Twelve-year-old Gitanjali Rao, an Indian-American scientist, talks about her inspiration and creation with this writer.
She is all of 12 and is known globally as girl wonder for receiving the 2017 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge. What catapulted Gitanjali Rao to the high table was her invention, Tethys, a low-cost technology for testing lead in water.
What inspired her to make it? “I was originally inspired by the Flint Water Crisis which I had been introduced through a STEM lab and by watching news. After I learned about Flint, a town in the US, I continued to research and follow it for the next couple of years. When I saw my parents testing for lead in our water, I immediately realised that using test strip would take quite a few tries to get accurate results and I really wanted to do something to change this not only for my parents but for the residents of Flint and places like Flint around the world,” she said.
The Indian American girl has created a sensor-based device that is faster than current technologies available in the market and is cheaper.
“After my testing and developing a method for gathering data for analytics, I intend to partner with the US Environmental Protection Agency to crowd source water quality data. The idea is to not only test local water sources but try to use the data from various sources to produce a heat map that shows the contamination levels in a region in a single view. It can also help in developing in prediction models of the spread in future. Parallelly, I intend to create about 30-50 reproducible prototypes which can be used for field-testing starting with Flint,” Rao said.
For developing the project, she worked with a mentor, Dr. Shafer, who helped her with her experimentation plans and made sure she wasn’t immediately rushing to the next steps. “On the first Skype call, I was a bit nervous to talk to someone so knowledgeable who was an accomplished scientist, but as soon as I started talking to her, she made me very comfortable. I learnt to be diligent and persistent from her. She listened carefully when I narrated my failures to her and provided me with alternate paths to keep moving ahead. She taught me to reach out and ask for help,” said the pre-teen. She added that she earlier hesitated in asking questions but having met Dr. Shafer she’s learnt to reach out to college professors and high school teachers for either space to perform her tests or ask questions related to her research.
She looks up to her parents, who have encouraged her to pursue her ideas with abandon and provide the necessary resources to make them a reality but on the scientific front she looks up to not younger and newer scientists but Marie Curie. “She didn’t just discover two new elements, but also performed life-threatening tests and put others before herself. That is what a true role model means to me,” said she.
Her age is no benchmark to judge her intelligence as concerns like the wage gap among men and women already weigh heavily on her mind. For this too, the young problem solver has a solution. “I wrote a sample bill for the Colorado legislature, proposing that the wage gender gap be closed by giving women the opportunity to stand up and discuss their wages without repercussions from an employer. It is important to say what you believe. If your male co-worker, who is doing the same job as you, for the same amount of time, is getting a higher salary, then speaking up and talking about it is important. We normally don’t do that or aren’t allowed by company policies. I believe that women shouldn’t be prevented to talk to their employer about their salary and share it openly with coworkers. This can help us close the wage gap once and for all,” said Rao.
She has a wise head resting on her small shoulders as she understands the immediacy of the environmental disaster facing us. She has a message for young girls where she says, “I would like to let them know that each one of us can observe around us and understand the social or environmental problems — and find a way to solve them. Do not be afraid to try as failure is part of the learning process. Solving problems does not always have to be about science. If you are worried about marine pollution, create posters to bring awareness and share it. If you think your community needs more recycling bins, approach lawmakers or other influential people by writing or meeting them. There are many ways to solve problems, and technology is just one aspect,” she said.
Writer: Asmita Sarkar
Courtesy: The Pioneer
American Presidency might still be a tough task for President Trump’s rivals despite the good showing of the Democrats in the midterm polls
Elections in the United States are a spectacle par excellence. This is equally true for both the anointed Presidency and the Congressional elections. Awareness and deliberations about the US Foreign Policy across the larger international system are everyone’s pet peeve but the scenario in the domestic politics remains a realm which has been investigated to a lesser extent elsewhere. Also, it is a theoretical principle in the discipline of international relations that there lies a continuum between the domesticity of a nation and its larger footprint in the international ecosystem. It is in this twilight zone where the electoral narrative holds sway.
Typically, 218 seats are required for a majority in the US House of Representatives, which has Paul Ryan as the Republican leader and Nancy Pelosi standing forth as the leader of the Democrats in the House.
The related aspersion is that the verdict of the midterm elections has played a substantial role in the firming up of a substratum for the future of President Donald Trump in his next tenure if that transpires at the second-term electoral hustings. In the recently concluded elections, 55 Congressmen didn’t seek re-elections; it makes the midterm outing as significant and decisive in the making of a political consensus for the crucial future and the American Dream.
Several outcomes of the elections are of significance: The Republican and Democratic control the Intelligence, Investigative and Foreign Affairs come through as a key and crucially contextual realm of these midterm elections, but the results have denied them this privilege. The Supreme Court vacancies are up for the grab as the elections have weakened the prerogative of President Trump, especially in the light of the Kavanaugh candidature for the Supreme Court. The Obamacare repeal was defeated by one vote in 2017 and the Bill could get finally erased. In the light of the refugees and undocumented aliens marching on to the US-Mexican border, immigration and President Trump’s eviction oriented policies have come up for scanner with the southern and immigrant oriented populations, all across the United States being real testing grounds for the immigration theme of the Republicans which further found them divided under the White House’s decisions in the context.
It has been witnessed that the House of Representatives has been won over by the Democrats and the Republican Party has retained its majority in the Senate. Still, a great iota of unpredictability was associated with some of the races as the “tug of war” was a very narrow one in them. In the midterm polls of 1994, 2006 and 2010, the parties of the Presidents with dwindling approval ratings lost out but does that hold up as a role model trend, after the Trump inaugural, has been tested as a hypothesis at the November 2018 hustings. The Washington Post and Schar College pointed towards advantage Democrats, where the quotient is bigger for pshephological error as most of the races were very closely fought. It is definitely an acid test for the “Trump surprises” wherein the decision-making and the influence-potential of White House might be up for the asking which gets weakened as Democrats have performed.
