being the seat of King Virata and popularly known as ‘Virat Ki Nagri’). He, like so many others of his Sikh brethren, was a truly magnanimous person. He stood up and announced that he would be making a spot donation of  Rs 1,000 to the party of Bose “paaji” (brother), with the promise to donate a further one lakh Rupees in the future. In July,1939, Bose announced the Committee of the Forward Bloc. It had Bose as its President and the reputed politician, newspaper editor and author Sardul Singh Kavseer from Punjab as its Vice-President.

When Netaji was protesting against the controversial ‘Holwell Monument’ commemorating the ‘Black Hole of Calcutta’ in July,1940, scores of patriotic Sikh youth walked every day from Rashbehari to Dalhousie in Kolkata to lend their active support to the cause of raising the monument to the ground. Netaji even had a close Sikh friend Niranjan Singh Talib by his side throughout the course of his historic escape from house arrest on 19th January,1941(dressed in Pathan attire and sporting a freshly harvested beard to hoodwink the British authorities!) right up to Peshawar. Talib was finally arrested, brought to Lahore and jailed, while Bose disappeared from the scene via Afghanistan, never to return again. The friendship with the Sikhs, however, remained untrammelled, with Kavseer succeeding Bose as the Bloc’s chairman. Bose finally arrived in Germany and his clarion call to Indian prisoners of war was well received and 1,200 soldiers, mostly Sikhs, joined a training camp located at Frankenburg, near Chemnitz in Germany. This camp was the precursor of the Indian National Army (INA). It was initially named Lashkar-iHind or Indian Legion. The first troops of the Indian Legion were recruited from Indian POWs captured at El Mekili, Libya, during the battles for Tobruk. The German forces in the Western Desert or the Afrika Corps under the charismatic General Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel, popularly known as the “Desert Fox”, selected a core group of 27 POWs as potential officers who were flown to Berlin in May,1941. This was followed by POWs being shipped by the Italian forces to Germany.  

In November,1941, a Free India Centre was set up in Berlin and soon a Free India Radio, on which Bose used to broadcast nightly, came into being. In the first official meeting of the Free India Centre on 2nd November, 1941 in Berlin, Bose was conferred the title of ‘Netaji’, ‘Jai Hind’ was introduced as the national greeting, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s patriotic song ‘Jana Gana Mana’ was adopted as the national anthem and Hindustani, the most widely spoken language in India, was chosen as the national language of Independent India. The number of POWs transferred to Germany grew to about 10,000 who were housed at the POW camp located at Annaberg-Bucholz , where Bose first interacted with them. As the numbers of POWs joining the Indian Legion swelled, the Legion was moved to Königsbrück, a town in the Bautzen district in Saxony, for further training. It was at Königsbrück that uniforms in German ‘feldgrau’ or “field grey” were first issued, bearing the badge of a leaping tiger. The formation of the Indian Legion was announced in January,1942. It did not, however, take oath until 26th August, 1942. The strength of the Indian Legion in the West ultimately rose to 4,500. On 26th January, 1943, India’s Freedom Day was celebrated with great splendour in the grand hall of Berlin’s first ‘grand hotel’ Kaiserhof Hotel in Wilhelmplatz, tastefully adorned with red tulips and white lilacs. Shortly thereafter, the German Postal Services issued a set of ten stamps in six different designs honouring the Indian Legion. These Indian Legion Stamps or “Cinderella Stamps” represent the first pictorial depiction of Sikh soldiers in postal history. The stamps were designed by a husband-wife duo of well-known German artists Warner and Maria Von Axter-Heudtlass, whose ‘AXHEU’ signature appears unobtrusively on the stamps.

The name of the political organization corresponding to the Indian Independence League in the East was the Free India Centre. The Sikhs, living in Malaya, Singapore and other countries of the region set up two secret anti-British groups, led principally by Giani Pritam Singh, the Secretary General of the Indian Independence League of Thailand and Malaya. Two Indian soldiers in the British army viz. Captain Mohan Singh and Captain Mohammad Akram, both from Punjab, were cut off from the British Indian Army and were wandering aimlessly in the jungles of Malaya when they came across Giani Pritam Singh and Major Fujiwara Iwaichi, Chief of Intelligence of the Japanese 15th Army. Giani Pritam Singh invited them to take up the cause of their motherland. Mohan Singh seized the opportunity without even batting an eyelid! He contacted Indian soldiers and prevailed upon them not to fight for the British but to seize the golden opportunity presented to them by the war for the liberation of India. It was decided by the Indian and Japanese Army officers and civilians in Malaya and Thailand to send a special team to Tokyo for consultations with the Japanese High Command as well as with well-known Indian revolutionaries residing there like the well known freedom fighter, journalist, writer and revolutionary social reformist of India Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh (who had married  one Balveer  Kaur  belonging to a Jat Sikh family and ultimately became a member of the second Lok Sabha  defeating Atal Behari Vajpayee from the Hathras constituency in Uttar Pradesh) and the charismatic Pan-Asian revolutionary leader, writer and journalist Rash Behari Bose (popularly known as “Bose of Nakamuraya” as he had married Tosiko Soma, the daughter of  the owners of the famed Nakamuraya bakery and restaurant in Tokyo, and was instrumental in introducing Indian style curry or “Indo Karii” in Japan!) who had founded the India Independence League first in Japan and then in all the areas of South-East Asia occupied by Japan that had small pockets of Indians. The team included Mohan Singh, Niranjan Singh Gill and Giani Pritam Singh Along with the Japanese team, they flew to Tokyo in two planes in March,1942.

