Dreaming and Doing
How does a young kid, one of six siblings, born in a lower income family in Vadnagar, Gujarat, schooled in a government school, working in his free time to supplement parental income, find the motivation to develop, upgrade his knowledge, learn multiple languages, to emerge as one India’s greatest orators and a two term Prime Minister. Let’s look at his unique journey. Young Narendra after completing his schooling, left home on a path of self discovery, traversing the Himalayas and other parts of India, spending time at various missions imbibing the teachings of Swami Vivekanand and understanding different cultures. He returned to Ahmedabad and at the ripe age of 17 joined the RSS. Married at an early age he explained to his spouse that his life was dedicated to the nation, and they lived separately thereafter. His sheer hard work, executing assignments without ever complaining, endeared him to his mentors leading him to be made the youngest ever Pracharak for the city of Ahmedabad at the age of 24. He learnt to lead, and work with elders. In 1987, the RSS felt that he had the ability to contribute to the political space, and assigned him to the BJP as General Secretary for Gujarat.
To watch video: PM Narendra Modi: The planned rise to Prime Minister
The emergence of a Challenger
He was a key organiser in the long marches and rath yatras of party doyens Dr. Joshi and Mr. Advani. In the 1995 state elections in Gujarat, as the chief strategist he brought the party victory. In 1996 he was moved by the party as the State head for Haryana, and then in time was given charge of Himachal and J&K also. In 1998 he became the General Secretary Organisation of the BJP and held the post till October 2001, when he was sent to Gujarat as Chief Minister.
Gujarat had been struck by a disastrous earthquake in Jan 2001, leaving over 2 lacs dead and Bhuj totally devastated, and relief work was languishing. Becoming Chief Minister at the age of 52, and having barely settled into the role, catastrophe struck. On 27/2/2002 a train carrying returning Kar Sevaks from Ayodhya had a bogy torched at Godhra leading to 59 charred bodies. This triggered a violent state wide carnage and the state administration and police was overwhelmed for 3 long days and nights with over 2000 dead, and multiple properties gutted. This event was subject to multiple state and centre led enquiry commissions, a Supreme Court monitored Special Investigation, and subsequent prosecution and convictions over the next fifteen years, but Narendra Modi was absolved by the courts of any negligence or wrongdoing.
This singular event changed CM Modi’s attitude and narrative. He transformed the state bureaucracy by empowering officials and plunging into the reconstruction of Bhuj in record time as his redemption. He pushed Gujarat towards rapid industrialization, agricultural growth and rural infrastructural development. Gujarat’s PSU’s were revived and made profitable. New ports, power projects-thermal, solar and wind were set up. A sleepy state became food surplus, and challenged Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu in industrialization. A new breed of politician had emerged, one who was administratively competent, had people connect, empathized with the poor, and wanted development of the state as his new identity. He demonstrated the trait of finding the best quality resource, absorbing and learning rapidly across a spectrum of subjects, putting in 16 hour days, and creating a breed of bureaucrats and politicians who could keep pace with him.
The mandarins within the congress identified the long term challenger very early, and used legal, administrative and extra-constitutional means to hound him. They used their loyal media cohorts to keep raising the Godhra riots, globally identify him as a right wing pariah, got his travel visa blocked in a few major countries, and set the NGO armies to tie him down in litigation. Little did they know the resolve of the man. Whilst they understood power, he was a master of oratory and people connect. He converted Sonia Gandhi’s vicious personal attacks like “maut ka saudagar” into attacks on Gujarati Asmita, uniting a global Gujarati diaspora in supporting him. It was truly a David mocking Goliath with an arrogant “bring it on” attitude. He was re-elected CM for three successive terms, setting a precedent in the BJP that administratively competent people should lead states.
This rise to becoming the Prime Ministerial face not an easy one. He had to take on his mentor Lal Krishan Advani, the man responsible for having resurrected the party along with Mr. Vajpayee when it faced political oblivion in 1984 winning only two seats in parliament. Mr. Advani had stood with him in 2002, in the process politically emasculating his friend of five decades. However Mr. Advani had lost the 2009 election to Dr. Manmohan Singh, and was now in his mid eighties. In the Goa conclave in 2013, younger leaders like Manohar Parrikar and Arun Jaitley who had been his strategist for the three Gujarat elections and the Godhra litigations endorsed him, and with cadres sensing potential victory pushed his candidature through.
The Congress led UPA had won 2009 on the back of Dr. Manmohan Singh’s tough stand on the nuclear deal with the USA. Thereafter Sonia Gandhi led National Advisory Council took over the reigns of the country, and we witnessed a wave of nepotism, crony capitalism, loot of national resources, defence needs being ignored, surge in terrorism, and ceding of territory to China. CM Modi led consistent verbal attacks on PM Manmohan Singh for abdicating his duty, who by his silence conceded defeat in the eyes of the public. The shadow PM Modi in 2013 put together a war room with talent sourced globally. Many retired and serving bureaucrats now came out of the closet sensing a major change. A nation buffeted by scams, frauds, incompetence and indifference gave the BJP the numbers to cross the line on its own. The hopes of Modi challengers were over, and a new era in Indian politics began.
Victory in 2014 had been credited to the pull effect of Narendra Modi, but victory at the polls comes from a powerful organizational machinery that delivers consistently in getting committed voters to polling stations. The man who delivered on the ground was his “strike force” from Gujarat, the “chanakya” Amit Shah, tasked with taking on a formidable challenge of Samajwadi and BSP stronghold in Uttar Pradesh and its 80 seats in the Lok sabha. The rout of every other party was so unprecedented that the BJP swept 73 seats and even won in muslim dominated areas. With such a performance the anointment of Amit Shah as party President was a formality. Mr. Modi now had control of the government and the party.
PM Modi 1.0:
PM Modi once again had a baptism by fire. He realized that the coffers were empty, the bureaucracy was used to being a power centre, many had benefited from the previous regime, and were major roadblocks to his plans. New Delhi was dominated by power brokers with deep roots and deeper pockets. He needed something to give him momentum and needed it fast. Dr. Manmohan Singh had conceived the underlying concept of what has become the “JanDhan AAdhar Mobile aka” JAM trinity, brought Nandan Nilekani from Infosys to deliver the creation of a national IT backbone on which multiple applications could reside. Unfortunately he did not display the spine to overrule the likes of Mr. Chidambaram who ostensibly stymied and delayed the project even though the project would save Rs.40000 crores annually. PM Modi took less than 24 hours to issue the administrative orders to get the process moving.
The rest is history. Within 6 months the largest global “financial inclusion” program was implemented by making the Nationalised Banks open 33 crores new bank accounts for the poor who had never entered the portals of a bank earlier. A nationwide exercise to issue Aadhar a de-facto national identity card to every citizen was completed. Citizens already had mobile phones. By linking all three, we had the perfect delivery platform for any Direct Benefit Transfer System. Emboldened by the early success, he implemented the Ujjwala Yojna by providing a free first cylinder and subsidized subsequent ones to 6 crore village homes-50% of them were SC/ST. He created a national furore by addressing the issue of open defecation and had over 9 crores new toilets constructed. Infrastructure sector logjams had a crisis with banks facing nearly Rs.4 lac crores of NPA’s from incomplete projects. He gave Mr. Nitin Gadkari a free hand to resolve and build. Within six months the former party president had all projects moving, and his ministry delivered the construction of roads at 27 Km per day compared to 12 Km in the UPA period. Mr. Modi’s most ambitious project was Aayushman Bharat, a health insurance scheme which covers 50 crores people and provides free hospitalization. Never before was this scale of social security been contemplated or seen even in China the world’s poster boy. Faced with the unique challenge of the Nationalised Banking sector collapsing with over Rs.11 lac crores of NPA’s thanks to fiscal profligacy of 10 years of UPA. The government had to find 2 lac crores to fund capital requirements of banks. It also needed a legal framework which would enforce accountability and change of management. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy code implemented in 2016 is path breaking in this regard.
Mr. Modi’s government was fiscally responsible, the deficits reduced consistently and yet massive social welfare and social security projects were executed. Where did the money come from? An absolute no brainer-the brave also need their share of luck. Global oil prices collapsed. Duties collected by the UPA varied between Rs. 3-5 a litre, but the NDA did not pass on the price reduction to the consumer. Duties today are nearly Rs.30 per litre. This oil revenue largesse and plugging the leakages has been the mainstay of government finances. Very early in his term the PM realized that India’s global image had taken a severe beating, and needed work. The PM travelled relentlessly, rallying the Indian community, having their travel pinpricks resolved, created a feeling of confidence and positivity. He engaged world leaders and built relationships. India’s stature with the polity of nations rose as he used Trade & Market Access in a highly transactional world. FDI flows to India started rising, and the government focused on improving our ranking from 140+ in ease of doing business to reaching 60+ by the end of the first term.
There were two actions taken by the PM in the country’s long term interest which could be termed controversial in timing and implementation. The first was the “demonetization” of currency. In an attempt to curb black money or the parallel economy, the government overnight abolished Rs.500 and 1000 currency notes, ostensibly 99 % of notes in circulation by value. Overnight the SME sector collapsed as working capital cycles of these businesses broke. Real estate transactions stopped. The RBI/Bank’s slow execution increased the misery of citizens. Yet 70% of India who had never seen or held such notes exulted. They had found a champion who could stick it to the rich. The political dividend was huge and the BJP won a landslide victory in Uttar Pradesh India’s largest state.
The second was the implementation of GST. The need for “one nation one tax” has been a no brainer, but no one had the political will to finally implement it. The discussions and resolution of issues with states amicably and unanimously was perhaps Arun Jaitley’s swan song. However the hurry to implement without fully testing the system, resolving all Information Technology issues for once showed gaps in project management. This is probably where the PM erred in trusting his friend and lost oversight on a flagship project. Coming immediately on the back of demonetization, it set back India’s SME sector to-tally and led to consolidation in favour of large industry. A decade from today, history will credit Mr. Modi for having the stature and political will to implement a path breaking legislation which is good for India, and was one more of Dr. Manmohan Singh’s conceived but incomplete agendas.