Also, on the other hand, going by Democratic candidates such as O’Rourke, apart from the Democratic strongholds, the youngsters, Texans and the Hispanic voters have replicated their inclinations and choices elsewhere also to give Democrats a win in the overall picture, which is far from being picture perfect. The final results point towards better days for the dandy Democrats. Also, now after the midterm polls, Democrats hold 47 seats and the Trump’s gladiators are on the 51 mark in the US Senate. In the House of Representatives, the number 36 is the trick wherein Democrats have improved their tally by 36 votes with their tally reaching the healthy figure of 231. The Republicans have gone down by 36 seats wherein their strength has come down to a measly 198. The Guardian has called it a blue wave. What needs to be relooked by President Trump that though the nation’s economy is roaring and unemployment figures are under control, but still the “America First” Brigade has not done well in the House of Representatives. That demands a re-look by the Republican Party and the issue of environment also has impacted results.
As results have come out, the all important State of Arizona has gone the Democrat way with the leading critique of President Trump, Krysten Sinema, pipping Republican Senator Jeff Flake to the post. The British national daily has called the midterm polls as not a Democrat “Blue wave”, but an affront to the Republican vanguard which resulted in flipping seven stately Governorships. It was only after the Richard Nixon’s Presidency and the Watergate scandal in 1974 that Democrats have performed in such a positive manner in the midterm Congressionals.
The elections in a blitzkrieg manner have obfuscated the Trump Presidency as he will have to combat the Democrats mortally and the Democrats will be numerically emboldened to persist with their investigations on the Trump Administration after the elections. Still, as the Senate majority still rests with President Trump, his Supreme Court, Cabinet and other representatives will continue to sail through for another two years. What surprises is that the Arizona winner compared the immigrant rage to the Iraq war outrage, and her outrage was combated by the Republican candidate on the context of the Democrat candidate opposing the creation of new Air Force bases and weakening the national security objective of Washington exemplified by President Trump.
Still, the core constituency of the Republicans is only rattled and the battle for the next Presidency might still be a tough task for President Trump’s rivals after the good showing of the Democrats in the midterm elections. Some analysts, after the elections, are pointing towards a sub-urban revolt which might have pivoted the Democrats in the midterms.
(The writer teaches International Relations at Indian Institute of Public Administration, Delhi
Writer: Manan Dwivedi
Courtesy: The Pioneer
Sanjay Kandasamy was once a boy who had to undergo a liver transplant when he was 18 months old. Today, he is a successful doctor who hopes to be an organ donor one day.
Now 21, Sanjay Kandasamy was just 18 months old when his father had to donate a part of his liver to him in November 1998.
In doing so, Sanjay and his doctors created history in the annals of Indian medicine as the country’s first successful liver transplant surgery, Indraprastha Apollo hospitals said in statement.
Not only has Sanjay done exceedingly well, without having any other complications since the transplant, he is now training to be a doctor himself.
Since it has been more than 20 years that the transplant took place, he explained how the difficulty level of such surgeries have changed.
He said, “At that time, my father donated his organ otherwise it wouldn’t have been that easy.” Being a medical student himself, he added, “Today, the situation has changed due to a better availability of reCourtesys, technology, doctors and even donors, which have risen in numbers. The information has spread much easily today.”
On the 20th anniversary of the operation that changed the face of medical sciences in India, the hospital showcased the evolution that liver transplants have gone through over the last two decades.
Dr Preetha Reddy, vice chairperson of the Apollo Hospitals Group, said liver disease is a major cause for concern in the country with as many as two lakh people dying from it every year. While around 1,800 liver transplants are done annually, as many as 20,000 people need a liver transplant at any given point.
“The fact is around 10 lakh people are diagnosed with liver disease every year, making it the 10th most-common cause of death in India as per the WHO. While India has come a long way since the first operation, there is still a huge gap to be filled,” Dr Reddy said.
Ace Indian cricketer, Gautam Gambhir, a long-time proponent of organ donation was also present on the occasion.
“Every three minutes a person gets added to the list who need a transplant. Today, over two lakh Indians are on the list while less than 10 percent get a transplant. We have to work as a nation to increase our organ donation rate. I have pledged my organs in 2011 and encourage the youth to raise awareness on organ donation and become donors themselves. This needs to become a national movement,” he said.
Apollo Hospitals’ Group medical director and senior pediatric gastroenterologist, Dr Anupam Sibal, said that over the last 20 years the Apollo Institutes of Transplant has performed more than 3,200 liver transplants in patients from over 50 countries of which 302 have been children.
“While there is still lack in infrastructure for life-saving organ donations and transplants, the numbers in the country are showing some improvement in the country. Out of 301 hospitals equipped to handle the process, 250 have registered with National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), showing that in order to conduct an organ transplant, there exists one fully equipped hospital for around 43 lakh people,” Dr Sibal said.
Sanjay, who is currently pursuing his medical studies at the Srilakshmi Narayan Institute of Medical Sciences, Pondicherry, has been on immunosuppressant medication for 15 to 16 years. He aspires to be a blood donor himself. However, his suppressants medication wouldn’t allow him to donate. “I want to be a donor, but unfortunately I can’t donate,” said Sanjay.
(With inputs from agency)
Writer: The pioneer
Courtesy: The pioneer
India has been strengthening relations with Vietnam for some time, with delegates and politicians from both the countries visiting each other.
In the 46th year of diplomatic relations, India and Vietnam have witnessed several high level visits and exchange of delegations. The forthcoming visit by the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, will be the third such bilateral visit this year, which was earlier preceded by the visit of the late President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Tran Dai Quang in March 2018 and the Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc visit earlier in January 2018. Several ministerial level delegations and inking of defence agreements between the two countries have also happened this year. It is hoped that the President’s visit will consolidate the already existing political trust and cement strong defence and security cooperation between the two countries.
Some of the potential areas of cooperation in the non-traditional security areas include information technology, artificial intelligence, cyber security, solar alliances, traditional medicine, agricultural innovation, disaster management and climate change. As an emerging market and supplier in the regional value chain, Vietnam together with India could play a significant role in the global value chain. Capacity building and entrepreneurship development under development cooperation initiatives are already making progress and leaving their imprints.
