2

From
AHMEDABAD SUNDAY 2/1/2022
EditorialBOE 6th Gen Flexible AMOLED
production line enters mass production
Editor’s Beijing, dent Liu Xiaodong noted.

Desk Chinese electronic

components producer BOE
has started mass produc-
tion of the 6th generation
AMOLED (flexible) display.
BOE spent 46.5 billion
yuan ($7.3 billion) to build
this production line. At
present, BOE has deployed
6 key projects in Chongqing,
The curious case of including the 6th genera-
tion AMOLED (flexible) pro-
Urdu poet Akbar duction line, reports
GizChina.
It also has the 8.5th gen-
eration TFT-LCD production
line, and the BOE
Chongqing Smart System
Innovation Center. These
production lines have a cu-
mulative investment of over
86 billion yuan ($13.5 bil-
lion).
BOE is doubling down
on new-generation display
technologies.
BOE will continue its in-
vestment in research and

Allahabadi’s new name

“In the current informa- development of high-end
tion and digital age, new ap- liquid crystal displays, flex-
plication markets such as ible organic light-emitting
Was Allahabadi’s renaming only smart mobile terminals, diodes and mini light-emit-
about the earnest logic of smart wearable devices, and
smart connected cars are
ting diodes, Xiaodong said
recently. BOE’s R&D expen-
bureaucratic compliance? Or showing explosive growth diture was nearly 10 billion
yuan ($1.6 billion) in 2020, or
something more purposeful, given trends. This is increasing the
demand for high end dis- about 7 per cent of the
the current manufactured People of Haldwani come out in huge numbers to welcome and listen to the Prime Minister, Shri play technologies such as company’s total revenue, he
said.
prickliness to anything Urdu or Narendra Modi, in Haldwani, Uttarakhand. flexible displays,” BOE Presi-
Muslim?
Renaming has a long history in India. The British
once mangled native names in imperial arrogance;
nativist rulers now rename cities and kasbas, streets Raje tries to find ‘lost’ roots in Outlook 2022: Men’s cricket has lots to
and stadiums to avenge history, and inflame old
look forward to in 2022 after a hectic 2021
wounds. For a brief while this week, it seemed that
sarkari fiat wanted to do even more — not just re-
write history for political ends, but even give a
desert state via temple runs By Niharika Raina Australia, just a year after the
UAE and Oman jointly
Afghanistan facing India in
an ODI series for the first
spanking new digital ID to the dead. On the website By Archana Sharma BJP ran ‘Seva hi Sangathan’ in Jaipur in which all Rajput New Delhi, hosted the mega event. time. Then comes the ques-
of Uttar Pradesh Higher Education Services Commis- campaign, the Raje team ran stalwarts were seen, includ- Cricket in 2021 was any- Aaron Finch and his men tion of where the Indian Pre-
sion, Urdu poet Akbar Allahabadi, whose takhallus Jaipur, ‘Vasundhara Jan Rasoi’ ing Union Minister Gajendra thing but hectic. Bio- will step on their home field mier League (IPL), with two
paid homage to the city he lived in and worked in The year 2021 was full of where food was served to Singh Shekhawat, Jaipur bubbles and quarantine as defending champions af- new teams from Lucknow
till his death in the 1920s, had been renamed Akbar challenges for former the needy. princess Diya Kumari but sounded like everyday ter completing the only and Ahmedabad, will take
Prayagraji. Rajasthan Chief Minister When her daughter-in- not her. While a few leaders words while the action on- missing piece left in place? After the devastating
The poet would not have been amused. Vasundhara Raje who law was unwell and admit- confirmed to IANS that Raje field was electrifying and Australia’s glittering cup- second wave of Covid-19
Allahabadi was a sharp satirist, a nationalist despite wasted no time to turn them ted to a renowned hospital was not invited to the rally, saw two teams, Australia board. England, under Eoin stopped the cash-rich
being a servant of the British government, and he into opportunities and in Gurugram, Raje and her others said that she did not and New Zealand, take the Morgan, will be eyeing to league in May, it was shifted
firmly believed that the destinies of Hindus and started her religious yatras followers were seen con- come despite being invited. silverware for the first time fulfil their dream of holding to the UAE, where it was
Muslims were inseparable. For him, Prayagraj and to different temples in the ducting special prayers. A few leaders confirmed in Test Championship and two white-ball World Cup completed. Hosting of the
Allahabad were not on either side of a fault line. But state. She continued her reli- that a strong message was Men’s T20 World Cup. trophies at the same time IPL in India needs sensible
nearly a century after his death, his city’s name, Raje’s posters were re- gious yatras in different given to the party via the 2022 promises two while India, after a disap- planning, especially with In-
found too Mughal by the powers-that-be, was moved from the BJP office in parts of the state (often re- rally that Raje should not be chances of clinching silver- pointing campaign, will be dia having a surge in Omi-
changed by official diktat. How could he be exempt? the state capital. She also re- ferred to as political yatras) the CM face, while others ware in men’s cricket. First of looking to prove a point. For cron cases. Should the BCCI
Indeed, Allahabadi is not the only one to suffer this mained absent from cam- which undoubtedly at- remained mum when being them comes in January India men’s side, after an be doubtful of hosting the
inelegance — two other poets, who had adopted paigning during bypolls tracted a good crowd. asked about the same. when the West Indies will epic 2021 in Test cricket, one tournament in India, it may
similar pen-names, had found their names changed held in three places, namely She started her visits in Meanwhile, the BJP office- play host to the Men’s U19 of the first targets will be to look towards UAE, yet again.
on the website. Vallabhnagar, Dhariyawad the state to sacred places bearers confirmed that it Cricket World Cup. clinch a maiden Test series After the IPL bandwagon,
What’s in a name change? The bureaucratic and Rajsamand. Her ab- and paid homage to party was for the first time that Bangladesh, the winners of win in South Africa. Leading comes another hectic
machine is not known to be a friend of poets or sence and staying away workers and their relatives Vasundhara Raje was not on the 2020 edition, are placed 1-0 after winning at Centu- schedule for Indian cricket.
poetry or the imagination; it is the literalness of pa- from party happenings be- who passed away, attracting the stage of this Kshatriya in Group A alongside En- rion, India will be striving to Five T20Is against South Af-
perwork that it recognises — offered in triplicate, came the burning topic in good gatherings. Her loyal- rally, which was attended by gland, Canada and United put up a winning show in rica at home are followed by
duly attested by a gazetted officer. But was the state politics. ists made all efforts to make around 4-5 lakh Rajputs. Arab Emirates (UAE). India, Johannesburg and Cape a trip to England. There, In-
Allahabadi’s renaming only about the earnest logic She neither showed up these visits successful to What went wrong in all who were the runners-up Town. After the three-match dia will be looking to win the
of bureaucratic compliance? Was it a find/replace during campaigning nor give the message to the these years as Raje, who was last time, are in Group C series, an ODI series of as rescheduled fifth Test at
function error? The unthinking work of an incom- marked her presence in sig- party that she is still there in involved in rallies and alongside Ireland, South Af- many matches come with a Edgbaston to complete a
petent bureaucrat? Or something more purposeful, nificant party meetings. the hearts of the people of programmes of the rica and Uganda. Expect new captain in KL Rahul and series win in England apart
given the current manufactured prickliness to any- In fact, a parallel team the state. Kshatriya Yuva Sangh in the Yash Dhull and Co. to do well vice-captain in Jasprit from three ODIs and T20Is.
thing Urdu or Muslim? The UP government claims was being run under ‘Team Meanwhile, by the end past and had participated in in the tournament after win- Bumrah. A white-ball series One can expect dates for
that the changes were unintentional and that the Vasundhara Raje 2023’. It re- of the year, Raje followers rallies of Kshatriya Yuvak ning the U19 Asia Cup in against West Indies and two India’s future tours to West
website had been hacked. Allahabadi’s name has leased a list of its own dis- were left shocked to see Sangh in Jaipur in 2008 and Dubai. Roughly ten months Tests followed by three Indies, Asia Cup in Pakistan,
been restored. And the curious case of Akbar trict presidents in the state. their favourite leader miss- in Jodhpur in 2017, was from the U19 World Cup T20Is against Sri Lanka at Australia and Sri Lanka com-
Prayagraji laid to rest. Further, during the sec- ing from the dias of a mam- missing in this rally remains comes another edition of home follow quickly. If all ing to the country later in
ond wave of Covid, while the moth Rajput rally organised an unanswered question. the Men’s T20 World Cup in goes well, then one can see the year.

China implements new border law, India concerned

By Sumit Kumar Singh a legalistic nation-building exercise which brooks no op-
position,” he said.
New Delhi, On October 23, the Standing Committee of the National
India is likely to face more challenges at the People’s Congress, China’s top legislative body, passed a
northern border as China implements its new bor- new law citing“protection and exploitation of the country’s
der law from Saturday. land border areas”. The
Sources said from now on China is likely to dig committee had stated
in its heels at the current disputed positions at the that the new law will
Line of Actual Control and will come up with more come into effect from
model border villages — to be used both for mili- January 1.
tary and civilian purposes. The law is not
Making a provocative assertion, China on De- meant specifically for
cember 30, 2021 renamed 15 places of Arunachal the border with India.
Pradesh in their map. China shares its
Major General Ashok Kumar (Retd) told IANS, 22,457-km land
“The new land border law is the latest attempt by boundary with 14
China to unilaterally delineate and demarcate terri- countries including In-
torial boundaries with India and Bhutan.” dia, the third longest
Explaining how this law has huge implications after the borders with
for India, Major General Kumar said that by bringing Mongolia and Russia.
in such a law, and in conjunction with accelerated The new border
construction of 624 “Xiaokong” known as model vil- law has 62 articles and
lages along and inside the disputed land boundaries seven chapters. As per
with India, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has the law, the People’s
created conditions for a ‘militarised solution’ to the Republic of China shall set up boundary markers on all its
boundary issue. land borders to clearly mark the border.
“It is a hybrid unconventional warfare method- The type of marker is to be decided in agreement with
ology, applied for taking over illegal control of sov- the relevant neighbouring state.
ereign spaces of other states and gets converted into The law further stated that People’s Liberation Army
(PLA) and Chinese People’s Armed Police Force will main- take up education and propaganda to “solidify the
tain security along the border. This responsibility includes sense of community of China, to promote the spirit
cooperating with local authorities in combating illegal of China, to defend the unity and territorial integ-
border crossings. rity of the country, strengthen citizens’ sense of the
The law prohibits any party from indulging in any ac- country and homeland security, and build a com-
tivity in the border mon spiritual home for the Chinese nation”
area which would amongst citizens in the border region.
“endanger national The state can take measures “to strengthen bor-
security or affect der defence, support economic and social devel-
China’s friendly rela- opment as well as opening-up in border areas, im-
tions with prove public services and infrastructure in such
neighbouring coun- areas, encourage and support people’s life and
tries”. It includes work there, and promote coordination between
construction of any border defence and social, economic development
permanent build- in border areas”.
ings by any person In effect, this suggests a push to settle civilians
w i t h o u t in the border areas.
authorisation from The law comes amid a border dispute with In-
the concerned au- dia.
thority. India claims that China has illegally occupied
Further it stated about 38,000 sq km of India’s territory in Aksai Chin,
that citizens and lo- which borders eastern Ladakh. Pakistan ceded to
cal organisations China about 5,180 sq km in 1963 from the Indian
are mandated to territory illegally occupied by it.
protect and defend the border infrastructure, maintain India and China have been engaged in border
security and stability of borders and co-operate with gov- disputes for the last 20 months and diplomatic and
ernment agencies in maintaining border security. military talks are on to resolve the issues.
The law lays the path for the development of the bor- (Sumit Kumar Singh can be reached at
der region. It states that People’s Republic of China will sumit.k@ians.in)

After farm laws repeal, what will happen to the proposed Committee on MSP?
By Nivedita Khandekar
New Delhi,
More the things change,
the more they remain the
same, is an old adage appli-
cable to anything and
everything, including
the government, irre-
spective of the party
in power.
In 2011, it was
Anna Andolan that
had captured the
popular imagination
of the whole nation. In
2021, it was the farm-
ers’ protest that had
dominated the dis-
course even in the
pandemic induced
lockdown year.
In April 2011, so-
cial activist Anna
Hazare had embarked
on a fast unto death
demanding passing
of the Jan Lokpal Bill.
Sensing the popular-
ity of Team Anna, the gov-
ernment agreed for a joint
drafting committee; it was
formed in April 2011 itself.
Few meetings later, when
the Ramdev Baba episode at
the Ramlila Maidan took
place in June, Team Anna
members stopped going to
the meetings.
The Bill was passed in
Parliament in December
2013, the same month when
Arvind Kejriwal, having
parted his ways with Hazare,
had formed a party, con-
tested, and won the Delhi
Assembly elections.
Much water had flown
below the bridge, the gov-
ernment at the Centre had
changed when Hazare in
March 2018 declared to re-
sume his battle for Jan
Lokpal Bill. The NDA govern-
ment brought in an amend-
ment and passed the Bill in
both the Houses soon. Since
then, nobody has even
heard of the Lokpal, in
whichever avatar the Bill
was passed.
Even when the farmers’
agitation started in 2020, it
was the year 2021 that saw
the fruition of their agitation
in all respects. The Modi
government relented to
their demands and in De-
cember first week, the three
contentious farm Bills were
repealed.The farmers were
promised that a committee
would be formed to discuss
the Minimum Support Price
(MSP). But more than a
month after the Prime
Minister’s announcement, said, “When the protest is at government now is a differ- But then, what will stop moved a step back and then
there is no word about it. its peak, the government is ent one and the farmers the government from going moved forward (on farm
And that is where the simi- bound to listen to the have already won a critical back? Pat came her reply: laws). Farmers are the back-
larities between the Lokpal people, albeit unwillingly. battle, he said, “Chances of “What stops the people bone of India.”
and three laws begin. But after some time, once outcome of this Committee from coming back on the When it was perceived
So what happens to the things go away from the are very high because farm- streets?” that the government wants
MSP committee? public eye or glare, things ers are coming on the back Farmers’ next step to bring back the three laws,
The Samyukt change. Tomar clarified that
Kisan Morcha (SKM) In 2011, Pranab there is no proposal or
on December 9 de- Mukherjee had called a plan yet. That would
clared to suspend special session, a be discussed when the
their 15-month long ‘Sense of House’ reso- Samyukt Kisan Morcha
agitation that had lution was passed. It (SKM) will be meeting
started to protest the was given that much again to check what all
three contentious importance. Today, the the government has
farm laws passed in Aam Aadmi Party done since the farmers
2020. The agitation (AAP) is in power itself, wrapped up their tents
continued even after but we all know the from around Delhi’s
the three laws — the fate of Lokpal. borders.
Farmers’ Produce It remains to be When asked about
Trade and Commerce seen what this govern- the government
(Promotion and Facili- ment does with the bringing back the Bills
tation) Bill, 2020, Farm- MSP committee. “But again, Rakesh Tikait,
ers (Empowerment what I believe is that prominent farm lead-
and Protection) the agrarian distrust is- ers, told IANS on
Agreement on Price sue is very important phone, “We will see as
Assurance and Farm and significant. If the and when it happens.
Services Bill, 2020 and government does not Why ask about it now?”
Essential Commodi- take it up seriously, He, however, sounded
ties (Amendment) Bill 2020 then, the future will not a lot more cautious
— were repealed by Parlia- be easy on this matter. Indeed, that is a point of about the Committee
ment as the farmers’ stuck to Because it is now a matter of of a victory.” debate as to what will the on MSP. “No names have
their demands vis-a-vis legal livelihood. The government Priyam added, “Anna government do next? been sought as yet. Nothing
backing for minimum sup- will have to respond on this Andolan was about political Whether or not it will abide heard from the government.
port price (MSP) for all farm- matter.” accountability, which is still by its promises. Nothing heard from the
ers being the prime demand Nagender Sharma, vague. Here concrete issues Earlier in December last government about (with-
after repeal of the three former journalist and legal of lives of people are in- week, Union Minister for drawing) cases in Delhi too.”
laws. affairs analyst, who was also volved. I think there will be Agriculture and Farmers’ “January 15, we have the
Manisha Priyam, a politi- the Delhi Chief Minister’s some kind of binding on the Welfare Narendra Tomar SKM meeting. We will see
cal analyst based in Delhi, Advisor. Observing that the government.” had said at Nagpur,“We had then,” Tikait said.
 EDIT
THE ASIAN AGE | SUNDAY | 2 JANUARY 2022 | NEW DELHI
pg 5

Subhani

2 JANUARY 2022

Shashi Warrier
Off the beaten track

How I made peace with

my scooter and my life
W
ith the pandemic in 2019 came travel restrictions and work
from home policies that transformed our lives. Besides, our
daily help, an immigrant, had to go home, leaving us to fend
for ourselves. With all this, I’d been deprived of the long,
relaxing motorcycle rides that I loved. But in October, following the
early death of a cousin, I wanted to visit her father and sister in
Thrissur, some 350 kilometres from home. Here was a chance to ride
LETTERS
India needs to gear up for
down.
My last such ride had been in 2018, before the pandemic. I had since

INVEST IN VARSITIES
crossed the age of sixty, been through several eye operations and accu-
mulated many age-related niggles, so I wasn’t sure I’d be able to make it.
Here, I thought, was a chance to find out.
Also, I was fed up with the bike. Three years in our home by the
The New Year and

battle in world of drones

seashore had turned it into a rust-bucket, and the Chennai-based manu-
facturers didn’t honour the guarantee. It beyond must beckon
was time for a change. I decided I’d take a us to an emancipated
long ride, and, if it was fun, I’d replace the
bike with a comparable one. Otherwise I’d
future and to hold our
replace it with a little runabout for errands The domestic research tered with drones, the tech- destiny firmly in our
and shopping trips. and development for nology to counter swarm hands. Our democratic
Manish Tewari
Early one morning in late October, I set anti-drone systems is drones is still a work in traditions need to be
out, full of fear and hope. Over the next four progress. Australia’s drone
days, I covered a thousand kilometres, at a ‘nascent stage’. shield is an attempt at solv- nurtured for inner
mostly in Kerala, through territory that While the DRDO has ing this problem. It disrupts strength. We must con-
developed an ‘Anti
had changed dramatically. I got back home
tired and discouraged, because although I’d State of the Union Drone System’, they
radio frequency in the hos-
tile drone’s video feed and
front the shortcomings
that have crept into our
managed that long trip, the aches and pains have been only used forces it to land on the spot
and niggles had taken away most of the fun. or return to the operator. systems and ensure
to guard VIPs during
So, no more daylong rides to faraway
national day
Then there is the matter of that democratic institu-

R
places. No more thumping around magical emote-controlled were completely caught off actually disabling such tions are no longer
misty hillsides on chill mornings, fingers soldier boys, guard. Not a very unusual celebrations drones. Choosing between
frozen and heart aflame. There was a gap in deadly killing occurrence unfortunately. “soft” and “hard” kill manipulated by the
my life that I didn’t know how to fill.
I didn’t stop machines which options is not straightfor- entrenched political
For the time being, though, there was are armed to the A THREAT TO INDIA retail-level components. ward. While in some cases a class. We must rebuild
work to be done, because the bike had to be complaining until teeth... that create more ill The stupefied reaction of This rudimentary but lethal soft kill would be preferable,
sold. I had to sell it at the best possible my wife got fed up. will than they extinguish, the national security estab- assemblage is closely associ- in other cases like swarm and nurture our educa-
price, and decide what to replace the damn ‘You haven’t done through indiscriminate col- lishment after the attack ated with the issue of drone attacks, rapid hard kill will tional and intellectual
thing with. Being bone lazy in matters of your scooter lateral damage”, that is how was disconcerting to say the availability. Modern be more appropriate. institutions to act as
money, I decided to combine the two, and to Joe Haldman, the award least. It seemed as if they drones, debuting with the Whatever method of detec-
decide first what to buy. After that it was a
justice,’ she said, winning science fiction were only now waking up to expensive Predator drones tion and removal is chosen,
robust and legitimate
matter of leaving it to the guy who sold me ‘Take it for a long author of Forever Peace, the portentousness of the of the US post the 9/11 the protection required is alternatives to regimen-
the new vehicle to get the best price for the ride in the hills, envisioned what the future drone threat. However, the attack ,are not easily avail- technological in nature and tation fixated on neo-
old one. and, if you happen weapons and warfare would fact remains that the drone able. This is because US far more costly than the nationalism.
I tried lots of popular scooters, and they all to like it, stop look like. That was in 1998! menace in India is not new. tightly controls the export actual danger. Moreover,
R. Narayanan
seemed the same: small and light and whining about it!’ Fast forward 23 years, There have been over 300 of its Predator and Reaper differentiating between
cramped, with my knees hitting the apron if today the global market of drone sightings since 2019. Unmanned Combat Aerial legitimate and potentially Navi Mumbai
you braked hard. They all even sounded the Unmanned Aerial Systems A bulk of them have been Vehicles (UCAV’s). They threatening drones will be a
same, like an angry sewing machine. has touched 21.47 billion reported from the are only available to close massive challenge itself.
But they were simple: you sat on them and pointed them and twisted
the throttle and off you went. You turned by shifting your bottom on the
dollars. US Predator drones
have been used to carry out
Kanachak, Satwari, Samba,
Hiranagar and Kathua sec-
military allies. However,
China, Israel and Turkey INDIA’S RESPONSE
A GRIM START
seat, and if you wanted to swerve to avoid a pothole or something you more than 1,100 air strikes. tors of the International bor- have started developing The domestic research and SHOCKED TO READ that on the
wiggled your bottom instead. When you wanted to stop, you just hit the Turkish Byraktar TB2 have der and Line of Control, their own UCAVs, that they development for anti-drone very first day of the new year 2022, 12
brake: a single lever that operated both front and rear brakes. That was destroyed hundreds of respectively. also widely export. It is not systems is at a “nascent pilgrims died and 15 others got
it. None of this business of gearshifts and clutches and using the brakes Syrian armoured vehicles In June 2020, the BSF shot difficult for quasi military stage”. While the Defence injured in a stampede at Mata
separately and so on. and the Azerbaijani forces down a drone carrying a states like Pakistan, to now Research and Development Vaishno Devi shrine around 2.45 am,
There were, of course, disadvantages. If you opened the throttle wide have used the Israeli rifle, two magazines and a develop affordable ways to Organisation (DRDO) has sending shock waves across the
the engine sounded like a sewing machine throwing a tantrum but the Kamikaze drones against cache of grenades. There project force with greater developed an “Anti Drone country and beyond. Those who died
scooter didn’t seem to move any faster. On the few kilometres of high- Armenian military in the was even a drone hovering lethality at a much lower System”, they have been are from Delhi, Haryana, Punjab,
way between home and town you were surrounded by vehicles fifty Nagarno Karabakh conflict. above the premises of the risk for non-conventional only used to guard VIPs and Jammu & Kashmir. The stam-
times heavier and at least as fast as your own, which was terrifying at Haldman’s Forever Peace Indian High Commission in operations. during national day cele- pede occurred at Mata Vaishno Devi
first. was more a prescient Islamabad when India had India has an Unmanned brations. If India needs to Bhawan following an argument over
And then I happened upon a scooter that didn’t seem too bad. Like the prophecy than just a snazzy invited diplomats from Aerial Systems (UAS) mar- take up the challenge it a minor issue resulting in the people
rest, it sounded like a sewing machine and didn’t understand how to a sci-fi novel. other countries to commem- ket pegged at $866 million, needs to develop fast-track pushing each other. The government
hurry, but the seat was large and my knees didn’t keep hitting the apron, Today drones have orate 75 years of its this essentially means research and development has ordered a high-level inquiry into
and so I bought it. But I didn’t stop complaining until my wife got fed up. become an important part of Independence. The drones are available in the for systems that can be the incident. With this, the year has
“You haven’t done your scooter justice,” she said, “Take it for a long ride military arsenals across the Directorate of Revenue country in large numbers operationally deployed for started on a very bad note.
in the hills, and, if you happen to like it, stop whining about it!” world. Conventional war Intelligence (DRI) had and can be probably wider use. Then there is the Bhagwan Thadani
And so I set out for the Subramanya temple at Kukke, a little over a fighting doctrines are singu- seized 85-high end Chinese weaponised by anyone, any- challenge of the technolo- Mumbai
hundred kilometres away. I hadn’t been that way for over a decade, and larly ill-equipped to respond drones busting a ring of where and anytime. gy’s strategic deployment
had no idea how the roads had changed, but Google Maps found me a
route that kept me off the highways two-thirds the distance.
to these new age offensive
weapons. Their lethality is
drone smuggling worth
`10,000 crores in 2019.
Drones have low Radar
Cross Section (RCS), slow
and the money the govern-
ment is ready to spend.
POLITICS OF HATRED
I left home at half-past-seven, hoping to beat the traffic, and, on the only going to increase in the Not only government speed and a small size lend- Additionally, there is the ALL TALK OF DEVELOPMENT and
empty roads, found the scooter frustratingly slow. Then came a stretch future with advances in agencies but even strategic ing to its stealth and con- problem of military’s undu- Vikas are just lip service if your farm-
of highway where I was stuck behind convoys of slow-moving lorries, machine learning, artificial analysts and chief ministers cealment advantages in bat- ly focus on major platforms ers are left on the streets protesting for
suffering noise and heat and dust and exhaust fumes. When I stopped for intelligence and precision of border states have been tlefields, and thereafter, and not enough on future over a year and doctors are beaten
a coffee-break ninety minutes out, I seethed at my own stupidity at hav- guidance. flagging the possibility of making it difficult to identi- technologies like robotics, black and blue for their protests. A par-
ing set out on this trip. The use of drones to attacks via low-flying sub- fy and localise. artificial intelligence, tisan media is busy shining the image
And then, two-thirds of the way, some kilometres off the highway, mount localised and virtual- conventional aerial plat- Conventional radar sys- cyber and electronic war- of the government instead of question-
everything changed. The road wound through forested hills, with not ly autonomous terrorist forms including UAVs and tems are not meant for fare to counter 21st century ing them for their shortfalls. The situa-
another vehicle in sight. Riding slowly though the forests, I became sud- attacks marks the com- their use for the cross bor- detecting small flying threats. tion on the social front, too, is going
denly aware of the breeze in the trees and the birdsong and the sunlight mencement of a significant der smuggling of arms and objects, and, even if they are General M.M. Naravane from bad to worse with minorities
glinting off water in a pond and an egret standing meditatively on a bank new security challenge for ammunitions. These calibrated that way, they rightly opined that “...the being targeted physically and also by
of a river as I crossed the bridge spanning it. I’d have noticed most of this India. The attack in the threats do not just come might confuse a bird for a advent of drones and way of desecration of their places of
on the bike, but, because the scooter forced me to slow down, I noticed June of 2021, where low-fly- from across the border drone and the system may counter-drone systems, has worship. Politics is okay but then it
more of it, and at greater depth. ing drones were used to today even Naxalites, are get overwhelmed. The small radically altered the way should not fall to such level that the
Time slowed, and the frustration disappeared. This was the temple I drop two improvised explo- now reportedly deploying size also grants them weak we think and how we will seed of hate is sown. This has a long
was looking for, I thought, not the beautiful stone structure where devo- sive devices (IED) on the drones in their operations thermal, and aural signa- fight in the future”. It is term negative impact on the amity
tees lined up to pray. I noticed a cloud of butterflies about a thicket on Jammu IAF station, is a against Indian security tures. Swarm drones are about time that our defence between communities. People should
the riverbank, and stopped, knowing I needed go no further. Then it clear manifestation of this forces. even harder to track, as establishment starts to recognise and immediately discard the
struck me that the real temple was this place in my heart, and not the emerging frontier. The miniature drones attacking walk the talk. politics of hate for the future genera-
riverbank on a pleasant morning, or even a misty hillside. As I watched, attack was significant not WHY DRONES? in wave-after-waves of tions to live again peacefully.
the egret flew off, and I, too, moved on, at peace with the world, and with just because it was the first Why are drones now the swarms overwhelm enemy The writer is a lawyer, Syed Abdul Monim
the scooter. time drones were used to weapon of choice for terror- sensors with a deluge of tar- Member of Parliament and Navi Mumbai
launch an attack on a ists and insurgents? They gets — an eerie reminder of former Union information
Shashi Warrier has written fairy tales, thrillers, a semi-fictional biog- defence establishment in are inexpensive. They can the 2012 sci-fi novel Kill and broadcasting minister. Every Monday the best letter of
raphy, satires, and a love story. Besides writing, he teaches strategic India, but also because the be easily procured off the Decisions. Twitter handle the week wins `500. Email:
communication at a business school. Indian defence systems shelf or assembled using While drones can be coun- @manishtewari. asianage.letters@gmail.com.

L
aughter came easily to Des-
mond Tutu, but he also did not
hesitate to weep in public. He
strove to see the best in human-
ity, and perhaps that very longing pro-
voked him guilelessly to call out the
instances of inhumanity that crossed
Mahir Ali his radar.
The apartheid in his homeland, South
Africa, was an obvious affront to his
sense of morality, and all of the obitu-
aries and tributes since Tutu died on
Sunday at the age of 90 have inevitably
Haven’t we lost focused on his remarkable role in dis-
mantling that particular injustice. But
he wasn’t by any means a one-trick
one of the most vicious policies in the
world”.
Four years later, as archbishop of
Cape Town, he was even more scathing
in his assessment of Ronald Reagan
after the US President defended the role
of US companies in the South African
economy. Tutu appropriately described
Reagan’s speech as “nauseating” and
“the pits”, adding: “America and the
West can go to hell.”
At the UN that same year, he com-
pared apartheid with Nazism and
described Western politicians who
opposed sanctions against Pretoria as
racists. “We don’t want to destroy
America’s attitude towards Israel and
called on the incoming Biden adminis-
tration to openly acknowledge Israel’s
“horrific” nuclear weapons arsenal, cit-
ing it as one of the possible reasons why
“Israel’s version of apartheid has out-
lived South Africa’s”. He did not arrive
at this realisation in 2020. Tutu was a
consistent critic of Israel’s human
rights abuses over several decades. He
could not understand, he said during a
visit to the holy lands, how Jews after
what they suffered in Europe in the
1930s-40s could inflict that kind of bru-
tality on the Palestinians. But that is
just one of his many dimensions that
Israeli bombing of Beirut.
He could be equally scathing about
previous allies, including Robert
Mugabe, describing Zimbabwe’s leader
as “a cartoon figure of an archetypical
African dictator”, who responded by
calling Tutu “an angry, evil and embit-
tered little bishop”.
Angry and occasionally embittered
he certainly could be. But “evil” is a
description that should only haunt the
enemies he made.
That eventually included the African
National Congress (ANC) in its post-
Mandela incarnation. As a schoolboy,
Desmond had once crossed paths with
and Jacob Zuma governments, mainly
for their failure to pursue the social jus-
tice that the transition to majority rule
had hinted at. That was reflected too in
the aftermath of the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission that
Mandela had asked him to chair, when
its findings were resisted not just by the
previous upholders of white minority
rule but even by the ANC.
Its hearing sometimes reduced the
chairman to tears. In his final decade,
Tutu added gay rights and climate jus-
tice to his roster of worthy causes,
which included passionately decrying
the US invasion of Iraq and Western

right to praise pony. His radar extended universally.

Even when apartheid was his prima-
ry focus, Tutu was disinclined to pull
white people,” he declared, “but is it too
much to ask that in the land of our birth
we walk tall as human beings…?”
many of those who panegyrise him
today tend to gloss over.
Tutu welcomed international support
Nelson Mandela, and they correspond-
ed during the latter’s 27-year incarcera-
tion, but embraced each other for the
imperialism more broadly.
The humanistic sense of morality of
the Anglican archbishop — simply “the

Tutu, the arch his punches. As head of the South

African Council of Churches in 1984 —
the year he won the Nobel Peace Prize
— he told British PM Margaret
Tutu has been widely hailed in the
past few days as a “moral compass” for
the world, but the direction in which
his needle pointed continues to be con-
against apartheid, even going as far as
to declare at one point that if the
Russians came to South Africa they
would be hailed as liberators. But in the
first time only after Mandela was liber-
ated in 1990. They shared the vision of a
new South Africa based on reconcilia-
tion rather than racial bitterness —
Arch” to many of his compatriots —
was complemented by a sharp intelli-
gence and an acid tongue. He set an
example for the ages that will, sadly, go
internationalist? Thatcher that inviting her South
African counterpart was “a slap in the
face of the millions of black South
veniently ignored.
For instance, barely a year ago, The
Guardian published a comment in
mid-1980s he had no qualms about lash-
ing out simultaneously at the Soviet
puppet regime in Kabul, the US-spon-
and grew close enough to mock one
another’s sartorial choices in public.
Tutu was frequently scathing, howev-
unheeded by many of those who pre-
tend to mourn him today.