Every Indian PM has the romanticised notion of resolving issues with our rogue neighbor, and PM Modi was no exception. Yet one rebuff was enough for him to recalibrate and change strategy. When Pakistani terrorists killed 17 sleeping unarmed soldiers in an army camp in Uri, the army was given a free hand to cross into Pakistan and in a daring surgical strike the army killed 65+ to send a clear message that rules of engagement had changed. When Pakistan erred by using a suicide bomber to kill 40 CRPF men in Pulwama, another first was initiated and the Indian Airforce hit a terrorist camp in Balakote which media claimed killed nearly 300. These two raised PM Modi’s stature as the second Iron Man of India with the masses. PM Rajiv Gandhi had under pressure from Muslim men in his close circles which included MJ Akbar had reversed the Supreme Court decision on Triple Talaq in parliament in 1986, a cross the Congress carries to this date. PM Modi instructed the law ministry to throw its weight behind a fresh case in the Supreme Court on the same subject, and in a landmark judgement the court has held Triple Talaq illegal, and corrected the wrong done in Parliament in 1986. This was delivering justice to all muslim women in India.
Delivering safety to citizens of India was a key poll plank, and The NSA Mr. Doval was tasked with this, a task he has performed admirably. Working closely with the Defence Chiefs, the critical backlog in our defense arsenal is being filled very quickly. Terrorist activity is now localized in the Kashmir valley, being specifically targeted with many leaders eliminated. There has been a perceptible improvement in India’s relations with Middle East nations to the chagrin of Pakistan, that they get negligible backing in Islamic nations now. The PM also gets the credit for successfully resolving the 43 year injustice to Armed Forces on “one rank one pay”. This sent a very strong signal that the government is sensitive to men in uniform and would overrule the civil services in such matters.
The economy remained a challenge during Mr. Modi’s entire first term. Capital formation was at an all time low due to huge capacity expansions in the preceding decade. The services sector was growing with productivity improvements and incremental job creation was dropping. The economy could be dubbed to be moving in a phase of jobless growth. The government knew that something out of the box was needed. They conceived the Mudra scheme which would give uncollateralized loans to self-employed entrepreneurs upto Rs. 1 lac, so that they could have adequate working capital and grow, perhaps employ one/two helpers each. Over the 5 year term nearly 3.7 crores people were funded. This provided a critical mass of economic activity generation at the bottom of the pyramid. Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna, a program to complete 1.5 crore dwelling units by providing assistance to weaker sections was a resounding success with great last mile delivery.
In 2018 the global economy started slowing down, foreign trade started contracting, the BJP lost three state elections in a row in MP, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh where they had incumbent governments. The entire opposition tried coming together as one force to take on the BJP directly or tactically. The BJP faced the scenario of going into elections in 2019 with declining growth rates, high fuel prices, and a globally orchestrated attack on being anti-secular. They structured a strategy which would focus on demonstrated delivery of welfare schemes, India’s security and defence, and the government’s integrity. The opposition fell in the trap of attacking Mr. Modi personally, and the more vicious the attack, the stronger the backlash from the poorer sections across the country. They could identify with the theme of a poor man’s son being attacked by vested classes, because he stood up to their plunder. The landslide victory was now credited to one person only-Narendra Modi. Like it or not, such is his personal charisma and credibility.
PM Modi 2.0
The second term started with the government focusing on correcting pending historical errors. The first act was to abolish Article 370 which gave special status to J&K, and make it “one country, one law, one constitution”. It signaled to Pakistan and the world that we intend to take POK back sooner than later. Excluding China and Pakistan the world accepted it as an internal reorganization in India. The government then brought in the Citizenship Amendment Act to provide all non muslims of Indian origin who emigrated to India under duress post independence till 2014 with citizenship rights. Kapil Sibal admitted in parliament that the Act takes away no one’s citizenship.
The government moved to appoint a Chief of Defense Staff in General Bipin Rawat to improve co-ordination between all wings of the armed forces and development of combined sectoral strategies. This was a much needed structure and had been delayed by decades. Modi watchers were expecting the next step to be the introduction of the Uniform Civil Code to correct another Nehruvian blunder in the mid 1950’s when he had unanimous parliamentary support but recanted. But then early this year Covid 19 struck and Chinese belligerence to divert world attention from their culpability has changed priorities.
Covid 19 has resulted in a global economic meltdown with over one crore people infected worldwide. All countries responded with their own versions of lockdowns to prevent/slowdown community spread. India’s shutdown with 70 percent of the population having staying power of less than one week, has been really challenging. The PM has addressed the nation frequently keeping the morale of people up. By extending the free food security for over 800 million poor till the end of November 2020; the PM has recognized that COVID battles are not going away in a hurry and empty stomachs must be taken care of. This social welfare program entails providing free food-grains to 2.5 times the USA’s population for 8 months.
In his latest address to the nation, the PM delivered a firm reprimand to sections of society who have let their guard down on social distancing, wearing masks, and hygiene thereby triggering a fresh wave of infections. Implied was that penalties for non-compliance would come from administrative actions. Recognizing that there is no fiscal headroom to alleviate the honest tax-paying middle class, the PM publicly acknowledged his gratitude to them and the farmers for being the backbone to survive this challenge. He also announced the proposed implementation of a one nation ration card, which would be portable across members of a family unit in multiple locations. This is a clear preparatory signal for bringing migrant workers back to work areas and mitigating the hardship they faced in April/ May. It is also a signal to Industry to get its game plan in place before November so that the economy could get back on the rails fast. In the interim, there is clear engagement by the PM in launching short term employment generation programs in rural areas to ensure that buying power is created, and people are not sitting idle. Unemployment numbers as per CEI fell from 26% to 8.5% in May. So while the PM is personally the face for employment and welfare of the poor, he has let the Finance Minister front end SME and large industry issues.
The face-off with the Chinese in Galwan valley which resulted in 20 Indians and over forty Chinese soldiers dead has crossed another red line. These are the first casualties in fifty years. By taking on the Chinese head-on and helped by the bravery of the Indian Army, the PM has grabbed the opportunity of occupying the global leadership vacuum caused by China’s belligerence. India now is positioned as a key member of the Quad (USA, Japan, Australia, China) and last month become a member of the G10. In his address to the nation honouring our fallen braves in Galwan, the PM was actually addressing the world audiences telling them that the invincibility myth of the People’s Liberation Army had been busted. The contrast in behavior of PM Modi and his Chinese counterpart is truly contrasting. The PM courageously flew to Ladakh with the CDS to honour the fallen army-men and bolster morale of troops who are doing duty in that terrain. His counterpart has not even acknowledged the deaths of his soldiers, and is not visible at a time when his country is being ravaged by floods.
This week India banned 59 Chinese owned telecom Apps on grounds of national security risks and sent global shock waves. Overnight Chinese companies lost 1 Billion Indian subscribers, approximately 30% of their global users. The knock to their business models and valuations is significant. It will also embolden all COVID affected countries to make China hurt if they follow India’s lead. India’s State governments are contributing their bit to add to the pressure by cancelling all infrastructure contracts awarded to Chinese companies. The center has joined the USA led move to eliminate Chinese equipment from the future Telecom and Power sector.
Despite the country facing a health, economic, and defense challenges simultaneously, the Central Government has brilliantly positioned itself as a mature, unflappable leadership, which responds to its critics with equanimity. When Delhi CM Kejriwal raised the red flag on COVID going out of control in his domain, the Home Minister quietly stepped in to provide infrastructure and operational support with no politicisation. The AAP who have drubbed the BJP at the hustings twice in a row, and has been their virulent critic, is quietly sharing and ceding the stage to them. Similarly, on the Chinese face-off, all attacks by the Congress have been totally ignored, pushing the grand old party to desperation, and now often making a mockery of themselves. It reached a stage when Congress allies like Sharad Pawar and Mayawati have snubbed them. In Bihar, a besieged Lalu Yadav trying to provide a challenge to the Nitish/ Modi juggernaut is distraught that the glory earned by the Bihar regiment has been insulted by his alliance partner, and till now the PM has not fired a salvo, which comes election season could be an erupting volcano.
In the midst of all the action The “make in India” and “localization” themes, attracting relocating supply chains to India need attention. We need inter-ministerial task forces with specific, measurable, time-bound objectives of getting at least 300 companies moving out of China to India. Every major leader gets into a comfort zone out of his/her language, exposure and experience, but the PM is in this new term broad-basing his key talent resources beyond his home state, a very welcome development. The untimely demise of both Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj have left a serious vacuum in the BJP, and the PM will need to nurture youngsters to step up.
The PM is nearing seventy, and 65% of our population is below the age of 35 and communicating with them needs a prominent presence on Social Media platforms with a stated public position on multiple issues. It is also a medium which is unforgiving in terms of error or attacks by trolls. Coming from a generation that did not have computers or internet in their adaptive years, he has proved he is a constant learner. The fact that youngsters turn out and vote for him massively signifies that he has mastered their psyche and connects successfully. It would not be out of place to accept that the PM has a presence that would make any global statesman envious.
With great power and popularity come very heightened expectations. Mr. Modi communicates an image of impeccable personal integrity, demonstrated consistent hard work, a man who is action oriented, a fantastic negotiator, and one who has a mailed fist in a velvet glove. He loves the big stage, loves to win, give him a platform and an audience and you see the Pied Piper at work. What this image masks successfully is also a master strategist who is incredibly detailed both in planning and execution, and the next few months will tell how PM Modi and India’s second “tryst with destiny” moment plays out.
Writer is managing Partner, S&S Associates.
Disclaimer: I am not a member of any political party. The views expressed are personal. I am stakeholder in my country, and I exercise my constitutional right to vote.
Which One for You? From Chubby Baby to Romantic Dancer to Commander in Chief…
The most colourful and lovable divine figure in Indian mythology is Lord Krishna. The word ‘Krishna’ means the one who attracts, one who is like a magnet and one whose presence immediately creates love in thousands of people.Lord Krishna’s flute indicates celebration, love, song and dance but he has many sides to his identity. Seven of these aspects were selected for a recent survey for a few hundred Osholovers who know of Lord Krishna. Here are the outstanding responses which highlight their personal perception of Lord Krishna. Most women imagine to be Krishna’s Radha. This is the most interesting outcome of this survey. But they overlook two major qualities to follow Radha: total and utter surrender and spiritual progress to identify the divinity instead of just romance, song and dance. These responses make spicy reading.
Next comes Krishna of the Geeta. Their answers displayed their intellect and understanding of the Gita, the song celestial; and, of course, their spiritual quotient. Thus, these answers are enlightening.The most unusual response was from a senior citizen with great knowledge of the Geeta and has delivered many discourses to explain this scripture to others. Most unconventionally, he opted for teenage Krishna who wanted to glimpse the bare breasts of the bathing Gopis.