Ram Nath Kovind is also expected to visit the ancient relics of Cham civilisation in My Son, which stand a time-tested testimony to our civilisational inheritance. The historical and cultural linkages between the two civilisations abound our mythologies and ancient literature. It is believed that Hinduism and Buddhism became the mainstream religion of the Chams living in the central and southern part of Vietnam. The architectural style of My Son relics, which is today a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the ancient archaeological remains scattered in the coastal areas of Vietnam from Da Nang to Binh Thuan, speak about these historical legacies.
Over the years, Vietnam has emerged as a significant player in India’s foreign policy projection — a partner in sub-regional, regional, and multilateral fora. It is an integral member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and plays an important role in India’s Act East policy. India is one of the three countries with whom Vietnam shares Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, together with China and Russia.
The elevation of the strategic partnership between the two countries to that of comprehensive strategic partnership is a clear indication of goodwill, trust and importance the two countries place on their relationship. It is also an acknowledgment of the existing strong bilateral defence and security ties and our mutual desire to contribute to regional peace, stability, cooperation and prosperity. Moving beyond the ideological linkages, both countries have endeavoured to revamp their relations in the changing geo-politics of the Indo-Pacific.
From strategic partnership in 2007 to a comprehensive partnership in 2016, the two countries have built up synergies for deeper cooperation between them. These have been envisaged in a multi-faceted and a multi-sectoral cooperation on a wide range of issues covering political, defence and security relations; trade and commerce; energy cooperation; science and technology; capacity building; connectivity links; health, education, culture, tourism and people to people exchange; and cooperation in international, regional and sub-regional forums.
Vietnam’s geographical location in Asia Pacific has added to its geo-political importance for the regional players like China, India, Australia and Japan and also for the external powers like the United States and its re-balancing strategy in the Asia-Pacific. In the changing architecture of the world politics from trans-Atlantic to the Asia-Pacific, Vietnam emerges as a significant actor shaping the ‘great game’ politics in the region.
Given the evolving regional architecture in the Indo-Pacific, role of Vietnam in the emerging quadrilateral partnership in the region becomes significant. As Vietnam faces mounting pressure from China amidst its growing assertiveness in the disputed waters of its East Sea, it is looking to multiple partners in Asia and beyond. Vietnam has reached out to the United States and stepped up security cooperation with Japan, Australia long with India and a number of its Southeast Asian neighbours.
Amidst Vietnam’s quest for multiple partners in Asia and beyond, India has been of very special strategic interest to Vietnam. Over the years, New Delhi has gradually expanded its defence and naval cooperation with Vietnam and assisted in its efforts in modernising the military force. India’s outreach to Vietnam has been a clear indication of its open challenge to China in its backyard. It is believed that Vietnam’s growing engagement with India will also lead to a stable balance of power and as a security provider in the region.
Fearing the growing aggression of China, Vietnam has welcomed and embraced India in this particular stance. The high-level comprehensive strategic partnership between India and Vietnam is equally important as it shares the anxieties and act as deterrence against the increasing Chinese presence in the region.
According to security experts, since China continues to increase its influence, defence and maritime cooperation and procurements from countries like India, the United States and Japan enable Vietnam to uphold its position.
Internal synergies between India and Vietnam have also played a significant role in bringing the two countries on the same page building upon mutual trust and cooperation over the years.
Vietnam as an emerging middle power and India as a net security provider in the region has the convergence which makes them an ideal partner for all seasons at the sub-regional, regional and multilateral forums.
Given the cultural-religious linkages, based on their closer association with the historical kingdoms and the impact of Buddhist philosophy to the anti-imperialist struggle during the colonial rule and foreign intervention during the Second World War and thereafter, both the countries have developed closer ties and a shared destiny based on a shared world view.
In the context of the geo-strategic paradigm and the forces shaping the internal dynamics of Vietnam, its foreign policy orientations vis-à-vis the great powers in the region and its engagement with India is a critical area of concern.
(The writer is a Fellow at Nehru Memorial Museum and Library and Assistant Professor at University of Delhi)
Writer: Sonu Trivedi
Courtesy: The Pioneer
Political pundits are at it, analysts are also giving it a try – everyone involved is speculating waht will become of this election.
Political pundits are projecting various scenarios. The issues are more or less State-specific but by and large they are power shortage, water, tribal welfare, Maoism, anti-incumbency, agrarian crisis, petrol price hike, Rafale scam, demonetisation and the GST
As the stage is set for elections, stakes are high in five states — Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Telangana. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress are engaged in an almost direct fight in most of these States. Though the results would be known only on December 11, there is a lot of election-related excitement in the rest of the country as these State polls are seen as mini General Elections or dress-rehearsal for the 2019 Lok Sabha poll which will shape the national mood.
In 2013, the BJP’s victory in the three States — Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh made it easy for the party to win a Lok Sabha majority in 2014 though the State and national polls were not aligned. The BJP has ruled Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh for the last 15 years. In 2013, the BJP had won 165, 163 and 49 seats in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh Assemblies respectively, with the Congress securing 58, 21 and 39 seats. The strength of these Assemblies is 230, 200 and 90 respectively. The continuation of BJP rule will mean an endorsement of the party’s policies.
Mizoram is the only North-eastern State where the BJP is not in power either on its own or in alliance. Winning the tiny State even as a junior partner of a regional ally would mean the BJP conquest of the entire region. In Mizoram, the Congress has been in power since 2008. With 40 Assembly seats, the Congress has been in a fight against regional parties, including Mizo National Front and Mizo People’s Conference. The BJP is a minor player.
Political pundits are projecting various scenarios. The issues are more or less State-specific but by and large they are power shortage, water, tribal welfare, Maoism, anti-incumbency, agrarian crisis, petrol price hike, Rafale scam, demonetisation and the goods and services tax (GST).
In Rajasthan, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje is facing an anti-incumbency wave. The Congress is more or less united with the team led by former Chief Minister Ashok Ghelot, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Sachin Pilot and former Union Minister CP Joshi. If there is no sabotage from within, the Congress can and should win the State.