Africans who are the daily victims of which he excoriated the hypocrisy of sored Contras in Nicaragua and the er, in his criticism of the Thabo Mbeki By arrangement with Dawn

EDITOR: KAUSHIK MITTER, PRINTER & PUBLISHER: K. SUDHAKAR; THE ASIAN AGE office is located at: New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru National Youth Centre, 219 Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, New Delhi-110002. Phone: (011) 23211124;
Published and Printed on behalf of and for; Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited, Jawaharlal Nehru National Youth Centre, 219 Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, New Delhi 110 002 at BFL Infotech Ltd., C-9, Sector-III, Noida -201301;
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06 NEW DELHI, 02 JANUARY 2022
With which is incorporated
The Englishman ~ Founded 1821
A world divided
P erhaps the fact that the Omicron variant
emerged in South Africa was a reminder that a
continent deprived of vaccines by the rest of a
selfish world has the potential to shake richer
nations out of their complacency, if not by an appeal
to their good sense than by preying on their fears. As
America and Europe get convulsed by a fresh wave
of infections, it is time to reflect on the state of vac-
cinations in the African continent, several of whose
countries have inoculated less than 10 per cent of
their populations, within the larger context of
inequities. Tanzania, Mali and Ethiopia have sizable
populations of whom less than two per cent have
been vaccinated. Nigeria and Uganda do not fare
much better, neither do Senegal, Zambia, Somalia
and Mali. Indeed, the World Inequality Report that
late last year brought out the divisions in today’s
world in economic terms could have made the same
point just as substantially had it focused solely on
the state of Covid vaccinations. The divide is stark
and shows us that within the same world where
some countries have announced a fourth dose of
the vaccine, there are others where people have not
received even one. And to that extent, these coun-
tries make up the powder keg on which the rest of
the world sits.
Indeed, as 2022 has dawned, with not much to
offer except further waves of disease and depriva-
tion, it is time, as argued by a distinguished writer in
these columns, for a meaningful global discourse
on the redistribution of wealth to ensure that the
rich stop getting richer at quite the pace they have
set for themselves, and the poor are shielded at the
very least from the worst facets of their poverty.
Humankind has not accomplished very much if the
top 10 per cent control 76 per cent of the world’s
wealth and the bottom 50 per cent possess only
2 per cent.
If this is the outcome of centuries of endeavour,
clearly the human race has missed a trick or three.
These disparities are never as stark when seen
against the backdrop of vaccinations, regardless of
how efficacious they might be. When, to this far from
edifying picture, we add the privations caused by
frequent dislocations to life and livelihood brought
on by the measures that the flailing but status quoist
state takes to control the disease, it serves to widen
the divide. For while the affluent have the luxury of
working from home, the less privileged lack even
homes to seek refuge in. Add to this mix the ten-
sions between nation states and the wedges driven
between people on grounds of race and religion, and
it is difficult not to conclude that the elaborate
games that dominate headlines are aimed only at
diverting attention from the greatest divide that
exists ~ the one between rich and poor. If nothing
else, let us resolve this year to begin addressing
this divide.
Religion in HK
I
t turned out to be the mainland’s pontification
on religion to its protectorate that marked Thurs-
day’s briefing by Chinese bishops and religious
leaders to senior Hong Kong Catholic clergymen.
The topic was President Xi Jinping's vision of religion
with “Chinese characteristics” in an unprecedented
meeting organised by the mainland's representative
office in the city, indeed the most assertive move yet
in Beijing’s attempts to influence the Hong Kong
diocese, according to clerics who attended or had
knowledge of the meeting.
The diocese is answerable to the Vatican and
includes some high-ranking leaders who have long
been defenders of democracy and human rights in a
territory that is said to be semi-autonomous but is
increasingly feeling the weight of Beijing’s heavy
hand. While Hong Kong’s Catholic leaders have met
their mainland counterparts individually in the past,
it was the first time the two sides had met formally
and also the first time that mainland religious offi-
cials had instigated such a meeting. There was
doubtless an element of pregnant symbolism to the
meeting; mainland officials and religious leaders
have avoided an overtly political message.
The meeting is also suggestive of what some reli-
gious figures, politicians and diplomats describe as
the expanding role of Beijing's Central Government
Liaison Office in Hong Kong, which formally repre-
sents the mainland in the city but has traditionally
kept a low profile. The Liaison Office and officials
from the State Administration of Religious Affairs
monitored the Zoom sessions as three leading
bishops and about 15 religious figures from main-
land China's state-backed official Catholic church
and about 15 senior clergymen in Hong Kong par-
ticipated in the day-long meeting. The Vatican
regards Hong Kong as a single diocese so it has only
one bishop.
Without mentioning President Xi Jinping or issu-
ing any instructions or orders, the mainland speak-
ers explained how Xi’s policy of “Sinicization” aligned
with long-term Vatican policies of inculturation, in
effect adapting Christianity in traditional, non-
Christian cultures.
Xi has been an active proponent of Sinicization,
setting out policies to foster religions with what he
calls “Chinese characteristics” and closer ties to the
party and state agenda behind it. Thus, while it
was not spelt out, clearly Mr. Xi was the elephant in
the room.
Earlier this month, Mr Xi told a conference in
Beijing, described in official reports as the National
Work Meeting on Religious Affairs, that all religions
in China needed to embrace the Communist Party,
expanding on one of his long-held policies. “(We)
must maintain the party’s essential direction on reli-
gious work, we must continue our country’s direc-
tion for the Sinicization of religion, we must contin-
ue to take the large numbers of religious believers,
and unite them around the party and the govern-
ment,” Mr Xi said.
A medical mess
Post-graduate professors are already overburdened and the simultaneous running of
two batches, under the circumstances, is far from practical. Deprivation of medical care
to patients in a situation exacerbated by the threat of Omicron, a possible brain-drain
and the financial loss to the nation cannot be measured in monetary terms
P
eaceful bandhs, gheraos
and protests are quintes-
sential features of democ-
racy for which India is
acclaimed globally. After prolon-
ged protests over the Citizenship
(Amendment) Act and the three
farm laws, India has again caught
the attention of global media with
thousands of striking resident
doctors of New Delhi-based gov-
ernment hospitals faced off with
the police over the uncon-
scionable delay in NEET-PG 2021
counseling. Further delay may
lead to paralysis of medical ser-
vices across the country as the
Federation of All India Medical
Association (FAIMA) has threat-
ened to boycott all work includ-
ing emergency services as a mark
of protest against crackdown on
the resident doctors.
The alleged assault on the
doctors and registration of FIRs
against them is deeply distress-
ing as they were showered with
rose petals by the Government a
year back for being corona war-
riors. The resident doctors have
been protesting since November
27 against the multiple postpone-
ments of the NEET PG Coun-
selling 2021 and the subsequent
admission of a fresh batch of res-
ident doctors in medical colleges.
Resident doctors are crucial
for the entire healthcare system
including Covid care. A public
health expert has aptly said that
nothing is truer in the medical
profession than this ~ 'Interde-
pendence is a higher value than
independence'. NEET-PG-21
counselling can’t brook delay for
a variety of interdependent,
interconnected and ancillary rea-
sons. It would be worthwhile to
go into the genesis of the current
agitation.
On 29 July 2021, the Union
government issued a notification
introducing two new reservations
for undergraduate and postgrad-
uate medical and dental courses,
beginning from the current acad-
emic year 2021-22. Under the
notification, 10 per cent are
reserved for economically weaker
section (EWS) and 27 per cent for
the Other Backward Classes
(OBC) under All India Quota
(AIQ). The National Testing
Agency (NTA), Ministry of Educa-
tion, conducts the National Eligi-
bility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-
UG) that is the examination for
entry to all undergraduate (NEET-
UG) courses.
The National Board of Exam-
ination (NBE), Ministry of Health
and Welfare, conducts the NEET-
PG, that is the Post Graduate
examination for medical and
dental courses in the country. The
NEET-PG exam was supposed to
be held in January 2021. But it
was postponed to April 2021 and
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Imperfect Parliament
SIR, I refer to “Falling bastions” by
Devendra Saksena (The Statesman,
29 December). Parliament repre-
sents our nation and speaks for us.
It highlights our issues and con-
cerns and symbolises our aspira-
tions. It is also about meeting to
discuss the problems of the nation
and if need be to refer them to Par-
liamentary committees for in-
depth analysis to enact appropri-
ate legislation. Parliamentary com-
mittees are important in develop-
ing policy, to provide a mechanism
that enables matters of public
importance to be examined
responsibly. The nation faces many
issues that need to be discussed.
Even significant bills are passed
with practically no discussion in
record time and that indeed is an
inappropriate sign for our democ-
racy. Over the years, the number of
Vol. CXXXXXVI 1 (S)
A MEMBER
OF THE
ASIAN VOICES
A forgettable
year
A
s we have long been used to
doing, we welcomed the year
2021 with little hope about our
politics, economy or social life chang-
ing for the better. As we bid adieu to the
year, there is little we are going to miss
about it. We might miss the political
drama that kept us distracted amidst
the gloomy second wave of the pan-
demic, but we would rather that some-
thing positive happened to us other
than the coronavirus.
We started off on a low note, with
KP Sharma Oli dissolving Parliament at
the fag end of the previous year after a
failed attempt at keeping control of the
twin positions of party chair and prime
minister.
After the Supreme Court invalidat-
ed his “unconstitutional” move, he was
expected to act sensibly. But he contin-
ued to up the ante against the parlia-
mentary process, dissolving Parliament
for a second time in May.
The Supreme Court came to the
owing to the evolving Covid-19 It may be recalled that the All have taken a decision to imple- rescue once again, defenestrating Oli
situation, further postponed to India Quota (AIQ) scheme was ment these reservations from the and bringing in Sher Bahadur Deuba as
September 2021. The NEET-PG introduced in 1986 under the next academic year 2022-23. But prime minister. But it soon became
exam result came out the follow- Supreme Court's directions to no democratic government clear that the top court’s dealings were
ing month. The counseling was to provide for domicile-free merit- which must seek popular support fudgy too ~ at least in terms of the alle-
start from the end of October based opportunities to students can be seen dithering and prevar- gations of moral corruption levelled
itself. But the counselling to PG from any state aspiring to study icating on the highly emotive and against Cholendra Shumsher Rana. As
courses could not start as the in a good medical college in any inflammable issue of social jus- we welcome a new year, we continue
notification regarding reserva- of the states. The AIQ consists of tice, more so when elections are to be haunted by the worry that all is
tions for the OBCs and the EWS 15 per cent of the total available round the corner. not well with our judiciary, which is a
was challenged in the Supreme UG seats and 50 per cent of the The forgotten Mandal Com- pre-eminent institution tasked with
Court by some doctors aspiring total available PG seats in govern- mission recommendations were upholding democracy.
to earn a post-graduate degree. ment medical colleges. Notably, sought to be implemented by VP But then, nothing seems to have
The petitioners also challenged prior to 2007, there was no reser- Singh as a counter measure to been right in the year gone by. Like in
the reasonableness of the annual vation in the AIQ scheme. In save his government. The
income ceiling of Rs 8 lakh fixed 2007, the Supreme Court intro- Narasimha Rao Government had
by the government to determine duced 15 per cent reservation for introduced 10 per cent reserva-
EWS status. the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and a tion for the EWS apart from 27 the first wave of the coronavirus pan-
The matter was heard by the 7.5-per cent quota for the Sched- per cent reservations for the demic, the government seemed help-
Supreme Court on uled Tribes (STs) in OBCs which were challenged less and hopeless even as thousands of
25 November 2021. the AIQ scheme. before the Supreme Court in people died as hospitals ran out of oxy-
On being asked ab- When the Central 1992. The apex court in the gen and medical staff tended to
out the rationale of Educational Institu- famous Indra Sawhney vs Union patients in the corridors.
the income ceiling of tions (Reservation of India case upheld 27 per cent As we stare at a possible third
Rs 8 lakh, the lear- in Admission) Act quota for the OBCs but struck wave, the government seems to be as
ned Solicitor-Gener- came into force in down 10 per cent reservation for clueless as ever when it comes to
al, Tushar Mehta, 2007, it provided for the EWS. However, with the pas- preparing in advance, and the people
told the Supreme the first time 27 per sage of the 103rd Constitution as careless as ever when it comes to
Court that reserva- cent reservation to Amendment, the reservation for maintaining minimum safety precau-
tion being a matter the OBCs. It was the EWS has been constitutional- tions. Thankfully, 33 percent of the peo-
of social justice, it implemented by all ly guaranteed. ple have been inoculated as of today,
could not be post- DEVENDER SINGH central medical The resident doctors want which might be helpful to prevent
poned and sought ASWAL educational institu- NEET-PG-21 Counseling to start mass-scale deaths like before.
four weeks’ time for The writer is ex Additional
tions such as the without further loss of time, But a third wave, which will possi-
reviewing the crite- Secretary, Lok Sabha and a Safdarjung Hospi- which has been delayed uncon- bly be brought about by the Omicron
ria of Rs 8 lakh an- member of the Delhi Bar tal, the Lady Har- scionably and inordinately for variant, might be equally, if not more,
nual income for
Council. Views expressed
are personal dinge Medical Col- multiple reasons including the disastrous to the economy and social
EWS candidates. He lege, Aligarh Mus- outbreak of Covid-19, and the life. And yet, there is no indication that
also stated that the lim University and
review process would take about Banaras Hindu University. How-
decision to introduce reserva-
tions for the OBCs and the EWS.
we have learnt any lesson from our past
disasters.
four weeks, and that till this time ever, it was not extended to the The 2022-23 academic session is If the conventions of the country's
PG Counselling would be kept on AIQ seats of the state medical and only a few months away and political parties are any indication, little
hold. The government has consti- dental colleges. given the severe constraints of has changed in terms of making the top
tuted a three-member committee The 103rd Constitutional infrastructure and faculty, leaders accountable for their misad-
to revisit the EWS criteria with a Amendment in 2019, provided for approximately 90,000 PG stu- ventures. The CPN-UML convention
direction to submit a report with- 10 per cent reservation for the dents cannot be catered by a sys- ended up making Oli ever more pow-
in four weeks. The next hearing is EWS category in all central edu- tem meant for 45,000 students erful, the Nepali Congress convention
slated for 6 January 2022. cational institutions. The number per academic year. Besides great showed Sher Bahadur Deuba continues
However, as a fallout of of seats in medical and dental mental agony and affliction to the to rule the roost although a few young
clashes with police and registra- colleges was increased over the students, it will have a severe and leaders dented Deuba’s plans to exer-
tion of FIRs against some protest- next two years (2019-20 and debilitating effect on teaching cise total control over the party, and the
ing doctors, the resident doctors 2020-21) to accommodate this and patient-treatment. Maoist Centre showed little inclination
have called for total shutdown of additional 10 per cent EWS reser- To overcome the shortage of to revamp itself, although some ques-
medical services in Delhi hospi- vation so that the total number of teachers, the Medical Council of tions have been raised about Pushpa
tals. Terming it a ‘black day’ in the seats available for the unreserved India (now Medical Commission) Kamal Dahal’s continued hold over the
history of the medical fraternity, category was not reduced. increased the professor-teacher party for over three decades.
the Federation of Resident Doc- In the AIQ seats, however, ratio from 1:2 to 1:3 from the aca- If politics failed to exude any confi-
tors’ Association (FORDA) said these benefits were not extended. demic session 2018-19. The PG dence in the people about a better
there will be a complete shut- On a petition filed by the DMK professors are already overbur- future, so did the incidents of contin-
down of all healthcare institu- party, the Madras High Court dened and the simultaneous run- ued violence against socially margin-
tions. ruled in 2020 that OBCs were ning of two batches, under the alised communities. Dalits continue to
In a Press Release, FORDA entitled to reservations in the AIQ circumstances, is far from practi- be punished for marrying outside the
said, “we strongly condemn this seats and directed the Union cal. Further, deprivation of much caste, women continue to face violence
brutal act & demand immediate Government to implement the needed medical care to patients and discrimination, and the poor con-
release of all Resident Doctors. same from the academic year exacerbated by the looming tinue to struggle to put food on the
There will be complete Shutdown 2021. The Union Government, threat of Omicron, possible table. It is as if, like the mythical char-
of Healthcare Institutions...” They after careful consideration, took brain-drain and the financial loss acter of Sisyphus, we the people are
also urged all State RDAs to join a conscious policy decision and to the nation cannot be measured condemned to “ceaselessly rolling a
the agitation. FAIMA has shown decided to provide 27 per cent in monetary terms. Indian med- rock to the top of a mountain, whence
solidarity with them. reservation for OBCs and 10 per ical education is acclaimed the stone would fall back of its own
The resident doctors have cent reservation for EWS in the worldwide. Indian doctors and weight”.
been insisting that the Health AIQ seats for all undergraduate paramedical staff are widely At the end of the year, we are at the
Ministry give a written assurance and postgraduate medical/den- regarded for their professional- foot of the mountain again, and the
that counselling will be started by tal courses from the current aca- ism. The entire nation looks with only option we have is to start our
a specific date. As the matter is demic year, 2021-22. great hope and expectation to the upward move all over again ~ perhaps
sub-judice, the ministry is in a Given the enormous delay in apex court to resolve the matter with the hope that each of our journeys
dilemma. Moreover, the next holding NEET-PG-21 Coun- for we can ill-afford prolonged towards the top is a notch better than
hearing date is close. selling, the government could protests by our doctors. the previous one.
editor@thestatesman.com
hour and see bills passed unani-
mously without debate. Not sur-
prisingly, China belittles democrat-
public and national significance. If
our democracy, and we proudly
claim we are the largest democracy,
discussion, debate, and dissent. It
must meet more often.
Yours, etc., H N Ramakrishna,
days that parliament meets is ic systems of governance and justi- is to flourish, it must have criticism, Bengaluru, 29 December.
declining as well. According to fies its style of leadership, gover-
some, Parliament is not as produc- nance, and administration as good
tive as it should or for that matter for Asian societies. China has REACTIONS
could have been compared to other always maintained that democra- SIR, Sharing a few (18 year old’s) spontaneous responses to the poem
democracies. cy is a flawed trap for developing Urbanmaze
The way we are heading, Par- nations like India and others in # The poem sheds light on the consequences of the contentious
liament will involve no question Asia and is wholly a western developmental actions that have been initiated in recent decades.
import. Time was when parlia- # Under the veil of development, we have committed the biggest
mentarians like Rajaji, Piloo Mody frauds on environment. It has lead to zero respect for the fragile eco-
and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to name logical balance or for the communities which sustain nature and
some, would use quotes, meaning- which depend on nature, or their ways of life.
ful poetry, and witty political com- # In the rat race of becoming the most tech advanced people, we
ments to make the debates lively have forgotten the importance of a safe environment. People are
and informative with their exper- thinking of harnessing some other planet , but destroying that, is
tise and wisdom. They would also just a matter of time.
scrupulously attend every session #The poem speaks of an ecological marginalisation where the
and raise important questions on marginalised community is so ignorant that it doesn’t realise it’s own
bills for discussion and debate. The plight sometimes. However, some cry out for safety and rights.
ruling party with its absolute Development at the cost of environment would be to take a saw
majority does not seem keen to to the branch we are sitting upon.
have extended sessions or give suf- Yours, etc., Vinita Sinha. Kolkata, 30 December.
ficient time to discuss matters of
 NEW DELHI, 02 JANUARY 2022 07
Democracy on a ventilator?
NOW AND AGAIN

The camera
in our head
politics, power concentration and SWAPAN K BANERJEE
pandemics all come together to

ANDREW SHENG down to levels last found in 1990.”
The British Economist Intelli-
Economy, Trade and Industr y
(REITI) visiting fellow Yusuke Narita
Mr. Narita considered two possibili-
ties – “struggle with democracy” or
demand very painful system-wide
structural reforms. However, because
democratic elections depend on
money from vested interests, almost
all democratic governments have
postponed tough reforms to avoid
the Juncker curse of losing elections
when doing the right thing.
Small wonder that citizens
everywhere either choose someone
from outside the establishment, such
as the rise of populist leaders, or pre-
fer strongmen who offer different
alternatives to the status quo. Hoover
Institute right-wing historian Victor
Davis Hanson blames the Left-wing
Democrats who are “fearful not
because democracy doesn’t work, but
because it does despite their efforts
to warp it.” Views on political gover-
nance are today more polarized than
ever.
Centrists like former US Secre-
tary of Defense Leon Panetta put the
finger on the worst US national secu-
rity threat as “dysfunction in Wash-
ington. It’s the inability of both par-
ties – and the president – to be able to
deal with issues.” “In a democracy,
you can govern either by leadership
or by crisis.”
The word crisis comes from the
Greek word “krisis”, meaning deci-
sion-making. The crisis of democra-
cy, however you define it, is a crisis of
leadership in decision-making and
how different societies choose their
V
isiting a bookshop or a library
always offered a surprise to me. I
invariably came back home with
some books that sought me out rather
than my seeking them. A book tucked away
on the far shelf, or a sight not exactly with-
in visual range, can draw you to it taking you
unawares.
For instance, one particular evening,
quite by chance, you decide to take a dif-
ferent route back to your nest, and you get
to see the pulsating path of magical silvery
light cast by the just-risen full moon upon
the river Ganges.
On a couple of occasions, one in
Coochbehar, and the other in Dehradun,
while on the road, I distinctly felt someone
invisible taking my hand and guiding me
to a picture-postcard perfect setting.
On the Coochbehar main road in the
afternoon one day, I was wandering along.
Before long I came to a fork, where on the
left I found the ground had gently sloped
up an embankment. There was a flight of
rough-hewn steps leading to the top. It was
twilight time. I mounted the steps and was
immediately shut out from the rest of the
world.
A little distance ahead and several feet
down was a roughly round lake, its placid
water reflecting the blue of the cloudless
sky. Far away hugging the horizon, the
blood red disc of the sun was about to
drop, and issuing from somewhere
beyond, the sound of azaan hung sus-
pended in the air. I don’t remember how
long I stood there. But I still wonder how

D
emocracy, like beauty, is in
the eyes of the beholder.
When US President Biden
called the virtual Summit for
Democracy last month, he recognized
in his closing speech that “Democra-
cy is what makes it possible for hope
and history to rhyme”, but also that
democracy must deliver and be account-
able. This last view coincides with
China’s White Paper on China: Democ-
racy that Works – “there is nothing wrong
with democracy per se. Some coun-
tries have encountered setbacks and
crises in their quest for democracy only
because their approach is wrong.”
So who is right?
The American thinktank Free-
dom House’s Freedom in the World
2021 report “Democracy under
siege”, noted that since 2005, their
democracy score declined for 15
years in a row. Swedish V-Dem Insti-
tute’s Democracy Report 2021 “Auto-
cratization Turns Viral” noted that
autocracies are now home to 68 per
cent of world population and that
“the level of democracy enjoyed by
the average global citizen in 2020 is
POLITICAL DIARY | KALYANI SHANKAR
gence Unit (EIU), which published a
Democracy Index 2020, divides
countries into five categories: elec-
toral process and pluralism, the func-
tioning of government, political par-
ticipation, political culture, and civil
liberties. Based on these, countries
are divided into four types: full
democracy, flawed democracy,
hybrid regime and authoritarian
regime. In 2020, the EIU found that
75 out of 167 countries live in some
sort of democracy, of which only 8.4
per cent of the world live in full
democracy. Not surprisingly, the rich
countries of North America and
Western Europe are in the category
of full or flawed democracies, but
since 2016, the US has been classi-
fied under flawed democracy, with
France, Belgium, Italy, and Portugal
in the same category.
In essence, all three studies sug-
gest that democracy has been declin-
ing across Sub-Saharan Africa, Mid-
dle East, Latin America, with India
rated by V-Dem as an “electoral
autocracy”.
Japanese Research Institute of
recently examined “The Future of
Democracy: Superiority is waning
and headed for collapse.” He noted
that since the Arab Spring democrat-
ic movement in the Middle East fiz-
zled out after 2011, democracy has
suffered defeat after defeat. Using
the V-Dem Institute’s democracy
index, he correlated democracy with
mean GDP growth rate between
2001-2019 and found that democra-
cies have remained stagnant in
growth, whereas non-democracies
have achieved remarkable growth.
He concluded that “the lost two
decades of democracies” is a truly
global phenomenon.” Furthermore,
he also looked at the impact of Covid
and found that “in democratic coun-
tries, the number of deaths from
Covid-19 are higher, and the eco-
nomic downturn in 2020 compared
with 2019 was steeper in democra-
cies than in autocracies.” What he
feared was that “democracies are
malfunctioning in crises as well as in
normal times.”
What should be done to keep
democracy alive in the 21st century?
“flight from democracy”.
The struggle with electoral
democracy is aptly summed up by
former EU Commissioner Jean-
Claude Juncker in dealing with the
2007 European debt crisis: “We all
know what to do, but we don’t know
how to get re-elected once we have
done it.” In essence, politicians in
electoral democracies are deeply
aware of the need for painful struc-
tural reforms but are reluctant to bite
the bullet for fear of losing the next
general election.
The real threat to democracy in
any form therefore is the inability to
tackle truly tough structural prob-
lems that complex and globalized
societies face daily. As political econ-
omist Thomas Piketty and others
have repeatedly pointed out, even
though the gap between rich and
poor countries has narrowed, social
inequalities in terms of growing
income and wealth losses by the
middle class within almost all coun-
tries have worsened in the last two
decades. Corruption, climate warm-
ing, technological disruption, money
leaders to make these tough deci-
sions. Electoral promises are mean-
ingless if there are no deliverables in
an accountable manner.
Hong Kong’s recent elections are
therefore less about the democratic
form of governance, but more about
the substance of accountability
whether the new Administration
delivers on all the housing and struc-
tural imbalances that the city faces.
According to climate doomsters, we
only have two decades to deal with
climate change and getting to carbon
Net Zero, plus the pandemic, stagna-
tion, inflation and myriad social
injustices. Can electoral democracy
get all these done before we blow up
in either nuclear conflict, social col-
lapse or climate disasters?
That is the existential question
facing all democrats or otherwise.
Happy New Year!
The writer is a Distinguished Fellow, Asia
Global Institute, University of Hong Kong and
a former financial regulator.)
Special to ANN.
exactly at the instant when everything
beautiful coalesced together I was drawn
there.
In Dehradun, an interview with author
Nayantara Sahgal over, I was scouring the
city in the vikrams. While travelling along
Indira Nagar Colony, I got down for no par-
ticular reason. Walking with no destination
in mind I found a small pond on the way-
side. Skirting it went a trail which I fol-
lowed, and lo and behold: right in front,
there was a vast orchard on which stood
very tall and stately sal trees. The trees rose
up 40 meters and beyond.
Their huge oval-shaped leaves lay
strewn on the ground. It was early after-
noon, but it looked as if dusk had already
descended there. It was misty and shad-
owy. A palpable silence reigned. I had been
to Simlipal forest in Orissa and Jhargram,
but never seen such majestic sal trees
before. I loitered there alone for a while
feeling airborne, as if I was in a never-never
land.
When I chanced upon these places, I
had no camera with me. I was dissolved
into the scenes, and it never occurred to
me that I wish I had one. I still behold the
landscapes as if I viewed them only the
other day.
We had once visited Bilkeshwar
Mahadev Temple in Haridwar, located in
the valley of Bilva Parvat, where we found a
sadhu who quite detested the presence of

A time for Congress to take stock

camera-wielding tourists who apparently
invaded his privacy. When they went on a
clicking spree, he exclaimed: “Has not god
given you a camera within, which is far
superior to anything available outside?
Why can’t you all observe in silence? Why
do you have to take pictures with this

T
he Grand Old Congress party
turned 137 last Tuesday. Party
president Sonia Gandhi
unfurled the flag at the Con-
gress headquarters even as the party
bracing itself to face the challenges
ahead.
The Congress has resolved to
regain lost ground ahead of 2024 and
the upcoming Assembly polls. Sonia
Gandhi gave a spirited speech on the
occasion and said, “Let there be no
doubt over our steadfast resolve. We
never have, and we will never com-
promise on our fundamental beliefs
that are part of our glorious legacy.”
Ironically the party is still living on
its past glory.
Congress leaders claim that the
party will write a new chapter before-
the 2024 polls. It lost in both 2014
and 2019 and some state assembly
elections as well. It is also facing a
leadership crisis, factionalism, and
indiscipline.
Founded in 1885, Congress was
dominant in the years since Inde-
pendence and ruled for 54 years.
Congress leaders who became Prime
Minister included Jawaharlal Nehru,
Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi,
Rajiv Gandhi, P V Narasimha Rao and
Dr Manmohan Singh.
The Congress lost its supremacy
in the 1967 elections. Since then, it
has seen ups and downs. The party's
contribution cannot be forgotten
as it spearheaded the Independence
movement and won freedom in
1947.
It integrated Puducherry from
the French and Goa from the Por-
tuguese.
It also merged 565 small and
princely kingdoms to create an Indi-
an state. Nehru had vision and cre-
ated credible atomic energy and sci-
ence institutions. Indira Gandhi
brought the Green and White revolu-
tions.
She also won the Bangladesh
war and attempted the Pokhran
blasts. Rajiv Gandhi tried to modern-
ize India and take it to the 21st cen-
tury by enacting progressive laws.
Narasimha Rao gets the credit for
economic liberalisation, panchayat
raj law, recognizing Israel, his 'Look
East policy, and laying the founda-
tion for many other visionary pro-
jects.
In his ten-year rule, Manmohan
Singh signed the Indo-US nuclear
policy and kept the economy at 8.5
per cent GDP. It is not that they had
not committed blunders like the
Chinese war, entering the Golden
temple, Shah Bano case, Ayodhya,
etc.
Sonia Gandhi, too had con-
tributed to the party, as it was she
who kept the Congress united and
checked the erosion in 1998. She also
brought the party to power not once
but twice (2004 and 2009).
The same Sonia is unable to pre-
vent the slide since then or find a
solution to the present leadership
crisis.
Despite the slide, the Congress
returned to power in many big states
including Rajasthan, Punjab, Madhya
Pradesh and Maharashtra, in the last
round of elections.
Currently, the Congress is ruling
in Punjab, Rajasthan and Chhattis-
garh, while in two other states,
Maharashtra and Jharkhand, it is part
of the ruling coalition.
The party has less than 100 MPs
(87) in both the houses put together.
It has only 764 MLAs as com-
pared to the BJP's 1432 MLAs.
The Congress has been decimat-
ed in states where regional parties
have emerged.
In crucial states like Uttar
Pradesh, it has been reduced to sin-
gle digits and failed to open its
account in Andhra Pradesh, West
Bengal, and Delhi.
While Congress has shown no
eagerness to play the role of opposi-
tion, the multiple power centres of
the Gandhi family are only creating
more confusion than coherence.
The BJP, which had come a crop-
per in 2009 with just 18.80 per cent of
the national vote share, rose stupen-
dously in just five years. The party
won 31 per cent vote share and 282
seats in Parliament in 2014, and
about 37 per cent (303 seats) of the
votes in 2019.
Congress lost its narrative in
between. The time has come for Con-
gress to propagate its position on
critical political and economic issues,
growth and welfare.
The Congress is the only chal-
lenger to the BJP nationally. If it gets
above 25 per cent of the vote from
the present 20 per cent, national pol-
itics will alter.
There is a direct fight between
Congress and the BJP in 200-225
seats. In the rest, the Congress needs
solid regional allies.
Before 2024, 16 Indian states will
go for polls. There will be seven early
this year, including Uttar Pradesh. In
2023, we will have nine, including big
states like Madhya Pradesh and
Rajasthan. Barring Uttar Pradesh, the
Congress will be the BJP's main rival
in all these.
The Congress's decline is very
much of its own making. The Party's
high command culture has inhibited
the growth of state units.
With chief ministers and PCC
heads appointed (or dismissed) from
Delhi, talented leaders have no
incentive to cultivate grassroots sup-
port. Rootless leaders have been
appointed to crucial positions.
Even now all is not lost for Con-
gress if it can pull up its socks. Even
today, it has a chance to revive, as
almost every village has a Congress-
man.
It has to find a new narrative,
catchy slogans, and decisive leader-
ship to bring confidence in the vot-
ers. Or else it will disintegrate further.
machine and spoil the atmosphere?” His
words still linger like the sights I once had
been witness to.
100 YEARS AGO
CATHOLIC MALE ORPHANAGE
To The Editor Of The Statesman
SIR, - The boys of the Catholic Male
Orphanage and the girls of the Loreto Ental-
ly Orphanage who have no homes to go to
when their holidays come round, must
indeed be singularly favoured by Heaven.
Our Lord provides for them particularly dur-
ing the holy season of Xmas, when he
inspires the rich to give of their abundance
for the poor; and the human means our
Lord employs for this purpose is to be found
in the person of an old friend, Mr. John Con-
sidine of the High Court, who, year after
year, with great labour and patience collects
a sum of money to give the children of our
two orphanages warm clothes and a good
Xmas dinner. It is a good many years ago
since the "Grand Old Man" began "bate the
record," and judging by this year it looks as
if he is never going to stop. The Director of
the Catholic Male Orphanage and the Supe-
rioress of the Entally Orphanage tender Mr.
Considine their most grateful thanks.
J.B. LARKINS.

CROSSWORD A QUESTION FOR MR. GANDHI

NO 29136 To The Editor Of The Statesman
SIR, - In your Dak edition of December
27 is an interview of Mr. Gandhi by the Asso-
SOLUTION FOR ciated Press regarding the Viceroy's speech
26 DECEMBER ACROSS 16 Shelter close to outskirts 31 Highly strung nurse at work veteran (3,5) in Calcutta. Mr. Gandhi endeavours to make
of Rome (4) taking care of very old (7) 14 Disastrously buy hash,
1 First referring to money
18 Part of process of bringing ecstasy? Go off! (8) out that the boycott is directed against what
originally invested in
back favourites (4) DOWN 15 A sense inn somehow he is pleased to call the "Civil Service Cor-
seaside feature (7)
5 Fellow worker colonel
20 Mother with article, 1 Way to limit Conservative being foolish (9) poration," and that it is not intended as an
ignored for three miles
rigorous, about hotel in area of control (5) 17 Brought up title, one used affront to the British people. How then does
Treaty City (10) 2 One’s on a roll? (7) in Public Relations for
once (6)
23 View fish (5) 3 In India, give autograph insider? (8) he explain the recent efforts of the agitators
9 In end worst grounds for
24 It’s said you made for daughter’s badge (8) 19 Devour greens? Not quite, against tea planters in Assam? Not so far
betrayal (7)
10 Happy. ultimately
progress in football 4 Somewhere to shoot in go for change (7) from here one garden bazar has been
cheering, feel about Yule
tournament (5) mountains (5) 21 Business graduate visiting absolutely closed by his goondas and fowls,
26 One often walked on 5 Reasoning about first church, look, to see
essentially (7)
coaster (3) origin of society leads to musical instrument (7) eggs, etc., have been unobtainable in other
11 Building, haunt regularly
28 Recalling, say, a cart’s skilled organisation (9) 22 Happen to live three bazars for some weeks past; as villagers have
visited (3)
12 Think one receiving
measurement (7) 6 He’s cutting guitarist (6) months in US (6) been prevented from bringing supplies for
hospitality has succeeded
29 Study and note country 7 France, New York, in turn 25 Artist with academic Europeans to them. Whether Mr. Gandhi on
who famously won 24 (7) propping up global group element (5)
for time (5)
30 Locals’ name for country – no reason to smile (7) 27 Accepts interpretations his saintly plane is aware of it or not, the
13/14 No good time girl,
satchel lassie carries (6) 8 Potential deals, two, for (5) sheer fact is that, in these out of the way
Irish, rubs oil off (5,10)
places at least, his followers are directing
their boycott against everyone British.
NOTE: Figures in parentheses denote the number of letters in the words required. (By arrangement with The Independent, London)
K.H. WATTS.
Assam.
10 SUNDAY|JANUARY 2, 2022