Osho says, “Krishna is utterly incomparable; he is so unique. Firstly, his uniqueness lies in the fact that although Krishna happened in the ancient past he belongs to the future, is really of the future. Man has yet to grow to that height where he can be a contemporary of Krishna's. He is still beyond man's understanding; he continues to puzzle and battle us. Only in some future time will we be able to understand him and appreciate his virtues.
Which one of these six Krishna personality is YOUR favourite? And why?
‘Baby’ Krishna, the cutest, chubby infant, who stole butter so innocently…
Urvashi: Baby Krishna for his mischief and mischievous looks.
Shweta: The little Krishna as his naughtiness is very infectious. Yet he is so aware.
Archna: As I never thought to like one out of all seven. Basically, I am fascinated by Bal Gopal and also impressed by Krishna who has given Geeta from which I and humanity learn a lot.
Note: All mothers.
‘Cowboy’ Krishna who herded cows and saved them from a massive storm by lifting up a mountain…
Second-year university student, Rhea: My favourite side of Krishna is the cow herding Krishna. I am able to relate to the bond of love between Krishna and the cows, the attachment is really heart-warming. He knew them like the back of his hand, and would go searching in case anyone went missing. When I visualise Krishna in the green meadows with the cows, it fills me with a sense of joy and tranquillity. The silent exchange of humans with animals and nature in general is delicate and blissful. It has the power to take us to a higher plane
‘Teenager’ Krishna who grabbed the clothes of young girls bathing in River Yamuna and returned them only when they exposed their breasts to him?
Rajnish: The Teenager. In all other roles, there is an element of divinity. In the role of a teenager, he is totally human like you and me.
‘Romantic’ Krishna who played his flute and his female friends, including Radha, came running to dance the night away in divine ecstasy?
The first to respond, Richa, a senior surgeon, wrote: Romantic Krishna, of course.
A dialogue followed: Why? Way to samadhi.
Yes, but you go for Romantic Krishna as a woman in love with him... Every woman yearns for a god to love who can completely fulfil her. Does every woman first surrender totally like Radha or Meera?
Does every woman rise to His spirituality to discover his divinity?
A medical student in final year, Kiran: Romantic Krishna is my favourite. In Indian mythology, gods are always seen with seriousness and with pious eyes that make them appear far from human. Lord Krishna's romantic side makes it fun and lively and human yet godly. It’s refreshing.
Can you surrender totally to Lord Krishna to become a Gopi? I don’t think so. Not everyone can let go of the ego and entanglements to totally surrender oneself. But no one is immune to the charms of Krishna. Meera and Radha and many, many women who surrendered were lovers and devotees to him...that devotion is uncommon.
Dance instructor and chorographer Ruchi: Hahaha....it’s hard for someone who understands the intricacies of the human relationships.... but if I had to choose one.... then I would choose.... Krishna as a lover .... as also romance and shringaar (adornment ) is considered the mujadara of human relationships...Krishna's love is spiritual not emotional. Obviously, we know that.... but he is as human (gross)and as spiritual (subtle)......Spirituality is for those with antennae.
Sufi whirling expert Meera: Tough to select the best one.. but if you insist.... Gopis gave him their hearts... with their total surrender. May we dissolve completely. All is Osho. Our Krishna Buddha Jesus is Only Osho. Nothing left of us as we know…
A committed Krishna devotee, Priti: All.... Seems he had done these Lilas. He was just present .... His presence...his love. Manifested in these lilas.. he did nothing.
Mukta: Romantic Krishna. I see my lover in Romantic Krishna. Are you his Radha? I wish.
Yajna: Romantic Krishna because of his charm because women like to be pampered. Krishna's charm is so good.
Keirti: Romantic Krishna… sending lots of love and happiness.
Shraddha: Romantic Krishna. Are you Radha? Not always, some times.
Ameera: I think the Romantic Krishna is my favourite.... Why?? Because of the celebration, the laughter, the dance, the music and the joy.... All so beautiful...
The only male in this category, Rajpal: Romantic Krishna, I think this is your favourite also.
‘Diplomat’ Krishna who delivered messages between two warring groups of cousins to try and avert a war?
Full of laughter, Hasya: My favourite diplomat Krishna. Because in this era, we need diplomat Krishna... His words are like a pep talk. Energetic and shows us how to handle tough situations
‘The Supreme Lord’ Krishna who delivered the eternal unparalleled message of Gita on the battlefield to inspire seekers for the ensuing ten thousand years?
Journalist and author Aekta: For me, Krishna is always the Supreme Lord who knows all, sees all and guides me through my hands and eyes and words -- everything I think, speak and do is a manifestation of His Divine Grace. For me, the most challenging dharma has been to surrender to His Will even if it demands supreme effort and sacrifice from me, because as a mere mortal I sometimes shy away from my own true purpose and pretend to 'unsee' what He wants of me. Eventually He wins, of course!
Medial professional Neelam: The answer to this (survey) changes with age. I would have liked romantic Krishna in my younger years but now I like the Supreme Lord.
Medical doctor Sangeeta: Don't know.... He seems to me my beloved. Also, diplomat Krishna... Best one is Geeta’s Krishna....
Chirag: All of them are lovely but if I have to choose one then sixth one is my favourite because in this one, he completes a human journey.
Goldy: ‘The Supreme Lord’ Krishna who delivered the eternal unparalleled message of Gita on the battlefield to inspire seekers for ten thousand years because his teachings are the best way to live life in today’s circumstances.
Written a post-graduate thesis on Osho on education Nidhi: As a seeker, I relate to this and Osho’s intense commentary on him gave me many insights to live my life. As a woman, I don’t like Romantic Krishna at all. I need a lover who is simply
mine, not attracting many women with his flute or anything else. As a woman, I like Shiva.
Manda: ‘The Supreme Lord’ Krishna for me because he inspired the seekers for thousands of years. Simple!
The males - Jain: The Supreme Lord Krishna because here he says, ‘I am the beginning, middle and end of the creation’. And many greater great things he said in the Gita. And I also love the romantic form of him where he keeps up his promises to love female friends which he claims to be the females which want him in the past births and promised them all to be with them all in the future (and fulfilled their wishes by doing Raas Leela).
Devotional singer Charanjeet: I love all roles, but to choose the best, it is
‘Romantic’ Krishna. Because of course! there is ecstasy there. In this role, he is not rolling, he is as he exists, but in other roles he is in role due to others. I love
Krishna within me while acting all roles. He is continually playing his Anhad Naad flute within me. I always try to keep listening this flute. Osho made me aware me about the real portrait of Krishna. Later, the same explanation about Krishna I found in shapad of Guru Nanak. Today, I will sing a particular shabad about Krishna.
‘Commander in Chief’ of Pandava army who led it to victory without taking active part in fighting, and despite much lower number of soldiers and less outstanding fighters?
No one appreciated Lord Krishna in this role because it is not widely known. Going beyond truth and falsehood, Krishna wins the war. Why? Because he is beyond duality and witnesses the world as a ‘leela’ or a play.
To conclude: Lord Krishna is all these seven identities and many more. He walked this earth at least 5,000 years ago, says Osho, and it will take another 5,000 years to understand him!
Osho has talked extensively on Krishna, particularly in his path-breaking book ‘Krishna: The Man and His Philosophy’ wherein he has answered every possible question on Krishna.
From his struggle for legalising widow remarriage to his emphasis on women’s education, Ishvarchandra Vidyasagar laid the foundations of modern India
How many people remembered on September 26 (last Saturday) that it was the 200th birth anniversary of Ishvarchandra Vidyasagar — as the correct English rendering of his name, as spelt in Bengali, would be? One of the greatest Indians ever born, much has been written about his contributions as a scholar, educationist, social reformer and writer. As early as 1841, Sanskrit College — now Sanskrit College and University — in Kolkata (then Calcutta), had conferred upon him the honorific title of Vidyasagar (Ocean of Learning) for his vast knowledge of classical Sanskrit texts and philosophy. He wrote two books on Sanskrit Grammar — Samagra Byakaran Kaumudi and Upakramonika — in Bengali, and translated several books from Sanskrit into Bengali.
Instead of seeking laurels for himself, he dedicated his life to spreading education. In 1864, Calcutta Training School, established by Thakurdas Chakraborty in 1859, came to be known as the Metropolitan Institution, which, in turn, was subsequently recognised by the University of Calcutta (Now Kolkata) as an affiliated college —the first Indian-managed private institution to be given this status. Saradaranjan Ray, a great mathematician whose exploits as a batsman led him to be called “WG Grace of Bengal”, was an early principal; Surendranath Banerjee, stalwart national leader and a founder of the Indian National Congress, was a teacher. The institution, which owed its remarkable growth and expansion mainly to the tireless efforts of Isvarchandra, was named Vidyasagar College in 1917.
An educationist described by Rabindranath Tagore as Bengal’s first Shikshaguru (preceptor of education), Vidyasagar had also opened schools in villages because he believed that sans education the country could neither progress nor become independent. His special emphasis was on children’s and women’s education. Even now, many children learn the alphabets and the fundamentals of Bengali language from his primer Bornoporichoy (Introduction to Letters) first published in 1855. His Kathamala (Garland of Stories) is perhaps the best-known collection of folk tales — each with a moral message — for children. Compiled from several English sources, Bodhoday (Dawn of Understanding) was meant to initiate the readers, particularly boys and girls, into a rational system of knowledge, providing basic ideas about animate and inanimate objects, vegetation, humankind, the senses, shapes and forms of objects, counting numerals, buying and selling, monetary systems and property and labour.
His efforts to promote women’s education, manifested among other things in the opening of a number of schools for them, was based on his firm belief that women were equal to men but suffered grave injustices and inequalities. This, he felt, had to be fought. His unflagging struggle for legalising widow remarriage, in support of which he cited Hindu scriptural texts, particularly the Parasarsanghita and the Manusanghita, led to the passage of the Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act (Act XV) on July 16, 1856. His exertions led to the enactment of the Female Infanticide Prevention Act (Act VIII) on March 18, 1870, and the Age of Consent Act (ACT X) on March 19, 1891. The title of the first of the above two Acts speaks for itself; the second, passed a little more than six months before his death, raised the minimum marriageable age of girls from 10 to 12 years. His best efforts failed to get an Act enacted for banning hypergamous polygamy, especially of the Kulin Pratha or the Kulin system. Under it, descendants of the five Brahmin families from Kannauj, brought to Bengal at the time of king Laxman Sen (1178-1206), commanded great value in the marriage market and had numerous wives, some of them mere girls. But the moral stigma the evil acquired, thanks to the campaign led by Vidyasagar, tapered it down to an end.