In Madhya Pradesh, despite severe anti-incumbency, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is seeking power for the fourth time but his personal popularity is intact. Here, the Congress could win if it can contain internal dissent as many senior leaders like Digvijay Singh, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Kamal Nath head their own factions. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) going alone in Madhya Pradesh may affect the Congress’ chances.
In Chhattisgarh, too, Chief Minister, Raman Singh, is popular despite several corruption charges and the Maoist menace still not eradicated. The Congress votes will be split in view of the alliance formed between former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi and BSP supremo Mayawati.
There are four scenarios emerging from the States. The best-case scenario for the BJP is that the party gets three out of five or even four with a North-eastern ally in Mizoram. For the BJP, retaining power in the Hindi heartland is important to give a message that its base is intact ahead of 2019 and it can go into the General Election with supreme confidence. The second, not-so-bad scenario, is that the BJP loses one of the three Hindi heartland States but keeps two. The third is that the BJP loses two of the three heartland States and manages to retain only one, most probably Chhattisgarh. Then it will be a setback for the party. The fourth is a worst- case scenario if the BJP loses all three States, which will be a severe setback as there will be a cascading effect of the loss on the 2019 poll.
As for the Congress, high stakes are involved for the party as well as its president Rahul Gandhi, who has been campaigning hard. This will be the first mini General Election under his leadership after he took over the reins as [arty president in March 2018. The Congress winning two of the three States would mark a sense of revival and enable Gandhi to emerge as a challenger to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also unite the Opposition. It will be a bonanza if the grand old party manages to get the two big States — Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh while retaining Mizoram.
The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) is fighting a grand alliance of TDP, Congress and CPI. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is confident of overcoming anti-incumbency. In Telengana, the TRS surprised all by advancing the Assembly poll. The Congress-TDP-CPI alliance may find it difficult as the TRS enjoys tacit support from the BJP. In Mizoram, the Mizo National Front, an ally of the BJP, challenges the present regime of the Congress.
(The writer is a senior political commentator)
Writer: Kalyani Shankar
Courtesy: The Pioneer
The Manipuri Raas Lila at the IIC Festival was a sweet mixture of grace and celestial imagery.
The Festival became the ultimate closure for a festival that celebrated the beauty and dynamic indigenous tapestry of the Northeastern states.The pristine sound of the instruments and the voice of the soloist became the invocation and the intonation for an evening of exquisite grace and divinity.
Lord Krishna dwells in those who believe in his presence. He embodies the supreme reality — the Brahma Tatwa, which is dense concentrated bliss, which is of the nature of the pure consciousness, which is without parallel or comparison and is totally free of time and space limitations.
Sacred and sublime
The recital opened with the Basanta Varnam, which describes the beauty of the van in Sringara Raas. Fluid movements and delicate flourishes echoed the trance that you could be drawn into. Haunting lyrics and peeling notes added to the evocation that stepped into the night.
The Natya Shastra states that Sringara has two varieties: union and separation. As the evening wore on, you sensed the articulation of an arduous theme that was deftly translated into dance. You also realised that an indigenous dance is able to educate both the connoisseurs and the uninitiated, making it a matter of edutainment. One wishes there was a commentary of the narrative to make the understanding of esoteric easier. The romantic verses of the narrative moved from physical yearning to spiritual elevation (masculine and feminine energies inherent in nature), the crux of the bhakti philosophy of those times and therein lay the power and the passion.
Swan-like grace
From the word go, the Basanta Varnam unravelled the epoch of the sthayi bhava in which its soul depicts a bright attire; for whatever in this world is white, pure and beautiful is appreciated in terms of sthayi bhava.
The second performance was the Samode Damodar (Hari Riha), based on the first canto of Jaydeva’s Geeta Govindam. This gave way to the incantation of the Manipuri folk song — Thoibi na Loi Karakpa — a rendition that was a repository of both resonance and heartfelt lyricism.The evening belonged to the finale, the heady Basanta Raas that celebrated the yearning as well as the union of Lord Krishna with Radha.
You could watch the swan-like grace of the dancers, watch their floating movements as if on a cloud and imagine the setting — the glances where the eyelids are not fully opened, the look of sweet surrender and serenity, perhaps tears of joy, in the alchemy of the moment which in the sacred texts is called snigdha (loving). It grows out of divine love.
Music of the gods
Lessons from the Puranas came through the exquisite evening. Watching them sail through the sacred notes, you imagine that every human being is at once milkmaid and Krishna. We yearn for the music of the Gods and are also capable of creating the music. Lord Krishna is like a universal goalpost embodying infinity that inspires. Can we in this millennial world full of materialism attempt to walk in that direction?
Scholars state that in the Raas Lila, Lord Krishna makes music not for his pleasure but for the uplift of the milkmaids. The flute is both the melody and the instrument of divinity and delight in the coalescing of deep love. If the melody invites, it also encourages us to partake of the divine play in full spirit but with purity in our souls.
King Bhagyachandra
The evening bore testimony to King Bhagyachandra who composed three of these dances and created history. Rajarshi Bhagyachandra, also known as Jai Singh Maharaj and Ningthou Ching-Thang Khomba, the 18th century monarch of the Meitei people who adopted Gaudiya Vaishnavism, recorded and systematised Manipuri dance, elaborating the basics of dance in the text Govinda Sangeet Lila Vilasa. He is credited with composing three forms of the Raas Lila — Kunja Raas, Basanta Raas and Maha Raas, which were staged during his reign at Imphal Sri Sri Govindaji temple.
Silent beauty
The leitmotif of the evening lay in the distinctive abhinay, the expression that is exhibited through the movements of the body and the feet and the face is cloaked and clothed in serenity with a diaphanous veil. All feelings emanate from the movement of the limbs, at once smooth as satin and flowing like a river. Shringar or love then consists of viyog (separation) and sambhog (union). Graceful restraint and unparalleled fluidity strung an evening worth remembering. The nodes of India’s heritage lie in its indigenous arts and it needs to be supported, nurtured and cherished for the ages. For the North Eastern Council and the IIC, this was an epic statement.
(The writer is an art critic.)