Unfortunately, the plane carrying Giani Pritam Singh crashed, killing him and other co-passengers instantaneously. At Tokyo, the Indian team met the Japanese Prime Minister General Hideki Tojo, Raja Mahendra Pratap and Rash Behari Bose. It was at Tokyo that the decision to form the INA was formally taken. It was also decided to hold a conference at Bangkok to seek the cooperation of over three million members of the Indian diaspora living all over South-East Asia. This was held from 15th June to 20th June, 1942 and was attended by 150 Indian delegates. The conference commenced with the raising of the tri-colour flag by Rash Behari Bose. Mohan Singh spoke for several hours emphasising the importance of and the imperative need for India’s freedom. The Conference decided to incorporate Indian troops and civilians of South-East Asia in the INA with Mohan Singh as the Commander-in-Chief with the avowed objective of giving a military dimension to India’s freedom movement. The members were called upon to adopt three cardinal principles – ‘Etihaad’, ‘Etmad’ and ‘Kurbani’ meaning Unity, Faith and Sacrifice. The Conference, in one of its important resolutions, invited Netaji to South-East Asia to lead the INA. The INA opened its headquarters at Mount Pleasant, a residential estate on the northern outskirts of Singapore. The anthem selected was the rousing ‘Sare Jhan Se Acchha Hindustan Hamara’ composed by the redoubtable Urdu poet Sir Muhammad Iqbal, affectionately known as ‘Allama Iqbal’. The first parade of the INA was held in August, 1942 at which the Indian tri-colour flag was hoisted and a short speech in Hindusthani was delivered by Mohan Singh. His speech was electrifying and touched the innermost chords of the troops who responded with wild enthusiasm and fervour. A large number of Sikhs voluntarily came forward. Mohan Singh established his headquarters at Nee Soon, a suburban town in the northern part of Singapore, with Lt Col.Niranjan Singh Gill as the Chief of Staff. The INA, however, was formally set in motion on 1st  September,1942 by which date over 42,000 Indian  POWs, including 28,000 Sikhs, had signed a solemn pledge to join it.

Netaji left Europe on 8th  February 1943 in a German submarine  U-180 under the command of Captain Werner Musenberg, and travelled to the southeast of Madagascar around the Cape of Good Hope where he was transferred to the Japanese submarine  I-29 at a secret rendezvous for the rest of the voyage to Japan. Netaji ultimately arrived at Tokyo on 13th June,1943. After discussing matters with General Tojo, he came to Singapore on 2nd July,1943. Two days later Rash Behari Bose handed over the leadership of the Indian Independence League to him. On 5th July,1943, Netaji revived the INA with Mohan Singh as the Commander-in-Chief and took the salute of the INA soldiers, dressed in military uniform. On 26th August, 1943, Netaji became the Supreme Commander of the INA renaming it as “Azad Hind Fauj”. He issued the following order:

‘...when we stand, the Azad Hind Fauj has to be like a wall of granite, when we march, the Azad Hind Fauj has to be like a steam roller. With the slogan “Chalo Dilli!” on your lips, let us continue to fight till the national flag flies over the Viceroy’s House in Delhi and the Azad Hind Fauj holds the victory parade inside the ancient Red Fort..”

The Azad Hind Fauj then had 12,000 Sikh soldiers out of its total operational strength of 20,000 troops. Another towering Sikh personality Giani Kesar Singh (who was a great freedom fighter and a prolific writer who authored 25 historical novels in Punjabi, especially on the Gadar Movement, and the best selling English treatise on ‘Indian Independence Movement in East Asia’) was appointed the Civil Administrator of the INA. On 16th November, 1943, a special ceremony took place on the occasion of the founding of the Indian National Provisional Government of Free India Centre at the very same  Kaiserhof Hotel in Berlin that turned out to be a scathing indictment of the British war induced hunger in India. Sikh soldiers of the Indian Legion were conspicuous by their large presence. To liberate India, a comprehensive action plan was drawn up by the INA and, accordingly, the headquarters of the Provisional Government were shifted to Rangoon in January, 1944. On 11th July, 1944, Netaji arranged a ceremonial parade at the tomb of Bahadur Shah Zafar  in the  Shwe Degon Pagoda in Yangon and recited the last Moghul Emperor’s timeless couplet ‘Ghazion mein bu rahegi jab talak iman ki/ Takht-e-London tak chalegi tegh Hindustan ki!’ (As long as there remains the scent of faith in the hearts of our holy fighters/So long shall the sword of Hindustan flash before the throne of London).