Vidyasagar was a rational humanist whose cerebral psyche went with limitless compassion and a generosity of spirit that instinctively prompted him to help out the straitened and suffering. This had led him to be called “Karunasagar” or “Dayar Sagar” (both meaning an Ocean of kindness) — Karunasagar Vidyasagar is the title of Indra Mitra’s well-researched biography of him — by public acclaim. The cue perhaps came from the famous poem dedicated to him by Michael Madhusudan Dutt whom he had bailed out when the iconic Bengali poet was in severe financial distress.
It would be worthwhile to quote the first four lines of the poem rendered in English alphabet for this column: “Vidyar sagar tumi bikhyato Bharate/ Karunar shindhu tumi, shei jane mone,/ Deen je, deener bondhu! Ujwal jagate/ Hemadrir hem-kanti, amlan kirone.” Its rough English translation would be, “You are famous in India as an Ocean of Learning/ That you are an Ocean of Kindness is known/ Only to the poor, friend of the Poor! Shining worldwide/ In the unfading golden light of the golden mountain.”
Vidyasagar wrote the first definitive grammar that gave form, structure and a highly Sanskritised but intelligible and fluent mode of expression to the Bengali language. Earlier, the latter was used mainly in Chandidas’ songs on the love between Radha and Krishna, Krishnadasa Kaviraja’s Chaitanya Charanamrita, a hagiography on the life of the medieval saint, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, versified renditions of the Mahabharata and the Ramayana in Bengali by Kashiram Das and Krittibas Ojha respectively, Ramprasad’s devotional songs, Bharatchandra’s poetry and Ramram Basu’s prose.
The groundwork laid by Vidyasagar was built upon by the chaste literary language of Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay, the distinct style evolved by Rabindranath Tagore, the use of colloquial Bengali by Peary Chand Mitra, author of Alaler Gharer Dulal (A Wealthy Family’s Pampered Boy), and the easy prose of Kaliprasanna Singha’s Hutom Pyanchar Naksha (Sketch by the Owl), both, in their own ways satirical depictions of affluent mid-19th century Kolkata, and Upendrakishore Ray’s simple language meant for children. The result of the interactive and mutually influencing styles and forms led to the emergence of Bengali as a powerful medium of complex and varied articulation in diverse areas like criticism, analysis and argumentation.
An important result of this was the emergence of the essay both as a literary format and a tool of discourse. Besides Rabindranath Tagore and Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay, its two other important exponents were Akshay Kumar Boral and Ramendra Sundar Tribedi. Vidyasagar’s two tracts supporting widow remarriage were outstanding pieces, which were more in the nature of long essays than books. It was not just the essay. The evolved Bengali language made possible the production of path-breaking works in it in social, political, philosophical, theological and cultural domains, which made a significant contribution to the unfolding of the Bengal Renaissance.
Like the European Renaissance, which stretched from the late 14th to the late 18th century, the Bengal Renaissance, which had unfolded from the first half of the 19th century and waned gradually in the first half of the 20th, was the result of a multiplicity of factors — the coming of British rule; the introduction of Western education through the medium of the English language; the creation of a strong zamindari system through the implementation of Permanent Settlement; the rise of a trading class from the ranks of the banyas (agents) of the East India Company and its servants, who and others benefitted from the expansion of trade and commerce under British rule; and the rise of a growing bureaucracy to cater to the administrative needs of the East India Company’s expanding regime.
A critically important factor was the emergence of the Bhadralok. In Elite Conflict in a Plural Society: Twentieth Century Bengal, JH Broomfield has described the Bhadralok as “a socially privileged and consciously superior group, economically dependent on landed rents and professional and clerical employment.” He carefully distinguished between the Bhadralok and the middle class. According to him, the Bhadralok were upper and not middle class, if class was taken as a status group after Talcott Parsons. For the category did not include many middle-class elements in the Marxian sense of the latter being an economic group, while encompassing persons from both higher and lower classes.
As a status group, the Bhadralok constituted an elite, which, in turn encompassed several elites comprising landlords, businessmen, government employees as well as professionals like lawyers, doctors, and teachers. They became flag bearers of the Bengal Renaissance through not only their personal achievements but contribution to processes like the spread of education which extended the reach of the Renaissance. Their role in this context was much greater than that of Europe’s emerging bourgeoisie in furthering the European Renaissance.
The many-splendoured achievements of the Bengal Renaissance transformed the province’s intellectual life and was instrumental to the advent of modernity in Bengal, and then India. Vidyasagar’s strivings in multiple fields were a significant factor in its waxing. He was one of the greatest Indians who ever lived.
(The writer is Consultant Editor, The Pioneer, and an author)
Shinzo Abe changed the way the world perceives Japan, Can his successor do more of the same?
2020 was supposed to be a big year for Japan with its capital Tokyo hosting the Summer Olympics but we all know how that went. Instead, as the year comes to a close, Japan finds itself with a new Prime Minister after Shinzo Abe retires from politics for health reasons. Under Abe’s steady hand for almost a decade, a new Japan has emerged, one much more confident on the global scene. Something that has proven to be very important as a bulwark to China’s increasingly assertive stance in the region. Abe’s leadership has played a major role in Japan trying to rid itself of the military guilt caused by actions it took in the first half of the 20th century.
Yoshihide Suga, the son of a strawberry farmer and Abe’s chief spokesperson for the last few years, is the man handpicked by the outgoing leader to succeed him. While there is little doubt that Suga will stay the course, Abe’s great success, like Shinzo Koizumi, was keeping the various factions of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic party (LDP) at bay. This is a party whose intense factionalism had led to a revolving door; between Koizumi’s tenure ending in 2006 and Abe’s second term starting in 2012, Japan had six Prime Ministers (including Abe himself for a year). Keeping the factions at bay while pleasing the rank and file of the party, which preferred former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba for the top job, was quite the feat. The fact that Suga was appointed as Prime Minister without winning a popular mandate also rankles several politicians and analysts although elections are likely to be called very soon. Japan has proven itself to be a strong, resurgent power and the Olympics were meant to highlight a new, more self-confident nation. Its ties with the US are stronger than before and the nation has played a key role in the creation of the ‘Quad’ with the US, Australia and until very recently, a very reticent India. Abe’s personal friendship with Narendra Modi has seen a huge amount of investment by Japanese firms in India, although tempered by India’s stop-start economic growth. Suge is almost certain to keep the momentum of Japan’s new-found military and economic confidence going and indeed no matter what happens in that country politically over the next few years, it has turned a corner under Abe and will not keep looking back at its past.
(Courtesy: Editorial-The Pioneer)
Dreaming and Doing:
How does a young kid, one of six siblings, born in a lower income family in Vadnagar, Gujarat, schooled in a government school, working in his free time to supplement parental income, find the motivation to develop, upgrade his knowledge, learn multiple languages, to emerge as one India’s greatest orators and a two term Prime Minister. Let’s look at his unique journey.
Young Narendra after completing his schooling, left home on a path of self discovery, traversing the Himalayas and other parts of India, spending time at various missions imbibing the teachings of Swami Vivekanand and understanding different cultures. He returned to Ahmedabad and at the ripe age of 17 joined the RSS. Married at an early age he explained to his spouse that his life was dedicated to the nation, and they lived separately thereafter. His sheer hard work, executing assignments without ever complaining, endeared him to his mentors leading him to be made the youngest ever Pracharak for the city of Ahmedabad at the age of 24. He learnt to lead, and work with elders. In 1987, the RSS felt that he had the ability to contribute to the political space, and assigned him to the BJP as General Secretary for Gujarat.
The emergence of a Challenger:
He was a key organiser in the long marches and rath yatras of party doyens Dr. Joshi and Mr. Advani. In the 1995 state elections in Gujarat, as the chief strategist he brought the party victory. In 1996 he was moved by the party as the State head for Haryana, and then in time was given charge of Himachal and J&K also. In 1998 he became the General Secretary Organisation of the BJP and held the post till October 2001, when he was sent to Gujarat as Chief Minister. Gujarat had been struck by a disastrous earthquake in Jan 2001, leaving over 2 lacs dead and Bhuj totally devastated, and relief work was languishing.
Becoming Chief Minister at the age of 52, and having barely settled into the role, catastrophe struck. On 27/2/2002 a train carrying returning Kar Sevaks from Ayodhya had a bogy torched at Godhra leading to 59 charred bodies. This triggered a violent state wide carnage and the state administration and police was overwhelmed for 3 long days and nights with over 2000 dead, and multiple properties gutted. This event was subject to multiple state and centre led enquiry commissions, a Supreme Court monitored Special Investigation, and subsequent prosecution and convictions over the next fifteen years, but Narendra Modi was absolved by the courts of any negligence or wrongdoing.
This singular event changed CM Modi’s attitude and narrative. He transformed the state bureaucracy by empowering officials and plunging into the reconstruction of Bhuj in record time as his redemption. He pushed Gujarat towards rapid industrialization, agricultural growth and rural infrastructural development. Gujarat’s PSU’s were revived and made profitable. New ports, power projects-thermal, solar and wind were set up. A sleepy state became food surplus, and challenged Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu in industrialization. A new breed of politician had emerged, one who was administratively competent, had people connect, empathized with the poor, and wanted development of the state as his new identity. He demonstrated the trait of finding the best quality resource, absorbing and learning rapidly across a spectrum of subjects, putting in 16 hour days, and creating a breed of bureaucrats and politicians who could keep pace with him.
The mandarins within the congress identified the long term challenger very early, and used legal, administrative and extra-constitutional means to hound him. They used their loyal media cohorts to keep raising the Godhra riots , globally identify him as a right wing pariah, got his travel visa blocked in a few major countries, and set the NGO armies to tie him down in litigation. Little did they know the resolve of the man. Whilst they understood power, he was a master of oratory and people connect. He converted Sonia Gandhi’s vicious personal attacks like “maut ka saudagar” into attacks on Gujarati Asmita, uniting a global Gujarati diaspora in supporting him. It was truly a David mocking Goliath with an arrogant “bring it on” attitude. He was re-elected CM for three successive terms, setting a precedent in the BJP that administratively competent people should lead states.