Writer: Uma Nair
Courtesy: The Pioneer
In promotion of Buddhism, China is keen to become the world leader. However, this will never happen due to the gap between the Marxist theory and repression on the ground
China is a country full of dichotomies. Take Buddhism. On one side, China promotes Buddhism; on the other hand, Beijing severely represses the Buddha dharma. On October 28, the World Buddhist Forum opened with fanfare at Putian, in Fujian Province. According to the official release, it was attended by a record number of over 1,000 Buddhist monks, scholars and representatives from 55 countries. Zong Xing, Vice President of the Buddhist Association of China (BAC) and Xiao Hong, a deputy secretary of the China Religious Culture Communication Association (CRCCA), the joint hosts, gave a press conference.
Xiao announced that the forum wanted “to carry forward the positive Buddhist cultural spirit, promote exchanges between Buddhism and other religions and make contributions to building a community with a shared future for humanity.” That sounds good. One of the themes of the meet was “Buddhism and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)”, a project dear to President Xi Jinping. A couple of weeks earlier, the Global Times had reported that a two-day symposium in Qinghai Province discussed the way Buddhism could better serve the BRI and resist separatism.
The website tibet.cn noted: “Guided by the core socialist values, the symposium aims to encourage Tibetan Buddhism to adapt to the socialist society and teach the religion to serve the construction of the BRI.” Was the Fujian Forum a great success? It does not appear so reading the rare comments which appeared in the Chinese Press. One of the problems was that Master Xuecheng, the BCA president and Abbot of Longquan Temple in Beijing, had to resign in a hurry in August.
The 52-year-old was accused to have coerced nuns into having sex, overseen illegal construction work and embezzled funds. The claims were made in a 95-page document published on July 31; it immediately went viral on Chinese social media, bringing support to China’s #MeToo movement. It is not that Xuecheng was not well-connected with the Communist Party; he was a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), but in the present days, even tigers fall (President Xi had warned the ‘tigers’ and the ‘flies’ that he would not accept corruption).
One of the BCA’s Vice Presidents was Gyaltsen Norbu, the Chinese-selected Panchen Lama. He made a timid appearance on the first day. He spoke on, “to live together in harmony through the Middle Path”, a purely religious topic; Norbu emphasised a common future for humanity and the fact that the creation of a ‘common-destiny community’ is more and more accepted the world over. He mentioned the Buddhist precepts of living in symbiosis, equality, tolerance, compassion and harmony: “We are one family living in the same house,” he said. There was no word of praise for Xi.
His presence was hardly reported by the Chinese media, probably because he did not eulogise Xi Jinping and he ‘forgot’ about the BRI in his speech. The only big shot was You Quan, director of the United Front Work Department, which looks after religious affairs for the Party’s Central Committee. He hoped that “Buddhist communities would look deeper into Buddhism values and contribute wisdom to promoting the well-being of humanity and safeguarding world peace.”
Here comes the dichotomy. While Beijing promotes Buddhism’s humanitarian precepts, it takes repressive measures against Buddhist practitioners. For the third consecutive year, the authorities banned a major Tibetan prayer festival in Larung Gar, the largest Buddhist institute in Tibet, situated in Serthar County in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province. The monastery had a population of 30,000 Buddhist nuns and monks before it was partially destroyed by the ‘authorities’ last year.
According to Radio Free Asia (RFA), a Chinese official announced that the Dechen Shingdrup festival would be banned this year. He cited Chinese ‘religious affairs management laws’. Further, outsiders should not be invited to Larung Gar. A source told RFA’s Tibetan Service: “The notice advised village leaders and Chinese Communist Party committee members to inform the public that they would not be allowed to enter the village for any religious events. …In past years, when it was allowed, the festival lasted for a whole week.” Human Rights Watch published a new report on the ‘Four Standards Policy’ recently introduced in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). The ‘standards’ are competence in Buddhist studies, political reliability, moral integrity capable of impressing the public and willingness to play an active role at critical moments. In other words, be good Communist Buddhists.
Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, commented: “Chinese authorities have always placed heavy constraints on religious freedom, especially in Tibetan and other minority regions, compelling Tibetan monks and nuns to be propagandists for the Communist Party takes Government intrusion in religion to abhorrent new levels.”
The new policy is a continuation of the 2005 Regulations on Religious Affairs but with more oppressive clauses. On October 25, the Global Times said that the TAR Government was encouraging Tibetan monks and nuns “to learn about the laws, a move experts hailed as using education to raise local people’s legal awareness.”
Tibet’s Department of Justice announced that “professional working teams organised by the regional department of justice taught the monks about legislation and law enforcement in the region. …Teams are composed of prestigious monks, legal professionals and officials that were dispatched to temples.” Xiong Kunxin, a professor at Tibet University in Lhasa, summarised the issue: Legal education on law enforcement was weak in Tibet “because some Buddhist practitioners consider themselves as people beyond judicial reach.”
Already in August, when Wang Yang, the CPPCC Chairman and a member of the Politburo’s Standing Committee, visited the Sera monastery near Lhasa, he mentioned the new theme of Xi Jinping’s religious campaign, “Sinicisation of the religions in China.” Wang said that more efforts should be made to integrate Tibetan Buddhism into China’s socialist society; he asked the monks “to firmly uphold the leadership of the CPC, inherit and promote patriotism and be courageous to battle all separatist elements, in order to further protect the national reunification, ethnic unity and social stability.”
Though China is keen to become the world leader in promotion of Buddhism, it will never happen because of the gap between the Marxist theory and the repression on the ground, which are incompatible.
(The writer is an expert on India-China relations and an author)
Writer: Claude Arpi
Courtesy: The Pioneer
India’s neighbourhood call for New Delhi needs to refocus on our immediate vicinity
Four developments in our neighbourhood last week ought to have made foreign policy wonks, security analysts and strategic thinkers sit up and take notice. Collectively, they need to advise the Government to refocus its mind and New Delhi’s efforts on our immediate vicinity given constant monitoring and proactive measures are the price we must pay to guarantee our peace with security in this pretty tough neighbourhood.