A wish list for

World Braille Day | 4 January
Akhilesh Kumar, Assistant Professor,
Delhi University
■ “I am looking forward to 2022 with bated
breath because my translation work of
renowned Hindi littérateur Namwar
Singh’s Doosri Parampara Ki Khoj (In
Search of an Alternative Tradition) will be
published by Sahitya Akademi. It is my
humble tribute to Singh, and this transla-
tion aims to highlight the richness of Hin-
di literary criticism and bring it to the at-
tention of English readers. Doosari
Parampara Ki Khoj is also crucial from the
perspective of literary criticism in other
Indian languages. I am visually impaired,
and all through, I must thank Louis Braille
for helping many like me in acquiring
knowledge. I have been told by many to
study disability, but I would not like to lim-
it myself and explore other areas of my in-
terest, including literature.”
International Epilepsy Day | 14 February
Vinay Jani, Entrepreneur and epilepsy advocate
■ “I ended 2021 on a high by attempting my
second 1,000 km Brevet and completing it
in 75 hours to create awareness about
epilepsy and to motivate other people with
epilepsy to believe that 'there are no lim-
its'. I start the year on a high too. I’ll raise
50 million steps for the epilepsy campaign
with Samman Association, Mumbai chap-
ter of Indian Epilepsy Association. I’ve al-
ready signed up for the Ageas Federal Life
Insurance New Delhi Marathon on Febru-
ary 27, 2022, for epilepsy awareness. I wish
to make more people aware of epilepsy, a
less spoken neurological condition, train
myself better this time for Paris-Brest-
Paris 2023 and give equal time and atten-
tion to family, endurance sports and com-
munity service.”
Earth Hour | 26 March
Shraman Jha, Director- Fund Raising, Marketing
Ours is an and Communications, WWF India
agrarian ■ “For nearly 15 years, Earth Hour has
economy. I been a simple way for the wider popula-
hope we don’t tion to show their care for nature — and
the critical need to protect it. For 2022, the
forget it in emphasis shifts to a more proactive, partic-
2022. Our ipative stance with the theme 'Shape our
farmers feed Future'. The spectrum is wide and all-en-
the nation. I compassing, from small individual steps
towards living sustainably to urging com-
wish that we panies and governments to help build a na-
always ture-positive and carbon-neutral future.
remember it... This year, at WWF India, we aim to build
partnerships to take the messages well be-
Farmers like yond the metro cities and engage with a
me wish the far wider range of society across the coun-
government to try and their mother tongues and styles of
respond to our action.”
aspirations at National Pet Day | 11 April
par with the Sarvmeet Oberoi, Founder, Petfelix Dog Boarding
urban lot. The ■ “The last two years have seen a signifi-
mainstream cant surge in pet adoption, and with that,
we have also seen a lot of first-time board-
commentators ers at Petfelix Dog Boarding. Some of
should these dogs have increased separation anxi-
understand the ety because they have been with the family.
gravity of food I hope this year brings more normalcy to
all our lives so that the dogs are more set-
security in its tled and happy at home or boarding. We
true essence. will continue to strive to get even better in
— Pradeep the coming year so that the boarders can
Gawande, stay safe and the parents stress-free. We
Farmer will encourage pet parents to do free tri-
al/acclimatisation sessions at the facility.
The acclimatisation and gradual build-up
In 2022, a visually-impaired academic waits to hold his book in hand, while a mother-in-
waiting is looking forward to bringing home her adopted child. A person with epilepsy will
run to create awareness for the less spoken neurological condition, while a Bicycle Mayor
will pedal for green mobility. This year’s emphasis would be a more proactive, participative
stance to Shape our Future, be it for the Earth Hour or green buildings that can be
sustainable and affordable. What we left behind are memories. What we are taking
forward are moments. Shilpi talks to 12 individuals who are looking forward to this year,
their wishes, and everything in between worth celebrating.
to boarding have always been important
but more relevant in the present context.”
Mother's Day | 8 May
Jaspreet Chandhok, Partner, Ethereal Designs
■ “I am a mother-in-waiting because I
chose the adoption route to embrace moth-
erhood. We registered ourselves in the
Central Adoption Resource Authority
(CARA) in August 2020. Our seniority on
the waiting list of prospective adoptive
parents in Delhi was 1421 in September
2020; currently, we are 1014th, which could
mean another 18 to 20 months. My mother-
hood journey is tangled in delay at the
CARA's end. A group of 350 prospective
adoptive parents (PAPs) like me have
formed ‘Adoption Action Group’ to bring
about awareness and request the Ministry
of Women and Child to streamline, im-
prove and make the adoption process
faster. In 2022, we hope to see CARA take
swift action on the delays and the uncer-
tainty of referrals, lack of information
and transparency, lack of clarity on the
new processes or plans adopted during the
pandemic. A proactive approach by CARA
will give PAPs a child and reduce the risk
of illegal adoptions and child trafficking
for COVID orphaned children.”
World Bicycle Day | 3 June
Arshel Akhter, Bicycle Mayor of Guwahati
■ “Apart from being the Bicycle Mayor of
Guwahati, I am also a sustainable and ac-
tive mobility advocate. Our organisations,
Pedal for a Change and Green & Active
Mobility Forum, have plans to keep cy-
clists engaged through various rides,
races, campaigns and activities in 2022.
The state cycling team’s recent perform-
ance makes me hopeful that they will do
better in 2022 and win more medals at the
national level in both road and mountain
biking disciplines. I am sure more tourists
will opt for cycles to explore the state as
this mode is becoming popular, and local
service providers are coming out with
great plans. I wish the government takes
some interest and invests in facilities to
make bicycle commuting safer and aspira-
tional in our city.”
World Chocolate Day | 7 July
L Nitin Chordia, Chief Product Officer, Kocoatrait
■ “As an industry contributor, we at Kocoa-
trait hope that consumers will better un-
derstand the differences between small-
batch produced bean to bar and mass-pro-
duced chocolates. As a chocolate brand, we
expect to become more sustainable and in-
crease our contribution to the circular
economy. We wish to play an instrumental
role in facilitating, motivating and ensur-
ing that Indian bean bar makers submit
their chocolates to the International
Chocolate Awards and win international
accolades and awards.”
National Sports Day | 29 August
Faisil Ali Dar, Chairman, Ali’s Sports Academy
■ “I believe in long-term athletic develop-
ment. As an international martial artist
and chairman of Ali’s Sports Academy,
this phrase highlights the importance of a
gradual and meticulous journey for physi-
cal growth and performance gains in
speed, strength, and power with youth ath-
letes. As a sports coach, I wish to see more
institutional support in initiating young
children in sports and keeping their inter-
est and involvement intact until high
school or college, which is ample time to
be caring for a human. In 2022, I wish to
see my career as a sports coach become
more rewarding because that’s synony-
mous with joy for me — guiding, teaching,
and inspiring children. I wish to have
more exuberant practice sessions and see
my students with beaming smiles. I want
to see my young athletes blossom into fine
sportsperson and see others taking up
sports coaching. More coaches will make
more success stories.”
International Day of Sign Languages |
23 September
Avinash Dugar, Founder, La Gravitea Cafe
■ “Having worked with the deaf and or-
phan community for the last six years, I
wish, in the year 2022, schools worldwide
erect a sign language wall at their campus-
es. We have created two such walls in two
schools in Jamshedpur. The schools should
also consider including a topic on social in-
clusion for deaf children so that hearing
children can learn, communicate with
deaf people and create job opportunities
for PWDs when they grow up. It is the only
way for making social inclusion a reality. I
wish that people stop patronising their
deaf children with special privileges (free-
bies, pension, charity) and instead focus
on giving them skills of different nature. It
will increase their employability in the
longer run. It is the only way to empower
them in the true sense, as we do at our cafe
La Gravitea.”
World Architecture Day | 3 October
Akash Deep, Senior Programme Manager, GRIHA
Council
■ “Our heritage construction has en-
dorsed and implemented sustainable lo-
cal solutions since the beginning. Howev-
er, the built environment has seen a sig-
nificant shift by rampant copying West-
ern solutions without incorporating our
local ancestral knowledge. The current
climate crisis has pushed everyone to
relook at sustainable local solutions. The
last decade has seen a significant shift in
policies for adopting green building prac-
tices in the built environment. However,
the adoption and implementation of such
policies is still a challenge. It presents an
opportunity for all the stakeholders in
the built environment by incorporating
Indian ethos and local solutions to
achieve sustainability in the built envi-
ronment. We need to implement low-cost
workable local, sustainable solutions at
the individual level and make this a mass
movement. Sustainable is affordable, and
affordable can be sustainable, and at GRI-
HA, our efforts will be aligned in this di-
rection in 2022.”
World Kindness Day | 13 November
Debojyoti Nath, The Busking Man & Founder,
Musart Brigade
■ “As a singer-songwriter, busker, music
and arts educator, and storyteller, I want to
throw myself into the unknown and the
uncharted. I want to grow as a person first,
and in turn, it will help me grow as a
teacher and musician. One of my biggest
wishes for 2022 is to be on-ground physical-
ly with students and children. I want to
conduct musical and creative workshops
all across India as a teacher with my initia-
tive Musart Brigade. I want to do my bit to
change and improve the educational sys-
tem regarding how and what children are
taught. As a musician, I want to explore
new sounds and styles of music and write
music differently from what I usually do.
And last but not least, explore and trek
new mountains and explore unbridled
joys.”
Kisan Diwas | 23 December
Pradeep Gawande, Farmer
■ “Ours is an agrarian economy. I hope we
don’t forget it in 2022. Our farmers feed
the nation. I wish that we always remem-
ber it. To show our gratefulness, the gov-
ernment in power should ensure that
farmers don’t have to stage a protest
march, lose their lives and face the conse-
quences for their rightful demands ever
again. The farmers should be incentivised
for their untiring efforts. The farmers
should be compensated for their losses.
Their challenges should be addressed.
Farmers like me wish the government to
respond to our aspirations at par with the
urban lot. The mainstream commentators
should understand the gravity of food se-
curity in its true essence.”

T YOUR
swipe
he pandemic has changed the way we them. Says Arpita D’Souza, a makeup artist
do almost everything — vacationing, from Goa, “I’m still young and not really According to trend
working, partying and even dating. sure what kind of partner I’m looking for.
predictions by Bumble,

Most of us who have used dating apps know
that there was a significant rise in swipes
when Covid struck. And with newer conta-
gions being discovered every other day, con-
cepts like ghosting, benching and festive
favourites, snow-globing (that time of year
where people are enchanted by the season of
love) or cuffing (where people commit to a
relationship from Thanksgiving to Valen-
tine’s Day), have made daters realise that
they’re happier single (a trend called con-
scious uncoupling) than being with some-
one just to tide over the holidays or difficult
times. Naturally, people have become far
more discerning, and when it comes to
dating or finding a match through a dating
app, singles put a lot of thought into
their swipes.
For Tanisha Mehra*, swiping right was
only if she saw potential in the person. “I’ve
used dating apps on and off. I met my now
ex-fiancé on Tinder. But around the same
time, I swiped right on another guy, who
over the past three years became a close
friend. I remember him saying that he would
one day marry me. Funny thing is, we’re
currently discussing taking that step.”
While Mehra was one of the few people to
have found a potential love interest after
heartache, there are those who use dating
apps for a particular purpose. “I remember
matching with who I thought was one of the
most incredible women I’d ever met in my
life,” says 35-year-old Sushmit Patel*, a sys-
tems analyst with a Pune-based IT firm.
“She was just out of a bad relationship
YEAR IN
From courtships to casual hookups, dating has donned different
avatars over the years. So, in 2022 what do singles across the
country have in store for their love lives? Charlene Flanagan
unravels dating trends to expect in the new year
and was on the app to get back into the dat- when it comes to dating? Samarpita Samad-
ing game. While my intention was some- dar, India Communications Director, Bumble,
thing serious because I was looking to settle said, “If the last two years have taught us
down, I wasn’t surprised when sparks flew anything, it’s that people are being more
immediately for me. But she wasn’t in a mindful of what they are looking for in a
place to fall for anyone, so we focused on be- partner, and more intentional about dating at
coming great friends. I’m so glad I didn’t their own time and pace. With over 70 per
give up on her because five years cent of single Indians looking to ‘reset’ their
later, I’m shop- dating lives, 2022 looks likely to be a big
ping for en- year for romance.”
gagement
rings.” Uncharted territory
So, what If 2020 and 2021 are any indications,
does the new some singles are uncertain of what
year have in they’re looking for in a partner. In
store fact, according to trend predic-
tions by the women-first dating
app, 48 per cent of users aren’t
aware of what their type is. This
uncertainty will most likely
lead to a trend called Explori-
dating as a way to
test the waters
and see what
works for
I’m on a few dating apps just to have fun and
explore my options.”
Three’s not a crowd
While the pandemic gave rise to the number
of times people swiped left or right, it also
increased the number of couples filing for
divorce. It’s not surprising that the concept
of an open relationship will gain popularity
in the new year. According to Gleeden, an ex-
tramarital dating app, 55 per cent of users
believe that monogamy is a social construct
and over 47 per cent of them are open to the
idea of an open relationship, grated they
have their partners’ consent. “My husband
and I have been discussing the possibility of
mixing things up. While I’m not entirely on
board with the open relationship, I am will-
ing to experiment in bed and maybe try a
threesome,” says Sharmishta Mukherjee*, a
Kolkata-based banker.
Privacy is paramount
For some, taking to social media to an-
nounce relationship milestones may not be
on top of their priority lists, and there’s a
rising trend that shows people looking to
date, or are in serious relationships prefer
to keep their private and family lives, pri-
vate. “I’m a super private person. Even my
extended family is unaware of the happen-
ings in my life. What I do in my time with
my partner is nobody’s business and I
can’t wrap my mind around those Insta-cou-
ples and their #relationshipgoals,” says
Larry Rodrigues, a marketing manager
from Mumbai.
48 per cent of users aren’t
aware of what their type is.
This uncertainty will most
likely lead to a trend called
Explori-dating as a way to
test the waters and see what
works for them.
The right match
Whether it’s varied hobbies or shared fitness
goals, 2022 is likely to see a rise in hobby
dates. According to Bumble’s trend report,
52 per cent of users on Bumble in India are
planning their dates around their new hob-
bies, seeing as it’s likely that most of them
would like to put their newly-acquired skills
to the test.
But if that’s not all, being healthy is vital,
and according to the October 2021 survey by
dating app, Plenty of Fish 30 per cent of
singles consider being vaccinated a
desirable trait.
Ultimately, whether singles are dating to
find their happy ever after, or are holding
out for their perfect fit, 2022 will see people
choosing to pursue relationships that align
with what they want from a partner, life, and
everything in between.
*Some names changed on request
 It’s a new art form,
showing people
how little we care. Lorde

06 TIRUPATI, SUNDAY 02 01 2022

� � THE NEW SUNDAY EXPRESS

HOPE 2022: INDIA’S HOW TO EAT YOUR CAKE AND HAVE IT TOO
RISE IN $100 TN POINT OF VIEW
and its politics. The current BJP rule is
British Empire 2.” He went on to em-
The strategically important road in
this area was known as Jawaharlal Ne-

GLOBAL GDP T J S GEORGE

Nehru upheld Indian values and was

phasise: “The grand climax: The cut-
ting down of trees, the destruction of
major archives and museums, the
hru Marg. Overnight, it changed into
Narendra Modi Marg. Local leaders ex-
plained that the name change was in

I N
OW that 2022 is two days old, never seen merely as a Congress party crushing of living memories in the appreciation of the free vaccines and
T is not all gloom and doom up ahead. There is good news how are things fanning out? apparatchik. Modi will never come heart of Lutyens’ Delhi.” rations made available during Covid
amidst headlines about the world wrestling with the humon- Too early to say, perhaps. But anywhere near him although he made it He didn’t say that the description days. May be. But it also had a direct
gous footprint of the Omicron wave as travellers are ground- the usual tendency to decry the “Lutyens’ Delhi” had hurt Modi who bearing on Modi’s ambition to be recog-
ed, flights are cancelled, work from home is extended and old and welcome the new is not clear on more than one occasion that he would rather have the world see the In- nised as the premier symbol of Indian
cities are under curfew. The world economy is expected to be as strong as in previous New considered himself — and wanted to be dian Capital as “Modi’s Delhi.” But he democracy. It is no secret that Modi
at a better place, on a higher ledge at the end of 2022. Year seasons. The sense of bad considered by others — in the class of Nehru saw things in perspective when he said: never liked Nehru being admired
In its 2022 report, the Centre for Economic and Business days is persisting. Optimism is being “The Central Vista project is a massive by all.
Research informs that better than expected economic growth diluted by continuing setbacks. There signal to the population of Delhi, India Of course, he will never ever replace
(at 4.2 per cent) will propel world GDP to over $100 trillion, have been 3.48 crore Corona cases dur- reckless, impetuous and unconcerned and the world that there is a new con- Nehru in the annals of history. Nehru
higher than it was pre-pandemic and ahead of the previous ing the year with 4.8 lakh deaths. And about consequences.” Patel’s recent queror in the Capital and that this con- upheld Indian values and was never
deadline of 2024. The feel good factor for India is that it will there are no signs of things easing up. book ‘Price of the Modi Years’ stressed queror has infinite time, money and seen merely as a Congress party appa-
overtake France in 2022 to occupy the position of the sixth larg- One reason for this is the overwhelm- the point that “Modi has no vision for power in its hands. The destruction of ratchik. Modi will never come any-
est economy in the world. ing importance of politics in the lives Indian society other than to reject Lutyens’ Delhi and of the historical Ra- where near him although he made it
The contrast, the despair triggered by the new wave and the of people. In developed countries, this inclusion.” jpath is just collateral damage in the clear on more than one occasion that he
hope about the economy, is riveting – even though not entirely does not happen because things other Academicians make the same point signalling exercise. The reconquest of considered himself — and wanted to be
inexplicable. Public sentiments are influenced by the view in than politics, such as sports and arts, in a more authoritative voice. Arjun India by its current Hindutva rulers is considered by others — in the class of
the rear view mirror, largely the play dominant roles in everyday lives. Appadurai, anthropologist and major part of a battle of ideas. It must be Nehru. He did not approve of Nehru,
experiential. Economic forecasts In countries like India, everything de- voice in the cultural dynamics of glo- fought and won in that battlefield.” and he resented the fact that the people
are forward looking and estimate pends on politicians and their inten- balisation, described Modi’s rule as a Modi, shrewd as always, put it in a of India held Nehru and his values in
the response of what Adam Smith tions. And more often than not, their continuation of the British concept of nationalistic framework. “Due to colo- high esteem. He did not want to be seen
called ‘invisible hands’, and more self-interests become the fulcrum on ruling India. “Many of his policies nial mentality,” he said, “obstacles are as lesser than such a hero.
contextually resilience, to crisis which other things revolve. draw from imperial rule and treat dis- put in the development of our own But of course, you can’t have your
and change. Of course, much de- That this is the central reality of sidents as a threat, just as the British country, sometimes in the name of free- cake and eat it too. We are all human
pends on how the world navigates Narendra Modi, and his handling of did. This is the behaviour of conquer- dom of expression.” Yes, people ex- and we love our cakes. So we eat them
THE THIRD EYE the pandemic — and the next Black
Swan event.
power was underlined recently by
someone who has been a Modi-watcher
ors, and not of democratically elected
leaders. And that is how the leadership
pressing their views with freedom is a
problem. Modi’s determination to re-
and end up as having no cake. But we
enjoyed eating them, didn’t we? So what
SHANKKAR AIYAR The details of the CEBR report from close quarters. Aakar Patel, the of the BJP sees itself.” He put it bluntly move obstacles in his way has sent a is there to complain? Modi won’t com-
Author of The Gated Republic, Aadhaar:
merit granular attention. The GDP columnist who knows Modi well, didn’t when he said: “I see the Modi regime as message to all. The message instantly plain. He knows how to have his cake
A Biometric History of India’s 12 Digit
Revolution, and Accidental India of the United States at over $22 tril- mince words when he said: “Modi is direct descendants of the British Raj reached officials in Gangtok, Sikkim. and eat it too.
shankkar.aiyar@gmail.com lion is larger than the combined
GDP of over 150 countries. Just
four countries — US, China, Japan

MODI MOVES MOUNTAINS AND MOLEHILLS

and Germany — account for over half of world GDP. That said,
the centre of economic gravity is visibly shifting to Asia with
China, Japan, India and Korea adding up to over $26 trillion in

TO MASTER MACHINATIONS
2021. The report forecasts that while China will overtake the
US to top the table in 2030, India will overtake Germany by 2031
to be the third largest economy of the world with a GDP of
over $6.8 trillion.
In a sense, this could be interpreted as a reversion to a his-
toric mean. In his seminal research on who was where in the Modi is betting on a multi-cornered and is known as a tough taskmaster. numerous taxpayers were struggling on
global economy, British economist Angus Maddison has esti- contest to prevent SAD, Congress and The PM’s view is that while Uttar the portal to file their documents and
mated that incomes in west Europe in 1000 were below that in AAP from winning a majority. Pradesh has a strong chief minister in took to social media to air their woes.
India and China. In the 1700s, India and China commanded Both Amarinder and Dhindsa aren’t Yogi Adityanath, it also requires an The sarkar officially denied any glitch-
major shares in global trade. This was before the wealth and asking for much; the BJP could offer equally powerful and effective archon es. However, in an informal briefing,
resources of India (and that of China) was plundered by the them a total of 60 tickets and contest the to shake the local bureaucracy from its Infosys got the blame.
colonial powers post the 18th century. By 1950, both India and remaining 57 primarily in the cities. It slumber. Modi is impressed with Mishra It was case of IT versus I-T — two
China were penurious and disadvantaged in the global econo- would be happy to let SAD-S and PLC who accelerated the implementation of years ago the global tech giant was
my. The return of China and India to the top rankings, even POWER & POLITICS tackle SAD as the BJP takes on the Con- his favourite schemes like Pradhan awarded `4,200 crore to provide a new
if three centuries later, also signals a tectonic shift gress on all seats. BJP leaders whisper Mantri Awas Yojana. I-T portal to reduce the processing pe-
PRABHU CHAWLA
in geopolitics. prabhuchawla@newindianexpress.com
that their party expects to win more Moreover, Mishra is conversant with riod from 63 days to just a day. It was
It is true that the rise and re-ranking of China and India Follow him on Twitter @PrabhuChawla seats than its two partners and form the the complicated and caste-ridden state meant to be taxpayer friendly, simple in
was and is powered by demography. Equally it is useful to note government by corralling rebels from bureaucracy and style of working. Sur- design with quick refunds. But there is
that demography by itself does not necessarily deliver the de- other parties after Amarinder and prisingly, he is plunging into murky wa- little progress despite repeated scolding
sired destiny — around 42 per cent of India’s workforce is de- MODI’S PUNJAB GAMBIT COULD Dhindsa transfer rebel Akali and Con- ters just before the implementation of from the Finance Ministry. But power-
ployed in agriculture and must subsist on a sixth of national SPRING SURPRISES gress votes in urban areas. the poll code of conduct, which would fully connected admirers and promot-
income. To appreciate, consider the march of demography. In- However, the CM face is a tricky turn. cripple his authority. But he has been ers of the now foreign-owned Indian
dia is expected to overtake China in population by around 2026. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is adept The BJP is in no mood to concede the given an unprecedented one-year mis- megacorp are discrediting the I-T de-
When it does so, India will have more people than China in in converting adversity into opportu- top post to its partners. Unfortunately, sion as chief secretary and would now partment. They say, it is piqued over the
about one-third the geographical area and its GDP at around nity. The BJP is a political weakling in it lacks a local leader with the requisite retire only in December 2022. The BJP prospect of losing its arbitrary powers,
$4.6 trillion will be roughly a sixth of China’s GDP Punjab, which goes to polls next month. support either in the state unit or from hopes to return to power and expects its and has been arm-twisting Infosys to
at $24 trillion. It has rarely ever crossed the double- the people. During the past three dec- super babu in Lucknow to play a signifi- change the specifications and alter the
India’s biggest challenge is to shift its workforce to produc- digits in the 117-member House or con- ades, its central leadership didn’t let lo- cant role in the deployment of senior scope of its original mandate.
tive domains. Reconfiguring growth calls for sequencing and tested over 25 seats. It has just two cal bigwigs like Navjot Sindhu rise, bureaucrats afterwards. There is specu-
MLAs in the outgoing Assembly. But lation in the state capital that Mishra
THE JUNIORS GET A SAY
speed in reforms. The rise of China illustrates this. In 1990, yielding to pressure from the Badal
China’s GDP was $360 billion and India was at $320 billion. Chi- such dismal data Parivar. If the BJP’s strike rate turns has been sent with a long-term agenda Modi is known to be a whiz at getting
na modernised agriculture followed by rapid opening up of its doesn’t deter Modi out to be better than that of its allies, to overhaul the administration for en- his wishes, directions and decisions im-
economy in the Deng Xiaoping era. and Amit Shah Punjab may deliver a miracle mandate. suring better performance with ac- plemented without delay. For the past
India was slow off the block. The much praised ‘1991 liber- from trying to cre- Modi hai to mumkin hai is on test countability. The outcome of 2022 will few months, he has been pushing for en-
alisation’ came in the wake of a crisis, and reforms have been ate an election in Punjab. reveal whether the paratrooper panjan- hanced involvement of Ministers of
in fits and starts. Economic growth demands the leveraging of stunner. If all goes drum is part of Modi’s Mission 2024 State in the decision-making process
according to plan,
LUCKY IN LUCKNOW WITH or not. and using them to implement govern-
the factors of productivity — land, labour, capital and now tech-
NEW BABU?
nology. Attempts to liberate productivity have been shackled the BJP would be ment agenda to speed up the completion
for the first time Modi is the master of surprises in se-
IT VERSUS I-T IN TECH TROUBLES of various infrastructure projects and
by parochial partisan politics at the Centre and the states. Lev-
erage of technology is constrained by inadequacies in the regu- c ont estin g the lecting babus for sensitive posts. In the The golden rule of other policy changes. Currently, Minis-
latory landscape. In 2021, China’s GDP stands at $ 16.8 trillion largest number of past seven years, he has junked conven- Corporate India is ters of State feel left out even with an
while that of India is $2.95 trillion. seats after the rul- tion and archaic government rules that it must get office, car, a nine-member personal
Change need not await another crisis. India is poised at the ing Congress. It while drafting civil servants to face new the credit for suc- s t a f f a n d a T y p e V I I L u t ye n s
cusp of a global rethink and pivot given the faultlines had always hung responsibilities and challenges. His cess while govern- bungalow.
emerging in China. As the world pivots to prop supply chain on the coattails of message: show me the face, and I’ll ment agencies get As a practice, MoSs are never invited
resilience, India can be the producer and the consumer which the Shiromani frame the rules to accommodate the ap- the blame for fail- to Cabinet meetings and hardly get a
global economies are looking for. It can showcase its Akali Dal (SAD) paratchik. Reem- ures. F riday chance to meet the PM unless they are
visible techno prowess (and the emergence of unicorns) to posi- under its patri- ployment and ex- evening was the specially called. Modi has decided to
tion itself as the investment destination for the much vaunted arch Prakash tension of services last date for filing hold regular meetings of his 78-mem-
‘fourth industrial revolution’. Clearly, capitalising on the Singh Badal. of retiring babus I-T returns after ber Cabinet to which all the 45 MoSs
opportunity demands a quantum change in legislation Now, for the first is not the excep- the deadline was will be invited. In one of the initial
and regulation. time, the saffron tion but the rule. extended twice due to technical and meetings, he advised the Cabinet Min-
It has been frequently argued that India’s demographic divi- outfit will be lead- Durga Shanker Covid-related reasons. Around seven isters to give more authority to their
dend is detained and hurt by a democracy discount. The bane ing an alliance of its own. Partners are Mishra, an IAS crore taxpayers were yet to submit their juniors. But it was brought to Modi’s
is not democracy per se but the practitioners of politics. The Amarinder Singh who junked the of ficer of 1984 details. However, according to the I-T notice that a few senior, seasoned man-
fact is the dynamics of politics allow India’s parties to oppose Congress to launch his own Punjab Lok batch of UP cadre, department, only about 5.78 crore ITRs tris have not taken his advice seriously;
while in opposition that which they propose in power. India’s Congress (PLC). Prominent Akali lead- was about to re- for AY 2021-22 were filed till Friday in fact, some of them even ask their jun-
political class is invested in rent-politics and has forged a strong er Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa quit SAD tire as Secretary, evening — much less than the 5.95 crore iors to prepare the answers to Parlia-
consensus for weak reforms. to float Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt)- Housing and Urban Development on ITRs last year and less than 6.78 crore ment questions but not open their
Aspirational Indians await the dismantling of status SAD(S). Both would be contesting un- December 31. According to North Block ITRs in 2019-20. Why the nosedive? Nei- mouths in the House. Now, the juniors
quoism – for India to live up to the promise of its potential. The der the saffron standard. The BJP has scuttlebutt, he was expecting an eleva- ther the government nor the agencies are looking for an appropriate opportu-
post pandemic landscape of the economy calls for a reset in always thrived and survived through tion at the Centre. But Modi had other responsible for the high-tech filing sys- nity to brief the Prime Minister on
how the political class practise politics. mergers, defections and acquisitions. plans. Mishra enjoys a clean reputation tem are schtum. Even on the last day, their forced redundancy.

We must remind Beijing to not misjudge the
Jinnah and birth of Pakistan
situation and to prevent the internal expansion of
This is with reference to the editorial — History can
‘military adventurism’. ... Military is definitely not not be erased by renaming public monuments. The
an option for solving cross-strait disagreements. concluding sentence ‘‘If BJP leaders aren’t con-
Conflicts would impact economic stability... vinced, they can take a lesson on Jinnah from vet-
Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan president
eran leader L K Advani” explains everything. Jinnah
had no relation to Islam except through his name.
Once when some students in London suggested him
And since mothers bestow life, and women ‘keep’ the world, let us all make a separate country for Muslims, he said it was an
impossible dream. The British had decided to di-
greater efforts to promote mothers and to protect women. How much violence vide India and they told Jinnah to ask for a sepa-
is directed against women! Enough! To hurt a woman is to insult God... rate state. Whatever one attributes to Jinnah, he
Pope Francis, head of the Roman Catholic Church was secular and never a fanatic. No more Hindus or
Muslims hereafter, only Pakistanis and Indians, he
declared on assuming charge as president.
He (security chief) didn’t give me more than two minutes. My instructions wertr M Haneef, Kottayam
to prepare for departure for Khost. He told me Khost had fallen. I didn’t know
Unhealthy CM-Guv rivalry
where we will go. Only when we took off, it became clear that we were leaving
Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan got an opportunity to
Ashraf Ghani, former Afghanistan president take revenge against Governor Arif Mohd Khan us-
ing the Vice Chancellor of Kerala University to veto
the proposal of conferring Honorary D’Litt to Presi-
dent Ram Nath Kovind. (‘Pinarayi nixed Guv’s pro-
posal to give D Litt to Kovind’). The CM and the
Governor are at loggerheads on the reappointment
of Kannur University vice-chancellor Gopinath Rav-
indran is something well-known. The Governor is
not at all happy with the Kerala Government by
openly saying that there are so many things which
he does not wish to make public.
V Venkitasubramanian, Coimbatore
IMD’s shocking admission
It was really shocking to note the India Meteoro-
logical Department’s reason — lack of availability
of data — for its failure in predicting rains which
has battered some districts of Tamil Nadu, includ-
ing Chennai, since Thursday evening. The govern-
ments and the general public count on the IMD’s
forecast for taking precautionary measures in the
event of incessant rainfall or cyclone or floods. To
say that it does not have the necessary infrastruc-
ture to perform its duty is the poor consolation for
the people in particular.
S Ramakrishnasayee, Chennai
No politics over Lord Ram
It was quite amusing to read the news clip ‘Who
forced Ram Lalla to stay in tent, asks Shah’ (Jan 1).
Lord Ram as infant may have lived in a palace, but
he grew up like ordinary mortal at an ashram in for-
est. And as an adult, he turned out to be maryadha
purshottam and followed father’s order and lived
in a hut. It is we the so-called followers placed his
idol inside an abode to exploit his name and make
money and, in the process, forgot to follow his ide-
als. I think Home Minister Amit Shah should take
time off to understand the essence of Ramayana
and stop using God’s name for votes.
N Nagarajan, Secunderabad
Stop international flights
As Omicron is surging in India, it is better that the
government stops all international flights for a
fortnight as a precautionary measure to prevent its
spread. India has faced enough damage in the first
and second waves. If we allow international flights,
it is likely to worsen the situation. When the gov-
ernment has closed parliamentary sessions before
the scheduled date, then why it cannot stop all in-
ternational flights and elections immediately?
T Kailash Ditya, Hyderabad
Keep govt out of temples
Karnataka’s decision to free temples from govern-
ment control has to be welcomed in principle. Since
India is a secular country, the government should
not be controlling the places of worship of only one
religion or for that matter any religion. Such con-
trol could have been justified before the word
‘secular’ was added to the Preamble of the Consti-
tution in 1976. The government is an anonymous
entity and decisions are taken by individuals who
may have little or no respect for the Hindi faith.
Those who are opposing the unshackling of the
temples raise the point that the funds could be
misused. There is more likelihood of the funds be-
ing misused if the government controls them.
KR Jayaprakash Rao, Mysuru

THE NEW SUNDAY EXPRESS

Chairman of the Board: Manoj Kumar Sonthalia Editor: G S Vasu
Resident Editor (Andhra Pradesh): T Kalyan Chakravarthy* Published by R K Jhunjhunwala on behalf of Express Publications (Madurai) Private Limited, at 4th Floor, No. V, MM Complex, Opp. More super Market, AIR Bypass Road, Tirupati - 517 502. and printed by him at Sakshi Press, Survey No.2/4, Kotha Palem Village, Renigunta Mandal, Tirupati Revenue Division,
Chittor District – 517 520. Tirupati: Vol. 08, No. 1. RNI Reg. No. APENG/2015/64464. Phone: 0877-2238202, Fax: 0877-2239005. *Responsible for selection of Newsunder the PRB Act. Copyright: Express Publications (Madurai) Private Limited. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner, electronic or otherwise, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited.
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�� January 2, 2022
Ranchi, Sunday �������
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ARUN KUMAR SHRIVASTAV
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In such a chaotic political �����������������������������������

A
nti-apartheid icon
Archbishop
Desmond Tutu
passed away on
December 26 at 90. "He was
ready. He went to meet his
God, ready and willing," said
his 61-year-old daughter
Naomi Nontombi in a tribute
to her father.
As a bishop of
Johannesburg (1985-86) and
Archbishop of Cape Town
(1986-96), Tutu is expected
to be deeply religious that he
was truly. He would pray
every morning for an hour
and many times throughout
the day during intervals
between meetings and
important works. People
remember him praying even
when he would drive.
He would religiously read
the Bible every day and
advise others to do the
same. Archbishop Tutu
would tell people that the
Bible is a library of books; it
needs to be read every day
to understand the many lay-
mess when Nelson Mandela
was in jail and his wife
Winnie Mandela was leading
a war against the white rule
in all directions with her
trademark ferocity, Desmond
Tutu's voice was that of san-
ity and balance. Decades
later, people recognized the
true contribution of Tutu as
the "moral compass" of a
political fight that could have
turned into an endless saga
of bloodshed and genocide
had it not benefited from the
presence of Tutu. In recogni-
tion of his contribution to
South Africa's struggle, Tutu
was awarded the 1984
Nobel Peace Prize. In the
government headed by
Nelson Mandela, he served
as the chair of the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission
(1994-96).
But for Mahatma Gandhi,
South Africa had not known
non-violence as a weapon of
protest that Tutu was using
against the white rule.
Tutu's deep roots in theology
SUSHIL KUTTY under family rule for donkeys of
years since what is called the
shoot Gandhi family which pro-
duced Varun Gandhi s/o Sanjay
'Didi' is grooming the nephew for
the top posts in party and state.
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ers of meaning it contains.
Yet, Tutu was not a fanat-
ic hardliner. He proclaimed,
"God is not a Christian. God
accepts as pleasing those
who live by the best lights
available to them that they
can discern. All truth, all
sense of beauty, all aware-
ness of goodness has one
source, God, who is not con-
fined to one place, time or
people."
In essence, Tutu embod-
ied the spirit of Africa that
believed in the timeless val-
ues of love and liberalism.
But that didn't prevent him
from raising his voice
against apartheid. And,
when Arch spoke, his words
pierced the hearts and ignit-
ed the souls of millions of
people who lived in abject
poverty and were oppressed
by a white minority.
"When the missionaries
came to Africa they had the
Bible and we had the land.
They said 'Let us pray.' We
closed our eyes. When we
opened them we had the
Bible and they had the
land," is one of the most
popular of Tutu's quotes.
In these four lines, Tutu
poignantly packs the dishon-
esty and breach of trust of
the 9 per cent white popula-
tion that ruled 78 per cent
black majority and 90 per
cent coloured population.
The white usurped con-
trol over 70 per cent of the
land and their government
used discrimination against
the coloured people as a
state policy. The black popu-
lation had no access to edu-
cation that led to skills or
jobs. They were discriminat-
ed against and humiliated at
every level.
Despite his deep faith in
had him convinced that the
white needs to be reformed
and not revenged. "Be nice
to whites, they need you to
rediscover their humanity,"
Tutu said. He was the con-
science keeper of a nation
when its soul was wounded
and bleeding.
Desmond Tutu and the
Dalai Lama shared a special
bond of friendship. As a
political leader, Tutu was
clear that he wanted a fair
deal for his people but he
would not instigate them to
choose the path of violence.
He knew violence is a dou-
ble-edged sword and can
hurt both ways.
"God is not upset that
Gandhi was not a Christian,
because God is not a
Christian! All of God's chil-
dren and their different
faiths help us to realize the
immensity of God," the
greatness of Tutu is not lost
on anyone.
He will not drive his peo-
ple into violence and anar-
chy. Instead, he will give
them the moral courage to
endure and fight on with
peaceful means till the victo-
ry is achieved.
The City Hall in Cape
Town where his body in the
casket was kept for people
to pay their last respect was
lit up in purple, the colour
Tutu preferred for his
gowns.
An interfaith service on
Thursday saw African Singer
Zolani Mahola emotionally
performing "Paradise Road"
of 1980 that virtually
worked as the anti-apartheid
anthem.
"Freedom is not a specta-
tor sport it needs to be
hands-on… Tata, we will pick
up your baton," Chery
A
khilesh Yadav did
an Aurangzeb on his
father Mulayam
Singh Yadav and
grabbed the strings
of the Samajwadi
Party, which the father couldn't
thwart out of maybe filial rea-
sons. But Mulayam's younger
sibling Shivpal Yadav could not
stomach the usurpation and
uncle and nephew broke ties-
Shivpal Yadav formed his own
political outfit, the Pragatisheel
Samajwadi Party.
Now, with five years in politi-
cal doldrums, the loss of family
rule has begun to haunt and hurt
UP's Yadav clan. And uncle and
nephew have joined forces to
take on the Thakur-Yogi-an
interloper from outside the state
foisted on the true-blue Yadavs of
the Etawah-Mainpuri belt,
almost a kingdom with a cultural
capital of its own.
Yogi Adityanath is anathema
to the Yadavs. Why? The Yogi has
no clan to flaunt and-come what
may-he lacks the sperm count to
deliver a 'warris' to place him in
the line of fire of those who have
made it their business and
careers to harangue dynasts of
all kinds.
Even under British Raj, the
subcontinent was made up of a
1001 principalities descending
further to a million zamindaris.
For the hapless people living
under the yoke of dynasties was
like breathing, a natural thing-
inhale-exhale; inhale-exhale!
And we have been living
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K RAVEENDRAN
'Independence of India, 1947'. Gandhi. For the BJP, the acquisi- And from the looks of him, ����������������������������������������
Among the ruling dynasties/fami- tion of "this Gandhi" was like a Abhishek comes out as an able ����������������������������������������
lies have been freedom fighters trophy. The trophy Gandhi son of guy who will make his place ������������������������������������
and their descendants. There a trophy Gandhi widow! Maneka under the sun. ����������������������������������������
have also been 'royal descen- Gandhi's acquisition before the And like all of them-the ����������������������������������������
dants' of rulers who lost their son was coopted-a two-up on the "dynasts" on the subcontinent- �������������������������������������
privy purses but continued to pull "hated Nehru-Gandhi family." every one of them, they have to ��������������������������������
strings in their fiefdoms. Right, if anybody thinks the go through the test of fire-get
Madhavrao and Jyotiraditya Bharatiya Janata Party is just elected by the people of the
����������������
Scindia come to mind. The political opponents of the NG realm in elections held after a
extended Scindia family had
Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan
family, that person is living in
Iceland's north-closer to the
fixed time span, again and again.
Nehru, Indira and Rajiv Gandhi ����������������
to expand their rule into democ-
racy. Up north, at the height of
North Pole than he will ever be to
the South Pole. Varun Gandhi is a
cemented their place by getting
elected. If they became Prime
�������������
India, there are the Abdullahs- placid guy, but quite often he Minister, they were chosen by
their own parties.
��������������
���������������������������������� This is where the BJP and ����������������������������������������
Prime Minister Narendra Modi ���������������������������������������
������������������������������������ lose the "dynasty" argument. ���������������������������������������
������������������������������������� Prime Minister Modi goes and ���������������������������������������
������������������������������������ meets Sheikh Haseena, a con- ���������������������������������������
�������������������������������������� firmed 'dynast', the Prime ���������������������������������
Minister of Bangladesh, and he ��������������������������������������
����������������������������������� has no complaints of dynasty. But �������������������������������������
���������������������������������� he has a problem with Rahul �������������������������������������
������ Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. ����������������������������������
For Modi, if he wants to bar ��������������������������������������
milking dry the snowy tops for reveals his affinity to the raven- Nehru-Gandhi family members ����������������������������������������
years on end and not liking it that ous croc of Lake Placid and then from aspiring to become Prime �������������������������������������
things may have come to an there is no stopping him. Minister, he will have to amend �����������������������������������
untimely end. The point being made is the the Constitution not just get ���������������������������������������
The problem is Laxman's arrogance of family entitlement tough on the topic in the Central �����������������������������������
common man is mostly dynasty- doesn't fully slip with the dynast- Hall of Parliament on Samvidhan ��������������������������������������
friendly. Even the most educated it is just beneath the skin and Divas. While on that, he should ������������������������������������
among Indians prefer to be led by erupts at the slightest provoca- also nip in the bud dynasties that ������������������������������������������
the nose by a family scion. Let's tion. The Mulayam Singh Yadav are forming right under his nose ���������������������������������
not talk of the Nehru-Gandhi clan is the most prominent of in the Bharatiya Janata Party. ������������������������������
family, they are of a different cal- new dynasts. Everybody from the Thackerays ������������������������������������
iber. The Nehru-Gandhi family And after now, there is the to the Pawars and Rajnath Singh, �������������������������������
has set a threshold for potential Banerjee dynasty of West Bengal. they are all in the same boat. All ��������������������������������������
dynasts, and it has been so for There is nothing wrong if across India, there is a dynasty ���������������������������������������
the last 75 years. Mamata Banerjee's nephew fever and it's been on a high for ��������������������������������������
If there is the main Gandhi Abhishek Banerjee follows her decades and decades. Year 2022 ���������������������������
family tree, there is also the off- into the party. Of course, Mamata is not going to put an end.
complaints related to electronic by making the redressal mecha- mended. complaints filed under the scheme
and digital banking transactions nism jurisdiction neutral. All noble thoughts. But on the and process them.