This rise to becoming the Prime Ministerial face not an easy one. He had to take on his mentor Lal Krishan Advani, the man responsible for having resurrected the party along with Mr. Vajpayee when it faced political oblivion in 1984 winning only two seats in parliament. Mr. Advani had stood with him in 2002, in the process politically emasculating his friend of five decades. However Mr. Advani had lost the 2009 election to Dr. Manmohan Singh, and was now in his mid eighties. In the Goa conclave in 2013, younger leaders like Manohar Parrikar and Arun Jaitley who had been his strategist for the three Gujarat elections and the Godhra litigations endorsed him, and with cadres sensing potential victory pushed his candidature through.
The Congress led UPA had won 2009 on the back of Dr. Manmohan Singh’s tough stand on the nuclear deal with the USA. Thereafter Sonia Gandhi led National Advisory Council took over the reigns of the country, and we witnessed a wave of nepotism, crony capitalism, loot of national resources, defence needs being ignored, surge in terrorism, and ceding of territory to China. CM Modi led consistent verbal attacks on PM Manmohan Singh for abdicating his duty, who by his silence conceded defeat in the eyes of the public. The shadow PM Modi in 2013 put together a war room with talent sourced globally. Many retired and serving bureaucrats now came out of the closet sensing a major change. A nation buffeted by scams, frauds, incompetence and indifference gave the BJP the numbers to cross the line on its own. The hopes of Modi challengers were over, and a new era in Indian politics began.
Victory in 2014 had been credited to the pull effect of Narendra Modi, but victory at the polls comes from a powerful organizational machinery that delivers consistently in getting committed voters to polling stations. The man who delivered on the ground was his “strike force” from Gujarat, the “chanakya” Amit Shah, tasked with taking on a formidable challenge of Samajwadi and BSP stronghold in Uttar Pradesh and its 80 seats in the Lok sabha. The rout of every other party was so unprecedented that the BJP swept 73 seats and even won in muslim dominated areas. With such a performance the anointment of Amit Shah as party President was a formality. Mr. Modi now had control of the government and the party.
PM Modi 1.0:
PM Modi once again had a baptism by fire. He realized that the coffers were empty, the bureaucracy was used to being a power centre, many had benefited from the previous regime, and were major roadblocks to his plans. New Delhi was dominated by power brokers with deep roots and deeper pockets. He needed something to give him momentum and needed it fast. Dr.Manmohan Singh had conceived the underlying concept of what has become the “JanDhan AAdhar Mobile aka” JAM trinity, brought Nandan Nilekani from Infosys to deliver the creation of a national IT backbone on which multiple applications could reside. Unfortunately he did not display the spine to overrule the likes of Mr. Chidambaram who ostensibly stymied and delayed the project even though the project would save Rs.40000 crores annually. PM Modi took less than 24 hours to issue the administrative orders to get the process moving.
The rest is history. Within 6 months the largest global “financial inclusion” program was implemented by making the Nationalised Banks open 33 crores new bank accounts for the poor who had never entered the portals of a bank earlier. A nationwide exercise to issue Aadhar a de-facto national identity card to every citizen was completed. Citizens already had mobile phones. By linking all three, we had the perfect delivery platform for any Direct Benefit Transfer System. Emboldened by the early success, he implemented the Ujjwala Yojna by providing a free first cylinder and subsidized subsequent ones to 6 crore village homes-50% of them were SC/ST. He created a national furore by addressing the issue of open defecation and had over 9 crores new toilets constructed. Infrastructure sector logjams had a crisis with banks facing nearly Rs.4 lac crores of NPA’s from incomplete projects. He gave Mr. Nitin Gadkari a free hand to resolve and build. Within six months the former party president had all projects moving, and his ministry delivered the construction of roads at 27 Km per day compared to 12 Km in the UPA period. Mr. Modi’s most ambitious project was Aayushman Bharat, a health insurance scheme which covers 50 crores people and provides free hospitalization. Never before was this scale of social security been contemplated or seen even in China the world’s poster boy.
Faced with the unique challenge of the Nationalised Banking sector collapsing with over Rs.11 lac crores of NPA’s thanks to fiscal profligacy of 10 years of UPA. The government had to find 2 lac crores to fund capital requirements of banks. It also needed a legal framework which would enforce accountability and change of management. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy code implemented in 2016 is path breaking in this regard.
Mr. Modi’s government was fiscally responsible, the deficits reduced consistently and yet massive social welfare and social security projects were executed. Where did the money come from? An absolute no brainer-the brave also need their share of luck. Global oil prices collapsed. Duties collected by the UPA varied between Rs. 3-5 a litre, but the NDA did not pass on the price reduction to the consumer. Duties today are nearly Rs.30 per litre. This oil revenue
largesse and plugging the leakages has been the mainstay of government finances. Very early in his term the PM realized that India’s global image had taken a severe beating, and needed work. The PM travelled relentlessly, rallying the Indian community, having their travel pinpricks resolved, created a feeling of confidence and positivity. He engaged world leaders and built relationships. India’s stature with the polity of nations rose as he used Trade & Market Access in a highly transactional world. FDI flows to India started rising, and the government focused on improving our ranking from 140+ in ease of doing business to reaching 60+ by the end of the first term.
There were two actions taken by the PM in the country’s long term interest which could be termed controversial in timing and implementation. The first was the “demonetization” of currency. In an attempt to curb black money or the parallel economy, the government overnight abolished Rs.500 and 1000 currency notes, ostensibly 99 % of notes in circulation by value. Overnight the SME sector collapsed as working capital cycles of these businesses broke.
Real estate transactions stopped.The RBI/Bank’s slow execution increased the misery of citizens. Yet 70% of India who had never seen or held such notes exulted. They had found a champion who could stick it to the rich. The political dividend was huge and the BJP won a landslide victory in Uttar Pradesh India’s largest state.
The second was the implementation of GST. The need for “one nation one tax” has been a no brainer, but no one had the political will to finally implement it. The discussions and resolution of issues with states amicably and unanimously was perhaps Arun Jaitley’s swan song. However the hurry to implement without fully testing the system, resolving all Information Technology issues for once showed gaps in project management. This is probably where the PM erred in trusting his friend and lost oversight on a flagship project. Coming immediately on the back of
demonetization, it set back India’s SME sector totally and led to consolidation in favour of large industry. A decade from today, history will credit Mr. Modi for having the stature and political will to implement a path breaking legislation which is good for India, and was one more of Dr. Manmohan Singh’s conceived but incomplete agendas.
Every Indian PM has the romanticised notion of resolving issues with our rogue neighbor, and PM Modi was no exception. Yet one rebuff was enough for him to recalibrate and change strategy. When Pakistani terrorists killed 17 sleeping unarmed soldiers in an army camp in Uri, the army was given a free hand to cross into Pakistan and in a daring surgical strike the army killed 65+ to send a clear message that rules of engagement had changed. When Pakistan erred by using a suicide bomber to kill 40 CRPF men in Pulwama, another first was initiated and the Indian Airforce hit a terrorist camp in Balakote which media claimed killed nearly 300. These two raised PM Modi’s stature as the second Iron Man of India with the masses.
PM Rajiv Gandhi had under pressure from Muslim men in his close circles which included MJ Akbar had reversed the Supreme Court decision on Triple Talaq in parliament in 1986, a cross the Congress carries to this date. PM Modi instructed the law ministry to throw its weight behind a fresh case in the Supreme Court on the same subject, and in a landmark judgement the court has held Triple Talaq illegal, and corrected the wrong done in Parliament in 1986.This was delivering justice to all muslim women in India.
Delivering safety to citizens of India was a key poll plank, and The NSA Mr. Doval was tasked with this, a task he has performed admirably. Working closely with the Defence Chiefs, the critical backlog in our defense arsenal is being filled very quickly. Terrorist activity is now localized in the Kashmir valley, being specifically targeted with many leaders eliminated. There has been a perceptible improvement in India’s relations with Middle East nations to the chagrin of Pakistan, that they get negligible backing in Islamic nations now. The PM also gets the credit for successfully resolving the 43 year injustice to Armed Forces on “one rank one pay”. This sent a very strong signal that the government is sensitive to men in uniform and would overrule the civil services in such matters.
The economy remained a challenge during Mr. Modi’s entire first term. Capital formation was at an all time low due to huge capacity expansions in the preceding decade. The services sector was growing with productivity improvements and incremental job creation was dropping. The economy could be dubbed to be moving in a phase of jobless growth. The government knew that something out of the box was needed. They conceived the Mudra scheme which would give uncollateralized loans to self-employed entrepreneurs upto Rs. 1 lac, so that they could have adequate working capital and grow, perhaps employ one/two helpers each. Over the 5 year term nearly 3.7 crores people were funded. This provided a critical mass of economic activity generation at the bottom of the pyramid. Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna, a program to complete 1.5 crore dwelling units by providing assistance to weaker sections was a resounding success with great last mile delivery.
In 2018 the global economy started slowing down, foreign trade started contracting, the BJP lost three state elections in a row in MP, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh where they had incumbent governments. The entire opposition tried coming together as one force to take on the BJP directly or tactically. The BJP faced the scenario of going into elections in 2019 with declining growth rates, high fuel prices, and a globally orchestrated attack on being anti-secular. They structured a strategy which would focus on demonstrated delivery of welfare schemes, India’s security and defence, and the government’s integrity. The opposition fell in the trap of attacking Mr. Modi personally, and the more vicious the attack, the stronger the backlash from the poorer sections across the country. They could identify with the theme of a poor man’s son being attacked by vested classes, because he stood up to their plunder. The landslide victory was now credited to one person only-Narendra Modi. Like it or not, such is his personal
charisma and credibility.
PM Modi 2.0
The second term started with the government focusing on correcting pending historical errors. The first act was to abolish Article 370 which gave special status to J&K, and make it “one country, one law, one constitution”. It signaled to Pakistan and the world that we intend to take POK back sooner than later. Excluding China and Pakistan the world accepted it as an internal reorganization in India. The government then brought in the Citizenship Amendment Act to provide all non muslims of Indian origin who emigrated to India under duress post independence till 2014 with citizenship rights. Kapil Sibal admitted in parliament that the Act takes away no one’s citizenship.
The government moved to appoint a Chief of Defense Staff in General Bipin Rawat to improve co-ordination between all wings of the armed forces and development of combined sectoral strategies. This was a much needed structure and had been delayed by decades. Modi watchers were expecting the next step to be the introduction of the Uniform Civil Code to correct another Nehruvian blunder in the mid 1950’s when he had unanimous parliamentary support but recanted. But then early this year Covid 19 struck and Chinese belligerence to divert world attention from their culpability has changed priorities.