First, and arguably the most worrisome development of the lot, is the latest manifestation of China’s ‘string of pearls’ or India-encirclement strategy. Beijing has announced through its mouthpiece media that it will be building yet another deep-sea port, this time in Myanmar on the Bay of Bengal at Kyaukpyu, in addition to the ports it has established at Gwadar in Pakistan and Hambantota in Sri Lanka thereby completing an East, West, South ringing of the Indian peninsula. That this announcement comes after nearly four years of negotiations, also tied to the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, is significant as it implies that China, which has traditionally had friendly ties with the military junta in Myanmar, has also managed to assuage the concerns of the democratic civilian Government guided by Aung San Suu Kyi. This spells trouble for India which has, over the past two decades, been assiduously balancing its historical support for Myanmar pro-democracy forces with the need to engage with the Generals in control of that country. When all three abovementioned ports are fully operational, the Chinese Navy will, theoretically, have access to bases on the Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea from which to venture forth as the regional hegemon in control of maritime activity.
There is not much India can do at the moment to offset the massive strategic depth which China is working with single-minded determination to acquire, except to work in an equally focussed manner to ensure we firm up our strategic footholds in the region. To this end, the move by New Delhi to have first backed the Maldivian people’s democratic right to choose a pro-India administration during the recent elections in that country, and now announcing that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be travelling to the Maldives to attend the swearing-in ceremony of President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, is a good start. The Chinese will have to be thwarted in their attempts to muscle India out of the Indian Ocean nation and security-economic deals with the Maldivian Government must be sealed quickly. The other island nation in our vicinity, Sri Lanka, presents a highly unstable scenario. With a General Election now looking imminent there, New Delhi has to do better than it has done in the past to assess and subsequently assist those who are simpatico to India’s concerns among the major contenders. The crucial caveat which must be entered in relation to Sri Lanka, however, remains that Tamil Nadu’s domestic politics must not be allowed to have any bearing on our attempts to engage with Colombo; that, as it has been in the past, would be the kiss of death for India’s efforts to keep Sri Lanka leaning towards India as opposed to tilting towards China as it has tended to in recent years.
Finally, a word on the non-official participation of an Indian delegation in the Russia-initiated Afghan peace summit in Moscow which Taliban representatives are also attending. Obviously, there is no question of engaging in any meaningful manner with the murderous thugs of the Taliban but statecraft requires the articulation of an Indian position that amplifies our respect for the sovereignty of Afghanistan and all stakeholders in the peace process there. If for nothing else, then to keep Pakistan’s influence at bay. Tough times ahead, for sure.
Writer and Courtesy: The Pioneer
Kali’s earliest appearance is that of a destroyer of evil forces. East is adorned with Kali’s worship. Let’s learn why.
Why do people in Eastern India offer their prayers to Mother Goddess Kali, when rest of the country would be worshiping Lakshmi? Those not conversant with the concept underlying Kali may be curious to know. For the answer, a look into the metaphysical concept underlying Kali becomes imperative.
Kali is believed to drive through creative potential inlaid with Lord Shiva (the eternal source of creation), which eventually manifests into a plural world with all its enormity and diversity. So, if East pays attention to the root of creation, the rest of the country remains focused to the produce. It will be therefore unfair to see either of them in isolation, as one without the other is simply inconceivable. The two in fact represent twin faces of the creation.
The imagery of Kali as is perceived, has to be seen in the above light. So is She presented in a running mode having one leg set on Lord Shiva’s body lying inert in corpse pose and other behind. It is as if She picks up the essence of life from Lord Siva, out of which the manifest world of form and name has come into place. Lord Siva is believed to be carrying the seeds of creation, originally in a state of rest. He, lying in corpse pose, implies being motionless by Himself. When His state of rest gets disturbed following spontaneous stirring up, life-sparks came into play. Kali as Shiva’s consort — His Shakti (Kinetic side) — carries forward the life sparks to create the living world, which when withdrawn, the Universe too reverts back to its root. Again, out of the seeds of creation left behind, a new Universe takes off. The symbol set in the cremation ground implies that even following death, out of the seeds of life, would emerge new life-form. Life cycle, thus, keeps running in succession, both individually and collectively.
Lord Shiva and Kali are coterminous, as one without the other is inconceivable. It is something like a static fire-ball, and heat waves emanating there from. If the fire-ball is not there, there will be no heat wave. And if heat wave is not there, the possibility of fire-ball doesn’t exist. It may not be out of place to mention here that according to ‘the theory of relativity’, whenever there is entropy, it multiplies. Here, the heat waves emanating from the so called fire-ball is that entropy which multiplied into diversified energies out of which emerged the multipolar phenomenal form-world. So is Lord Shiva perceived as the beholder of transcendent-consciousness — primal consciousness element lying at the root of all. Kali as His consort symbolises immanent-consciousness — all-pervading radiating consciousness, which grants necessary intelligence to all field players of the living world.
It is believed that following spontaneous pulsation at the eternal-source, the primal-sound “Om” got excited. Out of that emerged ‘Shakti-trinity — Sata, Rajasa, and Tamasa. Random mutation of the three variants of shakti that followed, led to diversified sound notes, out of which those audible to human ears are symbolised by the 50 alphabets of Sanskrit, the seed-syllables (Beeja-mantras). So is Kali perceived as sporting the garland made of 50 human skulls, and which, holds the key to the manifest intelligent world. So, even the language in use is very much rooted in the creation process itself. Kali’s lower part is covered with as many human hands stringed together to mean that She grants the power which lets organic world being in active mode. Thus came into being the dynamic world with all its functionalities.
Kali is shown as black, because She is beyond the scope of human comprehension. It also implies a formless live force that though can’t be seen but remains at the root of our existence. To make us understand this hard truth of life, Kali is presented as such. She is shown as nude to mean that the whole universe forms her apparel meaning infinity. Remember, if an ephemeral world has come into being, it has to meet its end one day, when it collapses into its source, something like the star collapsing to form an invisible black-hole. In the reverse cycle, once karma-cycle gets exhausted, signified by chopped hands, and ego gets dissolved as symbolised by head skulls, one gets to realise Kali. The cycle of time begins with Kali exciting creation chain, and ends when the phenomenal world merges back into Her. So, is She named Kali, the beholder of time. This concept is, therefore, nothing but scientific principle of creation deified.