Church, Tutu took up the
cause of the people and
spoke against the white rule
and its policy of discrimina-
tion, known as apartheid.
The battle against
apartheid in South Africa
was fought with courage and
conviction that was typically
African - and a giant one at
that. It gave the world icons
such as Nelson Mandela and
Desmond Tutu.
Behind them rallied mil-
lions of young men and
women who turned the war
against apartheid into a new
culture -- what with songs,
drums, dances, and violence
that spread like a wildfire all
across the world. Many
accused Tutu of being a
communist! That only
reminds us today how the
world was sharply divided
Carlous, a member of the
ruling ANC, said at the
event.
For all those who care
for democracy and inde-
pendence, here is a final
message from him: The
price of freedom is eternal
vigilance.In these four lines,
Tutu poignantly packs the
dishonesty and breach of
trust of the 9 per cent white
population that ruled 78 per
cent black majority and 90
per cent coloured popula-
tion.
The white usurped con-
trol over 70 per cent of the
land and their government
used discrimination against
the coloured people as a
state policy. The black popu-
lation had no access to edu-
cation that led to skills or
jobs.
F
ancying on Prime Minister
Modi's 'One nation-One
poll' idea, the Reserve
Bank of India has
launched the 'One nation-
One ombudsman' programme. But
unlike Modi's poll plan, which
could change the very nature and
structure of democracy and gover-
nance in India, the reason for
which it is vehemently opposed by
opposition parties, RBI's ombuds-
man might hardly make a differ-
ence to the remediation of com-
plaints against banks and financial
institutions. By all available indica-
tions, the one nation ombudsman
will be as toothless as the paper
tiger that its previous incarnation
was.
In the wake of the pandemic
and the increased use of online
transactions, financial transactions
through the digital mode have
grown manifold. Concomitantly,
viz., ATM/debit cards, credit cards
and mobile/electronic banking col-
lectively have witnessed a spurt,
constituting more than 40 per cent
of the total complaints received in
Ombudsman offices.
The RBI's Integrated
Ombudsman Scheme (RBI-OS) for
providing cost free redress of cus-
tomer complaints involving defi-
ciency in services rendered by enti-
ties regulated by the Reserve Bank
was launched in November 2021.
The new scheme integrates the
three existing ombudsman schemes
pertaining to banking (launched in
2006), non-banking financial com-
panies (introduced in 2018) and
system participants14 (notified in
2019). The Scheme, which has also
been extended to cover non-sched-
uled primary urban co-operative
banks with a deposit size of Rs 50
crore and above and adopts a 'One
Nation One Ombudsman' approach
The new move stems from the
realisation that as more users go
digital, they will expect a higher
quality of service from digital pay-
ments and also expect better pro-
tection from fraud and risk. The
RBI's high level committee on
deepening of digital payments had
recommended that payment sys-
tems use machine driven, online
dispute resolution systems to han-
dle complaints. To manage fraud,
the committee recommended the
creation of shared fraud registries
that must be created and used to
grade each payment transaction for
risk. This transition to a digital
economy will require all payments
acceptance systems to move to digi-
tal as the default option. Similarly,
on the bank side, digital transac-
tions must be a part of serving the
customer. No additional charges to
be levied on the consumer for such
transactions, the panel recom-
ground, the situation is quite differ-
ent. Recently, a Bengaluru techie
was shocked to hear from a mem-
ber of his bank's fraud detection
team that the complaint to the
ombudsman 'would anyway come'
to them and that he need not
expect anything to come out of it.In
fact, this is the crux of the problem.
The ombudsman merely refers the
case back to the bank for its com-
ments and in most cases the bank
manages to pass the buck to some-
body other than itself.
Under the prevailing RBI rules,
the liability of the customers to
card fraud is limited, with the bur-
den shared by both, but the banks
are to be held responsible if the
fraud occurred due to negligence
on its part or a third party. As per
the recommendations of the com-
mittee, RBI has decided to establish
the Centralised Receipt and
Processing Centre to receive the
A couple of years ago, the
Kerala High Court ruled that banks
cannot be absolved of liability for
unauthorised withdrawals from
their customers' accounts and that
SMS alerts cannot be the basis to
determine the liability of a cus-
tomer, for there would be account
holders who may not be in the
habit of checking SMS alerts regu-
larly.
Despite these strict guidelines,
banks manage to get away by lay-
ing the blame on the customers.
When it is an issue between the
individual customer and the bank,
the dice invariably falls in favour of
the latter as it is an unequal fight
between an individual and the clout
of an institution.
The ombudsman ends up being
a mute spectator. The sad fact is
that the ombudsman is not in a
position to influence the outcome in
any manner.

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12 SCIENCE  &  TECHNOLOGY
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SNAPSHOTS
Fibre benefits
The gut microbiome can
influence the therapeutic
response of cancer patients by
tuning the immune system,
however, the way this happens
is unclear. New research
published in Science shows
that melanoma patients with
high fibre consumption
showed better response to
checkpoint inhibitor
immunotherapy than those on
a low­fibre diet.  world gets vaccinated is the
Prehistoric pollution
Algal blooms that result from
anthropogenic pollution can
have harmful effects on the
ecosystem. A recent study in
PNAS (U.S.) finds that this is
not only a problem of the
industrial era. In the sediment
cores from Lake Amatitlan in
Guatemala, they find hints of
former presence of
cyanobacteria which are
typical of algal blooms in the
pre­Columbian Mayan period.  cells will produce the specific
Treatment of dementia
Researchers from Osaka City
University have shown in mice
models of Alzheimer’s disease,
frontotemporal dementia and
dementia with Lewy bodies
that administering rifampicin
intranasally in combination
with resveratrol is safer and
more effective in improving
cognitive function than giving
rifampicin alone. Reservatrol is
a naturally occurring
antioxidant in plants. 
Dark genome
Scientists investigating the
dark genome (DNA outside our
genes) have identified recently
evolved portions coding for
proteins associated with
schizophrenia and bipolar
disorder. The research is
published in Molecular
Psychiatry. The researchers say
that the newly discovered
proteins can be used as
biological indicators to
distinguish the two conditions
and identify patients more
prone to psychosis.
Crossing the border: viewing through elephants’ lens
Elephants do cross electric fences using
their non­conducting tusks  by elephants. As per the gut­
Sanjeeta Sharma
Pokharel
Time  was  when  forests  co­
vered most of the landmass­
es  on  the  earth.  With  rising
human  populations,  deve­
lopment  and  need  for  con­
nectivity, many of these for­
ests are now just either a big
patch bordered by trenches,
fences  and  human  settle­
ments,  or  scattered  uncon­
nected pockets.
People visiting forests feel
great about being in nature.
They  capture  some  memo­
ries  and  photographs,  and
write blogs about how splen­
did nature is. What they for­
get  in  the  due  course  is  the
compromise  some  of  the
long­ranging  animals  must
have gone through. One such
animal  that  needs  a  large
roaming space and seasonal
connectivity to different for­
ests  are  elephants.  Their
movements are not just mo­
tivated  for  foraging,  but  for
searching for mates, suitable
habitats  across  seasons  and
resources.
The boundary marked by
us for forests as protected of­
CM
YK
Basis for precaution dose approval not clear
There has been just one study each for Covishield and Covaxin to understand vaccine effectiveness despite being granted EUA 12 months ago
R. Prasad
On  November  22  last  year,
Director­General of ICMR Dr.
Balram  Bhargava  said  there
is “no scientific evidence so
far to support the need for a
booster vaccine dose against
COVID­19”. He said the prim­
ary focus of the government
was on giving a second dose
of the vaccine to make peo­
ple  fully  vaccinated.  “Admi­
nistering the second dose of
COVID­19 vaccine to all adult
population and ensuring that
not only India but the entire
priority  of  the  government
for now,” he said. A day ear­
lier,  Dr.  Samiran  Panda,
Head of ICMR’s Epidemiolo­
gy  and  Communicable  Dis­
eases Division said scientific
evidence  does  not  support
booster  doses.  “Right  now,
the  scientific  evidence  from
within the country does not
underline  the  need  for  a
booster  dose.  Public  health
considerations  are  on  the
priority  now,”  he  told  the
news agency ANI.
Precaution dose
In  mid­December  2021,  Dr
Jayaprakash  Muliyil,  mem­
ber  of  NTAGI  told  The Out-
look: “There is no need for a
booster dose as the memory
antibody  once  the  virus
comes in contact with a vac­
cinated  or  a  naturally  reco­
vered person.”
Yet,  a  “precaution  dose”
was approved by the govern­
ment on December 25, 2021.
No new studies have come in
the public domain to support
an additional dose since Dr.
IISc: Testing hypotheses to guide COVID-19 vaccine, booster protocols
Using a computer simulation, the study probes why lower prime doses or elongated prime–booster intervals increase vaccine efficacy
Shubashree Desikan
The efficacy of COVID­19 vac­
cines depends in a complex
way  on  the  strength  of  the
prime doses and the time in­
terval  between  the  prime
doses and the booster shots.
A computer  simulation  stu­
dy  carried  out  by  research­
ers  at  Indian  Institute  of
Science, Bengaluru (IISc) at­
tempts  to  understand  how
this  works.  The  research  is
published  in  the  journal
Frontiers in Immunology.
Immune response
Earlier  observations  from
the trials of the Oxford–Astra
Zeneca vaccine have shown
that immune response of pe­
ople given prime doses and
booster doses depended on
the  strength  of  the  primer
and the interval between the
prime  and  boosters  in  a
counter­intuitive  way.  The
efficacy in preventing symp­
tomatic infection was 63.1%
when  a  standard  dose  con­
ten  goes  unnoticed  by  the
oblivious  wanderers  of  the
wild. Let us take elephants as
an example. Amid the esca­
lating  interactions  between
elephants  and  humans  lie
our failed attempts of facili­
tating the movement of these
giant animals through one of
their  abodes  to  another.
From an animal perspective,
the  trench,  wall,  or  fences
can  just  be  a  set  of  hurdles
that they attempt to cross to
reach their destiny. For a tax­
on of proven complex cogni­
tion,  everything  around
them could just be a conun­
drum  that  they  seek  or
‘learn’ to solve.
Learning elephants
Elephants  have  been  ob­
served  using  such  ‘learned’
skills to either cleverly cross
electric  fences  using  their
non­conducting  tusks  or  if
no tusks, destroying the en­
tire fence by hurling uproot­
ed trees on the wire or push­
ing  down  the  cemented
poles to disconnect the wire.
These  are  some  testimonies
suggesting  how  elephants
perhaps  may  be  learning  to
Bhargava said on November
22 that no scientific evidence
was  available  to  support  a
booster shot.  quantitative. All they can say
Early  data  from  South
Africa and the U.K. indicate
that  the  Omicron  variant
does  not  cause  severe  dis­
ease  or  death  in  fully  vacci­
nated people. But there is a
time  lag  between  infection
and hospitalisation. The pro­
tection  offered  by  vaccines
available  here  against  the
variant  in  older  people  and
other  vulnerable  popula­
tions is not known.  with  breakthrough  infec­
Omicron threat?
Whether the decision to ap­
prove  the  precaution  dose
was based on the emergence
of the Omicron variant but in
the absence of vaccine effec­
tiveness  data  is  not  clear.
There was no explanation on
why the government revised
its earlier stand and decided
to provide an additional dose
before  increasing  second
dose  coverage  either.  “In
fact,  the  Omicron  variant
makes  a  strong  case  to  in­
crease  primary  vaccination
coverage  considering  the
preliminary data from South
Africa and the U.K.,” says im­
munologist Dr. Satyajit Rath
formerly  with  the  National
Institute  of  Immunology,
Delhi.  Across  age  groups,
nearly 90% have received the
first  dose  but  only  64%  are
fully  vaccinated.  And  21.5%
of those older than 60 years
are yet to be fully vaccinated
as on December 31, 2021.  On December 30 last year,
There  has  been  just  one
study  each  for  Covishield
and  Covaxin  to  understand
vaccine effectiveness (before
Later, better: When the interval between prime and booster
was less than six weeks, the vaccine efficacy was 55.1% which
rose to 81.3% at 12 weeks or greater. GETTY IMAGES
taining  5  X  1010 virus  parti­
cles  was  administered  for
both prime and booster. On
the other hand, if a low dose
prime,  consisting  of  2.2  X
1010 virus  particles,  was  ad­
ministered, there was a high­
er  efficacy  observed  of
80.7%.  Understanding  how  this
Similarly, when the inter­
val  between  the  prime  and
booster  was  less  than  six
weeks,  an  efficacy  of  55.1%
was  seen,  which  rose  to
81.3% at 12 weeks or greater,
when  standard  doses  were
Jumbo matters: Connecting habitats with the corridor devoid
of human presence and activities may reduce elephants’
interactions with humans, lower stress. GETTY IMAGES
solve  the  conundrum  based
on  their  previous  noxious
experiences.
In  2015,  during  the  field­
work in the southern forests
of  India,  some  field  signs
were  collected  of  elephants
crossing  a  trench  (of  depth
around  2.5  to  3  metres,  as­
suming with the rusty skill of
estimation), supported by an
almost  80­degree  tilted  re­
tention wall on one side, pro­
tecting  the  proximal  village
from  these  behemoth  ‘tres­
passers’. It would baffle any
onlooker’s  mind,  how  a
group  of  elephants  crossed
such  a  hurdle.  Upon  cau­
tiously inspecting footprints
on the wall – which debossed
Omicron  emerged)  despite
the  vaccines  being  granted
an  emergency  use  approval
12 months ago. The study on
Covaxin did not even look at
the effectiveness of the vac­
cine in preventing severe dis­
ease and death.
Incidentally, the immuno­
compromised  people  have
not  been  included.  “A  third
dose  or  additional  dose  for
immunocompromised is so­
mething  on  which  experts
have consensus. [Unlike ma­
ny countries] in India, where
third  shot  is  recommended
for sub­group of population
only,  a  separate  policy  on
third  shot  for  immunocom­
promised  is  urgently  need­
ed,”  says  Dr.  Chandrakant
Lahariya,  physician­epide­
miologist  and  public  policy
and  health  systems
specialist.
Dr.  Bhargava  while  not  pro­
viding  any  scientific  reason
or evidence for deciding on
approving a booster shot, did
*
used  for  both  prime  and
booster.  from  Indian  Institute  of
Studies  are  being  con­
ducted to study the effect of
dose  strength  and  intervals
between prime and booster
for Pfizer­BioNTech and Mo­
derna vaccines too.
operates will be useful in de­
termining  the  delivery  of
vaccines  in  circumstances
where  there  is  shortage  of
vaccines. It will also help in
optimising the effect of vac­
cines.  efficacy of the COVID­19 vac­
*
all  the  way  up  and  disap­
peared  among  the  bushes
and the trampled grasses on
the  forest  floor,  seeking
another  life,  confirmed  that
elephants  walked  this  trail.
Amidst  these  footprints  on
the  wall,  there  were  some
with smaller circumferences
suggesting  the  group  also
had calves!
Stunned villagers
How  have  they  climbed
down and then up? The vil­
lage  stood  as  stunned  as
most of the observers were.
Furthermore,  scrutiny  of
the piles of fresh dung at the
base of the trench indicated
that  the  presence  of  millet
point out to studies that had
found evidence of protection
offered  by  natural  infection
lasting  up  to  nine  months.
This  was  to  tell  why  the  go­
vernment  has  decided  to
provide the precaution dose
nine months after the second
dose.  ing  effect.  Since  India  has
Hybrid immunity
The emphasis was on hybrid
immunity  (immunity  pro­
duced  by  natural  infection
followed by vaccination) be­
ing  superior  to  immunity
conferred  by  infection  and
full vaccination in infection­
naïve  people,  which  was
known many months ago, to
support  the  decision  to  ad­
minister the precaution dose
nine months after the second
dose. Dr. Bhargava cited the
67%  seroprevalence  in  the
last  sero  survey  to  drive
home  the  point  that  many
people who have been vacci­
nated  would  be  possessing
hybrid  immunity.  The  sero
surveys  are  not  truly  repre­
"Why  low  dose  prime  or
delayed boost improves CO­
VID­19  vaccine  efficacies  is
not  well  understood,  and
this hinders optimal vaccine
usage which is critical given
limited  supplies.  Our  study
presents a plausible explana­
tion,”  says  Narendra  Dixit
from  IISc’s  Department  of
Chemical  Engineering  who
led  the  work  that  has  been
published  in  Frontiers in
Immunology.
With  the  above  observa­
tions  in  mind,  researchers
Science, Bengaluru, and Un­
iversity of Queensland, Bris­
bane, Australia, made a com­
puter  simulation  to  study
how the creation and prolif­
eration of B cells happens in
the  germinal  centres  of  the
body’s immune system.  reaction  in  the  computer
Germinal centre
The role of cellular immuni­
ty  is  not  fully  understood,
but studies suggest that the
seeds  as  remnants  excreted
retention  time  (the  time
needed  for  food  swallowed
by elephants to pass through
their  digestive  tracts  till  ex­
cretion) of elephants, it was
evident that they must have
foraged on agricultural crops
30 to 48 hours ago. On their
way  up,  they  might  have
emptied their bowels!
Altered habitats
This is just one opportunistic
instance among many anec­
dotes  and  videos  that  we
stumble over in social media,
where we see elephants inge­
niously crossing the electric
fences,  iron  rails  and  even
trenches. Most of these vide­
os leave us with dropped jaw,
hinting to us how elephants
could alter their behaviours
in  response  to  the  altered
habitats!
Crossing the border is not
as  painless  as  it  is  narrated
here. It comes with the chal­
lenge  of  risking  their  lives.
We  hear  of  elephants  en­
countering humans adverse­
ly,  being  electrocuted  while
crossing  the  electric  fence,
dying while crossing the iron
rails, falling and dying in the
trenches.  Each  hurdle  they
sentative of infection spread
in  the  community,  says  Dr.
Rath. And if hybrid immuni­
ty in India is high, why pro­
vide an additional dose at all,
he asks.  an assurance on December 3
“We know that the longer
the gap, the better the boost­
made  the  decision  to  admi­
nister precaution shots, this
is  the  longest  gap  which
could  have  been  consi­
dered,” says Dr. Lahariya.  whether  the  booster  dose
Limited use
One  of  the  studies  cited  by
Dr. Bhargava and carried out
by  researchers  from  CSIR’s
Indian Institute of Chemical
Biology,  Kolkata  looked  at
cellular  immunity  among
vaccinated and naturally in­
fected people. The research­
ers found that T cell immuni­
ty  from  natural  infection
lasted as long as 10 months.
But they did not measure the
duration  of  protection  of­
fered  by  T  cell  immunity  in
fully vaccinated people who
cines  is  proportional  to  the
number of neutralising anti­
bodies they elicit. Germinal
centres are the places where
the  cells  that  produce  anti­
bodies  are  selected  for.
These  are  temporary  struc­
tures that form in lymphoid
organs,  for  periods  ranging
from a few weeks to several
months.  the  antigen  would  survive
In the germinal centres, B
cells  are  selected  based  on
the ability of their receptors
to  bind  to  the  antigen  pre­
sented as immune complex­
es.  In  the  case  of  the  CO­
VID­19 vaccines, the antigen
in  question  would  be  the
part of the spike protein.  antigen  are  multiplied,  and
Simulated model
The researchers simulated a
model of the germinal centre
and studied the effect of low
prime dose and long interval
between prime and booster
shots given equal prime dos­
es.  val,  because  antigen  levels
The hypotheses they test­
cross may psychologically in­
fluence their internal states,
either  preparing  them  with
skills  and  anticipatory  res­
ponses  to  learn  to  cross  or
leave them hurt.
Our  limited  understand­
ing  of  the  purpose  and  pat­
terns  of  elephants’  move­
ments  blur  our  desperate
trials  of  fostering  coexis­
tence. Elephants’ successful
attempts  of  crossing  the
boundary  just  muddle  up
many who are not just trying
to understand the highly in­
telligent  being,  but  also  try­
ing to seek a sustainable solu­
tion  to  retard  the
accelerating adverse interac­
tions between them and us.
Connecting habitats with the
corridor  devoid  of  human
presence  and  activities  may
reduce  elephants’  interac­
tions  with  humans,  lower
their stress and favour their
purpose of movement. Talk­
ing  of  conservation  of  ani­
mals’ with complex cognitive
ability, the need is, thus, the
connectivity,  perhaps  not
just the border!
(The author is from Smith-
sonian Conservation Biology
Institute, U.S., and a visiting
scientist at the Indian Insti-
tute of Science, Bengaluru.)
SUNDAY, JANUARY 2, 2022
have not been previously in­
fected. “They [T cell immun­
ity studies] are not robustly
is  yes,  there  is  some  T  cell
response,  which  is  not  sur­
prising and is of limited use,”
says Dr. Rath.
Choice of vaccine
All  the  other  Indian  studies
cited by Dr. Bhargava which
looked at the duration of pro­
tection  had  measured  only
the  humoral  immunity  and
neutralising  antibodies.  But
tions  being  far  more  com­
mon  with  the  Omicron  var­
iant  than  the  Delta  variant,
these studies have little rele­
vance  in  making  policy
decisions.
The Union Health Minister
Mansukh  Mandaviya  made
last year that the government
will go by scientific advice to
decide on booster doses. But
on  December  25  when  the
government  approved  the
additional  dose  and  even
now  there  is  no  clarity  on
will be with the same vaccine
that an individual has got for
the first two doses or a diffe­
rent one.  Serum  Institute  to  adminis­
“Scientific evidence is that
the preferred booster will be
a vaccine developed using a
different  platform,”  says  Dr.
Lahariya.  “I  am  of  the  opi­
nion that in the case of Cov­
ishield,  the  booster  should
be protein­based vaccines —
Covovax (data of its boosting
effect  is  already  available)
and then Corbevax. The ho­
mologous booster would be
the best approach for Covax­
ed were the following: In the
case of a smaller prime dose,
in the germinal centre, there
are fewer available antigens
(spike  protein  attached  to
immune complexes) for the
B cell  receptors  to  bind  to,
therefore  only  those  B  cells
that show a higher efficiency
in  reaching  and  binding  to
and grow. Those B cells that
fail  to  bind  would  die  out.
Therefore, this results in the
selection of the B cells with
higher  propensity  for  anti­
gen­binding. Once a booster
is given, these B cells which
have a higher affinity for the
therefore the efficacy of the
vaccine in preventing symp­
tomatic illness would also be
higher.
In the case of equal prime
shots  and  delayed  booster
what would happen, the re­
searchers hypothesised, was
that during the longer inter­
go  down  with  time,  only
Question Corner
Headlice to the
rescue
Are there other sources
of ancient DNA besides
bone and teeth?
Scientists, for the first
time, recovered DNA
from cement on hairs
taken from mummified
remains that date back
1,500–2,000 years. This
is possible because skin
cells from the scalp
become encased in the
cement produced by
female lice as they attach
eggs, known as nits, to
the hair.
Analysis of this
newly­recovered ancient
DNA – which was of
better quality than that
recovered through other
methods – has revealed
clues about
pre­Columbian human
migration patterns
within South America
(Molecular Biology and
Evolution). This method
DELHI
THE HINDU
in,  till  we  have  evidence  on
heterologous  boosting  for
Covaxin.”
But  Covovax  and  Corbe­
vax were granted emergency
use approval only on Decem­
ber  28,  three  days  after  the
government  announced  a
booster  dose  for  select
groups.  “If  the  government
was waiting for scientific evi­
dence on booster doses, why
did it hurry before deciding
on  whether  the  booster
should  be  a  homologous
[same] or heterologous [dif­
ferent]  one,”  asks  a  senior
scientist who did not want to
be named. 
No trials for booster
Incidentally,  there  is  no
scientific evidence from clin­
ical trials in India on the effi­
cacy of Covishield or Covax­
in  as  booster  shots.
Permission  to  conduct  the
first clinical study in India to
understand the performance
of a vaccine as a booster was
granted  only  on  December
29; Bio E was given permis­
sion to conduct the trial us­
ing  Corbevax  as  a  booster
dose. While the Subject Exp­
ert  Committee  denied  per­
mission  on  December  10  to
ter Covishield as booster dos­
es till it submits clinical trial
data, Covaxin will be used as
a booster  dose  despite  no
clinical  trial  for  efficacy  be­
ing conducted. According to
News18, Bharat Biotech had
sought  permission  to  con­
duct a clinical trial to test the
efficacy of Covaxin as a boos­
ter dose only after the Prime
Minister’s announcement on
December 25. 
those B Cells that had a high­
er affinity for antigen would
survive and the others would
have died out and therefore,
when the booster was given,
it would multiply such B cells
having higher affinity. 
In  their  simulations,  the
researchers saw that this did
indeed take place.
Further studies needed
“Our prediction is based on
comprehensive  computer
simulations  of  the  process
underlying antibody produc­
tion in our body in response
to  vaccination.  Future  stu­
dies may validate the expla­
nation  using  experiments,
paving  the  way  for  rational
optimisation  of  vaccine  de­
ployment  strategies,"  says
Prof. Dixit. 
If the predictions are veri­
fied  by  experiments,  they
can  guide  the  protocols  of
giving out vaccine shots and
booster doses in a more effi­
cient manner, which is cru­
cial now. 
could allow many more
unique samples to be
studied from human
remains where bone and
tooth samples are
unavailable.
Dr. Alejandra Perotti at
the University of
Reading, who led the
research, said in a
release: “Like the
fictional story of
mosquitoes encased in
amber in the film
Jurassic Park, carrying
the DNA of the dinosaur
host, we have shown that
our genetic information
can be preserved by the
sticky substance
produced by headlice on
our hair.”
Until now, ancient
DNA has preferably been
extracted from dense
bone from the skull or
from inside teeth.
However, skull and teeth
remains are not always
available. Recovering
DNA from the cement
delivered by lice is
therefore a solution to
the problem, especially
as nits are commonly
found on the hair and
clothes of well­preserved
and mummified humans.
Readers may send their
questions / answers to
questioncorner@thehindu.co.in
A ND-NDE
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THE HINDU
SUNDAY, JANUARY 2, 2022
DELHI

FAQ 13
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What will be the impact of China’s border law? 
Why has Beijing renamed several
places in Arunachal Pradesh? How
has India responded? 
Ananth Krishnan

The story so far: On December 30, China’s Ministry of

Civil Affairs said it had issued “standardised” names for
15 places in the Indian State of Arunachal Pradesh. The
names are to be used henceforth on all official Chinese
documents and maps, which show Arunachal as “south
Tibet”. India responded to the move saying that
“assigning invented names” will not alter the facts on
the ground or Arunachal Pradesh’s status as an integral
part of India. The issuing of the names came ahead of a
new land border law taking into effect on January 1,
2022, which India has also voiced concern about. 

Punishing hate speech What is behind the move to issue ‘standardised’ names? 

■ In 2017, Chinese authorities first issued six “official” On guard: The aim of the law, in New Delhi's view, is is to give legal cover to China’s military ‘transgressions’. *

names for places in Arunachal Pradesh. That move was
Do existing laws cover inflammatory seen at the time as a retaliatory measure after the Dalai
Lama visited the State. The new list is more extensive. It
and provocative talk? Should the has 15 names, including eight towns, four mountains,
provisions be made more stringent? two rivers and one mountain pass, covering 11 districts
in Arunachal from Tawang in the west to Anjaw in the
east. Following the issuing of the names, all official
K. Venkataramanan Chinese maps will have to mark the locations using the
Ministry of Civil Affairs list. The naming is a largely
The story so far: A recent religious conclave held in symbolic gesture that will not change facts on the
Haridwar witnessed inflammatory and provocative ground. It is, however, indicative of a broader new
speeches by proponents of Hindutva, many of them Chinese approach to territorial disputes. Zhang
leaders of religious organisations. Reports say many of Yongpan, a leading Chinese expert on border issues at
the speakers called for organised violence against the official Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the
Muslims and hinted at a Myanmar­type ‘cleansing official media that the renaming, coupled with a new
campaign’. There was a threat that if the government land border law, were “important moves made by the
resisted the formation of a ‘Hindu Rashtra’, there will be country to safeguard national sovereignty, better
an ‘1857­like’ revolt against the state. Political parties and maintain national security and manage border­related
concerned citizens have termed these as ‘hate speech’ matters at the legal level amid regional tensions,
and demanded legal action against those involved in the including frictions with India.”
propagation of hate and violence.
What is the significance of the new law?  In October 2021, India expressed concern over the new
What is ‘hate speech’?  ■ The broader aim of the land border law, in the view of
■ Proposed in March 2021, a year into the crisis along
■ There is no specific legal definition of ‘hate speech’. the Line of Actual Control, the border law, which took
Provisions in law criminalise speeches, writings, actions, effect on January 1, 2022, lists various responsibilities for
signs and representations that foment violence and
spread disharmony between communities and groups
and these are understood to refer to ‘hate speech’. 
AFP
civilian and military authorities in China to take steps to civilian agencies in China to continue carrying out the
“safeguard national sovereignty”. The law has 62 articles construction of infrastructure, including “frontier
in seven chapters, covering delineation and border villages”, in border areas, including some in disputed
defence to immigration, border management and trade. territories along the border with India and Bhutan, the
The issuing of new names is related to Article 7, which only two countries with which China has unsettled land
calls for promoting boundaries. Under the border village construction plan,
border education at all launched in 2017, China is building 628 “first line and
The border law, which
levels of government. second line villages” in border areas and moving
took effect on January Article 22 calls for the residents, mainly herders, to live in the new dwellings
1, 2022, lists various Chinese military to carry along the borders with India, Bhutan and Nepal as well. 
responsibilities for out border drills and to In November 2021, satellite images surfaced showing a
civilian and military “resolutely prevent, stop second Chinese cluster of 60 newly built dwellings on
authorities in China to and combat” what it calls what India sees as its territory in Arunachal Pradesh,
“invasions, around 100 km east of another village built in late 2020.
take steps to encroachments and The territory in question has been under Chinese control
‘safeguard national provocations”.  since 1959 and previously had Chinese military
sovereignty’  installations there, but the civilian constructions were
How will it affect the seen as further bolstering Chinese claims and essentially
India­China border a fait accompli with regard to land that is still disputed
dispute? and under negotiation by the two sides. 
law, saying that “China’s unilateral decision to bring out a
New Delhi, is to give legal cover and formalise the legislation which can have implications on our existing
Chinese military’s transgressions across the LAC in 2020. bilateral arrangements on border management… is of
The border law also appears to give fresh impetus to concern to us”.