Covid 19 has resulted in a global economic meltdown with over one crore people infected worldwide. All countries responded with their own versions of lockdowns to prevent/slowdown community spread. India’s shutdown with 70 percent of the population having staying power of less than one week, has been really challenging. The PM has addressed the nation frequently keeping the morale of people up. By extending the free food security for over 800 million poor till the end of November 2020; the PM has recognized that COVID battles are not going away in a hurry and empty stomachs must be taken care of. This social welfare program entails providing free food-grains to 2.5 times the USA’s population for 8 months.
In his latest address to the nation, the PM delivered a firm reprimand to sections of society who have let their guard down on social distancing, wearing masks, and hygiene thereby triggering a fresh wave of infections. Implied was that penalties for non-compliance would come from administrative actions. Recognizing that there is no fiscal headroom to alleviate the honest tax-paying middle class, the PM publicly acknowledged his gratitude to them and the farmers for being the backbone to survive this challenge. He also announced the proposed implementation of a one nation ration card, which would be portable across members of a family unit in multiple locations. This is a clear preparatory signal for bringing migrant workers back to work areas and mitigating the hardship they faced in April/May. It is also a signal to Industry to get its game plan in place before November so that the economy could get back on the rails fast.
In the interim, there is clear engagement by the PM in launching short term employment generation programs in rural areas to ensure that buying power is created, and people are not sitting idle. Unemployment numbers as per CEI fell from 26% to 8.5% in May. So while the PM is personally the face for employment and welfare of the poor, he has let the Finance Minister front end SME and large industry issues.
The face-off with the Chinese in Galwan valley which resulted in 20 Indians and over forty Chinese soldiers dead has crossed another red line. These are the first casualties in fifty years. By taking on the Chinese head-on and helped by the bravery of the Indian Army, the PM has grabbed the opportunity of occupying the global leadership vacuum caused by China’s belligerence. India now is positioned as a key member of the Quad (USA, Japan, Australia, China) and last month become a member of the G10. In his address to the nation honouring our fallen braves in Galwan, the PM was actually addressing the world audiences telling them that the invincibility myth of the People’s Liberation Army had been busted. The contrast in behavior of PM Modi and his Chinese counterpart is truly contrasting. The PM courageously flew to Laddakh with the CDS to honour the fallen army-men and bolster morale of troops who are doing duty in that terrain. His counterpart has not even acknowledged the deaths of his soldiers, and is not visible at a time when his country is being ravaged by floods.
This week India banned 59 Chinese owned telecom Apps on grounds of national security risks and sent global shock waves. Overnight Chinese companies lost 1 Billion Indian subscribers, approximately 30% of their global users. The knock to their business models and valuations is significant. It will also embolden all COVID affected countries to make China hurt if they follow India’s lead. India’s State governments are contributing their bit to add to the pressure by cancelling all infrastructure contracts awarded to Chinese companies. The center has joined the USA led move to eliminate Chinese equipment from the future Telecom and Power sector.
Despite the country facing a health, economic, and defense challenges simultaneously, the Central Government has brilliantly positioned itself as a mature, unflappable leadership, which responds to its critics with equanimity. When Delhi CM Kejriwal raised the red flag on COVID going out of control in his domain, the Home Minister quietly stepped in to provide infrastructure and operational support with no politicisation. The AAP who have drubbed the BJP at the hustings twice in a row, and has been their virulent critic, is quietly sharing and ceding the stage to them. Similarly, on the Chinese face-off, all attacks by the Congress have been totally ignored, pushing the grand old party to desperation, and now often making a mockery of themselves. It reached a stage when Congress allies like Sharad Pawar and Mayawati have snubbed them. In Bihar, a besieged Lalu Yadav trying to provide a challenge to the Nitish/ Modi juggernaut is distraught that the glory earned by the Bihar regiment has been insulted by his alliance partner, and till now the PM has not fired a salvo, which comes election season could be an erupting volcano.
In the midst of all the action The “make in India” and “localization” themes, attracting relocating supply chains to India need attention. We need inter-ministerial task forces with specific, measurable, time-bound objectives of getting at least 300 companies moving out of China to India. Every major leader gets into a comfort zone out of his/her language, exposure and experience, but the PM is in this new term broad-basing his key talent resources beyond his home state, a very welcome development. The untimely demise of both Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj have left a serious vacuum in the BJP, and the PM will need to nurture youngsters to step up.
The PM is nearing seventy, and 65% of our population is below the age of 35 and communicating with them needs a prominent presence on Social Media platforms with a stated public position on multiple issues. It is also a medium which is unforgiving in terms of error or attacks by trolls. Coming from a generation that did not have computers or internet in their adaptive years, he has proved he is a constant learner. The fact that youngsters turn out andvote for him massively signifies that he has mastered their psyche and connects successfully. It would not be out of place to accept that the PM has a presence that would make any global statesman envious.
With great power and popularity come very heightened expectations. Mr. Modi communicates an image of impeccable personal integrity, demonstrated consistent hard work, a man who is action oriented, a fantastic negotiator, and one who has a mailed fist in a velvet glove. He loves the big stage, loves to win, give him a platform and an audience and you see the Pied Piper at work. What this image masks successfully is also a master strategist who is incredibly detailed both in planning and execution, and the next few months will tell how PM Modi and India’s second “tryst with destiny” moment plays out. Disclaimer: I am not a member of any political party. The views expressed are personal. I am a stakeholder in my country, and I exercise my constitutional right to vote.
Sanjit Paul Singh
Managing Partner, S&S Associates
Just Modi-bashing is not enough to get votes. Rahul should be able to convince the people that he will be the better alternative
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi turned 50 last week and celebrated his birthday quietly in view of the Coronavirus outbreak. His father Rajiv Gandhi became the Prime Minister of the country at the age of 40.
Rahul, too, could have become the Prime Minister in 2009 when the Congress Party returned to power or at least a Cabinet Minister during the ten years of the UPA’s rule from 2004 -2014.
However, Rahul had his own ideas of leadership. At the swearing-in ceremony in 2009, I asked him why he did not become a Minister and his reply was, “I don’t want to do ten things at a time. I want to do only one thing at a time.” Now, Rahul’s loyalists are getting impatient to bring him back as the party chief. Nobody knows why he resigned last year after the Lok Sabha poll results or why he is coming back as the Congress president. It is pertinent to note that though not holding any office, it is Rahul who is fighting from the front on behalf of the Congress Party, though Sonia Gandhi too, is writing letters and participating in meetings with the political leaders and the Prime Minister.
The indications of Rahul’s return as the party chief were clear at last week’s meeting of the party’s top policy-making body, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, where there was a clash between the old guard and Rahul. The power struggle was visible when Rahul was critical of the old guard for not supporting him in his campaign against Prime Minister Narendra Modi either now or earlier during the 2019 poll campaign.
The old guard is wary of personal attacks against Modi as they feel that the negative campaign against the Prime Minister will not work. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, a known Sonia loyalist, was the one who raised the issue in the CWC meeting and the “Rahul lao” chorus began soon after. One of them even suggested that a virtual meeting should be organised to bring Rahul back as the chief of the party.
Rahul 2.0 will see a new brand of the Gandhi scion. From the “angry young man” of the earlier days, Rahul 2.0 will be seen as a mature and effective leader, who alone can take on Prime Minister Modi.
Rahul is being projected as an intellectual who can hold his own with global experts and economists. His conversations with experts like former Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan, Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee and former US diplomat Nicholas Burns were meant to convey that. Rahul has also been engaging the media as was evident by the three free-wheeling press conferences he held in recent weeks.
Rahul also launched his own Telegram channel this week. The main purpose of this exercise was to connect with the voters directly. It is available on the messaging app and has so far about 3,500 subscribers. This is a novel experiment as it gives the public access to his views directly. Though he came late to the social media game as compared to the BJP, he has been catching up fast in the last two years. He has 14.9 million followers on twitter and over a million on instagram. His YouTube channel has 3.1 lakh subscribers.
His strategists must have thought it is time for a new brand of Rahul. He can no longer be called a young man as he is 50 now. Hence, the time has come to project him as a mature leader, who has a worldview. Even the BJP no longer calls Rahul the demeaning names given to him earlier and is engaging with him politically, though it is still ridiculing him often.
However, undaunted by the jibes, the new avatar of Rahul has been raising pertinent issues like Modi’s handling of the Chinese incursions, the failing economy and the hiccups in the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic on behalf of the Congress and tweets about these issues almost daily.
Rahul strategists would like him to shed the image of a dynast and a privileged man. Instead they want him to be seen as the alternative to Modi. But before that happens, Rahul must first revive the party from the grassroots level.
He should promote the second rung leaders in the Congress and appoint the right man for the right job. He must listen to the voices of experience within the party. Second, he should also try to emerge as a successful Opposition leader and unite the till-now scattered Opposition. Right now it is Sonia Gandhi who is doing that job, but she has not been very successful at it as the regional satraps are all going their own way. Third, and most importantly, the Congress party needs to find a new narrative. Sonia Gandhi was successful because she thought of the “aam aadmi (common man)” slogan in 2004, which clicked well with the electorate. Just Modi-bashing is not enough to get votes. Rahul should be able to convince the people that he will be the better alternative to Modi.
He got everything in politics on a silver plate. He had the family name. He was young and presentable and had good opportunities in politics. He reached the top position in the party.
Now he should not miss a second chance if he comes back as the party chief. A wise leader would grab the opportunities given to him and Rahul missed many of them in the past. Hopefully Rahul 2.0 will not miss any of them.
(Writer: Kalyani Shankar; Courtesy: The Pioneer)
Many major disasters could have been avoided if a whistleblower had been listened to
Gaurav Taneja is a popular YouTuber but he also happens to be a pilot with Air Asia, India. In a recent video, he alleged that the airline indulges in some practices that he believes compromises passenger safety in order to save some fuel. As a result of this, he has been suspended from his job. Now, Taneja could very well be wrong. If it is found out that he cried wolf, his career in aviation could be sunk at a very young age and few airlines would hire him. That said, it is good that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation is investigating his claims. While the airline has defended itself by saying that what its pilots are doing is an approved procedure, the manufacturer of the aircraft used, Airbus Industrie, has not made any clarifications so far.