The writer is an astrologer, vastu consultant and spiritual counsellor. Write to him at G-102, Bharat Nagar, New Friends Colony, New Delhi – 110 025
Writer: Bharat Bhushan Padmadeo
Source: The Pioneer
Tigers don’t prey humans. Therefore, Avni’s transformation needs to be seen in a wider context. A context in lieu of human-animal conflict and the factors leading to it.
One hopes that the inquiry ordered by the Maharashtra Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, which, as he said, “will probe all questions being raised by Union minister Maneka Gandhi”, will unravel the facts relating to the killing of the six-year-old tigress Avni, also known as T1, in Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district. One also hopes that the findings will be fully convincing and not spark a new controversy.
Gandhi’s initial statement describing the killing as “nothing but a straight case of crime”, and that she had been “deeply saddened by the way tigress Avni has been brutally murdered”, was followed by a letter requesting Fadnavis to “fix responsibility for the illegal killing of the tigress and consider removing” S. Mungantiwar, the State’s environments and forests minister from his position.
Mungatiwar had initially responded to Gandhi saying that the Supreme Court had allowed the tigress to be shot and that it was done only after it had tried to attack forest officials who had attempted to tranquilise it. He had also said that her statements were based on incomplete information, adding “She is our respected leader. We will send her all information.” He had subsequently stated that he would have given her all the details if she had just called him on the telephone, and asked why she had not raised any question when Shafat Ali Khan (who and whose team were licensed to kill Avni and whose son, Asghar Ali Khan, had shot her) had killed a tiger in her own parliamentary constituency of Pilibhit in 2009. and was silent about villagers killing a tiger and assaulting a forest officer in Uttar Pradesh.
Mungantiwar’s questions about Gandhi’s silence on the Pilibhit killing and the murder of the tiger in Uttar Pradesh are irrelevant to any discussion on the circumstances attending the killing of Avni. They bear the imprimatur of being polemical salvoes aimed at putting her on the backfoot and, hence, will be ignored. One needs here to focus on the circumstances in which Avni or T1 was killed by Asghar Ali Khan and the developments relating to the growing human-animal conflict underlined by her killing.
It has been claimed that Asghar Ali Khan had killed Avni in self-defence from a distance of 7 to 8 metres. A report by Kyle Swenson in The Washington Post, quotes Khan as telling Britain’s The Daily Telegraph, “Our priority was always to capture the tigress, but my team was in extreme danger when she charged us, so I had to shoot. I just picked up my .458 Winchester Magnum rifle and fired. I didn’t even have time to aim.”
A report by Vivek Deshpande in the Indian Express, however, quotes a senior veterinarian and forensic expert Prayag Hodigere Siddalingappa, as saying that a “tiger runs away after being darted, doesn’t charge back at you.” According to the same report, the post-mortem procedure on Avni was performed at Nagpur’s Gorewada Rescue Centre. Subsequently, a press note issued by the Centre’s Regional Manager, Nandkishor Kale, had stated, “T1’s death occurred due to excessive internal bleeding and heart attack. A tranquilising dart was found on her left hind leg. A gun bullet injury was found on the left side of the chest.” Normally, Avni should have been shot in the head, face or the front — and not left or right side — of her chest if she had charged straight Asghar Ali Khan’s team.
All this warrant serious note being taken of Vijay Pinjarkar’s report in The Times of India stating that sources, part of a team filing the spot panchnama over T1’s killing, had said that it looked as if the tranquiliser dart had been manually inserted in her body “ostensibly to show that it was tranquilised before being shot.” According to a PTI report published in The Indian Express Chief Minister Fadnavis has also said, “There are some doubts regarding whether the tigress was first shot and then the dart (tranquiliser) inserted — this aspect will be probed.”
Meanwhile, Mungwantiwar was right in stating that the Supreme Court had permitted Avni’s killing as the Apex court, on September 11, 2018, had refused to interfere in the September 6 order by the Nagpur Bench of the Mumbai High Court sanctioning her killing. Its order, however, could certainly not mean that she could be killed in violation of all rules and protocols in force. This is precisely what has reportedly happened. Avni was killed at night. If she had at all been hit with a tranquilising dart, then it was in gross violation of the National Tiger Conservation Authority’s protocol stating that darting could be done only during sunrise and sunset.
If those responsible for this escape scot free, there would be no awareness of accountability among forest department personnel who have, nationwide, often been accused of corruption and inefficiency. In fact, the investigation ordered by Fadnavis should be broadened to go beyond Maneka Gandhi’s question and issues like the fate of Avni’s cubs and whether the tranquiliser in the dart was of the required strength and who administered it. It should re-examine whether Avni had actually become a man-eater and, if she had, why?
Humans are not the natural prey of tigers. Generally, only old and injury-impaired ones among the latter become man-eaters. Avni was young and, by all accounts, healthy. Her transformation has, therefore, to be seen in the wider context of human-animal conflict and the factors leading to it. The main reason for this is habitat loss due to factors like the extension of human settlements, farming, industrial, commercial and mining activities, roads and railway lines into forests.
Maharashtra, which had, earlier this year, sanctioned the diversion of 467.5 hectares of forest land in Yavatmal district, where Avni was killed, for a cement plant, has a very poor record here. Its recommendation has led to the clearance, in principle, of 87.98 hectares of land in Kondhali and Kalmeshwar ranges — barely 160 km from Yavatmal — to an explosives company in Chakdoh for manufacturing defence products. Worse, the land earmarked being reportedly in the tiger corridor between Bor and Melghat tiger reserves, the factory would prevent the movement of tigers between the two. Also, the proposal to widen, from meter to broad gauge, the 176-km Akola-Khandawa railway, a 39 kilometre stretch of which passes through the Melghat, reserve threatens to cause more accidents, wildlife mortality and fragmentation of habitat.
After such trespasses, what forgiveness?
(The writer is Consultant Editor, The Pioneer, and an author)
Writer: Hiranmay Karlekar
Courtesy: The Pioneer
Dragging the names of war heroes in coup conspiracies, assassination plots and contrived misdemeanours for political reasons maybe the reason why Sri Lanka’s military isn’t healthy.