When will the new vaccines be available? 
The Law Commission of India, in its 267th Report,
says: “Hate speech generally is an incitement to hatred
primarily against a group of persons defined in terms of
race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religious
belief and the like ... Thus, hate speech is any word
written or spoken, signs, visible representations within Which shot has been earmarked for 15 to 17 year­olds? What is the decision on the third dose?
the hearing or sight of a person with the intention to
cause fear or alarm, or incitement to violence.”  Jacob Koshy ishield are the only vaccines tested for booster doses as
In general, hate speech is considered a limitation on part of the COV­BOOST study in the U.K. that tested combi­
free speech that seeks to prevent or bar speech that The story so far: India has approved two more vaccines, nations of seven vaccines. However, trials in India, testing
exposes a person or a group or section of society to hate, Corbevax and Covovax, under emergency use authorisa­ Covaxin, are underway. India’s National Technical Adviso­
violence, ridicule or indignity.  tion,  as  well  as  an  antiviral  drug,  Molnupiravir,  to  fight ry Group of Immunisation continues to weigh evidence on
against COVID­19. However, India’s expanded vaccination the optimal combination of vaccines. 
How is it treated in Indian law?  drive from January 3 will not immediately benefit from
them.  What is the vaccine pipeline looking like?
■ Sections 153A and 505 of the Indian Penal Code are
generally taken to be the main penal provisions that deal What do we know about Corbevax? ■ India has so far administered 151 crore doses of the vac­
with inflammatory speeches and expressions that seek to ■ Corbevax is a protein sub­unit vaccine co­developed by cine and as of January 1, the Health Ministry says close to
punish ‘hate speech’.  Hyderabad­based Biological E, Baylor College of Medicine 19.5  crore  doses  of  vaccine  were  lying  “unutilised  with
Under Section 153A, ‘promotion of enmity between in Houston, U.S., and American company Dynavax Tech­ States.” It isn’t clear how many of them are Covishield and
different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of nologies. A protein sub­unit vaccine is made by isolating a Safety dose: For the third shot, ‘heterologous' boosts are how many are Covaxin. From January 3 there is likely to be
birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts piece of the actual virus. As fragments are used, there is said to be more effective. SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR
* an increased demand for Covaxin. Estimates of India’s cur­
prejudicial to maintenance of harmony’, is an offence no danger that these will multiply within the body. These rent population structure suggest that around 3 crore is
punishable with three years’ imprisonment. It attracts a pieces are expected to trigger an immune response that, protein  to  stimulate  the  immune  response.  This  also between 14­17 years of age. Bharat Biotech says it made 5­6
five­year term if committed in a place of worship, or an hopefully,  will  stymie  future  infection.  As  only  a  small needs an adjuvant and booster shots. The vaccine has al­ crore doses in November and expects to make a billion an­
assembly engaged in religious worship or religious part of the virus —in the case of Corbevax the spike pro­ so been tested in children in India though results aren’t nually by this year. These suggest that availability should
ceremonies. tein is the piece— is exposed to the immune system, only available. In June, results from a Phase 3 clinical trial of not be a problem. However, it will not be as simple for the
Section 505 of IPC makes it an offence to making antibodies specific to the spike protein are expected to be Novavax enrolling 29,960 adult volunteers in the U.S. and other groups eligible for a third dose especially if the re­
“statements conducing to public mischief”. The produced and is therefore, less likely to trigger adverse Mexico showed that the vaccine demonstrated 90.4% effi­ commendation  were  to  emerge  that  a  vaccine  different
statement, publication, report or rumour that is reactions. Biological E claims it will be able to produce 7.5 cacy in preventing symptomatic COVID­19 disease. It also from the previous two would be better (and the bulk of glo­
penalised under Section 505(1) should be one that crore doses a month and scale up to 10 crore by February. showed  100%  protection  against  moderate  and  severe bal evidence suggests that such a ‘heterologous’ boost, as
promotes mutiny by the armed forces, or causes such The vaccine can be stored in ordinary refrigerators. The disease.  it’s called, raises antibody levels more than a homologous,
fear or alarm that people are induced to commit an company expects to be a global manufacturing source. In­ repeat boost.) The production capacities of Corbevax and
offence against the state or dia is expected to reserve doses as per requirement.  How do these vaccines influence India’s inoculation Covovax is untested and – as India’s experience over the
The Law Commission public tranquillity; or is programme? past few months shows—it can take several weeks for the
has proposed that intended to incite or Who is producing Covovax?  process to stabilise. If the Omicron surge fuels a panic de­
incites any class or ■ Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced last Satur­ mand for boosters as the Delta surge completely upended
separate offences be ■ Covovax is produced by the Serum Institute of India day that from January 3 those 15­17 years of age will be the Health Ministry’s calculations of vaccine supply and
community to commit an
added to the IPC to offence against another under licence from Novavax, a U.S.­based biotechnology eligible for Covaxin. Healthcare workers, frontline work­ demand last summer, new challenges are likely to emerge.
criminalise hate class or community. This company.  Covovax  has  been  approved  by  the  World ers and those above 60 with comorbidities who have al­
speech instead of attracts a jail term of up to Health Organization under its Emergency Use Listing and ready got two shots will be eligible for a third, “precau­ When will Molnupiravir be used? 
being subsumed in three years. Under 505(2), therefore will also be available globally as part of the CO­ tion” dose from January 10. For India’s 15­17 year olds, the
it is an offence to make VAX initiative. It is similar to protein sub­unit vaccines and only option is Covaxin. So far around 14 crore Covaxin ■ Molnupiravir is said to be a promising drug for those
existing sections. It differs  from,  say  Corbevax,  in  how  the  spike  protein  is doses have been administered. The Health Ministry is yet with mild and moderate disease and can also be easily ad­
statements creating or
has proposed the promoting enmity, hatred produced. In Corbevax, the spike protein is grown typical­ to decide whether the “precaution” dose will be the same ministered as a pill. Thirteen companies in India are set to
addition of two new or ill­will between classes. ly in yeast cells whereas in Covovax, spike proteins are as the previous two doses. Given that Covishield accounts manufacture this drug. It has been approved for use under
sections Under subsection (3), the grown  in  moth  cells.  A  nanoparticle  formula  is  used  to for about 90% of India’s vaccination programme, most emergency use authorisation for treating adults with CO­
same offence will attract make it resemble the structure of the coronavirus spike third doses are expected be Covishield. Covovax and Cov­ VID­19 “who have high risk of progression to disease.”
up to a five­year jail term if
it takes place in a place of
worship, or in any assembly engaged in religious worship

How will revised IPO rules affect the market?
or religious ceremonies. 

What has the Law Commission proposed? 

■ The Law Commission has proposed that separate
offences be added to the IPC to criminalise hate speech What do the new SEBI norms state on preferential allotments and price band? Who benefits from the changes?
quite specifically instead of being subsumed in the
existing sections concerning inflammatory acts and Prashanth Perumal J. Why has SEBI come up with these new regulations? Will the new regulations help?
speeches. It has proposed that two new sections, Section
153C and Section 505A, be added.  The story so far: The Securities and Exchange Board of ■ Stock markets across the world have witnessed a boom ■ SEBI’s new rules have been widely welcomed for
Its draft says Section 153C should make it an offence if India (SEBI) on Tuesday came out with some fresh rules in IPO offerings with a record amount of capital being trying to protect retail investors from risks in the
anyone (a) uses gravely threatening words, spoken or for initial public offerings (IPOs).  raised by companies. In India alone, capital worth over ₹1 booming IPO market. However, some fear that the new
written or signs or visible representations, with the The new rules will oversee how companies price their trillion has been mopped up through IPOs this year. It is rules may hinder the raising of fresh capital by companies
intention to cause fear or alarm; or (b) advocates hatred shares, how they use the money that they receive from natural for both the number and the size of IPOs to rise to fuel growth. 
that causes incitement to violence, on grounds of investors, how much of their stake promoters of a during a bull market. Companies see bull markets, in For instance, mandating companies to be specific
religion, race, caste or community, sex, gender identity, company can sell during an IPO, and how soon anchor which usually a lot of investor money is chasing stocks about how they will use the money that they collect
sexual orientation, place of birth, residence, language, investors can sell the stakes they picked up before the and causing them to be overvalued, as an opportunity to through IPOs can affect flexibility as business conditions
disability or tribe. It proposes a two­year jail term for this IPO.  collect the necessary funds for their growth. The owners can change fast in the real world. Further, the restriction
and/or a fine of ₹5,000 or both.  of many companies may also see the IPO boom as an on anchor investors can affect liquidity in the market as
Its draft for Section 505A proposes to criminalise What is it?  opportunity to sell their stake in the business at an many large investors may not be willing to hold their
words, or display of writing or signs that are gravely attractive price.  investments over 90 days and thus decide to completely
threatening or derogatory, within the hearing or sight of ■ According to the new SEBI rules, the price band of an Notably, a lot of companies that raised funds through abstain from participating in IPOs. 
a person, causing fear or alarm or, with intent to provoke IPO should be set in such a way that the ceiling price is at IPOs this year, such as Zomato, Paytm etc., are Some critics also raise the question of whether SEBI
the use of unlawful violence against that person or least 105% of the floor price.  loss­making. This puts investors who have invested in should be trying to handhold investors at all when it
another”. It proposes a prison term of up to one year Secondly, companies will not be allowed to use more these IPOs at the risk of huge losses if the prices of these comes to making investment decisions. They believe
and/or a fine up to ₹5,000 or both.  than 35% of the money that they collect through IPOs to shares witness a sharp correction. Paytm, for instance, investors, who have the most to lose or gain from their
Similar proposals to add sections to the IPC to punish fund the purchase of other businesses, unless they offer has lost more than one­third of its value since it was listed investment decisions, are best equipped to conduct the
acts and statements that promote racial discrimination sufficient details.  for trading. SEBI believes that the new regulations will necessary due diligence before investing in IPOs. The
or amount to hate speech have been made by the M.P. Thirdly, promoters with a stake of over 20% in a ensure that promoters of companies will have more skin same goes for how companies decide to price their IPOs.
Bezbaruah Committee and the T.K. Viswanathan company cannot sell more than half of their stake in an in the game. Its price band rule, on the other hand, seems Companies would generally avoid under­pricing or
Committee. At present, the Committee for Reforms in IPO.  to be aimed to tackle the trend among companies of over­pricing their issues since it would affect how much
Criminal Laws, which is considering more And lastly, anchor investors will not be able to sell setting a narrow price band for their issues. SEBI believes capital they can raise. In fact, setting narrow price bands
comprehensive changes to criminal law, is examining the more than half their shares before 90 days from the date that a narrow price band impedes the price discovery could be a way to avoid valuation uncertainties that can
issue of having specific provisions to tackle hate speech. of the IPO, against the current time stipulation of 30 days.  process.  affect fundraising. 
CM A ND-NDE
YK
14
{ OUR TAKE }
E STA B L I S H E D I N 1 9 24
2022: What’s in
store for India
India turns 75 this year. While there is much
to rejoice, the nation faces a raft of challenges
I
ndia stepped cautiously into the New Year on
Friday, hoping to exorcise the ghosts of the
brutal second wave of the coronavirus pandemic,
and the associated damage to public health and
the national economy. Cases of the Omicron variant
of Covid-19 are rising, but initial trends indicate that
many patients are asymptomatic or have mild
symptoms. With restrictions imposed across the
country, it doesn’t seem too outlandish to hope that
the country escapes the worst of the Delta wave, and
the crushing loss of human lives.
2022 is the year independent India turns 75. It is a
watershed moment for a country that few gave any
chance of survival at her birth, marred by Partition
and sectarian violence. But the year also brings forth
a raft of challenges for the country. Primary among
them are five: Focusing on public health by speeding
up and expanding access to vaccines and boosters
and bolstering rural infrastructure, bringing stude-
nts back to the classrooms and plugging the learning
gaps, boosting the economic recovery, safeguarding
the environment, and repairing the social fabric
shredded by communal rhetoric and caste cleavages.
India missed its target of vaccinating all its citizens
by the end of the year, but nearly two-thirds of the
country is fully inoculated and around 90% have
received at least one shot. Administrators will hope
to build on the success of the drive. At the same time,
the silent pandemic ravaging the education sector
cannot be forgotten. Many children haven’t sat down
in a classroom for two years and plummeting
learning outcomes — alongside associated mental
health, nutrition and general temperament
problems — will have to be urgently reversed in
2022. Economic recovery will be key in achieving
many of these goals, and in ensuring that people
rendered unemployed during the pandemic,
especially in the informal sector, are part of the India
growth story. The development journey must be in
sync with conserving the environment.
But many of these achievements may be sullied
if India fails to hold on to its greatest heritage: A
vibrant, multicultural society governed by the
Constitution’s promise of dignity and respect.
Lawmakers must crack down on communally
charged speeches that call for violence, acts of
craven caste bias that belie constitutional rights and
any motivation to restrict the rights of marginalised
genders and sexualities, castes and faiths, abilities
and communities. Here’s hoping India has a safe,
peaceful and prosperous 2022.
{ FAULT-LINE }
{ PIT STOP }
Yashwant Raj
UNSC reforms: India
needs to take charge
here are just so many words to
T express irritation and annoyance.
And they are just that, no substitute
for action. The time has come, per-
haps, for Indian political leaders and officials
to stop hiding behind words they have used
to express their mounting frustration with
the lack of progress on reforming and
expanding the United Nations Security
Council (UNSC). India is a claimant to a per-
manent seat in a reformed council.
There is a longstanding acknowledgement
MUMBAI
SATURDAY
JANUARY 01, 2022
Opinion
New politics
for a new
Parliament
Frequent disruptions render spection so that a new normal of working is
found to justify a new Parliament complex.
the House dysfunctional. A
synchronous vibration between Subversion of democracy
Parliament functions in a certain political Politics and Parliament, each with a specific mission, are integral to democracy. The mission of
politics and Parliament milieu and is hence a political institution. politics is to win the mandate of the people with promises of improving the quality of their
is the need of the hour Political motives play out influencing the func- lives. The mission of Parliament is to delineate the path for realising such promises HT PHOTO
tioning of different sections of the Houses of
Parliament. Protests are a part of political con- they are also bound by the Constitution. Par-
A SPIRIT OF
T
he dawn of a new year is a custom- testation that is integral to the functioning of ties winning the people’s mandate govern,
ary and solemn occasion for legislatures. But persistent disruptions, disre- ACCOMMODATION AMONG while others don the mantle of a responsible
reflecting on the time gone by and garding the sanctity of the rules and the VARIOUS SECTIONS OF and constructive Opposition. Both sides have
resolving on the way forward, with authority of the Chair, derailing the function- a responsibility towards the people who
a difference based on experience ing of the House, subvert democracy that the PARLIAMENT, GUIDED BY decide the composition of law-making bodies.
and lessons learned. Such reflec- people of India opted for as a vehicle of trans- NEW POLITICS TO It is this realisation of collective responsibility
tion and new resolution are more apt and formation of their lives, as stated in the Pre- SUBSERVE THE NATIONAL that makes Parliament functional.
timely for making a difference to the function- amble of the Constitution. Parliament should not be viewed as a mere
ing of Parliament. More so, when the apex leg- Persistent disruptions and forced adjourn- MISSION, IS THE KEY extension of politics. Politics should further
islature of the country gets relocated in a new ments compromise the quality of legislation TO THIS MUCH-DESIRED the cause of the parliamentary project. This
building in the new year — 100 years after the besides resulting in the abdication of the RESONANCE. DEBATE new politics is the need of the hour.
present one began to take shape. important “oversight” function of the Politics and Parliament, each with a specific
Also, independent India will com- House. Under the Constitution, the AND DECIDE. DON’T mission, are integral to democracy. The mis-
plete 75 years in 2022. This occasion executive is accountable to the legisla- DISRUPT DEMOCRACY sion of politics is to win the mandate of the
can’t be missed in our collective ture. This oversight function is people with promises of improving the quality
quest for a new normal for the func- ensured through Question Hour, of their lives. The mission of Parliament is to
tioning of our Parliament, the temple Short Duration Discussions (SDD), latures — representative, deliberative, over- delineate the path for realising such promises.
of democracy. Venkaiah Calling Attention Notices (CAN), and sight, and law-making — amounts to a certain In essence, these two missions are comple-
debates on legislative proposals. negation of the spirit and provisions of the mentary to each other and not mutually exclu-
Naidu
A case for reflection Disruptions render the House dys- Constitution. It is time this worrisome parlia- sive. So then why the discord and disruptions?
A new building per se doesn’t add functional, with a substantial share of mentary deficit is addressed when independ- The problem lies in drawing a line between
much value to the functioning of Par- the scheduled available time lost as ent India is set to enter its 76th year, and Par- protests and obstructive disruptions.
liament, unless it is accompanied by a new forfeited. With legislative business conven- liament is to move into a new building. This It then logically follows that what is needed
work ethic to restore its stature. Unfortu- tionally getting priority, enough time is not should not be difficult if only the legislators is a synchronic vibration between the political
nately, the virus of disruption that infected the left for SDD and CAN. The winter session din remind themselves of their oath of allegiance mission and Parliament. It is this resonance
apex legislature about 20 years back has prevented discussion on price rise, and the to the Constitution. with which we need to enter the new year with
remained endemic and has become more viru- Omicron outbreak was debated only in pass- a resolve that this concord marks the function-
lent in the last few years. It is afflicting both ing. The Rajya Sabha lost over 60% of the Why disrupt? ing of our Parliament in the new grand struc-
the Houses in varying degrees, given the dif- Question Hour time during the winter session Democratic functioning is all about debates ture so that our parliamentary democracy
ferences in composition. and even more during the monsoon session. and deliberations. A functional democracy shines in a new grandeur. Hopefully, we will
The last two sessions of the Rajya Sabha Parliamentary democracy enables the par- enables the presentation of different perspec- find a New Parliament. A spirit of accommo-
have left a bitter taste with productivity of only ticipation of the people in governance through tives and even the hottest political contesta- dation among various sections of Parliament,
28% and 47%, respectively. With annual pro- their elected representatives. Swaraj, for tion on the floor of the House. A disruptive guided by new politics to subserve the
ductivity of 58.9%, 2021 is the second-worst for which a long-drawn freedom struggle was and noisy alternative, on show at present, is its national mission, is the key to this much-
the Upper House, which hit the nadir with waged, is all about people so governing them- negation. No one wins in the din. desired resonance. Debate and decide. Don’t
productivity of 36% in 2018. Two of its worst- selves. This is the representative function of The root cause of disruptions appears to be disrupt democracy.
performing years came during the last four legislatures. Quality debates constitute the the rising discord between the political mis-
years. It is, hence, a matter of serious concern, deliberative function. sion and the parliamentary project. All politi- M Venkaiah Naidu is the Vice-President of India
warranting equally grave reflection and intro- Dereliction of these four functions by legis- cal parties need to remind themselves that The views expressed are personal
It’s time to embrace
moted correctly these remain the same irre-
spective of the sport being physical, digital, or
a combination of the two. Children can connect
with their peers virtually and compete in
and encourage e-sport e-sport to build the sporting spirit. These values
are also great takeaways for them in the real
world. In a survey conducted this year, 76% of
gamers said that by regularly assessing how to
still fondly recall how my father used to is being driven by the growth of mobile e-sport. win a game, they could develop their analytical
I give me money every day so I could go play Smartphones have become the norm now, and
video games, such as Pacman and Space the younger generation is intuitively used to
Invaders, at the video game parlour on them. The pandemic has accelerated the online
Park Street, Kolkata. It wasn’t just for fun and ecosystem, and everything from classes to
entertainment. My father understood that play- meetings now take place virtually. The number
skills.
The adoption of any new technology needs to
be preceded by a change in mindset, and we are
slowly seeing our fellow Indians recognise the
opportunity that e-sport presents. Young Tirth
ing video games would help improve my hand- of mobile e-sport tournaments has also Mehta from Gujarat was one of the bronze
eye coordination, which would help with my increased, giving people from all over the coun- medal winners in the e-sport demo event at the
tennis training. try the chance to compete with the best, irre- 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, at a time when
Video games have been around for years, spective of their location. e-sport wasn’t as widely recognised. However,
and today, they have evolved into In fact, one of the biggest advantages a lot has changed in the past three years and
e-sport. The big difference between of e-sport is that it is location-agnostic. the significant investments that are pouring
the 1980s, when I played Pacman to With affordable data, youngsters can into e-sports in India reflect the all-round opti-
help with my training, and the current train from the comfort of their homes, mism about its growth and recognition.
times, is that e-sport has its dedicated learn from the best coaches, and com- With affordable data, youngsters can train With India producing several new sporting
tournaments and an entire ecosystem. pete against other e-sport athletes. from the comfort of their homes, learn from heroes, the latest example being Neeraj Chopra,
E-sport is no longer just a supplement Leander Training is a crucial part of develop- the best coaches, and compete against other who got our country enthused by a sport like
to training or a recreational activity. It ment in any sport, and with e-sport, e-sport athletes SHUTTERSTOCK javelin, parents are also encouraging their chil-
can be taken up professionally, just Paes children do not need to travel away dren to pursue sport professionally.
like any other sport. from their homes in order to hone to produce many potential champions in For e-sport, like for all sport, this trend needs
Apart from the fact that the e-sport their skills. With e-sport moving to e-sport as well as the availability of smart- to be sustained and further encouraged. We can
industry is growing by leaps and bounds glo- mobile for the masses, even legacy barriers phones increases and data packages become do so with the right decisions taken by the
bally and in India, it is also finding recognition such as the high cost of gaming PCs and con- more affordable, bridging the digital divide. stakeholders such as the government, e-sport
internationally, at the biggest sporting events. soles have been removed. All one needs is a More opportunities are the need of the hour. companies, and e-sport athletes themselves. It
Earlier this year, the Olympics, for the first smartphone and a good internet connection to We need to educate people on e-sport, and hold may not be long before e-sport emerges as a
time, had the Olympic Virtual Series (OVS), participate in competitions. competitions and tournaments at large scales medal event in some form on a popular large
where people from across the world could com- Being location-agnostic, e-sport is, by on the national level to unearth talent and pro- stage such as the Olympics, and with the right
pete in virtual sport such as cycling, sailing, default, more inclusive. We are aware of the vide them with the right support systems to preparation, India could become one of the
motorsports, etc. Even the Asian Games is set untapped talent that rural India has. So many develop. front-runners.
to introduce e-sports as a full-fledged medal champions who have won laurels for India in With the pandemic forcing children indoors,
event in next year’s edition. various sports have come from our Tier 2 and e-sport can be a good medium to help them
It is time for India to embrace e-sport and Tier 3 cities and towns and villages. With inter- inculcate the values of sport. Camaraderie, Leander Paes is a former Indian tennis player
grab these opportunities, especially as e-sport net penetration increasing, rural India is poised team work, spirit of the game, passion — if pro- The views expressed are personal
serve the purpose of its existence. The usual they were either never tabled or, if tabled, { EDITOR’S PICK }
UN rules don’t apply to its deliberations, no not put to a vote. These were efforts made
HT’s editors offer a book recommendation every Saturday, which provides history,
records are kept of its meetings (India has within the flawed IGN process.
context, and helps understand recent news events
shared its records with smaller countries). It might be time now to try something out-
And, worst of all, there is no “text” — a term side the IGN process. Nothing stops a UN
used in the world of diplomacy for a formal member country or a core group of countries HEALING A CLIMATE DISASTER-HIT WORLD
document containing proposals and options from starting a draft resolution containing,
— to discuss, amend or reject. in this case, a comprehensive set of propos- he year 2022 saw a series of extreme weather
“Today’s Security Council is an impaired
organ. It has been unable to act with credibil-
ity essentially due to its unrepresentative
nature,” said Indian permanent representa-
tive to the UN TS Tirumurti at an IGN meet-
als for reforming the UNSC. They can then
approach other like-minded countries and
keep growing these “concentric circles” of
support, as a top UN diplomat put it, till a
critical mass is reached to go before the
T events across the world. Such events will be
the new normal, warned the latest report of
the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change.
This week, we recommend Gonzalo Lizarralde’s
ing in 2020. He had added, barely concealing whole UN General Assembly with a realistic Unnatural Disasters: Why Most Responses to Risk and
of the need to expand the UNSC, both its per- India’s frustration with the process, “But chance of winning the vote. Climate Change Fail but Some Succeed. The author,
manent and non-permanent membership, to
make it representative of the contemporary
world, and not the world of its founding in
1945. Conversations have been going on for
decades, but they took on a slightly more for-
then, what is happening inside the IGN proc-
ess, which we seem to be wedded to?” Other
UN diplomats have been far blunter pri-
vately, saying, the IGN is a “flawed process”.
So, are we going to just whine and moan
The year 2022 will be the second and final
year of India’s eighth non-permanent mem-
bership of the UNSC. It would be well spent
if it was used to, among other things, start a
more meaningful and realistic process to
director of the Canadian Disaster Resilience and Sus-
tainable Reconstruction Research Alliance, offers a
fresh perspective on the world’s toughest environ-
mental and social challenges, revealing the gaps
between concepts such as sustainability, resilience,
mal tone in the last 12 years, with five rounds about being “wedded” to a flawed process? reform the UNSC. There cannot be a more and innovation, and the experiences of people living
of annual meetings under a process called Or do something about it? Attempts have convincing demonstration of the clout of an at risk. Interestingly, Lizarralde shows that most
Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN). But been made before to steer the IGN towards emerging power. reconstruction and risk-reduction efforts exacerbate
it has nothing to show for progress; the ball deliverables. Draft resolutions were sought social inequalities. The book also proposes achieva- Book Name:
has not moved even an inch since. Serious to be moved, for instance, in the hope of one yashwant.raj@hindustantimes.com ble solutions to save the planet at risk, emphasising Unnatural Disasters
questions are being raised about its ability to of them growing into the elusive “text”. But The views expressed are personal the power citizens hold to change the state of affairs. Year: 2021
RNI No. MAHENG/2005/15186, Air Surcharge : Ahmedabad, Nagpur and beyond by Rail or Road - Rs. 2 /-.
Printed and published by DINESH MITTAL for and on behalf of HT Media Ltd., 9th Floor, Tower 3, Indiabulls Finance Centre, Senapati Bapat Marg, Elphinstone Road (West), Mumbai-400013 at
HT Media Ltd. Press at Plot No. 6, TTC Industrial Area, Thane - Belapur Road, Navi Mumbai - 400 708.
Phones: Board: (022) 66134000/01, ● Circulation: (022) 67764242. ● Fax No: (022) 66134322.
Executive Editor: SACHIN KALBAG
I
MUMBAI
SATURDAY
JANUARY 01, 2022

Books
{ HT PICKS } NEW READS
{ ANUPAMA CHOPRA } AUTHOR, New Year’s Day 2022: Looking ahead with hope
A PLACE IN MY HEART IN THE REALM OF MONSTERS
P What if there were more to our world... a lot
more? What if it were filled with unknown crea-
tures, some friendly, some frightening? An out-
There is always cast from the world of humans, Maithili lives on
somebody you the outskirts of one such magical wilderness. But
as she makes new friends in the realm of mon-
are offending sters, she must learn to be careful. Because some
monsters are just like humans: mean, nasty and
deeply! out for blood. Book 1 in the Outlandish Graphic
On the Books&Authors Novel Series, Maithili and the Minotaur will be
podcast on appreciated by fans of Hilda and Arthur and the
www.htsmartcast.com Golden Rope. This book about Maithili’s first
adventure in an outlandish world is full of whim-
sical illustrations that go
well with the story of a
friendly minotaur, vampire

A
children, bridges of broken
bones, and a cat with six
tails, among other interest-
ing creatures.

Maithili and the Minotaur;

Web of Woe
{ INTERVIEW } LAVANYA KARTHIK, CG Salamander and Rajiv Eipe
AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR, 64pp, ~299, Penguin
THE BOYS WHO CREATED MALGUDI

‘Kids need to POEMS THAT CELEBRATE

see that failure WHAT MAKES US HUMAN
is normal’ Nabaneeta Dev Sen was one of the foremost Ben-
gali writers of her generation; a poet, novelist,
scholar, humourist and playwright. This transla-
On the childhood adventures of brothers tion of her poetry into English gathers some of her
RK Narayan and RK Laxman, who most evocative and revealing works and renders
created the fictional town of Malgudi them accessible to English-speakers. These poems
The sun rises over the Vivekananda Rock Memorial at Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, the southernmost tip of India. V MUTHURAMAN / UNIVERSAL IMAGES GROUP VIA GETTY explore the contours of love, motherhood, loss,
Chintan Girish Modi both picking apart and celebrating the rituals that
make us human. The collection shows Dev Sen, a
letters@hindustantimes.com
fiery feminist, academic and political activist, at
How would you describe the relation- her most human and most intimate. Translated

1 ship between the brothers RK Narayan

and RK Laxman?
Narayan was 15 years older and, by his own
admission, rather a bossy older brother at first.
Laxman notes in his memoir that Narayan would Vajpayee and the rise
with lightness and lyricism by her daughter Nan-
dana Dev Sen in a manner
that prompted Wendy Doni-
ger to say “Nandana’s voice,
overlapping her mother’s,
chide him for his untidy hair and nibbled nails makes a perfect fit”, this col-
(while nibbling his own), and keep a stern eye on lection is at once compassion-

of the non-Congress front

him when he played outdoors.
But Narayan was also a supportive presence
when Laxman failed at school, and encouraged
his developing skills at art. Even before he had
graduated from high school, Laxman was car-
tooning for a local magazine and illustrating his
brother’s stories in The Hindu. In turn, Laxman’s
childhood antics provided inspiration for Nar-
ayan’s stories, including some elements of the
classic Swami and Friends. They went on to be life-
long collaborators, and it is hard to picture any of
Narayan’s books without Laxman’s distinctive
illustrations on the cover. The changing arc of
their relationship, and the very start of this collab-
oration, is hinted at in my book, The Boys Who
Created Malgudi.
When did you first become acquainted
2 with Malgudi?
Malgudi, and the characters in Swami
and Friends, are largely inspired by Nar-
ayan’s recollections of his own childhood in
Mysore and Madras, as well as Laxman’s. Their
Sagarika Ghose’s portrait of
Atal Bihari Vajpayee includes
new insights and anecdotes.
This first excerpt focuses on
the formalisation of the
Hindutva alliance in 1989, and
the BJP’s adoption of the Ram
Janmabhoomi movement
Sagarika Ghose
letters@hindustantimes.com
ate and unsparing, conversa-
tional and symphonic.
Acrobat
Nabaneeta Dev Sen; Poems
translated by Nandana Dev Sen
links began to develop between the Ayo- demolished their worship place themselves. 138pp, ~499, Juggernaut
dhya agitation and the BJP, the party’s It was a reaction to the Muslim vote bank. I
upper-caste profile began to change, with an wanted to solve this problem through nego-
influx of backward castes and communities tiation and legislation.’
from the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. After the seat-adjustment pact with the
Vajpayee’s Brahmin–Bania-dominated party Janata Dal was completed, Vajpayee hit the
A DOCTOR’S JOURNEY
started to give way to broader groups as streets with enthusiasm at the same time as The miracles and tragedies of life, the compassion
boisterous kar sevaks and sadhvis, preach- other National Front leaders such as VP and cruelties of humanity, are perhaps nowhere
ers and prelates, took the place of the ascetic Singh, Devi Lal and NTR, courting arrest,
RSS pracharaks and Jana Sangh notables. leading demonstrations and addressing
more visible than in the field of medicine. It is
these that doctor and writer Kavery Nambisan
Backward caste leaders like Uma Bharti and meetings... Vajpayee may no longer have explores in her memoir, drawing on over four
Kalyan Singh... now rose to prominence. been in his party’s driving seat, yet he was decades as a surgeon in rural and small-town
The Ram movement hurled the BJP to the still his party’s most recognizable public
shikhara (tower top) of power, but changed face... He brought his stature and credibility
its character forever.

sadhus and members of temple

with rivals to staunchly defend his party’s
On 1 February 1989, crowds of pilgrims, ideological turn. In September 1989, Vaj-
payee had a famous exchange
India. Through her patients’ stories, Nambisan
depicts the highs and lows of medical practice:
Sudha in Bihar, left immobilised waist-down after
being set on fire by her in-laws, but determined to
walk; four-year-old Pavana in the Anamallais,

T
friendships, struggles with harsh teachers, inter- he Bofors scandal saw Vajpayee
actions with family and neighbours, all found at his mocking, sarcastic best in
their way into Narayan’s books. I discovered Mal- Parliament... Bofors was hot, but
gudi as a teenager, first through the books Swami VP Singh was cool towards the
and Friends and Mr Sampath and, shortly after, by BJP... For its part, the Advani-led
reading every book by RK Narayan that I could BJP remained aloof too. With
find. Malgudi Days, directed by Shankar Nag and general elections just a year away, 1988 was
Kavitha Lankesh, began on television soon after a year of hectic politicking. The BJP
and I didn’t miss a single episode. I think I speak launched a ‘satyagraha’ across India
for many people of my generation when I say Mal- demanding the resignation of Rajiv Gandhi.
gudi has a special place in our hearts. It is a part of Vajpayee was on the streets of Delhi, leading
our collective cultural memory. BJP workers on a march. Advani led a simi-
lar march in Lucknow.
Your book gives young readers a The BJP may have been left out of VP
organizations gathered... at the of letters with Hiren Mukher- who is mauled by a leopard and has to be driven
Kumbh Mela in Allahabad. The jee, his colleague in Parliament over 40 km to the nearest hospital. In contrast, the
VHP gave the twin calls for ‘ since the 1950s. Mukherjee friend of a Tamil Nadu chief minister who could
shila pujan’ and ‘shila yatra’... a wrote to him expressing his summon a doctor repeatedly to attend to a
steady stream of ‘shila’ bricks anguish about the growing stubbed toe. Throughout, the author examines the
began to arrive in Ayodhya, the communalism in the country state of India’s public healthcare system, and
process organized by... Ramjan- and suggested a ‘national weaves in episodes from her personal life: coming
mabhoomi activists and Hin- memorial’ at the disputed Ayo- into her own as a surgeon;
dutva cadres... dhya site... nursing her husband, the
In May 1989, keenly aware of In a letter dated 24 Septem- poet Vijay Nambisan, who
the growing strength of the BJP, ber 1989, Vajpayee wrote: Hir- was claimed by cancer. The
VP Singh finally reached out to en-da!... I have never been in result is a book that shows
the saffron party for seat-shar- favour of destroying the Babri “the sincerity and decep-
ing deals... Vajpayee, the univer- Masjid. Like you I want this tion, valour and cowardice,

3 glimpse of what it means to be a writer

and a cartoonist. Do you think enough
parents and teachers today encourage
children to view these as serious vocations?
I do think parents are more open now to what
Singh’s ‘secular’ front, but its championing
of the VHP and the Ram Janmabhoomi
movement brought it a new crucial ally –
the other bellicose Hindutva party, the Shiv
Sena. Advani was re-elected BJP president
sally liked bridge-builder with Atal Bihari Vajpayee
friends in every party, was Sagarika Ghose
needed to smoothen out the 414pp, ~699
edges between ideological Juggernaut
adversaries, but the nuts-and-
matter to be settled peacefully...
but in such sensitive matters
which has touched the... reli-
gious sentiments of a large
number of people, a court deci-
beneath the white coat”.

A Luxury Called Health

were called unconventional career paths back in March 1988, and under his leadership the
in my time. More importantly, kids need party reached out to the Sena. The Sena
to see that failure is normal, that it’s responded, and in October 1988, at a rally in
okay to make mistakes and that
something worth achieving often
takes struggle and repeated tries.
Mumbai’s Shivaji Park, Sena chief Bal
Thackeray openly invited the BJP for an
alliance. With a ‘secular’ club coalescing on
the one side, a ‘Hindu’ alliance took shape
Kavery Nambisan
303pp, ~599, Speaking Tiger
bolts tough talking was done by Advani and sion will be difficult to implement... if there
‘Advani man’ Govindacharya, in a clear is to be a national memorial, the question
indication of who the new BJP karta-dharta arises, what kind of memorial will this be?
was. In an autobiographical collection of What will it commemorate if not religious
interviews, VP Singh says that at this time fanaticism... In another letter... Vajpayee
when Vajpayee was at a low point, some had wrote, ‘I have never said that the masjid
ontheweb
even suggested to him that he join the Jan- should be brought down, nor do I believe

4
How did RK Laxman’s art
guide your own illustra-
tions for this book?
RK Laxman’s illustrations
on the other. The Janata Party’s Mrinal
Gore wondered out aloud: ‘How will a fine
man like Vajpayee feel sitting next to Bal
Thackeray?’
ata Dal. But Vajpayee denied that he ever this nation can only be seen as a Hindu
even considered this. He was never in any Rashtra.’ These letters... show that Vaj-
doubt about his RSS identity and he would payee had made his peace with the Ram
never give up on the party he had Janmabhoomi agitation that his party had
READ: Nitin Sinha
and Prabhat Kumar
turn the spotlight
on domestic
w
did indeed inspire mine. Some reflect But ‘fine man’ Vajpayee was unlikely to co-founded or the Hindu nationalist identity embraced. Earlier that year, in June 1989, workers, exploring
elements directly from his cartoons, raise any objections not only because he it represented. In his essay ‘The Sangh Is My had come a defining moment for Vajpayee their complex lives
such as the boy in shorts, standing on a always fell in with the party line, but Soul’, he said: ‘I wrote “Rag Rag mein Hindu, and for the BJP. In Himachal Pradesh, sur- in old and new
chair to draw, and the distinctive because ultimately Hindu nationalism was Hindu Tan-man Hindu Jeevan” when I was rounded by the Dhauladhar ranges, sits India. Lesser Lives
graphic of Malgudi railway station. still an essential part of his core identity... studying in the tenth class. I had said koi the hilltop town of Palampur. At its natio- is a collection of 11 short
I was also inspired by his spare The BJP continued in its new ‘ideological’ batlaye Kabul mein jaakar kitni masjidein nal executive meeting held here from 9 to stories on the theme, by some of Scan the QR
brushwork, dynamic figures, direction. ‘The Hindu vote is going to be todin. (Can anyone tell me if a Hindu has 11 June 1989, the BJP’s alliance with the the subcontinent’s greatest Hindi code to read
and framing techniques. There politically important in the coming decade,’ ever gone to Kabul to destroy masjids?) I Shiv Sena was finalized and the BJP passed and Urdu writers, including the review by
is even a little homage to Com- wrote the Organiser approvingly. ‘The BJP still stand by my words. But we [Hindus] did a resolution... that committed the party to Manto, Premchand and Mahadevi Lamat R Hasan
mon Man, his most famous should have no shyness complex to organise pull down the structure in Ayodhya. It was throwing itself into the Ram Janmabhoomi Varma. Some have never been
creation. its idea of Hindu renaissance.’ As greater the first incident in history when we Hindus agitation. published in translation before.