While it is not uncommon for whistleblowers to go to the public at large with their complaints, it is important that the regulators investigate each and every issue that is brought up, involving the safety of the passengers. Far too often, whistleblowers are ignored or run down by organisations for their complaints. In aviation, passenger safety is paramount. If something untoward were to happen and it was to emerge that a whistleblower did raise red flags earlier, the regulator would be on the hook. Such an investigation may or may not require massive resources. Indeed, in this case, a few clarifications from the manufacturer should suffice and it might well turn out that Taneja’s worries were unfounded. But that does not mean that they should be ignored. Rightly so, aviation is one of the most safety-conscious industries in the world. It has a strict layer of protocols. Further, to train to become a commercial pilot is an expensive and extensive undertaking. An air crash is more often than not a failure of man, not the machine. Incorrect or unsafe procedures are human errors. In order to save money on fuel and tyres, airlines should not play with people’s lives. A thorough investigation must be conducted and concluded promptly.
(Courtesy: The Pioneer)
Life lessons from a person, who wears many a hat at the same time.
Vidhya Tiwari, Pageant Ambassador for SAVVY Mrs India, Director & Editor-In-Chief of TROFII, India’s only dedicated Food & Night- life Magazine, and Co-founder of ORO BLANCO (a makeover studio), is a self-proclaimed workaholic.
Her inclination was towards Law but on her father’s insistence she enrolled into Fashion Design and has never looked back since. From being a novice fashionista to becoming a professional she continued working in the fashion industry as a freelance Designer and Stylist for Femina. Working with Femina opened up avenues for her, with numerous shows and pageants, including the Citadel Extravaganza and another one that she calls as one of her favorite moments in her career, which was the show she organised for international Fashion Designer, Eva Danielle, in Pune (2013).
The year 2014 sprinkled some star- dust on her when she received a call from the Czar of the glamour world, Mr Nari Hira appointing her as the Editor of CITADEL magazine (from the stables of MAGNA Publishing)! Being her first ever job on the pay roll, as she had never worked in a corporate environment ever before, her apprehension were put to rest with the warmth and understanding be- stowed upon her, especially by her publisher Proneeta Hira! Sharing a great rap- port with the MAGNA Mumbai team she learnt the ropes of marketing under the guidance of Mr Ashok Dhamankar (Marketing Director, Magna Publishing).
Being the Editor of CITADEL a life- style magazine, she learnt a lot on the job, especially the shift from Fashion to Food. As along with fashion articles she also had to do articles on decor and food! It was an easy jump for her, as in her own words she says, “I am from the live to eat category of people.” Known for her passionate food blogging, she has a loyal following on Instagram & Facebook. A gourmet herself, she’s known to be a great judge of good food and good taste.
The fine point in food for her was when the International Chain Hyatt recognised her talent and invited her as a Judge for the Hyatt Culinary Challenge 2015, at the Hyatt Regency in Mumbai! And her position as a connoisseur was cemented with a second invitation from the Hyatt group when she was invited second year in a row as a judge for the Hyatt Culinary Challenge 2016, this time at the Hyatt, Pune. A foodie at heart this Vegetarian workaholic, says she’s still trying to reach her potential, juggling different work profiles and trying to create a unique place for herself. That’s what led her to spearhead TROFII (Food & Nightlife Magazine) as an Editor and Director.
She also is a partner with a consulting firm, from food, to fashion, to beauty to branding and publicity, you name it and they have a solution! Being a people’s person, she feels Branding & PR are an extension of her creative side. When taking up a brand or person for brand building and PR, the only vision they carry is of their client being in a happy space, that’s our ultimate reward. She says, “if we give our best, and our clients are happy they will bring us more clients in return, which is exactly what happens with us, our recommendations are so strong, that first timers always turn to retainers!”
Having worked on numerous fashion shows as a Fashion Designer and stylist, she has also, helped groom the contestants of Radio Mirchi Queen Bee, RSI May Queen, Pune Club May Queen and the CITADEL Mr & Miss Pune. Her judging skills too have often been put to test, being invited to as jury member for numerous shows, from, Miss Pune to Mrs Maharashtra to Mrs India, to Mrs India Globe! Vidhya takes her duty as a judge very seriously and encourages Men and Women from all walks of life achieve their goals, “whether it be a Fashion Show, a Beauty Pageant or a Cookery Show or the show of life! Each one needs to reach their true potential but for that you must first believe you have it,” she says!
Driven by a strong belief that “style is our most engaging narrative to the world”, style is an art and art is every- where and in everything. There is an artist locked-up in each one of us, but some never find the key, and some never find the door.” Every venture she steps in is an essential one for her and she believes in offering her best. She looks at life and feels lucky, saying, “I think I’ve always been at the right place at the right time. Also, being brutally honest, that’s always worked for me. When I talk business, I talk business, there’s no beating around the bush. your time is the most important. Respect yourself. No one is as important as you are. If you put yourself first, if you are happy with everything around you, only then will you be able to make other people happy. So, choose yourself respect, honor and happiness above all else.
In her words, “I also feel we should never complicate your life, whether personal or professional. Keep it simple and straight. Speaking your heart and being honest is the key”. A devout believer in the Almighty, she feels, and keeps the positivity alive. Be true to yourself in all that you do. The best way to live life is to be true to yourself. Never give up, never lose faith. Faith can move mountains; faith can work wonders. Have faith in yourself and above all have faith in God. God’s love is Endless, and He never fails you, NEVER. Like Hellen Keller very truly said, “A bend in the road is not the end of the road…Unless you fail to make the turn.” So, surrender to Him and all else will follow.
By Anshuman Dogra: For Opinion Express News Services.
What’s next for the NC chief, who still has a psychological hold on the people? Can he still be an asset?
The Government has finally realised that its single-minded Kashmir policy, the one it has been ramming hard without factoring in local contexts and complexities, is costing it international acceptability. So even while it convinced the world about changing the status of Jammu and Kashmir as an internal and sovereign matter and as a larger counter-terrorism initiative, its civil lockdown of the Valley ate into its credibility. But what made India look like an unfair oppressor was the arrest of democratically-elected leaders, with a decided pro-India tilt, and labelling them as enemies of the State overnight. Worse, they were considered as good as “terrorists” and booked under draconian laws, nullifying any interlocutory scope that they could have offered with Kashmir’s civil society and citizenry even in a changed scenario. The growing anxieties about human rights curbs in the Valley despite a largely incident-free record, both in the European Union (EU) and the US, and an interventionist push from US President Donald Trump, have finally forced the Government to yield some ground. So it has released former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) leader Farooq Abdullah after seven months of captivity. And it is likely that it may release others over a period of time. The Government also has self-serving motives. For some time, it has been trying to restore a semblance of normalcy by conducting panchayat and local-level polls, hoping to build a new narrative ground up, albeit with candidates friendly to it. As another round of panchayat polls is scheduled for March, officials elected a year ago, most of whom were walkover wins, fear to move out of Srinagar hotels, simply because they contested against local will. Such was the boycott then that over 12,000 panchayat seats continue to be vacant. This round, too, could collapse as panchayats have made it clear that any electoral process would have to be preceded by the release of jailed NC and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leaders. This has completely blasted holes in the BJP’s attempt to rebuild a grassroots matrix or carry out its much-touted development agenda, something it thought would be a cakewalk in the absence of traditional politicians. It has failed to raise an alternative political front and, therefore, needs to create a political climate first. The NC and PDP would still be needed for that purpose. The BJP may have encouraged the formation of the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP), drawing rejects from the PDP and NC, under the stewardship of ex-PDP Minister Altaf Bukhari, but it cannot generate reassurance, least of all credibility, driven as it is by self-serving transactional politics than ideology. The Government would still find it easier to deal with old faithfuls than new aspirants. Perhaps, it is to craft an environment of fairplay that Abdullah has been released. The JKAP may have been formed but needs time to develop a cadre base, something which is still concentrated around the NC and the PDP. Question is will the NC now be used as a polarity to justify the politics of the JKAP or be used to build new bridges? After being treated so unjustly for siding with New Delhi throughout his career, Dr Abdullah has refused to comment on political matters till all leaders are released.
In fact, he may use this unwanted alienation to his advantage and be of some relevance. For at the moment, he hardly has any asset value. For the normal Kashmiri, he is a recipient of much of their hatred and abuse. They believe he shortchanged them by choosing a secular and democratic India and lost Article 370. Now, not only that is gone, the former State has been reduced to a Union Territory. So Kashmiris are questioning his family legacy. For New Delhi, he may have been the moderate face that’s not needed in changed times, given the endorsement of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status both at home and the world. Therefore, Abdullah’s inescapable need to question the abrogation of Article 370 and appear an activist Kashmiri is more than an irritant, it is an obstacle in the new narrative. His suggestions of a negotiated autonomy for the two sides of Kashmir and converting the LoC into a soft border for trade and commerce to flourish seem impractical when all talk is about righting historical wrongs and reclaiming territories in that context, rather than addressing current realities. Yet one must remember his worth through the decades of conflict. He acted as a filter and as Chief Minister did manage to keep militancy in check, give some semblance of credibility to the election process and had a pan-India acceptability as a regional voice. For Abdullah may be a spent force, but people, who have invested in the idea of India at his call, will only see this as betrayal and recede into separatist ways. Simply for that reason, he still has worth and the emotion of his people. It is through him that the Government can let people speak and be heard. Without it, there can be no reconciliation. And the Government’s intent would always seem doubtful to the world.
(Courtesy: The Pioneer)
The Cong is hoping that the gambit of putting her in a Central role will hold out some hope of reviving the party
There may be a host of recommendations for the Congress to revive itself and capitalise on its pan-India matrix as a cohesive Opposition force. But there’s nobody to accept them. There may be umpteen calls to restore inner-party democracy by holding organisational elections and choosing capable leaders and its president based on cadre choices. But there’s nobody to “bell the cat” as one of its own self-deprecating leaders said. There may be articulate and activist young leaders, who have sought to shine their light for a 2.0 recast but have been fobbed off by old hawks who fear their irrelevance, even if that applies to holding on to the crumbs of a fast disintegrating party. There may be seasoned leaders with wise words of wisdom that run in different directions, justifying them as inner party democratic dialogues although the world sees them as terrible infighting. There’s the old matriarch, who is still keeping it together, the Gandhi tag the party’s brand adhesive that’s as scapegoating for party leaders in failure as grandstanding in success. But Sonia Gandhi doesn’t know how to pass it on to her offspring. Reconciling some issues and the generational divide, infusing fresh breath energy with his band of followers was son Rahul, reluctant yet stubborn, a cocktail that’s more implosive than explosive. Then there is Priyanka Gandhi, the more willing and capable scion with some strike capabilities, who could have been the galvaniser had not her brahmastra potential been wasted by benching her. So the Congress is tempted to play its last family card to mend the party by assigning her a Central role now rather than waiting for the next round of parliamentary elections. As 51 Rajya Sabha seats will be falling vacant in April, of which eight are from the three party-ruled States, there’s a growing clamour to elect her to the Rajya Sabha.