With no effective Government in Sri Lanka after the soft coup by President Maithripala Sirisena on October 26, a floor test for the two prime ministerial claimants scheduled on November 14, and an insecure President presiding over the shambles, is it surprising that the Colombo Fort Magistrate Ranga Dissanayaka has ordered the arrest of the country’s top military officer, Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne before November 9. This is not the first time such a remand has been ordered — it was twice earlier too including once when CDS was in Mexico, though Sirisena intervened as Defence Minister and Commander-in-Chief to close the case after Wijegunaratne’s statement had been recorded. Apparently, the case did not close.
There is no National Security Advisor (NSA) in Sri Lanka, only a CDS, appointed under an Act approved in Parliament two years ago. It is suspected that the old regime is behind the plot to oust Wijegunaratne. The court has alleged that the Admiral had protected one Lt Commander Prasad Hettiarachchi, who is the main suspect in killing of 11 Tamil youths between 2008-09.
The officer has been playing truant — caught in March 2017 and escaped in June 2018. According to reports, there is little substance in the alleged charge given there are some 572 Lt Commanders in the Navy across the country and monitoring their movements is not easy. Front page allegations and arrest orders against the CDS are not good for the morale of the Sri Lankan armed forces.
The case highlights how divisive domestic politics can undermine military stature in a country where many senior officers are committed to one or the other party. Sri Lanka Freedom Party’s (SLFP) Sirisena is thought to have appointed former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Minister mainly because the name of Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, a UNP Minister in the National Unity Government (NUG) of Sirisena and Ranil Wickremesinghe, had figured in a CID enquiry in an alleged plot to assassinate Sirisena and Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Mahinda’s younger brother. In the 2015 presidential elections, Sirisena had accused his rival Mahinda of trying to kill him. And now he has made him Prime Minister.
Fonseka has been through this charade before. On February 8, 2010, he was detained, court-martialed, stripped off General rank and jailed. As a former Army Chief, he had dared to contest the presidential election against Mahinda Rajapaksa, which he lost. He was charged with plotting to assassinate Rajapaksa and allegations of attempting a coup with help of India/R&AW were also hurled against him. Despite being one of the pivotal players in the extermination of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), he was disgraced, the main driver for this being his arch rival in the Army, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. The Army was divided between Gotabhaya’s people and Fonseka supporters and also along party lines.
Alongside Fonseka’s sacking, 30 officers were cashiered, including five Major Generals and two Brigadiers. One of the sacked Generals is the present Army Chief, General Mahesh Senanayake, who had left for Dubai and later worked in Afghanistan. During the civil war, he excelled as a security force commander in Jaffna. Though he was an Engineer officer, he outdid himself in the Special Forces. He is a tough, no-nonsense military leader who was on wrong side of the fence.
After Rajapaksa was defeated in 2015, Sirisena reinstated Fonseka and promoted him as Field Marshal and made him a minister. The political victimization of Fonseka supporters was rectified to some extent by the reinstatement five years on of Senanayaka as Army Chief. On taking over as President on January 8, 2015, Sirisena announced that he would investigate the alleged coup plot by Rajapaksa after the latter had lost the election.
It is said that Rajapaksa tried to get Army and police chiefs to help him stay in power but they did not oblige; Rajapaksa’s days were over. Not that the Army had not toyed with plots and coups earlier. In 1962, was the famous Colonels’ Coup at midnight January 27 against Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike. At the time, the officer corps was majority Christians, Tamils and Burghers. The Sinhalese push in the composition of the officer corps by Bandaranaike triggered off the abortive coup.
Yoshita Rajapaksa, son of Mahinda Rajapaksa was commissioned in the Sri Lankan Navy a decade ago and he was trained in Dartmouth, UK. His maternal grandfather was Captain EP Wickremesinghe, winner of Burma Cross in World War II for ferrying logistics along the Irrawaddy river. The Captain never made it to Commander of the Navy, who at the time was a Commodore, because he was a Catholic and victim of the 1962 coup. What his grandfather was deprived of, the family, especially his mother Shiranthi, hoped Yoshita would achieve — Commander of Navy. At Dartmouth, he was pampered as son of a head of state and grandson of a Burma Cross winner. As a shareholder of a television company he was allegedly investigated by Financial Crime Department and suspended from the Navy.
Bandaranaike’s unwritten law was that only Sinhala Buddhists would be made commanders of the three armed services. Many officers were obliged to change their religion. Recently, a Tamil Christian became a Navy commander but only for two months. The 1966 coup followed Bandaranaike’s defeat in elections when her successor Dudley Senanayake began to undo pro-Sinhala reforms of his predecessor. The Army Commander was arrested but later acquitted by court.
The suspension of legendary then Maj Denzil Kobbekaduwa, who later became Lieutenant General and a war hero and was sent to Royal College of Defence Studies, London by one Government, recalled by another Government and sent back again, was to become LTTE’s nemesis. But Prabhakaran got him on a landmine when he was planning a big operation against the LTTE.
After these two abortive coups, the Government created the Special Branch of the Ceylon Police to obtain early warning of uprisings and insurrections. Unfortunately, on returning to power in 1970, Bandaranaike dismantled the organization resulting in her Government being surprised by the JVP revolt in 1971, in suppressing which the Indian Army played a significant role.
Sri Lanka’s military has been transformed under the dynamic leadership of the likes of Fonseka, Senanayake and Wijegunaratne from a ‘funk’ force to an elite war-winning machine which destroyed the invincible Prabhakaran-led LTTE. In the year 2000, I did a study of the military after its debacle at Elephant Pass and discovered how brittle it was. Implicating war heroes in coup conspiracies, assassination plots and contrived misdemeanours for political compulsions will certainly undermine the health of Sri Lanka’s military.
(The writer is a retired Major General of the Indian Army and founder member of the Defence Planning Staff, currently the revamped Integrated Defence Staff)
Writer: Ashok K Mehta
Source: The Pioneer
FREE Download
OPINION EXPRESS MAGAZINE
Offer of the Month