{ A MELDING OF PERSPECTIVES } TRAVEL MEMOIR Scotland. The joy these encoun- quip, to myself.” It’s not much of
ters and Hazaribagh’s attrac- a quip and he doesn’t keep it to

The beauty in our backyard

Syed Saad Ahmed elevation atop the Chhotanag-
letters@hindustantimes.com
pur Plateau, Hazaribagh offered
the British respite from the heat
ost travel bloggers of the plains and came to be
to a single genre; even the book
jacket lists it as Non-Fiction /
Travel / Memoir. With chapters
titled Lake, North, South and
Vatsa’s compassion for the
land and its people is evident.
There is enthusiasm and curios-
ity, which drive the author to
tions inspire in him shine
through in his writing.
Another endearing aspect is
Vatsa’s humility. Despite exten-
sively dwelling on himself, his
friends and family, and his
depression, he is never self-in-
dulgent or self-aggrandising. He
acknowledges how the “pleas-
himself.
Thankfully, he more than
compensates for these unex-
pected interludes. His descrip-
tions of landscapes are so com-
pelling that I wanted to put the
book down and follow in his
footsteps around the plateau.
His rapturous account of a visit

M are eager to leave

footprints all over the
globe, but some stay
in a place for months or years
and chronicle its myriad facets.
Among writings from the latter
kind, I’ve enjoyed Himanshu
Khagta’s Life in Spiti, Dave
Prager’s Our Delhi Struggle and
Mihir Vatsa’s Tales of Hazari-
bagh. They turned their blogs
into books, Tales of Hazaribagh:
An Intimate Exploration of
Chhotanagpur Plateau being the
latest. The book is unique in
many ways. It features a place
absent in most tourist itinerar-
ies — Hazaribagh, a town in
Jharkhand. Located at a modest
known as a ‘hill station’.
Vatsa grew up there, and
returned after working and
studying in Delhi. This results in
a melding of perspectives: that
of a long-time resident as well
as a tourist. We learn not only
about the landscapes and
attractions, but about urban
legends, folk tales and ghost
stories.
The book is not just about the
Chhotanagpur Plateau. It begins
with the author’s homesickness
in Delhi. His struggle with
depression frames the narra-
tive. This mix of personal essay,
travelogue, geography and his-
tory chronicle cannot be pinned
Territorial Trespassing, the
book is arranged along some-
what geographical lines.
However, the attempt to
bring together sundry reflec-
decipher topographical clues,
venture into little-known and
hard-to-reach places, and per-
sist in the face of unnavigable
roads and overgrown trails.
ure of exploration brings with it
the arrogance of discovery”, and
the challenge of detaching the
two. Vatsa talks about his men-
tal health struggles with can-
to Nisanlagwa Waterfall con-
jures its majesty and mystery.
Even the descriptions of coal
mining’s depredations along the
Bokaro River, and the deforesta-
tions from a blog He even sought out dour. And the memoir does not tion of Canary Hill to build a
into a book occa- the great-grandson of a overwhelm the travelogue. The road, are wrapped in eloquence.
sionally feels con- colonial officer with author knows when to recede We also learn about places
trived. connections to Hazari- allow into the foreground the that were once beautiful. Vatsa’s
The whimsicality bagh and met him in places he’s writing about. achievements go beyond con- Dassam Falls in Chhotanagpur. SAMRATBIT VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
and free-flowing The author seems self-con- veying the allure of Hazaribagh.
writing that make Tales of Hazaribagh: scious at times. Perhaps that’s The book shifts the lens of travel surroundings rather than fara- impacts our mental health and
Vatsa’s blog delight- An Intimate why his usually crisp prose writing from the “exotic” to the way lands, I hope there will be the redemptive potential of
ful fumble in the Exploration of abruptly veers into the silly or familiar. more such books that highlight travel or, more precisely, explo-
straitjacket of a Chhotanagpur overwrought. Take, for exam- While he wrote the first draft the beauty in our backyards, ration. As he puts it, “I loved
book. But once I got Plateau ple, how amid a straightforward of this book in April 2019, it is and how industrialisation is myself through the plateau.”
beyond the disjoint- Mihir Vatsa description of Hazaribagh Lake, remarkably relevant to the pan- changing them.
edness, I found the 216pp, ~450 he drops the line: “No less than demic world. As travel restric- Vatsa also underscores how Syed Saad Ahmed is a writer and
book engrossing. Speaking Tiger the Khan Market of Delhi, I tions limit us to exploring our our physical environment communications professional
 8 SUNDAY
2.1.2022 TheOPINIONPAGE
❝ Do not dwell in the
past, not in the future,
concentrate the mind on

JABALPUR
the present moment.
-BUDDHA
❞

FRENCH POLLS
While Macron portrays himself as a staunch opponent of the National Rally, his Government has tightened immigration restrictions,
launched a crackdown on Islamist “separatism,” and pushed through bill that featured a measure criminalising filming of police officers

Y
They are slaves who dare not be OU don’t have to be living in France
BY COLE
In the right with two or three STANGLER to understand there’s a lot at stake in
Lowell April’spresidentialelection:Theglob-
al climate crisis is deepening, the
Bharatiya Sour Month Paush country’s role on the international
Nakshatra Mula 16H 23M stageisunderquestion,itswelfaremodelisunder
Moon Dhanu (Rajandekar Panchang) pressure, and the shifting political winds in
Margashirsh Krishna Paksha Tithi Amavasya 24H 03M Berlin suggest there may even be a window of
opportunity to nudge the European Union in
Muslim Jamadilawal 28tt Hijree 1443
a more progressive direction. Looming over it
all, by the way, is a pandemic.
Now known as the National Rally (RN), the
party has held on to its base in the Macron era.
And while its electoral performance has been
underwhelming — the RN failed to win any of
the seventeen presidencies up for grabs in this
year’s staggeringly low-turnout regional elec-
tions — it continues to win the battle of ideas.
A glance at the national press reveals a debate
coloured by what were once the party’s pet
causes, confined to the margins of political life:
calls to end immigration, deport the undocu-
the top first-round challenger to Macron. Polls
in early December give her around 15 to 20 per
cent of the vote, while placing her 10 to 15 per
cent percentage points behind the incumbent
in the runoff. But it’s also why the space exists
for a candidate even further on the Right —
something that would have been unthinkable
even five years ago. Fittingly, the man out-
flanking Le Pen is a former star panelist for
CNews, someone who has been at the driver’s
seat of the rightward lurch in French media and

SUBTLE TREND
In an alternative time line, the 2022 presi- mented, cut off foreigners’ access to state aid, politics.
dential campaign would be focusing on some clamp down on public displays of Islam, and Despite their obvious ideological affinities,
of these issues. How does France aim to rein in tackle crime — no matter the costs. ÉricZemmour has a very different style than the

T
HE new trend the Security Forces have noted over the
past one year as regards terrorism in Kashmir may be
subtle, but its importance can never be overstated.The
officers of the Indian Security Forces have realised
from their actual experience that ‘senior youth’ who
are above 20-21 years of age are not joining terrorist ranks. Thus,
bereft of enough numbers, the terrorists are now trying to recruit
teenagers. This observation has its own merit in the overall sit-
uation, indicating success of the Government’s efforts to alter
the mindset of Kashmiri people. That process may be slow and
subtle, but it does have its importance as well as impact -- which
is indicated by the information of teenage recruitment the ter-
ror masterminds are now seeking. This change cannot be missed
in overall consideration of the Kashmir situation.
This change indicates that ‘senior youths’ are beginning to
sense the fallacy of terrorism and are, therefore, turning away
from the wrong pursuit. The terror masterminds must have
sensed a shortage of new recruits on this account, and are now
seeking younger recruits in their ranks. In turn, this change indi-
cates that theadministrationinthenewly-formedUnionTerritory
have succeeded in communicating to the common people the
virtues of being good citizens and taking the advantage of offi-
cial schemes for personal growth. Previously, the argument often
found listeners that the Kashmiri youths were turning to terror-
ism because they did not have enough and good employment
opportunities.Though that argument was quite hollow, it formed
an important part of the anti-India and anti-Government prop-
aganda unleashed by elements inimical to Indian interests. This
argument appears to be losing its appeal in the light of the new,
though subtle, trend of terror masterminds are trying to rope in
teenagers into their ranks.
There is yet another observation Security bosses have shared
with the public. They insist that increased numbers of encoun-
ters in the Kashmir region do not mean rise in terrorism, and
that terrorism is on the wane. We tend to agree with this obser-
vation as well. For, according to our perception, the increased
numbers of encounters indicate a greater efficiency on the part
of India’s Security Forces and Intelligence agencies. In other
words, the increased numbers indicate a proactive approach of
the Security apparatus to tackling terrorism. The Security Forces
no longer wait for terrorists to show up and then swing into
action. Contrarily, the Security Forces are seeking out terrorists
in different situations and attacking them. This has led to elim-
ination of good numbers of terrorists -- which is a mark of clear
the fossil fuel industry? How should it position
itself as the new Cold War heats up? How can
the state protect the safety net and redistrib-
ute wealth as Europe’s austerity hawks begin to
circle?
That is not the campaign underway.
Four months out from the first round of the
vote, the election is instead being driven by an
■ array of inflammatory culture war issues ani-
Four months out mating an emboldened far right. Debates over
from the first round Islam,immigration,nationalidentity,andcrime
have all dominated the early stages of the race,
of the vote, the fuelling a campaign that feels cruelly detached
election is instead from the material interests of the French pub-
being driven by an lic and the planet at large. It’s still early and a
array of lot can happen between now and April — but
it’s not looking pretty.
inflammatory cul- The leading contenders span the spectrum
ture war issues from far-right to centre-right: a pair of revan-
animating an chists who more or less dictate the news cycle;
emboldened far a neoliberal incumbent offering stability and a
right. Debates over defence of basic liberal values at a time of uncer-
tainty; and finally, a representative of old-guard
Islam, immigration, conservatives who have struggled to find a rai-
national identity, son d’être in recent years but who may well be
and crime have all able to muster the broad coalition needed to
dominated the win the runoff round.
early stages of the On the outside looking in are a series of Left-
Wing parties that are badly divided, lacking in
race, fuelling a credibility, and deeply detached from their old
campaign that feels working-class base.
cruelly detached The far right has largely set the tone for the
from the material campaign, shaping the exchanges between var-
interests of the ious candidates and weighing heavily on press
coverage.To some degree, this was to be expect-
French public and ed. In the 2017 race, Marine Le Pen received
the planet at large. the strongest-ever presidential result for the
It’s still early and a National Front, earning 34 per cent of the vote
lot can happen in the runoff round against Emmanuel Macron.
between now and While her final score was something of a dis-
appointment for her party — many anticipat-
April — but it’s not ed an even better performance — it underlined
looking pretty. just how mainstream it had become.
This type of politics is in demand. One can-
not deny that a large chunk of French voters is
attracted to the party’s message, including a sig-
nificant share of the working class. (The decline
of organised labour and the traditional politi-
cal parties of the Left has wrought havoc in ways
that should not be underestimated.) Still, the
far right has gotten extra help in recent years
thanks to a more favourable media landscape
— and particularly from the rise of a TV net-
work often dubbed the “French Fox News.”
Created by conservative billionaire Vincent
Bolloré in 2017, CNews has quickly become one
of the country’s most-watched news networks.
It pumps out a relentless stream of punditry
over things like drug-related violence in pub-
lic housing projects, the Islamic veil, and the
excesses of politically correct college students
— transforming the larger national news cycle
in the process.
In the meantime, Macron’s strategy of trian-
gulation has resulted in his Government offer-
ing de facto legitimisation of far-right concerns.
While he portrays himself as a staunch oppo-
nent of the RN, his Government has tightened
immigration restrictions, launched a crack-
down on Islamist “separatism,” and pushed
through a national security bill that featured a
measure criminalising the filming of police offi-
cers — a legislative passage that was ultimate-
ly struck down by France’s Constitutional
Council.
At the same time, leading members of
Macron’s Cabinet have embraced a new set of
culture wars, lamenting the spread of an Anglo-
Americaninspired“cancelculture,”thesupposed
plague of “wokeness,” and the alleged threat of
“Islamo-leftism.”These battles have reinforced
the belief that France’s eternal national identi-
ty is under siege — a target for enemies both
outside and within the country’s borders, par-
ticularly those of the Muslim confession.
AllofthisexplainswhyMarineLePenremains
RN boss. She aims to paint herself as reason-
able and ready-to-govern; he relishes his abil-
itytorepulseandtransgress.IntheZemmourian
universe, provocation is to be embraced — like
Trump, there is a certain glee in crossing the
line and seeing where the dust settles, over and
over. (Before officially declaring his candidacy,
he doubled down on the Great Replacement
conspiracytheory,whichallegesademographic
takeover of Europe by people from Africa and
the Middle East, and called to ban names of
non-French origin.)
But who can blame him for applying a for-
mula that works? A polemicist-turned–TV per-
sonality who understands the inner workings
of the press perhaps better than any other can-
didate,Zemmourhaseffectivelystolenthespot-
light from his rivals. Against this backdrop, he’s
built impressive support from conservatives
and RN supporters put off by Le Pen’s relative
moderation.
A familiar aphorism in French politics criti-
cizes right-wingers who tread too far onto the
RN’s territory. “Voters prefer the original to the
copy,” goes the refrain, originally used by Jean-
Marie Le Pen to criticize attempts from the
mainstream right to swipe his talking points in
the early 1990s.
More than a decade later, in a political uni-
verse drifting ever more to the right, Zemmour
is essentially turning this logic against the RN
itself. Why vote for a watered-down version of
the far right when you can vote for the real thing?
Why settle for the daughter when you can have
the father?
All that said, Zemmour has yet to prove he
can attract beyond a limited base of conserva-
tives. As of early December, he was earning
around 13 percent in the polls, trailing Marine
Le Pen and outside of striking distance from
Macron. His dream of uniting a“patriotic bour-
geoisie” and the working class still seems far-
fetched, at least for now. (IPA)

God’s supply chain management

success on the part of the Security Forces.
Of course, in this entire activity of counter-terrorism, the
Security Forces, too, have had to lose quite few bravehearts -- Inspiration

H
officers as well as non-officers -- due to terrorist strike-back.

Every nation realises that such a price must be paid in a fight of
such a nature -- uncertain and sudden or real-time. Every brave-
heart’s demise leaves a stab in the heart of every Indian. With
the demise of every braveheart, a family gets a blow from which
it can never recover. But then, this is one price that cannot be
avoided fully. The number of casualties may be reduced to some
extent all right, but it cannot be stopped altogether, because of
thenatureofconflictandmethodologyofcounter-terrorismwhere
the risk factor is very high.
In sum total, it must be recognised that the Government’s
approach to Kashmir has proved its worth in the past one year.
I
NDUSTRIAL Engineers and Operations
Managers, caught your attention, did-
n’t I? I also hope to have other readers
want to take a glance at the article.
Because why not? The first word of the
heading is just as provoking!
SupplyChainmanagementisajargonallot-
ted to the process of ordering of raw materi-
als; to customer delivery; and reception of
feedback, in a manufacturing unit. Now let
APPY New
form of goodness, charity and well being, of post delivery. Default and errors are parts of Year - a greet-
let’s say the materialistic Earth. The products the process- aren’t they? “Life” of an individ- i n g
are us humans who are manufactured with ual is the ‘implementor’ of the product. One’s exchanged
some purpose. The raw materials are only a Karma determines the Annual maintenance Every Year on
couple of things: Intelligence and Emotions. Cost (AMC) to be charged. Education is out- January1st.Butarewereal-
The warehouse would be the physical setup- sourced to polish the manufactured product. ly happy and has the year
or the body in which the raw materials have The product markets itself. The demand been new?
to reside. The object of Almighty’s sole pro- for the product in the “virtue market”, never Aswe begintheNewYear
prietorship would only be, to make this Earth exhausts. And neither, does the supply of with powerful greetings
good quality products. However, there always and blessings for all our

It must be said with much pride that whatever the Security Forces
and the civil administration achieved in the past one year was
ofasuperiorvariety--incomparison withtheoverallperformance
of any of the previous few years.
us play an analogy game. Supply chain man-
ager:Customers,then,God:?WhatwouldGod’s
supply chain management look like? Who
wouldthemanufacturersbe,andwherewould
the warehousing be done?What would be the
Work-in-progress stock, and what would we
MIDDLE SPACE
remains a gap between the 2, and if the vari- family and friends, let us
ance is unfortunately more, there is a hefty takeamomenttogreetour-
imbalance. The monopolist however always selves. To promise our-
BY ANIL SWAMY finds a way to amend these imbalances. selves a year full of love,
An interesting industrialist the Almighty is, peace and happiness.
a better place to live. isn’t He? And equally intriguing is his supply Let us leave behind what

THE OIL PIE

call the Finished Goods? For we, the sup- No product is supplied without legal test- chainmanagement.Wejustneedtomakesure we don't need to carry ...
posed theists are the only products of the ing and maintenance assurance. The testing that the demand horizon meets an efficient hurt, sadness, pain, fear
“Almighty’s supply chain management”. period is a time till humans attain adulthood. virtue market supply, to enjoy the profit of and regrets, because we

W
ITH Sri Lanka’s nod to formalisation of an agree-
ment to lease out 14 out of the 99 tanks at the
strategic north-eastern Trincomalee province
India has made an entry into the ‘China Bay’, sig-
naling an important shift in India-Sri Lanka rela-
tions. The agreement has come against the backdrop of Lanka’s
outreach towards India for help to tide over its deep economic
crisis. It also indicates Colombo’s willingness to revive the 1987
India-Sri Lanka Accord in face of acute woes exacerbated by ris-
ing debt and pandemic’s aftereffects on its lifeline -- tourism.
India had always shown great interest in the strategic oil stor-
age complex which was used as a supply base during World War
II. The 1987 pact had included a deal where it was decided to
undertake refurbishing of the tanks jointly by the two countries.
However, civil war in Lanka kept delaying the agreement before
political equations took a peculiar turn in Colombo thus allow-
ing Beijing to influence economic and strategic decisions of the
Island nations.
India has waited patiently to wean Lanka away from the
Dragon’s dragnet. The entry in the ‘China Bay’ is a small but sig-
nificant gain for New Delhi with a potential to change the dynam-
ics of the Sino-Indian rivalry in the Indian Ocean Region.Though
Lanka has declared the new deal as a triumph for the country,
there is much to the development from diplomatic point of view.
Last few months have seen regular visits from top Indian lead-
ership -- political, diplomatic as well as military -- to Colombo
for bolstering bilateral relationships. The import of these visits
can be seen in the change in Sri Lanka’s diplomatic approach
towards India.
Another important thing in the new deal is its timing. It has
come amid tensions between Sri Lanka and China over a con-
taminated consignment of organic fertiliser. At the same time,
the Rajapaksa Government is in process of finalising assistance
package including a second credit line from India. The key to
this package was finalisation of lease for development of the
strategic Trincomalee oil tank farm. That is why the small but
significant deal is a happy news for India in the New Year. It is a
hard balancing act for the Rajapaksas to keep both China and
India in good humor. For, India it is all about taking its benevo-
lent diplomacy at full throttle.
When we refer to “God” as our manager, A person’s parents, family and values pose to EARTH’S GLORY.Which,bythewayisenjoyed have a choice and the pow-
whom is he supplying to? In my opinion, God test the product.They not only test it, but also by all stakeholders, including the products er. Let us take a moment
supplies to virtue. The virtue can be in the providetrainingandensuresupport(tovirtue) themselves, in this case! toreflectononeofourmost
common beliefs - It’s not
me, it’s them.
Every Man in his Humour Letters to the EditorEvery Man i An illusion that some-
one else is responsible for
what we think, feel and do,
making ourselves a slave to
Welcome ‘Padhe Winners at Centurion
that person or that situa-
tion. Let us release this
belief and allow the truth
Bharat’ initiative Sir,
Cricket is a team game where performance is the name of the game and the
to emerge and establish
itself within our con-
Sir, year 2021 will go down as one of the greatest in Indian cricket with a number sciousness.
It is welcome to note that the Union Ministry of of victories at home and abroad. The truth is always sim-
Education and Skill Development has initiated the Indian cricket team now on tour to South Africa recorded its first win at ple, It’s not them, it’s me.
‘PadheBharat’readingcampaign.The100DaysReading Centurion and made sure that the team gets off to a resounding start in a 3 test always. We have a choice
Campaign is a vital step in improving students’ learn- match series. India wrapped up a memorable 2021 in style by bringing down in our every response. We
ing levels since it fosters creativity, critical thinking, South Africa’s citadel, the SuperSport Park, as they handed the Proteas a 113- can maintain a calm, pos-
vocabulary, and the ability to express oneself verbally run loss in the opening Test. The pacy track saw 38 of the 40 wickets account- itive, stable response
and in writing. It aids children in making connections ed by both Indian and South African quick bowlers and that was a tribute to regardlessofwhathappens
with their surroundings and real-life events. test match cricket. Ironically, the last two wickets were taken by the Indian ace around us. Let’s remember
All stakeholders at the national and State levels, spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who is running close for a chance to become the mantra to change our
including children, teachers, parents, the community, ICC cricketer of the year in the bargain. The game of cricket was the winner at life from being a slave to
and educational authorities, are encouraged to par- the Centurion. The Virat Kohli-led side enjoyed a winning streak and won in a beingamaster.It’snotwhat
ticipate in the reading campaign. Children can com- handsome way after losing a day's play due to rain. Indian pace bowling attack others say or do to me that
plete the activities with the assistance of instructors, made a match of it. Rahul set the ball rolling with a century and the century makes me feel this way, it’s
parents, peers, siblings, or other family members. stand with Maynak Agarwal made a match of it. what I do with what they
Our society should provide more resources for read- It was a dream come true show by the Indian pace combination, which made say or do that makes me
ing in order to improve children’s and teenagers’ intel- South African batsmen hop and jump and surrender their wickets at regular feel this way. Now choose
lectual abilities, skills and knowledge. This initiative intervals. Even star off spinner Ashwin’s assistance was not much required. how you would like to feel.
will enhance skill of expressing thoughts in small minds Ironically he packed off the tail to record a facile win to go one up in the series As we start making our
ofthetinytotsinwordandwillalsoimprovetheirvocab- as India batted out South Africa in the first innings after winning the toss. choices,thisyearwillbetru-
ulary. So, it’s indeed a welcome step. Now it’s upto the C K Dorai Ramani Suresh, Ghaziabad ly New and Happy.
children to how they grab the opportunity. -
Amit Singh Kushwaha, Satna (MP)
Readers please note the change in e-mail address. TheHitavada welcomes Middles (upto 550 words), letters for this page, and contributions to other sections
ATTENTION also by e-mail at: maindesk@thehitavada.com; editor@thehitavada.com. The editors may rephrase letters for clarity of thought and constraints of space.
14 REFLECTIONS 123
GURUGRAM | SUNDAY | 2 JANUARY 2022

Resettling women refugees Memories, and chance

E
DUCATION and culture, freedom
and responsibility, friends and fruits
— these are the things that come to
mind when I think of my days in
Lahore, the city I moved to from
Patiala after my matriculation.
In Lahore, I studied at Rai Bahadur Sohan
Lal Training College for my BT (Bachelor of
INDERJIT KAUR Teaching) and then joined Government Col-
lege, Lahore, for MA in Philosophy. Since my
Soon after Partition, father, Col Sher Singh, was in Peshawar, I was
in college hostels. My parents’ progressive
there was the issue of attitude towards learning and my determina-
tion to study for higher education allowed me
marooned Muslim
Manmohan Kaur, the wife of Gian Singh
Rarewala, the then Prime Minister of Patiala
state, was the president and Harraj Kaur the
vice-chief. I was the general secretary. To help
these displaced people, we sought the assis-
tance of prominent people, especially the DC,
Baldev Singh, and Wazir Singh Jeji, DPI.
We concentrated on women refugees from
Lahore, Rawalpindi, Pothohar, Multan and
Jhang. Over a hundred beautiful Kashmiri
women who were especially vulnerable in the
Kurukshetra camp came to Patiala.
We wanted to gather as much as we could
give to them. So, in addition to official help,
to make many more
Parkash daily newspaper, Giani Gurdit
Singh, to bring in scholars and settle them in
Patiala in the houses vacated by the Muslim
population that had now moved to Pakistan. track and field events take place. It
On behalf of the Mata Sahib Kaur Dal, we was a feat that we did not even dare
rehabilitated hundreds of families at Patiala. to dream of. Our sportspersons
We gave the women sewing machines to have become world-class in events
work on, earn a living. Initially, we even mar- which have weight categories to
keted their products. All this in addition to make an allowance for smaller indi-
the regular work we did at our homes! In my viduals — boxing, wrestling and
case, there was also teaching at the Victoria GOOD SPORT weightlifting, for instance — or
Girls Intermediate College, which I had ROHIT MAHAJAN those that don’t require the high-
joined on December 16, 1946. est degree of athleticism, like
Soon after Partition, there was the issue of shooting or archery. Neeraj

to be in Lahore as a young woman. Even as I
women being studied hard, I learned to negotiate the barri-
ers of patriarchy and feudal attitudes.
exploited. In Patiala In my free time, my friends always
teased me they did not have to
and elsewhere, we look hard to find me; I would
faced many difficulties be at the nearest fruit shop.
In April 1946, I moved from
in recovering Lahore to Patiala after com-
abducted women. pleting my MA and soon
started teaching. I would
And when we did, often reminisce about my
pleasant Lahore days and say
some flatly refused to that I would soon visit the capital PA
go to Pakistan. For of Punjab. This was not to be.
The year 1947 was historic, it gave us
many of them, it was Independence, and the Partition triggered the
massacre of lakhs of Hindu, Sikh and Muslim
double displacement, masses. Particularly painful was the humilia-
and it was with a tion and mistreatment of women — thou-
sands suffered as they were abducted and
we would go around the city collecting food
and clothes. We had never ever done this,
and we were initially a bit embar-
rassed, but the cause embold-
ened us. Seeing girls from
“good families” coming
out on the streets to ask
for donations was a
unique sight. They gave
generously, and I am
sure that the novelty
factor also came into
play. Let’s remember that
N this was the Patiala in
RTITIO which, when I was in school, a
covered family buggy always
transported me in purdah.
Of course, there were difficulties, including
the one I faced at home when my mother
gently admonished me and said girls from
our background were not expected to be out
marooned Muslim women who were being
exploited. Along with other ladies, I met
Mridula Sarabhai. She enlisted our help, but
the task itself was challenging, and I have
mixed feelings about it till date.
We faced many difficulties in recovering
abducted women. In Sangrur, a Muslim
woman flatly refused to go to Pakistan. “I live
well here. I get to eat and drink, I get to wear
jewellery, I have two children, how can I leave
them?” she said. In Bhawanigarh, another
woman voiced a common concern: “I lost my
honour here, who is there to accept me now?”
In a village near Kharar, the Sardar who had
a Muslim woman in his house said: “This
Allahrakhi had given me my heir.” The
woman, too, refused to go.
I enlisted one of my friends from Lahore to
help us, and with her assistance, we were able
to locate some families and send women back
to them. On the whole, for many, it was dou-
A
NOTHER year of loss goes,
but yet another year of loss
looms: 406 persons lost their
lives in India in the last 24
hours of 2021 — and we’re not even
in the midst of a massive surge.
Clearly, more grief will come our way.
2021 was a forgettable year. It was
an unforgettable year. The desire to
forget grapples with memory, and
burnt into collective memory are
tears of people lining up all night for
an oxygen cylinder for a loved one,
bloated bodies thrown up by the
Ganga, queues in front of crematori-
ums, dozens of pyres sending up
flames and smoke, almost en masse.
Sport, perhaps the most irrele-
vant of all modern multi-billion
dollar enterprises, with little inher-
Chopra’s gold — India’s first track
and field medal in the Olympics —
is groundbreaking because javelin
throw requires strength, agility,
technique of the highest order. PV
Sindhu’s second consecutive
medal is similarly remarkable. And
the memory of P Sreejesh sitting
atop the goal after the hockey team
won a bronze, ending a wait of four
decades? Priceless!
An unforgettable memory of the
most forgettable kind has Sushil
Kumar peering at the camera
through a yellow towel that hid his
face, escorted by men of Delhi
Police’s Special Cell. Perhaps the
greatest living Indian sportsperson
— with two medals in consecutive
Olympic Games, a feat later equalled

sense of relief that abused. Many jumped into wells and died.
In the last days of August, I was standing on
many of us volunteers the balcony of our Lal Bagh house when I
saw the endeavour heard loud noises in the street and saw about
two dozen unclothed women being paraded
wind down by a horrible crowd. So disgusted was I with
this terrible scene that even today, when I
think of it, I shudder with revulsion. I vowed
to do all I could to help my unfortunate sis-
ters, although I could do nothing that day.
Refugees started pouring into Patiala,
spurred by the generosity of Maharaja
Yadavindra Singh, who welcomed them.
They were in a pathetic state — people of
means suddenly without means, rendered
homeless, grateful to be alive. Now they had
to deal with the loss of those family mem-
bers and friends who did not make it, as well
as the catastrophic loss of the financial
underpinnings that built up their family’s
economic security.
With like-minded ladies, most of them eld-
er to me, I got to work in Mata Sahib Kaur
Dal, named after Guru Gobind Singh’s wife.
on the streets, literally begging! The eternal
issue: “What would people say!”
I replied that the cause was so great that it
didn’t matter what people thought; what
mattered was what we could do for the people
who needed help so desperately. She soon
came around to this point of view and in fact
actively donated from our own home and
started persuading others to donate as well, of
course without ever coming in the limelight
or stepping out of her Lal Bagh home, as was
expected of her. I have always admired the
power of Indian women who accomplish so
much within the social constraints they face.
We sent two truckloads to refugee camps
in Baramulla and Poonch in Kashmir,
where the Patiala army had come to the res-
cue of the locals. These trucks contained
food items, old clothes, blankets, woollens,
as also bathing items.
Meanwhile, Patiala was being inundated
with people from across what had suddenly
become a border. Active measures were tak-
en by Gian Singh Rarewala and the editor of
ble displacement, and it was with a sense of
relief that many of us volunteers saw the
endeavour wind down.
In any case, there were refugee families in
Patiala to be taken care of. As often happens,
with the passage of time, help was dwindling,
but in the meantime, the people who had
crossed the border were empowering them-
selves, taking control of their lives.
Post-partition, Patiala had lost a sizeable
Muslim population. The new population
came in with fresh energy. People were will-
ing to work to regain the life that they had
lost, and they devoted themselves to it with
uncommon verve and focus. Naturally, this
brought a sense of satisfaction and pride in
me and became the balm that healed the hor-
rors I had seen. In time, I would teach their
children in college, and they would be post-
graduate students at Punjabi University
when I was there.
— The writer served as Vice-Chancellor
of Punjabi University, Patiala, & headed
Staff Selection Commission, New Delhi P Sreejesh sits atop the goal after the Indian hockey team won a bronze in the
Tokyo Olympics, ending a wait of four decades. PTI

Recipe for a difficult stint made easy

ent value, has great benefits — it by Sindhu in August — has touched
boosts the immunity of those who the nadir by allegedly killing a
play and it elevates the mood of young man in his akhara in Delhi.
those who watch. Scientists sug-

T
HERE’S an old saying that the army
marches on its stomach. Nothing can
be truer, especially for a foodie like me.
In my four decades in uniform,
amongst the events and people I vividly
remember are the men who fed me. Nothing
can make life under difficult circumstances in
isolated locations better than good food. I am
MILITARY MATTERS sure most Army personnel fondly remember
BRIG SANDEEP THAPAR (RETD) their cooks — simple, earthy people who with
sheer experience and basic tools transformed
The bond is life-long, routine cooking into an art form. There were
plenty during my stint, too.
and not without We were in the North-East in the 1980s. The
CO (a 1971 war Vir Chakra awardee) had a
reason. It’s not just weight issue and would skip dinner. He would
about the food, it’s come to the mess for lunch but unfortunately,
since he was fond of continental food, the menu
the ingenuity and was always the same. Most officers yearned for
effort of fauji cooks dal-chawal, but had to pretend liking the west-
ern spread. A mess cook (now called chef mess)
in the most trying was posted and I interviewed him. ‘What all can
you make?’ I asked. The senior mess staff
of conditions would take young Second Lieutenants very
lightly and the chef, Nk Bishambar, haughtily
replied, ‘Saab, I can make 28 types of chutneys
alone’. As it turned out, Bishambar was an
exceptional cook. He made sure no continental
dish was repeated in a fortnight. We ate dishes
we didn’t know names of till one discovered
Italian food much later. And this was the no
cheese, pasta, mayo period.
I moved to a new raising where the chef, Nk
Padam Singh, was a Pahari who had learnt
cooking only in the Army, but had fine-tuned
his talent. He was proficient in any cuisine; his
mastery over puddings was phenomenal.
However, I can never forget his barbeques
after 24-hour marination and for which a bot-
tle each of brandy and rum were sought. But
Padam was always a hardy Kumaoni soldier
first. We were in Arunachal (Bumla sector) and
one fine Sunday morning, a blizzard struck. It
snowed for over three hours and the door of
our FRP (an igloo-type fabricated hut) got
jammed in 2-foot snow. The two of us inside
hadn’t eaten breakfast and by noon, our stom-
achs were rumbling. Communication had
been disrupted, so we were resigned to some-
one discovering us. Suddenly, we heard voic-
es outside. Nk Padam had marshaled the mess
staff and shoveled the snow to open the doors.
In he walked with a pressure cooker full of hot
khichdi. Never had khichdi tasted better!
I remember at Binnaguri, our chef Siddiqui
(known as Khan in the entire station) could cre-
ate magic with almost any ingredient. Such
was his reputation that we received several
requests for him, especially on raising days.
But this one is not about Khan. A new chef,
Suresh, had recently joined. He was from a
farmer family of Haryana, and had been
enrolled without realising it was a vacancy for
a cook. He knew nothing about cooking and to
put it in Khan’s words, not even how to boil
water! Khan employed Suresh mainly for
chopping and cleaning. During that period, an
enterprising officer at Army HQ tied up with
some five-star hotels to train chefs. Suresh was
detailed and he spent the next three months at
Delhi’s Maurya. He returned a changed man,
so confident of his culinary abilities. I immedi-
ately sent Khan on short leave lest he ruin his
learning with ‘that’s not how it’s done’! But I
kept Suresh’s new-found talent under wraps.
Soon, we moved to Siachen where deploy-
ment is in two lots. Half the battalion under the
CO would stay on top for three months and the
others under the 2IC (me) for the next three. I
ensured that the CO got the senior cook, Khan,
for his stint and I humbly settled for Suresh.
Cooking on the glacier is extremely difficult:
the cook’s day starts with gathering shovelled
snow into a huge tub to convert it into water so
that the rest of the cooking activities can start.
I can reveal today that my glacier tenure was
made that much more comfortable since
Suresh satisfied all my foodie cravings. Much
later, someone leaked my smart act to the CO,
who laughed, ‘So that’s how you came down
from the glacier with your weight intact!’
In the Army, the mess staff’s bond with the
unit and the officers is life-long. Though
Suresh retired, he somehow found my num-
ber and rang me up close to my son’s wed-
ding. ‘Shall I come to help, saab?’ he asked.
‘No, but do come and attend the wedding,’ I
said. He did, finding fault with the reception
caterer’s preparations!
gest that the brain’s memory is
almost limitless in theory —
around a quadrillion bytes, enough
to take in all information contained
on the entire Internet. But for prac-
tical purposes, only certain images
in the mind’s eye are uppermost,
stirring emotion, pleasant or
unpleasant — sport can edge out
some of the unpleasant memories.
Washington Sundar hooking a
ball, aimed at his eyes, for a six at
the Gabba ground in Brisbane is
one of the most amazing memories
of 2021. Washington — whose
father, Sundar, whispered the name
of a Hindu God, Srinivasan, in his
ear at his birth, but gave him a
Christian name after a kindly
neighbour in Triplicane — swatted
off the world’s best bowler, Pat
Cummins, as if he were a nobody.
The Indian cricket team, whose
bowlers had a combined 13 wickets
going into the Brisbane Test, had
the weakest attack Australia had
faced in 140 years. But they turned
the series on its head. The audacity
of Washington took the breath away
and left a lasting impression.
India won seven medals at the
Olympics, including a gold in the
main Olympic stadium, where
The reset this year
This is the year of the Common-
wealth Games and the Asian
Games — combined, these two
mega-events will provide to Indians
world-class competition in
wrestling, boxing, archery, shoot-
ing, cycling, hockey, athletics, to
name a few. Four years ago, Neeraj
Chopra won gold at CWG and Asian
Games, and this year he should do a
repeat — despite the distractions
that a grateful country threw at
him, due to which he lost practice
time but gained 12-kg weight!
The new normal at sports venues,
bereft of claps and laughter, is hor-
rible, as we saw at the Olympics:
What is sport without fans? It was
a fate reserved in India for Test
cricket in cities such as Nagpur
and Mohali, where schoolkids
would be bussed in to populate the
stands, so that the players could
wave at someone after performing
a spectacular feat.
The desolate stadiums, sans fans,
are terrible, and sport on TV is but
a pale shadow of seeing it in per-
son, but it’s a mercy that sport
continues, new memories continue
to be forged, giving us solace in
terrible times.