Can this reset the Congress’ narrative indeed? On the face of it, she has not been able to sway the Lok Sabha verdict even though she was made party general-secretary in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh (UP). In fact, the Gandhis lost the home bastion of Amethi, too. Beyond some crowd-pleasing speeches, dramatic optics with the boatmen of Varanasi and campaign colour, Priyanka was compromised by an organisational matrix that had been floundering in the face of the BJP’s phalanx. She herself admitted as much. And although she is probably the only politician other than Modi who can produce a mass resonance, she has two handicaps — the people’s rejection of the politics of entitlement and a disconnect with the grassroots. Which is why one must credit her with not abandoning UP even after the Lok Sabha debacle while her brother chose exile. She worked the ground unlike her brother, who chose to be a disembodied conscience. She has been taking up the cudgels on behalf of the dispossessed tribals in Sonbhadra, praying with Dalits and has been visiting the anti-citizenship law protesters at the receiving end of police brutality. She has also been articulating her positions on national issues rather vociferously on social media. There is a rooted realism to her brother’s exalted escapism, one that is now translating into huge crowd turnouts at her roadshow to the utter discomfort of caste-based parties, Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Not only has she lived down her tag, her political sensibilities are primed and she has based herself in Lucknow with diligence of purpose. But the real problem is how she negotiates the tricky territory between her and Rahul camp followers and obviates criticism that by getting elected to the Rajya Sabha, the Gandhis would ensure family representation in each House and were just living out their timelines as legislators. But Priyanka could make herself heard that much more nationally as a parliamentarian and counter the BJP’s oratory and propaganda. Comparisons are being drawn about how her grandmother Indira Gandhi became Prime Minister in 1966 as a Rajya Sabha member. However, the context was different as Indira had the Congress as the dominant political party ruling in most States and at the Centre. That position has been wrested by the BJP today, leaving Priyanka with virtually no enablers. She has a classic glass cliff situation; she could emerge in her own right if she manages to bring the Congress out of the ventilator or she could be condemned for inefficiencies if she fails. Besides, she has a better connect with and a sensibility to deal with both senior and junior leaders, who are claiming fiefdoms of importance and fighting each other, be it Milind Deora, Ajay Maken, Pawan Khera, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Kamal Nath or Jyotiraditya Scindia. She could still be the balancer and end the confusion at least. But how would she avoid her Achilles’ heel, businessman-husband Robert Vadra, who is entangled in vigilance probes? If she manages the political dissociation from personal, perhaps she could still get the party back on keel.
(Courtesy: Editorial – The Pioneer)
Nobel laureate and an authority on sustainable development and climate change, RK Pachauri has set the template for our continuity in climate-challenged times. A long-time columnist of The Pioneer, here are extracts from some of his recommendations made in these pages. We will miss him
RK Pachauri, former Chairman of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), who passed away on February 13, was India’s pre-eminent expert on sustainable development, climate change and environment. He received the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for raising awareness on the issue. During his eminent career, he also served as a member of the Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change that was constituted in 2007. India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change was finalised in 2008 under his advice and he was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2001 and Padma Vibhushan in 2008, the country’s third and second-highest civilian awards, respectively.
Pachauri assumed responsibilities as TERI’s Chief Executive in 1981 and led the institute for more than three decades. He had become synonymous with TERI before he demitted office as the Executive Vice-Chairman in March 2016. One of his flagship projects, Lighting a Billion Lives, that began with distributing solar-powered lamps to rural homes in remote parts of the country that did not have access to grid electricity, resulted in lighting homes in 12 countries. Pachauri was a regular contributor to The Pioneer and here are a few excerpts of his articles that we are publishing as a tribute to the environmental crusader:
Blowing in the wind: (Published January 8)
Wind energy can not only help achieve a sustainable future but also meet economic and social objectives. India must make the best use of this opportunity. Recent developments, with the US having targetted an Iranian General located in Baghdad, would lead to a hardening of global oil prices. There is a valid fear that any further escalation of conflict in the Middle-East could lead to further price increases, which would impact unfavourably on India’s already unsatisfactory rate of economic growth. Earlier concerns related to energy security and the objectives of bringing about energy independence appear to have been given low priority as a result of a glut in the global oil market in recent years. At the same time, the negative externalities of coal production and consumption remain understated, with an expansion of supply, essentially to maintain coal as the major fuel for power generation in this country. There is a need, therefore, to articulate a long-term renewable energy strategy, which would also meet the objectives of the Government’s “Make in India” initiative. Wind energy developments will be an excellent candidate not only for India to achieve a sustainable energy scenario in the future but also as a means to meet a large range of economic and social objectives. It is inevitable that the world would move away from fossil fuels largely for mitigation of carbon dioxide emissions, which are resulting in climate change world over. Hence, there would be a growing demand and a major market opportunity for nations, which innovate and produce equipment for harnessing renewable sources of energy. India has a growing opportunity to play a role in this market.
Preventable reality: (Published January 22)
The comprehensive listing of threats that can emerge this year, published by the Astana Club, is specific to Eurasian countries but has lessons for the entire world. With respect to climate change, we need to come up with scenarios on how we may be able to bring about a transition from fossil fuels to low carbon sources of energy. Far more immediate is the issue of impacts of climate change, which would pose increasing risks across the globe. Projections of extreme events, which the IPCC had clearly brought out 11 years ago, is the increase in intensity and frequency of disasters and extreme events. A typical but unfortunate example of this is provided by the raging forest fires, which recently affected several parts of Australia, followed immediately by extreme precipitation events which led to flooding and excessive damage. All in all, it is important that the Astana Club has come up with a comprehensive listing of threats, which can emerge during 2020 and, therefore, extending into this decade as a whole. Kazakhstan and several Eurasian countries may lie beyond the Himalayan range but in terms of proximity, they are in some cases very close to us in terms of geographical distance. India should, perhaps, engage far more closely with countries of the region and exercise its soft power, including the flow of knowledge, education and research on issues that have a bearing on the region. The threats for Eurasia apply equally to India as well.
Anatomy of a heat shield: (Published January 21, 2019)
The impact of climate change would leave a large part of the population vulnerable in India. It needs to develop its industrial strengths in a technology of the future. It is important to remember that for India as a society, the impacts of climate change would leave a large part of the population vulnerable. If global action is neglected, in which India has high stakes, then we cannot blame others as a nation, which many developed countries have been responsible for as a measure of neglect for much too long. In particular, quite apart from the economic merits of large-scale renewable energy production, which the Government of India has now committed itself to, what is perhaps of even greater priority is to electrify those villages which are as yet un-electrified, and which may have major constraints in supply of grid based power. The TERI launched a major programme in 2008 called “Lighting a Billion Lives,” which focussed on the provision of lighting in the homes of these villages, using renewable energy, mainly through supply of PV based power. India had a great opportunity to not only complete this task within its own borders, but perhaps make the experience available to homes in Africa and other parts of the developing world. There is, of course, a significant benefit in exploiting economies of scale both through an approach such as the programme on “Lighting a Billion Lives” as well as large-scale supply of grid-based power using renewables.
India can become a leader in mitigation of emissions of GHGs and set a path for growth with significantly low carbon emissions. It may thus develop its industrial strengths in a technology of the future, with significant commercial benefits and reach across other regions of the world. This, of course, would also have major implications for action at the global level for meeting the provisions of the Paris agreement and maintaining the limit of 1.5 °C.
In the worst of times: (Published April 3, 2019)
It is necessary for national governments to put in place safety measures so that vulnerable sections can be protected from the ill-effects of a downturn in economic activity. When Charles Dickens wrote the following lines for his epic creation, A Tale of Two Cities, he obviously gave expression to the state of society as it existed in that period: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity…”. If the same author were to write similar lines today, it is likely that he would drop the words “best of times”, given the extent of uncertainty and the lack of “feel good” that we see before us. Perhaps every generation feels some helplessness at what they perceive as the decline in standards, opportunities — and most importantly, hope — in comparison with yesteryear. Yet, today, the confusion that defines global affairs and the state of the world seems more compelling in mapping the human condition as, say, in comparison with what existed just a few years ago. The global economy has reached unprecedented levels, which should normally have resulted in the elimination of poverty, hunger and malnutrition, and a reduction in inequalities but the growing difference between the richest members of society and those at the bottom rung has never been sharper than it is today.
Leaders with hubris: (Published April 17, 2019)
A large number of leaders, both at the global and the national levels, today appear to be victims of self-pride when they should be more humble and modest personalities. The question is whether these leaders are seen by their followers as larger than life and measuring up to the dimensions of a superman, to be idealised and admired by them. It is hoped that distinguished leaders in the future would show a certain level of humility and shed the hubris that they appear to have acquired in recent years. It is relevant to recall that the brightest scientist in history Albert Einstein is reported to have said, “I prefer an attitude of humility corresponding to the weakness of our intellectual understanding of nature and of our own being.” Could it, therefore, be that those leaders with hubris lack an intellectual understanding of their own being and most certainly that of nature, which takes the form of remoteness from reality and basic humility? We urgently need leaders in this mould before those with hubris can impose untold harm on society and distort the finest attributes of human nature. But in recent times, leaders with hubris have strutted the stage in the US, the UK, the Philippines, Indonesia and many other countries. Will they be succeeded by more humble and modest personalities?
The desecration of democracy: (Published January 21, 2019)
The gun control issue and opposition to restrictions on tobacco use are symptomatic of how democracy is being desecrated by abandoning our responsibilities towards the welfare of the people. As the world’s largest democracy, it is important for India to learn the lessons from the flaws and distortions of other countries, such as the US, or else we would also become major desecraters of democracy with devastating consequences. The one ray of light which appears now is the enormous effort being made by the youth of the school in Parkland, Florida, where a shooting spree took place. It is particularly important that they use their moral power to not only influence the state legislature and the Governor of Florida, but also create public opinion for action to introduce gun control. It is important that on all such issues, whether it is banning of tobacco consumption or action to deal with climate change, youth power should come to the fore. It is after all their future which is at serious risk, and clearly it is for them to take leadership, as indeed they are doing with the authorities in Florida. If the current tragedy leads to youth succeeding in imposition of gun control, then perhaps such carnage won’t happen.
(Writer: RK Pachauri; Courtesy: The Pioneer)
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