After delivering a speech before an impressive gathering of over 60,000 people at Rangoon on the solemn occasion of India’s Freedom Day on 26th  January,1944, Netaji suddenly looked at the rose garland which was presented to him and said, ‘Friends, I know that this garland which you have gifted me today will dry up within a couple of days. But, I also know that the love and affection that you have for me in your heart will never dry up. If we see this as a mare garland then we all know that this will have no value once it dries. But, if we take this garland as a memento of our struggle for freedom then this becomes priceless. So, today I want you all to bid for the same. The money we collect from, this will be the first donation for the treasury of Azad Hind Rangoon. Now tell me, what price are you ready to pay for this garland.?’ The highest bid was an amazing sum of $7 Lakhs and was placed by one businessman Brijlal Jaiswal. As Netaji was about to announce him as the winner, one Sikh businessman Sardar Har Govind Singh ascended the dais and sat down beside Netaji’s feet and said, ‘Netaji aap se mera ek aarz hai, Singapore me mere do makan hain, apna garage me aath (8) truck hain, aur bangkok main bhi 3-4 lakh dollar honge. Kul mila kar 7 lakh doller ho sakta hai. Ye sab main abhi Aazad Hind ke naam likh deta hun; eske badle maherbani karke sirf ye mala mujh ko de dijiye.’ Netaji walked towards Govind Singh and was about to garland him when Govind Singh shouted, ‘ye aap kya kar rahe hai Netaji. Ye aap ke gale ka mala hai, ye mala main apne gale me kaise daloon! Ye mala aap mere haath me dijiye.’ That day, Govind Singh donated his entire life savings to buy the garland and embraced the INA.

The INA participated in the Japanese offensive on the Indo-Burma front in 1944 and the Sikh soldiers in particular displayed exceptional bravery. But the British forces repulsed the offensive and launched a counter-attack during the bitter winter of 1944-45. The Japanese as well as the INA were compelled to beat a hasty retreat and the war ended with Japan's unconditional surrender on 14th  August, 1945. Lamentably, most officers and men of the INA, numbering about 20,000, including Mohan Singh, had been taken prisoners by the British and brought back to India. They were ultimately set free during 1945 and Mohan Singh and his comrades of the INA were acclaimed far and wide for their indefinable valour and patriotism. After Independence, Mohan Singh entered active politics and joined the Indian National Congress. After a brief stint as a member of the legislative assembly in Punjab, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha for two terms. He strove relentlessly for the recognition of the members of the Azad Hind Fauj as worthy freedom fighters in the noble cause of the nation's freedom. The immeasurable contribution of the Sikhs in the INA was recognised by the Indian Post & Telegraphs Department which issued a set of two special stamps in the denominations of 15np and 55np each to mark the 67th Birth Anniversary of  Netaji in 1967.

Of these, the latter shows a black and white picture of Netaji with the national flag in the foreground and some Sikh soldiers in the background. The symbol of the INA is shown on the right. Significantly, Sikh army officers like Col.Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon, Lt. Sardar Sadhu Singh and Lt. Sardar Ujagar Singh fought under the leadership of Netaji and Col. Dhillon was tried by the British at the INA trials conducted in the Red Fort in Delhi in 1945/46. Netaji was also closely connected with Sikh leaders like Sardar Baldev Singh (former Defence Minister of India in the Nehru cabinet who was one of the persons who had masterminded  Netaji’s escape from India), Achhar Singh Chhina (a Berkeley contemporary of Punjab’s former Chief Minister Pratap Singh Kairon), Sardar Mehnga Singh (who was the Secretary of  Bhartiya Janata Party's Amritsar unit and in whose name a road is named in Amritsar) and Sardar Sewa Singh Namdhari (at whose spacious residence Bose came in close contact with the local Indian community in Bangkok and who after Independence emerged as an active RSS leader and was a part of the cow protection movement in Delhi in 1966) in India’s struggle for freedom.