How to be a person with humour, valour and resilience of spirit

T
HE pages inside are yellowed with
age, the cardboard binding is bat-
tered but the cover illustration of
playful green frogs against a back-
ground of orange and purple on this note-
book seems as fresh as ever. ‘To do whatev-
er you want with, Natasha,’ reads the
IMMORTAL FOR A MOMENT message from my friend, Dawn, on the first
page. It is dated April 1995.
NATASHA BADHWAR As I turn the pages, I find a record of my
handwriting through the years. The
colour of the ink varies between blue,
It is the default design red, green and purple. I have filled up
of a life well-lived piles of diaries with reporting and work-
shop notes, but this one notebook in
that there will be which I have transcribed minimal quotes
milestones of that spoke to me or startled me when I
stumbled upon them, has remained my
gut-wrenching constant companion. Every now and
then something reminds me to browse
loss, rejection through it and search for connections in
and break-ups its pages again.
“I have traversed many kinds of
health, and keep traversing them… And
as for sickness: are we not almost tempt-
ed to ask whether we could get along
without it?” reads a quote from Niet-
zsche. The next sentence is written in all
caps on the page:
‘ONLY GREAT PAIN IS THE ULTI-
MATE LIBERATOR OF THE SPIRIT’
When I read this now, I also see the per-
son who had transcribed this carefully. I
was in my twenties and had been living
with a recurrent, unexplained stomach
migraine — bouts of pain that would
often debilitate me for two days, keeping
me up through the night, alone with
myself and my books. Friends would feel
sorry for me and look on helplessly. I
would struggle to articulate that while I
wanted a diagnosis and cure desperately,
I didn’t entirely mind the solitude of pain
and sleeplessness that I had to endure.
Whatever I managed to read in that vul-
nerable interlude touched me more
deeply. Sometimes I wrote poetry. Being
cut off from the noise and expectations of
everyday life was a fertile ground for oth-
er experiences. Learning to cope gave me
perspective and I was richer for it.
Another line in my diary defines great
health as rare humour, valour and the
resilience of the spirit. My body was in
pain but my spirit was healthy and these
words validated that. My friends did not
understand yet, but in the writings of a
philosopher I knew nothing else about, I
had found that pain can have a purpose.
In a book of short stories by Gabriel
Garcia Marquez, I found the cure that
endless visits to doctors’ clinics and hos-
pital OPDs could not offer me. “…play
music for her, fill the house with flowers,
have the birds sing, take her to the ocean
to see the sunsets, give her everything
that can make her happy... no medicine
cures what happiness cannot.” Indulge
yourself with beauty and art, I noted for
myself. It will heal you.
It is the default design of a life well-lived
that there will be milestones of gut-wrench-
ing loss, rejection and break-ups. A few
months ago, I was beginning to mourn
another instance of moving on in life and let-
ting go of a team I had been nurtured by. It
didn’t take too long before these words
copied out from a newspaper article on the
break-up of the Beatles came back to remind
me to kindly not take myself too seriously.
The quote is attributed to John
Lennon: “It’s just natural, it’s not a
great disaster. People keep talking about
it as if it’s the end of the earth. It’s only
a rock group that split up, it’s nothing
important. You know you have all the
albums there, if you want to reminisce.”
I say these lines to myself in my own ver-
sion of Lennon’s accent and they always
work like magic to snap me out of self-pity.
On another page, a quote from an Anais
Nin essay reads: “The woman of the
future… I imagine she will be very tran-
quil about her strength and her serenity,
a woman who will know how to talk to
children and to the men who sometimes
fear her.” On the same page is a sentence
from one of the final pages of ‘The
Colour Purple’ by Alice Walker, “Celie’s
quest is not so much to straighten out her
relationship with her Mister, but to devel-
op her relationship with the universe.”
For the young adult who copied these
lines in her diary, they were a revelation.
You will not be defined by how others
relate to you. You have permission, like
Celie, to become your own person, con-
nected to the wider world. Cultivate seren-
ity, it will be your power.
On a lighter note, there is this ageless
conversation between Pooh and Piglet:
“When you wake up in the morning,
Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “what’s the first
thing you say to yourself?”
“What’s for breakfast,” said Pooh.
“What do you say, Piglet?”
“I say, I wonder what’s going to happen
exciting today,” said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully.
“It’s the same thing,” he said.
Happy New Year, dear reader. May your
breakfast and 2022 be equal parts exciting
and tranquil for you.
— The writer is a filmmaker & author.
natasha.badhwar@gmail.com
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IXOO\JRWSDVWODERXUVKRUWDJHV6WULFWUHVWULFWLRQVKDYHWKHSRWHQWLDOWRRQFHDJDLQGLV n West Bengal 50 years ago,
UXSWVXSSO\DQGGHPDQG3URGXFWLYHFDSDFLWLHVFRXOGJHWEDGO\DIIHFWHGDQGSHRSOHFRXOG
EHZDU\RIFRQWLQXLQJZLWKHFRQRPLFDFWLYLW\HVSHFLDOO\LQVHFWRUVZKHUHSK\VLFDOSUR[
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I an income-drawing girl
began abolishing the need
for her parents to pay a
dowry. This phenomenon must
have spread to other areas, too.
Only a comparatively delayed
QHVVHVLQVHFWRUVOLNHWUDYHOWRXULVPDQGKRVSLWDOLW\³ ZKLFKDUHWKHILUVWWRIDFHWKH marriage can enable a girl to get
EUXQW³ ZDQWWKH*RYHUQPHQWWRSODQIRUDGGLWLRQDOSROLF\VXSSRUW:LWKVFLHQWLILFVWXG adequately educated to draw a
LHVLQGLFDWLQJWKDW2PLFURQPD\WUDQVPLWIDVWEXWLVQRWLQIHFWLRXVHQRXJKWRFDXVHGHDWK lucrative income. That is where
WKH*RYHUQPHQWVDFURVVWKHZRUOGLQFOXGLQJ,QGLDDUHIDYRXULQJDVLWXDWLRQZKHUHSUH the introduction of 21 as the
minimum age for marriage is an
FDXWLRQDU\FXUEVGRQRWOHDGWRHFRQRPLFGLVUXSWLRQV enabler. Although the current
,QWKH8QLWHG6WDWHVWKH&HQWHUIRU'LVHDVH&RQWURO emphasis is on women, that an
DQG3UHYHQWLRQKDVUHFRPPHQGHGFXWWLQJGRZQWKH early marriage retards a man’s
LVRODWLRQWLPHIRUDV\PSWRPDWLFLQIHFWHGSHRSOHIURP studies is also a fact, perhaps
more so because boys grow up
WRILYHGD\VVRWKDWWKH\FDQUHWXUQWRZRUNIDVWHU somewhat later than girls.
,QRWKHUFRXQWULHVLVRODWLRQJXLGHOLQHVIRUIXOO\YDF The custom of marrying
FLQDWHGHPSOR\HHVLQFULWLFDOHFRQRPLFVHFWRUV³ off girls young, in all probabil-
HGXFDWLRQKHDOWKFDUHWUDQVSRUWDWLRQJURFHU\VWRUHV ity, began with invasions from
India’s northwest, due to the
DQGVDQLWDWLRQ³ DUHEHLQJUHOD[HGLIWKH\KDYHPLOG rapacious lust of sex-starved
V\PSWRPV6SDLQLVDOVRUHGXFLQJWKHTXDUDQWLQHSHUL invaders. Societal view was that
RGZKLOH,WDO\LVUHOD[LQJWKHLVRODWLRQSHULRGIRUWKRVH an early marriage of girls would
ZKRKDYHFRPHLQWRFORVHFRQWDFWZLWKLQIHFWHGSHU possibly distance her from the I happened to compliment of population amongst the hatred against Christians,
avaricious attentions of invaders. Europe’s civilisational minorities. If the clergy or the Jews and homosexuals
VRQV7KH8.LVQRWLQFOLQHGWRLVVXHIUHVKUHVWULFWLRQVLQWKHQHZ\HDU,QHPHUJLQJ In Vedic times, for example, the progress. To which his menfolk object, they should through his sermons, called
HFRQRPLHVOLNH,QGLDWKH*RYHUQPHQWKDVWRVWULNHDEDODQFHEHWZHHQFRQWDLQLQJWKH custom was, at least for the response was: “Wait and see; be shown the example of khutba in Arabic. Do we
2PLFURQLQIHFWLRQVDQGNHHSLQJWKHHFRQRP\JRLQJ$ORFNGRZQOLNHLQLVRXWRI upper classes, marrying off boys the next century will be an France. Until 1905, Paris want such measures to be
WKHTXHVWLRQXQOHVVWKHVLWXDWLRQEHFRPHVGLUH$VLWLVWKHFRQVXPHUFRQILGHQFHLQGH[ and girls at about the age of 25, Islamic century. You will see allowed the country total resorted to in India? If not, we
because studies and learning for signs of this in your own life- freedom as far as one liked, must beware well in time.
LVIDUEHORZSUHSDQGHPLFOHYHOVDQGWKHUHFRYHU\ODUJHO\GHSHQGVQRWRQO\RQXQLP them were all-important. time. Lesser educated women worship the way one wanted We in India have wit-
SHGHGSURGXFWLYLW\EXWDOVRRQWKHUHFRYHU\RIWKHSRRUNHHSLQJSDFHZLWKWKHUHFRY Incidentally, the Islamic tra- do not prevent men from and generally conduct oneself nessed innumerable commu-
HU\RIWKHQRQSRRU:RUNHUVDUHDJLWDWHGZLWKWKHFXUEVLQSODFH5HVWULFWHGWUDYHORQ dition was that a girl who cross- studying and thinking.” as one chose to. The country’s nal riots, including what BR
SXEOLFWUDQVSRUWORRNVRGGZKHQIDFWRULHVDUHRSHUDWLQJDWIXOOFDSDFLW\1LJKWFXUIHZV es the stage of puberty made her Coming back to India, National Assembly brought in Ambedkar had described as
ready for matrimony. That is young marriages have caused a law in order to enforce sec- a “civil war”, ie, the clashes
DUHLPSDFWLQJKRWHOLHUVDQGIRRGVXSSOLHUV7KH*RYHUQPHQWQHHGVWRDVVXDJHWKHP because of Prophet more problems than solving ularism quite strictly. For that took place between 1920
DQGFRPHRXWZLWKDSROLF\VWDWHPHQWIRUWKHWKLUGZDYH$YRLGLQJVWULFWPHDVXUHVZLOO Mohammad’s injunction pub- any. The eras of invaders and example, no French citizen and 1940. Much worse was to
PHDQDSDUWIURPDVSXUWLQYDFFLQDWLRQVERRVWLQJWHVWLQJRSHQLQJPRUHYDFFLQHVLWHV lished in the Mishkat-ul-Masbih: conquerors are long over, but
8=E4382C8<4B was thenceforth allowed to happen thereafter in 1946-47
PRELOLVLQJHPHUJHQF\UHVSRQVHWHDPVDQGFORVHO\WUDFNLQJKRVSLWDOLVDWLRQUDWHV&KLOGUHQ “Marry women who will be the adverse consequences display any symbol of his/her and in 1948. Thereafter, we
FDQUHWXUQWRVFKRROLIWHVWLQJFDSDFLW\LVUDPSHGXS,WLVHDVLHUWRLVRODWHWKRVHZKR
very prolific, for I wish you to they left behind remain C742DBC><F0B religion outwardly, and cer- have seen four wars with
be more numerous than any unsolved. This is partly tainly not in public places, Pakistan, beginning in
WHVWSRVLWLYHWKDQNHHSDOORIWKHPKRPHIRUDQLQGHILQLWHSHULRG:HDUHEHWWHUSUHSDUHG other people.” Following this because India has been one of 0C;40BC5>AC74 offices or institutions of edu- Kashmir in 1947. Today, India
QRZWKDQLQDQGWKDWVKRXOGUHIOHFWLQRXUDSSURDFK injunction may be appropriate the few countries with a D??4A2;0BB4B cation. A Christian could not does not have a High
for a community that does not mixed population. The cler- wear a cross, nor a Jew wear a Commissioner residing in
C><0AAH>55
?82D1<; encourage the employment of
women. Such a practice excludes
gy — whether Deobandi or
Barelvi — has been con- 1>HB0=368A;B
yarmulke, Muslims citizens of
France could not wear a burqa
Islamabad.
In 1971, the eastern wing
half the population from con- cerned that the youth of its in public; it was strictly banned of Pakistan seceded and
tributing to the national econ- community might be tempt- 0C01>DCC74064 in France during the tenure of became Bangladesh. This
omy. There is another angle to
this phenomenon, pointed out
ed to adopt secular ways and,
in the bargain, overlook the
>5!$1420DB4 Nicholas Sarkozy.
Different segments
new country is more Bengali
and less religious and follows
to me by one Anwar Ahmed, an ‘glory’ of Islam. Care should BCD384B0=3 responded to the message of the scriptures in a much
artisan at Fatehpur Sikri, on our
way to Agra. Ahmed’s explana-
be taken to ensure that India
does not fall into the trap of ;40A=8=65>A the law in different ways. By
now, the situation in France
lighter way. Bangladesh has
controlled the excessive
tion for the educational back- minority apprehensions C74<F4A4 has gone to the extent that growth of its population, as
wardness of his community was retarding the progress of an quite a number of mosques well as perceptively improved
that mothers in the communi- entire nation. 0;;8<?>AC0=C have had to be shut down by its economy, to the extent that
ty were comparatively less edu- Another advantage of rel- the authorities. Only a fort- its currency, the taka, is twice
cated. He said an uneducated atively late marriage of a girl night ago, a prominent as valuable as the Pakistani
person couldn’t know the value would ensure better health for mosque in Beauvais, just 100 rupee.
of education for her sons and her; most likely because of her km north of Paris, was shut (The writer is a well-
daughters. having fewer children. The down by France’s Interior known columnist, an author
During my visit to Cairo in step of fixing the minimum Minister Gerald Darmanin. and a former member of the
1961, I came across a young lec- marriageable age at 21 would The imam has been accused Rajya Sabha. The views
turer at the Al Azhar University. also affect the onward march of propagating religious expressed are personal.)

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LQGXKR0XVOLPHNKDLQGRQR\DDQLDDVKQDDLKDLQ+XPZDWDQKXP]XEDDQZD Allahabad High Court had advised the ]X]VbcaTPZP]Sf^]X]PWP]Sb^\TfPhPUcTa
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least for three months, given the growing \PSTXcR[TPacWPc
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IROORZLQJWKH%-3*RYHUQPHQW·VQRWLILFDWLRQUHJDUGLQJWKHFKDQJHLQ$OODKDEDG·VQRPHQ discipline and follow COVID-19 protocol.
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This is high time to be vigilant in contain-
NKZDDERNLVKHK]DDGLPDLQKX$NEDU$OODKDEDGL«µ ing further spread of the virus. All the
VKRXOG DOVR EH DPHQGHG WR ´«PDLQ KX $NEDU resources should be utilised for a single
cause now. The elections would take away
3UD\DJUDDML«µ:KDWIXQZRXOGWKDWEH$QGGRLQJ focus from COVID-19 which may prove
WKLVWR6DL\LG$NEDU+XVVDLQDND$NEDU$OODKDEDGL costly. The election rallies and mass con-
ZKR ZDV ZLGHO\ DFNQRZOHGJHG IRU KLV VDWLUH DQG tact programmes will create a fertile
ground for the pandemic to flare up. It
QDWLRQDOLVW8UGXSRHWU\"*LYLQJDKXPRURXVWRXFKHYHQ seems to be a wrong decision to have elec-
WRORYHDQGSROLWLFVKHZDVTXLWHYRFDODERXWWKHF\Q tions at this point of time anyway.
LFLVPDQGK\SRFULV\RIFRORQLDO,QGLD·VSROLWLFDOOHDG DVG Sankararao | Vizianagaram
HUVRIWHQZHDYLQJ(QJOLVKZRUGVLQWRKLVVKD\DUL
96?><IG525<95F549>C53E<1B9C=
1RZWKDW)DL]DEDG·VQDPHLVSURSRVHGWREH Sir —It must be realised that the actual poi-
FKDQJHGWR$\RGK\DZLOO¶0HUDM)DL]DEDGL·EHFDOOHG son exists in the heart of an individual
¶0HUDM $\RGK\DYDDVL·" 2I FRXUVH HYHQ WKH which the religious zealots promptly
exploit to meet their electoral interests.
%ULWLVKHUVGLGLWEXWFDQRQHGLVFDUGRUGLVUHJDUGKLVWRU\RUEDQLVKLWWRWKHQHWKHU
Thus, the original or greater sinners are
UHJLRQVKRZHYHUEUXWDORUSDLQIXOLWPD\EH,ILWVHWVDSUHFHGHQWLQWKH%-3UXOHG the common people only without whose
6WDWHVRQHFDQRQO\VKXGGHUWRLPDJLQHWKHIDWHRISRSXODU8UGX+LQGLSRHWVVXFK patronage, no evil power in the earth can
DV)LUDT*RUDNKSXUL+XOODG0RUDGDEDGL-LJDU0RUDGDEDGLDQG0DMURRK6XOWDQSXUL succeed in their dirty mission of spread-
ing hatred against the “other” and demon-
7KHLUSHUVRQDOLWLHVPD\EHLPSHUYLRXVWRVXFKVKHQDQLJDQVEXWWKHGHFDGHVROGVWDQG
ising them. In this very context, we
LQJZLOOFHUWDLQO\VXIIHUDMROWVRUWRIDVSHHGEUHDNHUZKLOHQHJRWLDWLQJWKHLU¶WDNKDO should not give clean chit to the commu-
OXV·MXVWDVDQ$OLJDUKLWDDOD ZRXOGUHWDLQLWVWRXJKQHVVDQGORRNVE\DQ\RWKHUQDPH nal rabid section among Indians as if they
EXWZLOOORVHLWVVRXO0HUHO\FKDQJLQJVLJQVEHDULQJWKHQDPHRI%DEXUDQG$XUDQJ]HE are “innocent, gullible children’ whose
GRHVQ·WREOLWHUDWHWKHVXIIHULQJRI+LQGXVGXULQJWKHLUUHLJQVUDWKHUWKHVHQDPHVVKRXOG “unpolluted” minds get washed by the
vested interests. Rather, they are the
EHNHSWDOLYHVRWKDWLWVHUYHVDVDUHPLQGHUWRWUHDWHTXDOO\SHRSOHRIDOOUHOLJLRQV greatest offenders as just because of their
FDVWHVFRPPXQLWLHVFRORXUFUHHGDQGVH[XDOSUHIHUHQFHV'RHVWKHQDPHFKDQJH disgraceful patronage, communal forces
HQWDLOWKDWWKHVWUD\VJHWDURWL PRUHWKHVHGD\VRUGRHVPRUHZDUPWKUHDFKWKH attain political power and create mayhem
in the society.
ERG\DQGKHDUWRIWKHKRPHOHVV"$NEDU$OODKDEDGLSXWLWEHDXWLIXOO\'XQL\DPHLQ Yes, no party/Government can make
KXGXQL\DNDWDODEJDDUQDKLKX%D]DDUVHJX]UDKXNKDUHHGDUQDKLKX« a society communal unless the general
C
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2T]cdaX^]B^dcW0UaXRPP]S\PSTbdaT aT]STacWTXafXRZTcbPcaTVd[PaX]cTaeP[b4eT]
FWXcT7^dbTb_^ZTb_Tab^]
cWPccWTcTP\VTcb^UUc^PaTb^d]SX]VbcPac bcPa^UUb_X]]Ta0bWfX]bPbbXbcP]RTfPb]^c
X]cWTcWaTTCTbcbTaXTbCWThTPa!! fX[[V^ \dRWaT`dXaTS8a^]XRP[[hWT_PRZTS^UUcWT ¯9T]?bPZX
S^f]Pb^]T^UcWTVaTPcTbcX]8]SXP]RaXRZ cPX[c^aTR^aSPUPRX[TfX]c^V^^]Td_X]cWT
8c^[SEX]3XTbT[
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PQa^PSCWT_PRhcaPRZbPf"'^UcWT#fXRZ UXabcX]]X]VbPUcTafX]]X]VcWTc^bb
TcbPRR^d]cTSQhQ^cWcWT8]SXP]P]SB^dcW 2:3^aPXAP\P]XBdaTbW| 6WPiXPQPS ]^cQTaTcda]X]Vc^
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society chooses to walk the path of hatred now is the global phenomenon of cli-
and intolerance. When a party repeated- mate change; we have to do it before it 0Rc^a
ly gains power through free and fair elec- becomes too late to adapt to the changed ¯3fPh]T9^W]b^]
tions despite engaging in communal pol- climate and survive. As we enter the New
itics in a secular country and associated Year, we don’t know what life holds in
with demolition of shrines, dastardly store for us. CWTaTb]^cWX]V
pogroms, killings in the name of a The future is in the womb of time. fa^]VfXcWEXaPc
:^W[X³bQPccX]V*
“Godly animal” and calling all sorts of The unpredictability of life should
names to particular communities — it change our outlook on life for the bet- XcbYdbc[XZTWTXb
VTccX]V^dc^]
gets clearly proved how immense popu- ter. We can learn to be more humble and
larity these merchants of hatred enjoy in altruistic and deal with our personal and WXbUXabc\XbcPZT
present times. Had the society believed social problems wisely. We have our dif- TeTahbX]V[TcX\T
in secularism and religious brother- ferences, but we should not place them
hood, these rabid divisive elements over our common humanity or fight 5^a\Ta8]SXP]RP_cPX]
¯Bd]X[6PePbZPa
would have been electorally vanquished over them affecting human relationships
from the face of India. or causing loss of life. Politics, religion,
Kajal Chatterjee | Kolkata laws and ideology should be for man and 0ZWX[TbWS^Tb]^c
not the other way round. It is a self-evi- aT\T\QTa:P[hP]
>5GI51BB56<53D9?>C dent truth that we live in an imperfect BX]VWQdc9X]]PW
Sir — As we step into the New Year, we world. Still we can make the world a bet- FX[[h^de^cTU^a
are in a ruminative mood. The whole ter place by our individual and collec- cW^bTfW^
world has been preoccupied with the tive efforts. Td[^VXbT9X]]PW.
pandemic since its outbreak two years G David Milton | Maruthancode
ago. Apart from Coronavirus and its
variants, including Omicron, a major BT]Shh^daUUTTSQPRZcc^) D]X^]7^\T<X]XbcTa
challenge we have to address here and [TccTabc^_X^]TTa/V\PX[R^\ ¯0\XcBWPW
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D ceptible drop in the quality of
movies. Colour TV had been
introduced around that time in
India and the “serial” age began in right
earnest, attracting Bollywood majors.We
3DUW\WRZLQWKHVWDWHDVVHPEO\HOHFWLRQLQWRDPLUDJH7KDWLQVSLUHVKHU had thought then that the end-game for
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smart serial-makers occupied a big chunk
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DWHO\DIWHUKHUH[SXOVLRQIURP&RQJUHVVRQ'HFHPEHUGDUHG the scene, bringing freshness, we accom-
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Gowarikar, Anurag Kashyap, backed up
by new age multiplexes began giving
viewers reasonably good films with
enhanced cinema experience. And after
a dream run, television began to falter.
The reasons were not difficult to see.
Balaji Telefilms, the serial giant kept com- 8C<0H=>C
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time, and for the last few years, the news ?4>?;4F8;;68E4
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was also beginning to get squeezed. >5DB70A1>DA short movies (who don’t have There is place for everyone except The question is that can
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time available to carve out in order to C7434B8A4C> well. It presents us with huge can- their old, formula “tricks”. would lure us back to the theatres
watch a movie. For average person, the E4=CDA4>DC0=3 vas which stores old movies, doc- The business model needs a more often in current circum-
annual frequency of visiting theatres 4G?4A84=24C74 umentaries, infotainment content. drastic change. A newly-released stances, given the fact that good,
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vice) phenomenon occurred. It was
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n December 27, the
O Andhra Pradesh High
Court questioned the
petitioners about the rele-
vance of their petitions about
the three-capitals formula of
the state government in view
of the state Governor giving his
assent to the AP
Decentralization and Inclusive
Development of All Regions
Repeal Bill of 2021.
Continuing the hearing
on a batch of petitions chal-
lenging the two legislations —
The Andhra Pradesh Capital
Region Development
Authority Repeal Act, 2020,
and the Andhra Pradesh
Decentralization and Inclusive
Development of All Regions
Act, 2020 — a three-member
division bench headed by
Chief Justice Prashant Kumar
Mishra directed the petition-
DUHSHUVRQDO
1=1B34ED;0?0;;8
(The writer is Advisor,
National Media and Inter
State Affairs, Government of
Andhra Pradesh. The views
expressed are personal.)
ers to fill the note in 10 days.
The present status on
record after the YSRCP
Government of YS Jagan
Mohan Reddy repealing the
three Capitals Bill is that
Amaravati stands good as the
capital of Andhra Pradesh.
Where is the ambiguity?
On the floor of the Assembly
on November 22, the Chief
Minister made clear the inten-
tions of his Government and
explained the reasons for the
repeal of the Bill. He was
unambiguous while presenting
the case on the floor of the
House.
Legal battles apart, the
Jagan Government felt that
some people with vested inter-
ests are disseminating misin-
formation ever since the pol-
icy was announced to have
three Capitals for the residual
state of Andhra Pradesh after
bifurcation of the undivided
Andhra Pradesh State into
Telangana and AP. In fact, the
Government had informed
the High Court just before the
repeal bill was moved in the
House and sought the consent
and subsequently Governor
had given his assent to the
decentralization repeal bill.
Keeping the development in
mind, the Andhra Pradesh
High Court on Monday direct-
ed petitioners to submit a
note on the relevance of the
petitions in view of the
Governor’s assent.
The main opposition,
Telugu Desam Party, however,
sponsored an agitation.
Farmers of Amaravati
marched to Tirupati, prompt-
ly drawing the attention of
forces supporting the three
Capitals move to organize a
rally in the temple town to
strongly ventilate their point of
view.
In June 2020, the Jagan
Government enacted two sep-
arate laws, the Andhra Pradesh
Capital Region Development
(Repeal) Act aimed at abolish-
ing the authority created by the
previous TDP government in
2015 to develop Amaravati as
the state capital and the AP
Decentralisation and Inclusive
Development of All Regions
Act aimed at establishing three
capitals for the state — exec-
utive capital at Visakhapatnam,
judicial capital at Kurnool and
legislative capital at Amaravati.
Now that the repeal bill got
assent of Governor, notwith-
standing any future steps of the
Jagan government, Amaravati
will be the Capital.
The AP Decentralisation
and Inclusive Development
of All Regions Act, 2020 was
meant to have three seats of
governance, namely
Legislative, Executive and
Judicial Capitals. It was initial-
ly passed in the Assembly in
January 2020 but was then
referred by the Legislative
Council to a select committee,
which was not formed due to
the deep discord between the
ruling and opposition parties.
It was passed in the Legislative
Assembly for the second time
in June 2020. Further,
Governor Biswa Bhusan
Harichandan gave his assent to
the relevant Bills in July, 2020.
During course of hearing
on the petitions in High Court,
the Union Home Ministry
has informed the Andhra
Pradesh High Court in August
2020 that the capital city of
Andhra Pradesh was a matter
to be decided by the state gov-
ernment. The Centre has no
role in it. An Under-Secretary
in the Union Home Ministry,
Lalita T. Hedaoo, filed a
counter-affidavit in the AP
High Court to this effect.
The counter-affidavit
mentioned that under Section
6 of AP Reorganisation Act,
2014, the Union Government
had constituted an expert
committee on March 28, 2014
under the chairmanship of
K.C. Sivaramakrishnan to
study alternatives for a new
capital for the state of Andhra
Pradesh.
While this became histo-
ry with the repeal of the bills
in November last, the contro-
versy is still going on as TDP
has dreams to get political
mileage in the name of sup-
porting the agitation by a
handful of farmers of
Amaravati area.
It is on record what the
Chief Minister said on the
floor of the House on
November 22, that his
Government would bring a
“comprehensive, complete and
better” Decentralisation Bill.
People who believe that Jagan
Reddy would not go back on
his word have no ambiguity on
what is going to happen.
8 millenniumpost
The immunity quest
While one half of the world is running behind boosters on the basis of unconvincing findings, the other half is
struggling for vaccination despite ample supporting data — where does India stand in balancing the two?
ARIF MOHAMMAD AND
SURAJ KUMAR
A
fter claiming more than
54 lakh lives worldwide,
and affecting almost
every single human on
the Earth, the pandemic is showing
no signs of receding. The new vari-
ant — Omicron — is an assertion
of the fact that Coronavirus is here
to stay, among us, killing us daily in
large numbers, and crippling our
lives beyond count.
The best armor that humans have
in their kitty — double dose vacci-
nation — is failing to curb the trans-
missibility of the virus. The double
dose we had been desperately long-
ing for over two years has been
turned ineffective — through what?
A simple modification of spike pro-
teins in the virus!
But are humans losing the war?
No, humans may die, they may suf-
fer, but they never lose. The fight is
on, and the answer, for at least the
time being, is the booster dose. The
whole human race, which was until
a few months back running behind
the goal of primary vaccination, is
now running pillar to post to achieve
the shifted goalpost — almost in a
blinded fashion.
But this perceived panacea of
boosters has its own set of limita-
tions. In the first place, it is not for
all. Only well-off countries are able
to afford booster doses for their
population while many nations are
still struggling to achieve primary
vaccination. Vaccine inequity is
now out with its naked ramifica-
tions that experts had been warn-
ing since long. Further, the efficacy
of booster doses in containing the
spread of the Omicron variant is
limited on several counts.
In this article, we shall look at the
prospect of booster doses in India.
More importantly, it would be per-
tinent to retrospect on balancing the
need for booster in well-off coun-
tries with primary vaccination in
low-income countries. But first, we
shall start with the basic concept of
immunization.
Immunisation mechanism
Immunity against a particular
pathogen refers to the ability of the
body to fight against that pathogen.
Our body acquires immunity after
being exposed to the pathogen and
fighting against it for some time. In
case of Covid-19, a person acquires
immunity either after being recov-
ered from Covid-19 or through con-
trolled implanting of the modified
prototype of the virus — enabled
through vaccination.
White Blood Cells — also called
immune cells — fight against infec-
tions in our body, including Covid-
19 infection. WBCs are of different
kinds and have different defense
functions. One of the WBCs —
Macrophages — helps the body by
eating up the pathogen and leav-
ing behind antigens; this makes it
easy for the body to identify these
antigens and produce antibodies to
fight against them. The production
of antibodies in the body is carried
out by B-lymphocytes (or B-Cells).
Most of the vaccines are currently
designed to focus on creation of
antibodies through B-Cells. The
plus point of B-Cell response is that
it counters the virus components
before the human body is infected.
This is analogous to entry-level gate-
keeping for the virus. On the flip
side, the body’s capacity to produce
antibodies is limited against the rap-
idly multiplying viruses.
This is where the second defense
mechanism sets in. The T-lympho-
cytes WBCs (or T-Cells) play a
rather attacking role. A certain com-
ponent of T-Cell — CD8+ T-cell —
kills the virus in the infected parts of
the body. Certainly, both the B-Cell
and T-Cell responses are of criti-
cal importance to combat the virus.
The three major types of vaccines
— mRNA vaccines, protein sub-
unit vaccines and vector vaccines
— carry out the same function of
facilitating the creation of T-Cells
and B-Cells.
Body’s defense system memo-
rizes its response to act against sim-
ilar onslaughts from the virus in
future. There is lack of conclusive evi-
dence yet as to how long is this mem-
ory retained in the case of Covid-19
infection. The losing memory of the
defensive WBCs may lead to waning
of immunity in the fully vaccinated
persons over time — thus creating a
need for booster doses.
Universal vaccination vs
booster doses
One thing is for sure, booster
doses of Moderna and Pfizer — both
mRNA vaccines — are known to
reduce the risk of Omicron signifi-
cantly. Whether it is true for other
sets of vaccines is not yet clear. The
reason is there isn’t enough data
to either substantiate or negate the
point.
Presently, 150 countries across
the world are receiving the Pfizer
BioNTech vaccine. This includes
almost the whole of Americas, Aus-
tralia, Western Europe and some
countries in Africa along with lim-
ited countries from Asia. Moderna,
on the other hand, is administered
in 83 countries, including most of
the countries in Northern Amer-
ica, Western Europe and Australia.
Oxford AstraZeneca, being admin-
istered in 183 countries, remains
the most popular vaccine. It is being
administered in India as Covishield.
At least for the countries that
are administering Moderna and
Pfizer, it can be said that booster
doses could lead to containing the
spread of Omicron at regional level
— country level at best. But how far
will it be successful in rooting out
the global pandemic is question-
able — as concentration of booster
doses in richer parts of the world
will leave poor pockets behind to
become virus dumping grounds.
The World Health Organization
(WHO) has decried the indiscrimi-
nate rush towards the booster dose
vaccination by European nations
and the USA. WHO’s stated concern
is that the world has only enough
vaccines to give double-dose vac-
cines to the global population and
boosters to at-risk immunocompro-
mised individuals. Only then, the
world will move towards eliminat-
ing the pandemic. The UN, World
Bank, IMF and WHO had called for
commitment in August to adminis-
ter at least one dose to 40 per cent
of the population of each country
in the world by the end of the year.
While many developing countries
just managed to cross the mark,
almost all the nations in Africa —
barring just a few — failed to do so.
Contrary to this, Raka Banerjee,
Project Coordinator in the Devel-
opment Data Group at the World
Bank, in an interview on July 28,
stated that 84 per cent of the vac-
cines went to high and upper mid-
dle-income countries. Countries
like the USA and the UK have
found it more suitable to use
the heavy stockpile of the vac-
cines to boost their entire pop-
ulation. In doing so, there is
no doubt that these coun-
tries are ensuring foolproof
safety of their citizens. But
this will leave some pock-
ets in the world where
the virus could eas-
ily mutate and then
spread to the entire
world again.
But is it appropriate to demand
that Western countries compromise
with the safety of their citizens? In
order to answer this question, we
will have to understand the differ-
ence between double dose of vacci-
nation and booster dose.
Booster dose over
double dose
Two types of protection can be
expected from the vaccines — one,
that it would prevent severe illnesses
and hospitalization; and two, it will
put a check on transmission of the
virus. Primary research and expe-
rience have shown that the double
dose of the vaccine potentially pro-
tects people from severe illnesses,
provided that they are not at-risk
or immunocompromised. The two
doses of vaccination, however, are
known to fail in preventing the
transmission of the virus. This effec-
tively means that most of the double-
vaccinated people will not die from
Omicron but they may likely catch
the infection.
The booster dose, on the other
hand, will prevent people from both
severe illnesses and transmission.
The need for boosters is also empha-
sized on account of waning immu-
nity. This argument lacks conclusive
evidence as no specific timespan for
waning immunity of various vac-
cines is ascertained yet.
India’s prospect for boosters
Until a week back, India had four
vaccines in its kitty — Serum Insti-
tute of India’s Covishield, Bharat
Biotech’s Covaxin, Russian vac-
cine Sputnik V and Zydus Cadila’s
ZyKoV-D. Covishield and Sput-
nik are adenoviral vector vaccines
while Covaxin is an inactivated-
whole virus. Evidence suggests that
the type of booster dose should ide-
ally differ from the first two doses
if the primary vaccine happens to
be an inactivated-whole vaccine or
adenoviral vector vaccine. In India,
90 per cent of the vaccination has
been carried out through Covishield.
DCGI’s approval of two new vac-
cines — Hyderabad-based Biologi-
cal E’s Corbevax and Serum Institute
of India’s Covovax — is relevant in
this context. Both the vaccines differ
from Covishield, Covaxin and Sput-
nik in their composition. Corbevax
and Covovax are protein-based vac-
cines and could potentially be con-
sidered for booster dose.
The real breakthrough, however,
would be the two vaccines that are
in the pipeline — Bharat Biotech’s
Intranasal vaccine and Pune-based
Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd.
SUNDAY, 2 JANUARY, 2022 | NEW DELHI
A question that should
intrigue every human
is: How far can we
afford to take top-up
vaccines year after year,
because unless the entire
world is shielded from
the virus, no one is safe?
Gennova vaccine is of prime inter-
est as it is known to be India’s first
mRNA vaccine. Experts across the
globe have suggested that mRNA
vaccines are the best candidates for
booster doses.
But then again, efficacy of all
these vaccines is more speculation
and less evidence-based proof. Fur-
ther, given the long gap prescribed
between the second and the third
dose suggests that booster in India
is still a long shot.
Immunisation across
the world
When it comes to administra-
tion of booster doses, nearly half
of the world is yet to make a foray
into what could safely be called a
privilege of high-income countries
or regions.
Continent-wise, almost the
whole of the Americas minus a few
countries — Mexico, Venezuela,
Nicaragua, Suriname and French
Guiana — have made a tryst with
booster dose. While the South
American nations, Chile and Uru-
guay, top the chart with 55 per cent
and 44 per cent boosted population
respectively, the USA and Canada,
being larger nations, have boosted
20 per cent and 17 per cent of their
populations respectively. Brazil, in
South America, has administered
booster doses to 12 per cent of its
population. Nearly 68 per cent of
the population in Brazil is fully vac-
cinated while 79 per cent is partially
vaccinated. Other nations crossing
the double-digit mark in terms of
booster dose include Argentina (11
per cent) and smaller countries like
Cuba (12 per cent) and Dominican
Republic (13 per cent).
The most heavily boosted region
in the world — though a relatively
smaller one — is the Western
Europe. To have a glimpse into the
region, the percentage of popula-
tion having received a booster in
countries is: Iceland (55 per cent);
the United Kingdom (49 per cent);
France (31 per cent); Ireland (41 per
cent); Germany (36 per cent); Aus-
tria (41 per cent) Hungary (32 per
cent); Greece (31 per cent); Serbia
(25 per cent); Italy (28 per cent); Slo-
venia (22 per cent) etc. Only a few
small countries in the region like
Croatia, Ukraine, Romania, Estonia
etc. have not administered booster
doses to its population.
To paint the picture in stark
colours, we now discuss the second-
largest and second-most populous
continent in the world — Africa.
Africa hardly leaves any scope to
discuss boosters, as only two coun-
tries in the northern part of the con-
tinent — Algeria (0.1 per cent) and
Tunisia (7 per cent) — have received
a booster dose. In Africa, one can
see the naked reality, and one will
be forced to talk of the real things
at hand — the bid to vaccinate, and
not boost.
Sadly, for many of the countries
in the continent, the proportion of
vaccinated (partially or fully) con-
tinues to linger below the double-
digit mark — Nigeria (2.2 per cent),
Sudan (2.9 per cent) South Sudan
(1.6 per cent), Mali (2 per cent),
Ghana (7.7 per cent); Zambia (6.1
per cent), Ethiopia (1.4 per cent);
Madagascar (2 per cent) — and the
list doesn’t end here.
Brace up for more shock, as
there are a few countries in Africa
for which the percentage of fully
vaccinated population is in points,
for example, Democratic Republic
of Congo (0.1 per cent) and Chad
(0.5 per cent). And then the world
talks of booster vaccines. A question
that should intrigue every human is:
How far can we afford to take top-
up vaccines year after year, because
unless the entire world is shielded
from the virus, no one is safe and
variants will keep coming from the
pockets we have created for our-
selves. This is the time the world
should realise it is digging its own
grave by neglecting the needs of
poorer nations.
For Asia, the booster scenario
has been a mixed one. Around half
of the continent (area-wise) is left
untouched from boosters. Among
the top boosted countries of the
continent include South Korea (32
per cent) and Mongolia (28 per
cent). Among the bigger countries,
China has administered booster
doses to 8.5 per cent of the popu-
lation and Russia has administered
boosters to 4.8 per cent of its pop-
ulation. The untouched countries
in the continent include Afghani-
stan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh,
Myanmar, Uzbekistan, Turkmeni-
stan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyr-
gyzstan, North Korea and India.
Among these countries, Afghani-
stan and Kyrgyzstan are the low-
est faring countries, with the fully
vaccinated percentage in Afghani-
stan being lower than 10 per cent. It
must be noted that Sri Lanka, being
a smaller nation, has boosted 16 per
cent of its population and fully vac-
cinated 63 per cent. Fully vaccinated
figure in China is 86 per cent, Russia
46 per cent and India 43 per cent.
In the southern part of the world,
the Australian continent has an
impressive vaccination statistic, with
8.5 per cent boosted, 78 per cent
fully vaccinated and 80 per cent par-
tially vaccinated. The Middle East is
also faring well with a caveat of sharp
inequality in a compressed region.
Conclusion
It is clearly a matter of reflection,
how much priority is to be given
to the boosters and how much to
primary vaccination, knowing that
primary vaccination is critically
important to prevent severe illnesses
and death, as also to prevent the new
variants from propping up.
Views expressed are personal
millenniumpost
NEW DELHI | SUNDAY, 2 JANUARY, 2022
mp 9
THE NOBEL SERIES