Last but not the least, Rawalpindi-born Shaheed Nanak Singh (who was named after Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism, and whose portrait hangs in the hallowed premises of the Golden Temple in Amritsar!), a prominent Sikh leader of West Punjab, and the father of my very dear Gujranwala born friend Lord Raminder “Rami” Ranger, a mighty Member of the House of Lords in London, was an ardent devotee of Netaji. Though a highly decorated Police Officer (with 29 Gold Commendation Certificates to his credit!), Shaheed Nanak Singh resigned from the imperialist British Police Force to join the freedom struggle and started his independent legal practice in Multan going on to become the Vice President of the Bar Association in Multan. He was a martyr, who vehemently opposed the unholy partition of India and as a result was a marked man, who was ruthlessly assassinated at the age of 43 while saving 600 innocent lives at the DAV School, Multan. Significantly, Shaheed Nanak Singh voluntarily took up cases to defend the hapless INA prisoners.  He was a valiant lawyer who dared take on such cases despite the fear of reprisals by the British Authorities! Netaji and the Sikhs were literally inseparable!

A BRIEF NOTE ON THE AUTHOR

The author is an internationally reputed senior lawyer practising in the Supreme Court of India and various High Courts and Tribunals in India. A He addressed a select gathering of MPs and other eminent persons in the House of Lords in February 2009 and was awarded the prestigious “Ambassador of Peace Award”. In April 2009, he was also invited to the House of  Commons. He was also invited by Chatham House and by the Universal Peace Federation in London several times. He is an avid debater, public speaker, writer, broadcaster, telecaster, artist, painter, sculptor, music critic and filmmaker. 

While Bangladesh struggles with unheard-of political unrest, India is on the verge of a situation that may completely alter its eastern border. Not only are the current events in our neighboring country internal issues, but they also foreshadow greater repercussions that may shake the subcontinent as a whole. What impact will this chaos in Bangladesh have on India, and why should this worry us?

Now let's get to the core of the issue. Bangladesh, which was once praised as an example of South Asia's economic progress, is currently perilously close to anarchy. The contentious 2018 general elections, which saw Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina win her third straight term despite claims of rampant voter fraud and ballot stuffing, are the source of this issue. In 2024 things have quickly become worse, leading to widespread demonstrations calling for Hasina's resignation across the nation.

However, why should India give a damn? Our linked choices and common past hold the crucial piece. Do you recall the Liberation War of 1971? India's pivotal participation in Bangladesh's independence forged a relationship that has influenced regional politics for decades. This friendship is being put to the test like never before as Bangladesh burns.

In South Asia, Bangladesh is India's biggest commercial partner, with a whopping $18.2 billion in bilateral trade in 2022–2023. This economic lifeblood is immediately threatened by any instability in Bangladesh. However, the ramifications go beyond simple math. A wave of refugees has already poured into the states bordering India as a result of the current conflict. Over 8,000 Bangladeshi citizens have applied for asylum in India since the demonstrations started, according to official statistics, which is similar to the millions of people who fled to India during the 1971 war.

Furthermore, it is impossible to overestimate the geopolitical implications. Bangladesh's strategic position renders it an indispensable participant in India's 'Act East' program. A destabilized Bangladesh would serve as a haven for radical groups, which might spark separatist movements in the northeastern regions of India once more.

Let's take a minute to reflect, though, and consider if we're ready for the worst-case situation. What happens if the Bangladeshi issue gets out of hand? When India last saw a significant influx of refugees from Bangladesh, almost a new country was formed. Are we prepared for yet another seismic shift in the political climate in the area?

India's handling of the Bangladesh crisis will serve as a benchmark for its regional leadership as we consider these issues. Will we take aggressive measures to protect regional stability, or will we passively observe while our neighbor transforms into chaos?

Now, let's talk about the elephant in the room - China. Bangladesh's instability presents our ambitious neighbor to the north with a great opportunity as much as a burden for India. China is observing Bangladesh like a chess piece on a large geopolitical board, while we are shaking our heads at the mayhem next door.

Remember how China has been lavishly throwing money into Bangladesh? We're talking a cool $26 billion since 2016, all part of that Belt and Road Initiative. Imagine now a fragile Bangladesh, in dire need of a lifeline. Who's going to bail with fat wallets and wide arms? You guessed it. The worst part is that every yuan China invests becomes a strand in a web that is gradually entangling our eastern flank.

But money isn't the only factor here, is it? Imagine Bangladesh leaning up to China. Suddenly, the Bay of Bengal no longer seems to be India's backyard as much. Our marine security is this fence, but it's like having a nosy neighbor looking over your fence. Not to mention that China and Pakistan are already great friends on our western border. Can you see a pattern here? It seems like India needs to have an ace up its sleeve. We aren’t just the spectators in this game, we need to destroy any situation where the pieces don’t fall in our favor.

The stakes are extremely high, and time is of the essence. Bangladesh's devastation is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode near India, not only their concern. One thing is certain as we sail these choppy waters: Bangladesh's fate and India's future are intertwined. Are we prepared to weather the storm, is the question.

Views expressed are personal to the writer.