Innovators in
auction theory
Apart from using game theory to design alternative
auction formats, Paul Robert Milgrom and Robert
Butler Wilson carried out influential works in
industrial organisation and information economics Paul Robert Milgrom Robert Butler Wilson

AUTHOR lower than it would be if bidders had more

information relevant to determining the
item’s common value. In cases in which
some bidders have more information than
others, those who have less (and are aware
that they have less) will bid even lower or
choose not to participate.
Wilson collaborated with Milgrom on
various auction formats. They mixed com-
mon values and private values of items to
be sold and applied these to a variety of
KRISHNA GUPTA areas. We have one such application above,
work with Robert Weber established rigor-
ous foundations for much of what is known
about auctions. I also published a model of
auctions of shares of a fixed supply that led
to later models of double auctions with both
buyers and sellers bidding. I showed that,
when traders have unit demands or supplies
and independent value distributions, a dou-
ble auction is an incentive efficient mecha-
nism if the number of traders is sufficiently
large, but I was frustrated that I needed that
proviso. I was especially interested in Chris

T
he Nobel Prize in Economic
Sciences for 2020 was awarded
jointly to Paul R Milgrom and
Robert B Wilson, both of whom
were at Stanford University at the time of
conferment of the award, “for improve-
ments to auction theory and inventions of
new auction formats”.
Paul Milgrom completed his under-
graduate studies in mathematics from the
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. After
this, he worked in the insurance industry
as an actuary in San Francisco and Ohio
for five years, before enrolling for the MBA
programme at Stanford. His MBA teacher
noticed his prowess in mathematics and
suggested he do a PhD instead. His senior
in the PhD programme was Nobel laure-
ate Bengt Holmstrom. Milgrom got an MS
degree in statistics in 1978 and doctorate
in business management in 1979. After his
PhD, Milgrom taught briefly at the Kellogg
School of Management at North-western
University, before moving to Yale in 1981.
In 1987, Milgrom moved to his alma mater,
Stanford University, and continues there.
Robert Wilson completed his under-
graduate studies from Harvard in 1959,
MBA in 1961 and PhD in 1963 from Har-
vard Business School. After his PhD, Wil-
son began teaching at UCLA, briefly before
joining Stanford in 1964, where he contin-
ued till his retirement. Wilson was also Mil-
grom’s doctoral advisor at Stanford.
In this article, we will review the main
works of Milgrom and Wilson.
Main works of
namely, radio spectrum auctions in the Avery’s dissertation showing that an auction
1990s. Wilson and Milgrom developed that allows jump bids has many equilibria
the Simultaneous Multiple Round Auction with revenue outcomes spanning a wide
(SMRA) for the Federal Communications range. Over the next decade I occasionally
Commission, which used it successfully did other theoretical work on auctions, and
for the 1994 spectrum auctions, as noted related markets run via posted ask and bid
above. This format was later used by many prices, wrote several chapters published in
other countries to allocate spectrum. books, and started but never finished my
Wilson’s initial years had him working own book. In the 1990s I was absorbed by
for varied clients, from a timber company practical design of spectrum auctions with
to oil companies, all of which involved bid- Milgrom and then consulting on the design
ding and auction strategies and formats. of restructured wholesale markets for electric
Interestingly, it was his work with auctions power. Besides rational expectations, which
in a timber company that attracted the even now I work on with Paulo Barelli and
attention of an official from the Depart- Srihari Govindan, another continuing inter-
ment of the Interior of the US Govern- est is showing that a double auction is an
ment, who hired him to work on bidding optimal mechanism.
for exploration leases. It is this work that led In the 1980s, when he was tasked with
to Wilson’s most well-known innovation of creating an economics group within the
common values auction. To quote from his Stanford Business School, he hired Ben
Paul Milgrom (second from left) with Alvin Roth, Robert Wilson and Bengt Holmstrom Nobel biographical note: Bernanke and John Roberts among oth-
ers. David Kreps, the famous game theorist,
arrive at a necessary and sufficient con- tions. In this era, the teams I led aimed to Milgrom also worked on industrial joined this group later. With Kreps, Wil-
dition for the convergence to occur. This solve practical problems, which sometimes organisation theory and principal-agent son worked on the importance of reputa-
work was published in 1982, in a paper co- required solving research problems in com- problems and analysed what would be tion and how it leads to a barrier to entry
authored with Weber. Milgrom’s work was puter science, economics, and game theory. the best incentive design in different sce- for firms.
also used as a basis for the auction of radio It may be recalled that Vickrey had narios. For example, Milgrom collabo- Wilson was also a great teacher. In
spectrum rights by the Federal Commu- dealt with the allocation of indivisible rated with Bengt Holmstrom to analyse the particular, his PhD course, Multiperson
nications Commission in the early 1990s. goods through the process of auctions. best incentive design when the agents are Decision Theory, which included current
Later, Milgrom proposed a more general He analysed the advantages of the English involved in works in multiple dimensions. research in game theory, was popular and
model where the items for sale were not (ascending-bid) auction since it is Pareto When one particular dimension is incen- was taken by other Nobel laureates such
substitutes. In Milgrom’s words, these were efficient, as compared to a Dutch auction tivised, the agent may end up neglecting as Alvin Roth, Bengt Holmstrom and his
the three eras of his auction work. To quote (descending asking price), which is not. other important dimensions. In a series of co-awardee Milgrom. His other work in
him from his Nobel lecture: Vickrey also suggested that a sealed-bid papers in the 1980s and 1990s, Milgrom game theory included the tweaking of Nash
However, it was my research in auc- auction is Pareto efficient if the indivis- and Holmstrom analysed the issue and equilibrium, and how these cannot always
tion theory and my discovery of ible good is awarded to the high- suggested the optimal incentive design in be found.
new auction designs that the est bidder but sold at the price various situations — when the tasks are
Prize committee named equal to the second-high- substitutes, when they are complements Conclusion
in the prize citation. My Wilson’s est bid; such an auc- or when the tasks are easy to monitor or

Paul Milgrom
While Milgrom was awarded the Nobel
prize for his work on auction theory, he has
a significant body of work in game the-
ory as well. In fact, at the beginning of his
career, Milgrom was more occupied with
using game theory to explain the behav-
iour of firms when there were incomplete
contracts. His early work was on explaining
limit pricing (the practice of setting a low
price to deter entry) in terms of influencing
beliefs of competitors. His early collabora-
tors were David Kreps and Robert Wil-
son. He also used game theory to explain
human cooperation in finitely repeated
games, which was contrary to the Nash
result that cooperation would never ensue
in finite games.
In auctions, Milgrom extended Wilson’s
work and explored equilibrium strategies.
Wilson had suggested a ‘common values’
auction model in 1977, where there was a
single asset for sale with an equal value to
all bidders. Wilson had shown that under
certain conditions, the equilibrium auction
value converges to the common value. Wil-
son’s work focused on the extent to which
bidders’ private information was reflected
in auction prices and the sellers’ expected
revenue depended on auction rules (I will
discuss Wilson’s model in more detail in
the section below). Milgrom extended this
analysis with mathematical modelling to
auction-related research
evolved through three
work with tion is now termed as
Vickrey auction. As
difficult to monitor.
In addition, Milgrom collaborated with
Milgrom and Wilson taught us how to
design auction formats which have been
distinct eras. In the auctions in a a special case of auc- John Roberts to study organisations using helpful in selling and allocating goods and
first, which began timber company tions, Vickrey had tools of game theory. They suggested that services that have no ready market and
with my Stanford dis- also analysed those coordination in an organisation leads to Vickrey’s work formed the basis for Milgrom are therefore difficult to sell in traditional
sertation under Wil- earned him a job in auctions where the complementary activities and therefore and Butler’s work ways. Following the footsteps of earlier
son’s mentorship and the US government’s items have only pri- leads to better utilisation of the resources auction theorists such as Vickrey, the two
continued for about vate values and each within the firm. In this context, Milgrom My work on auctions led Bobby Abra- laureates were trying to find alternatives
five years, I extended Department of bidder’s value is inde- also collaborated with Holmstrom to study ham at Weyerhaeuser timber company to to the market to sell products. While Wil-
Wilson’s research pro- Interior pendent of other bid- complementarities in incentive design. have me present a series of lectures, for which son worked on auctions where the items
gram, mostly in joint work ders. Vickrey found that I also devised a set of short hypothetical cases sold have ‘common values’ for the bidders,
with Robert Weber. Our best- the English and Dutch auc- to exemplify how game theory could be used. Milgrom developed this further to include
known paper (Milgrom and Weber, 1982) tions yield the same revenue for the seller
Main works of This work attracted the interest of Darius goods which have ‘private values’, which are
characterized the equilibrium strategies of in such private value auctions. Wilson and Robert Wilson Gaskins at the U.S. Department of Interior unique for each bidder for one reason or
auction games and studied the extent to Milgrom took forward this work as we Wilson’s main contribution was in the who hired me as a consultant for studies of another (taste, preference etc.).
which bidders’ private information became noted above in the case of ‘common val- theory of auctions. As noted above, Wilson, bidding for exploration leases that continued Wilson and Milgrom have also done
reflected in prices in auctions and securities ues’, where bidders have the same value of in a series of papers in the 1960s and 1970s, for several years. After 1978 I also consulted considerable work in industrial organ-
markets and how a seller’s expected revenue the items to be sold. had looked at the behaviour of bidders with oil companies on bidding strategies and isation and information economics.
depended on the auction rules. The second In general, Milgrom’s contribution when the items to be sold had ‘common in the process developed explicit models with While their work transformed the way
era, beginning around 1993, was launched was to analyse how bidders behave when values’. These ‘common values’ are uncer- practical applications to bidding. The culmi- the telecommunications industry works,
when Congress authorized the FCC to sell the items to be sold have, both common tain initially, but converge to the same value nation was an article that showed how with it also saw applications in the auction of
radio spectrum rights using an auction. The and private components. He found that since it is determined by market forces. As many bidders in a symmetric auction with airport landing slots and efficient use of
FCC order establishing and justifying the English-style auctions are less likely to opposed to ‘common values’, Wilson also bidders having imperfect information about natural resources. In contrast with the
auction rules cited me by name more than involve the winner’s curse (where the win- looked at auctions with private values, i.e., a common value the winning bid could con- maximisation of profit, their work taught
100 times and adopted virtually all of Wil- ner ends up paying more than the value he values which vary with bidders because of verge to the true value, which is the classic us to maximise benefits to society as well
son’s and my proposals. attaches to the item), and they generally the unique value each bidder attaches to the problem of ‘rational expectations’ or alter- as to maximise efficiency in the use of
Despite the praise the auction had yield greater revenues for sellers as com- item to be sold. Wilson found that bidders natively the ‘efficient markets hypothesis’ resources.
received, I worried that the rules were not pared to the Dutch auction. This is because in entirely common-value auctions will bid that the market-clearing price summarizes The writer is an IAS officer, working as
well-enough grounded in economics and the English auction allows bidders to get lower than their best estimate of the item’s all participants’ information. My analysis Principal Resident Commissioner,
game theory. Like others at the time, I had the real value that other bidders attach to value for fear of falling victim to the ‘win- was awkward because with my limited skills Government of West
based my analyses on the assumptions that the item, which is not the case with the ners curse’— the situation in which the I had to assume that the support of bid- Bengal. Views expressed
the items for sale were substitutes and opti- Dutch auction (since the auction involves bidder unwittingly pays more for an item ders’ estimates moved monotonically with are personal
mization was tractable. The third era, which descending prices). This finding was con- than what its common value turns out to the unobserved true value – later results by
began around 2001, relaxes those assump- trary to what Vickrey had found. be. Thus, the final price of the item will be Paul Milgrom were more general, and his

Works of Milgrom and Wilson introduced transformative changes in telecommunication sector, and led to optimum utilisation of natural resources and efficient auctioning of airport landing slots

log on to thegoan.net @thegoaneveryday
Many questions remain over
Colva’s garbage collection
While there is
some progress
in the periodic
collection of dry
waste at Colva,
there is still a
very serious short-
coming. However,
there is no clarity
on the collection of diapers, sanitary pads and some other items.
Garbage bags with these items are left behind by the garbage
collectors.
So the questions to the Colva Panchayat are: 1. What should Col-
venkars do with this waste -- burn it and pollute the air? 2. Bury it
and pollute the soil/groundwater? 3. Throw it on the roadside/�elds
or just anywhere? If we are still not ful�lling the basic standards of
garbage collection, why are construction licences for mega dwelling
units still being given? Lastly, is this type of incomplete garbage
collection the case in other village panchayats as well?
ARWIN MESQUITA, Colva
Violence, bribes order of the
day in once peaceful Goa
The continued violence against a local restaurant in Calangute
needs to be questioned with a simple ‘why’? People must seek
answers. The answer is: outsiders, businessmen and politicians
are changing the local culture faster than the Omicron progression.
Why? The local MLA was super quick to point out that the incident
did not involve any Delhi businessman but was a mere rivalry be-
tween the sta� of two restaurants. Perhaps he should be given the
Home Ministry too. Pity the party that �nally gives him and his wife
the poll tickets. Why no action? The TTAG is silent and the media has
been seeking his ‘expert’ views on the seasonal
celebrations only to question the government af-
THE SHAME OF GOA TOURISM: NEW YEAR & ITS AFTERMATH
ter the horses bolted. Why? The press, which had
pages and pages of the functions in their journals
is ‘now’ seeking out the SOP violations.
Readers were quick to congratulate the CM
on cancelling the Sunburn festival a couple of
months back. Yet it continued with the predict-
able SOP violations. No one likes to be cheated,
true, but they must retract their congratulatory re-
marks and not hide behind their shame. Where is
Frankenstein? AAP hijacked the Old Goa agitation:
let us see them provide insights from the Delhi
angle on the violence against local businessmen.
Goa is sure to see Kolkata ‘businessmen’ in action
too. After all, it is an established fact: money can
buy anything. Will the Calangute case be solved
by compromising along these lines? Goa is being
forcefully ‘bought’ by lure and violence: rivers,
seas - Drishti has been gifted more than people
realize - Brittos, Lobos, etc. The last straw on sale:
the Goa Legislative Assembly.
R FERNANDES, Margao
Driving danger on
Verna-Dabolim road
Government Covid protocols remained on paper, while cheap tourists who came in droves spent the night on beaches drinking and making merry. One such
picture we see here is of Calangute beach where carefree tourists, who danced the night out by throwing all Covid protocols to the wind, seen fast asleep
oblivious to the crowd around them on New Year's Day.
Three persons died on the spot, while two were
critically injured in a road accident reported on
the highway near MES College. It is learnt that �ve persons were
travelling in the ill-fated car which was heading towards Dabolim
airport from Verna. It may be recalled that some days back a young
girl lost her life when the car she was travelling in dashed against
a stationary trailer truck. It must be said that the 14-km road from
Verna to Dabolim is accident-prone. Many of the accidents have
resulted in deaths. Due to the smooth drive and in the absence of
speed-breakers cars tend to speed up. Many cars, including taxis,
could be speeding so that the occupants of the car can catch the
flight, especially if there is a delay in reaching the airport due to the
tra�c jam at the Zuari Bridge. There are some tra�c signals along
the route but it is observed that in the absence of tra�c cops, car
drivers tend to jump the signal. At one tra�c junction, there are
�ve roads converging at one point and jumping the signal at this
spot can prove dangerous. In order to slow down the movement of
tra�c, speed-breakers are necessary along the route. Tra�c cops
need to be posted at the junctions having tra�c signals so that cars
do not jump the signal. Speed-cameras need to be installed along
the route in order to keep a check on over-speeding.
Why are vehicles catching �re?
In yet another incident of a vehicle catching �re, a 21-year-old man
had a miraculous escape on Friday when the car he was driving
caught �re. For some unknown reasons there has been a spurt in
the number of incidents of vehicles catching �re in the state. The
other day a parked two-wheeler caught �re. A few days back, �re
broke out in a moving bus. Luckily no one was injured in the inci-
dent as the passengers got o� when they noticed �re at the back
of the bus. A video that had gone viral shows an electric vehicle of
Tesla going up in flames in a foreign country when the battery burst.
Instances of vehicles catching �re with such disturbing frequency,
was unheard of in Goa in the past. What is more surprising is that
such �re incidents have been taking place in the winter season
when the temperature in the state is relatively low. Is it because of
the heat of the sun on alcohol-based sanitizers which may be pres-
ent in the vehicle? Is it because of less engine coolant in the vehicle?
Engine coolant is mixed with water in order to keep the radiator
from overheating in extreme heat. Some vehicle owners use only
water to keep the engine cool. It must be said that water by itself
Printed and Published by: Pramod Acharya on behalf of Fomento Media.
Printed at: Elegant O�set Printers Pvt Ltd, Plot No 2/3/4, Thivim Industrial Estate,
Karaswada, Mapusa, Goa.
Published at: Villa Flores da Silva, Erasmo Carvalho Street, PO Box 31, Margao 403 601, Goa.
Facebook.com/thegoaneveryday The Goan (Playstore)
does not protect the engine from overheating. It seems necessary to
come to the bottom of the problem and �nd out the reason behind
moving vehicles catching �re.
ADELMO FERNANDES, Vasco
Much ado about a statue
and pure hypocrisy
A large brass statue of living
football legend from Portugal,
Cristiano Ronaldo, was installed
and unveiled at Calangute
recently with the sole intention of
promoting football and inspiring
more youth to take up the sport
in a big way in Goa.
Unfortunately, a bunch of
pro-Maharashtrawadi support-
ers/sympathisers were seen
protesting displaying black flags
and raising slogans against the local MLA Michael Lobo for insulting
Goans by unnecessarily installing the statue of an international star.
Their main argument was that instead of installing Ronaldo’s statue,
MLA Lobo could have installed the statue of Goa’s football legend Bru-
no Coutinho from the same village. Well, in a way what they are saying
is true. But at the same time, what is wrong with installing a statue of
a Portuguese footballing great when he currently has a mass following
all around the world?
If these fanatics have so much hatred for the Portuguese, then how
come they didn’t go to show the same black flags to Prime Minister
Narendra Modi for officially visiting Portugal in 2017 to meet Prime
Minister Antonio Costa and for greeting the Indian crowd with a “Viva
Portugal” slogan through his much-publicised speech in that country?
Today, lakhs of Goans, left with no other option in Goa/India, have
rightly acquired Portuguese passports and migrated along with their
families to European countries for a living, especially in the UK, to earn
a better living. I, therefore, personally feel that these backward think-
ing protesters indulging in double standards should learn to live in the logic being applied to the renewal of FCRA registrations. Instead of furniture. The
present. Yes, as MLA Michael Lobo himself has rightly said, “Football
belongs to everyone. It is not divided by religion or caste.” So, stop
playing dirty communal politics in a harmonious State like Goa. Viva
Goa... Viva Goenkar!
JERRY FERNANDES, Saligao
Politicos should not entertain
job candidates at their homes
Covid cases are rising in our tiny state and all newspapers have
been reporting on the worsening crisis. This could be the failure
to check crowds on beaches. Weddings and entertainment halls,
including cinema theatres, are also seeing large crowds. The gov-
ernment must enforce strict measures at this stage to stop the Covid
surge. Recently, near my residence, I could see hundreds of people
crowding for jobs at the Health Minister’s bungalow in Dona Paula.
With elections round the corner, every politician is suddenly trying
to help voters to �nd jobs without realising that crowds are getting
bigger making it conducive for the virus to spread. This must be cur-
tailed immediately before the situation turns alarming. Chief Minis-
ter Pramod Sawant should direct his colleagues to stop encouraging
crowds seeking jobs. Applications for jobs should be entertained
only by government authorities through proper channels and not by
politicians at their residences.
STEPHEN DIAS, Dona Paula
Motorists are duty-bound to
make way for ambulances
In Panaji, it is miserable to observe how the roads are jammed due
to tra�c and how motorists act so casually when an ambulance is
behind them. Even if the ambulance plays the siren, drivers contin-
ue with the normal speed and an ambulance driver literally has to
drive in a zig-zag pattern.
The above scenario is observed after o�ce hours at �ve in the
Editor: Joel Afonso (Responsible for selection of News under PRB Act).
All Rights Reserved.
Editorial O�ce: Third Floor, Fourth Estate (Kamat Metropolis), St Inez, Panaji 403 001, Goa.
Ph: (0832) 240 5950 or mail us at editor@thegoan.net
4
mail us at >> desk@thegoan.net
Instagram.com/thegoaneveryday Sunday January 2, 2022
evening when
everybody is in
responsibility of citizens to strictly adhere to covid-appropriate
protocols are some of the important takeaways, which hold
a hurry to reach good for pan-India for combating the expected upsurge on a
home. And with war-footing. The time is ripe for the respective state administra-
Christmas and tions and their various wings to marshal the available resources
the wedding
season at their
and health infrastructure at their disposal for putting in place
collaborative e�orts to mitigate the woes of the covid-a�licted.
peak, it’s even An apathetic approach and springing into action late in the day
more tormenting cannot help in keeping the pandemic demons at bay.
for patients, medical personnel and the ambulance driver to drive
AMIT BANERJEE, Mumbai
through the heavy tra�c.
Every one of us is duty-bound to make for ambulances because
every minute matters for the medical personnel to save lives. Reduced interests in post
o�ces and banks
Remember our casual attitude on the road is putting someone’s life
in danger.
LISA FERNANDES, Quepem The lower and middle-class people prefer to deposit their hard-
earned money in post o�ce saving schemes as these are safer
Show compassion to NGOs avenues for investments and easily accessible, especially in
rural areas. Post o�ces have a Senior Citizens Saving Scheme
that uplift India’s homeless (SCSS) which help to save as well as avail deductions under
Section 80C of the Income Tax rules. Reportedly, till March
The Missionaries 2019, the interest amount on a deposit of Rs 15 lakh (the per-
of Charity (MoC) mitted amount per year) was Rs 32,000 per quarter but since
have been in the April 2020 the interest is Rs 26,000. This is a double whammy
news in recent because �rstly the interest accrued is taxed and secondly the
times, all for the
wrong reasons,
drastic reduction of Rs 6,000 per quarter translates to a whop-
ping Rs 24,000 in a year, a princely amount for anyone. The
like forced conver- central government blamed the falling economy on the pan-
sions. And now demic and hence the need to reduce the interest rates in the
we �nd that their post o�ce accounts. But the government has crores of rupees
application for renewal of their FCRA registration has been rejected to spend on panchayat, zilla parishad, municipality, state and
(Read FCRA registration deadline extended...... The Goan Everyday national elections. These are continuing events, somewhere
1 January 2022), leading to a cash crunch, and the activities of the or the other in India. The government should forego taxing the
organisation now seem to be badly a�ected. interests obtained from banks and post o�ces or increase the
Although the government has extended the validity of the FCRA reg- interest exemption limit. Further, the interest rates could be
istered NGOs, whose licences were not renewed by 31 December, by marginally increased to partially o�set the loss to the deposi-
another three months, the MoC is left in the lurch since its applica- tors. Monetarily, the government’s interest should be to save
tion has already been rejected. This seems to be some weird kind of the people’s principle and people’s principle should be to
obtain a better interest.
SRIDHAR D’IYER, Caranzalem
A good initiative
from PSI of Mapusa
police station
A PSI from
Mapusa Po-
lice station
has erected
a board at
the border
of Mapusa
city demar-
cating the
jurisdiction
of the PS
to help
the public
know where to register their complaints. I am
happy that the PSI of Mapusa has been proac-
tive, but the same board could have had the
jurisdiction of other police station to avoid the
cost of having another board. Will the new DIG
look into such unnecessary expenses?
No sign of pothole-free roads
pothole-free roads till now
CM Pramod Sawant said all potholes would
be �lled and hot mixed hopefully before the
year 2021 ends. In Siolim, the internal road
in Bamon vaddo which links the MDR-6 and
MDR-5 Sodiem has been soiled and await-
ing to be asphalted by the PWD (roads). The
citizens of Bamon Vaddo have immensely
su�ered due to the potholes, breathing the
red dust. It is in their houses and on the
compound walls have turned red because of
rejecting the applications, it would be appropriate if the shortcom- the poor maintenance of the road for almost three years. The
ings are brought to the attention of the NGOs in question to be elections are around the corner and with the code of conduct,
recti�ed within a certain time frame. Rejecting the FCRA application the residents fear that this road will receive the hot mix carpet
outright will naturally hamper the activities of the organisation, only by November 2022. It’s high time the people of Bamon
bringing them to a standstill. This is de�nitely not the right step un- vaddo exercise their voting powers for the right candidates at
dertaken by the government. As such, the eligibility criteria should the assembly and panchayat elections.
be reviewed by the government in public interest. The government
ought to show some compassion towards organisations like the
GREGORY E D’SOUZA, Siolim
Missionaries of Charity which is doing yeoman service to mankind
by uplifting the homeless and marginalized sections of the society. Anti-defection law needs to
be amended to stem the rot
MELVILLE X D’SOUZA, Mumbai
Lives are more imp, not the Is it not an irony that in India’s most literate state some po-
litical out�ts are trying to fool people with devious political
needs of tourism industry
stunts?
One party claims that it will guarantee its MLAs will not defect
The timely edit, and to this e�ect, it will obtain an a�davit from them. That a�-
‘Party restric- davit will not have the value of even toilet paper as it would not
tions are an eye- have any legal standing or be binding on a candidate if elected.
As long as the anti-defection law is not amended to plug the
wash’, was an
absorbing and loopholes in it, the malaise of defections will continue unde-
instructive read. terred. And we have over the years seen that defections have
Your observation hit every political party with the one in power and loaded with
that the tight- money to buy MLAs having an upper hand.
ening measures Another party is now deceitfully getting people to register for
announced are a Griha Laxmi card on the false premise that every woman will
simply a ruse automatically get a monthly direct transfer of Rs 5,000. And
to camouflage
the government’s sheer inaction in tackling the crisis head-
people are flocking not knowing that they are being conned.
That party would have to �rst get elected and devise such a
scheme o�cially after which everyone entitled could be a ben-
on is simply spot on. By according precedence to the needs
of the tourism and hospitality industry, the government has e�ciary of the scheme.
accorded short shrift to the safety of local residents. You have And nothing more needs to be said on that sham fast unto
rightly sounded the alarm bells at a time when not only in Goa, death at Old Goa just before the feast of St Francis Xavier. All
but the entire nation is on the cusp of the dreaded ‘Omicron’ this sort of misleading and hoodwinking the voters is in utter
surge. The need for having a tighter monitoring mechanism for bad taste and only shows how low the political parties can
enforcing necessary covid restrictions, putting in place rigorous stoop.
airport-type surveillance at the porous state borders and the AIRES RODRIGUES, Ribandar
Disclaimer: Except for the editorials above, all columns and letters represent the views of the
concerned authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of The Goan Everyday’s Editor,
Publisher and Owners.
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LITERARY REVIEW
‘I grew up with
Indian boys, played
hockey and cricket
together,’ says Nobel
laureate Abdulrazak
Gurnah p4
Tall shadows under
a blazing sun
We are in the middle of an unprecedented expansion in renewable
energy. But it comes at a huge ecological and human cost p3
Go, Ronnie, go
It was 60 years ago that the
Portuguese left Goa after occupying
it for centuries. Now, amidst
controversy, a statue of Portuguese
footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has been
unveiled in Panaji, “to inspire young
boys and girls to play the game.” But
the State already has footballers like
Bruno Coutinho and Yolanda
D’Souza, who’ve done the country
proud internationally, said
protesters who gathered at the site
with black flags. Goa minister
Michael Lobo said that the statue of
Ronaldo is the first in the country,
and it is meant “to take football to
another level.” The statue, weighing
410 kg, reportedly costs around  were found (the unofficial figure is 100), and, according to the
₹12 lakh. It took three years to build
it, the minister said. Earlier, in 2018,  The birds included whistling duck, purple moorhen, Indian
a bust of Ronaldo was replaced at
Madeira airport in Portugal after
being widely mocked.
CM
YK
DELHI
Sunday, January 2, 2022
WIDE ANGLE
With emphasis on
physical expressions,
this theatre festival
by Assam’s Rabha
tribal group is
accessible to all p6
COVER
IN THE NEWS
Here to stay
As the number of cases of COVID­19 spread steadily around the
globe, with France reporting Europe’s highest ever daily figure at
208,000 cases on Thursday, World Health Organization chief
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Delta and Omicron variants
are driving a dangerous tsunami of cases. Delhi witnessed an
86% jump in cases between Tuesday and Wednesday. So, must
we brace ourselves for a third wave? Will we ever see the end of
the pandemic? “It is likely that India will see a period of explosive
growth in daily cases and that the intense growth phase will be
relatively short,” said Paul Kattuman, professor at the University
of Cambridge, which has developed a COVID­19 India tracker.
Scientists believe SARS­CoV­2 will eventually evolve and
“become like other respiratory viruses — but when this shift will
occur, and which infection it might resemble is not clear,”
according to a paper in Nature.
Birds for the table
Migrating birds that fly thousands of miles from
as far as Lake Baikal to Odisha’s Chilika Lake may
be in a spot of trouble. The Odisha Forest Department suspects
that the birds, which come in their lakhs in winter, are
threatened by poaching. The carcasses of 29 migratory birds
department, were on their way to dinner tables in restaurants.
spot­billed duck, northern pintail and bronze­winged jacanas.
Several anti­poaching camps and patrolling teams were set up.
Chilika Lake is India’s biggest lake and the world’s largest
brackish water lagoon that attracts as many as 160 species of
birds in winter. The lake has been threatened by siltation, a
proliferation of invasive species, and a loss of biodiversity that
affects the communities that depend on it for their livelihood.
QUIZ
The name for this
mammal comes from
the Malay word for
‘something that
rolls up’. Which
animal is this? p7
End of magic
When American
essayist and novelist
Joan Didion died on
December 23, what
ended is one of the
most trenchant
voices of objectivity,
something we rarely
hear these days.
Didion’s prose, with
its short, crisp,
sentences, is unique
— it urges the reader
to cut the fluff, to think for oneself, even if that
means going against the given. In all her essays
and novels, Didion remained first and foremost
the journalist who might start from the personal
but is always engaged with something larger —
the world around her, its politics, the way it
shapes the apparently personal. She turned her
critical eye as much upon herself as on, say, the
60s’ counter­culture movement, Joan Baez, U.S.
senators, or addiction. It is ironic that we tend to
associate her with outpourings on grief, which
she had actually confronted with characteristic
courage in The Year of Magical Thinking, her
memoir following the sudden death of her
husband, John Gregory Dunne, in 2003. For
Didion, grief is not something to be wallowed in
— like everything else, it is to be dissected,
recognised for what it is, before the bereaved
moves on, perhaps emerging wiser from the
experience. She stood for the opposite of
magical thinking, which, in her scheme of
things, is “a disorder of thought. It sees
causality where there is none, confuses private
emotion with general reality” as Zadie Smith
points out in her thoughtful obituary on Didion
in The New Yorker. The pale, frail woman in
dark glasses watched the world from the corner
and put her thoughts to paper with a
ruthlessness akin to kindness. We will miss that
gaze of reason.
BACK PAGE
bell hooks’ writings
resonated across the
globe, in a voice that
was distinctly black
and overwhelmingly
woman p8
Panelled Aerial view of the
Pavagada Solar Park, spread
across 53 sq. km., in Tumukuru,
Karnataka. Getty Images
Rainbow Tutu
“Be nice to whites, they need you to rediscover
their humanity,” said Archbishop Desmond Tutu
of South Africa at the height of the country’s
anti­apartheid movement in 1984. A
contemporary of Nelson Mandela, he too
advocated a multi­racial democracy and fought
alongside the former President in the nation’s
decades­long struggle against racial segregation.
Although a human rights champion and
well­loved figure globally, Tutu faced fierce
opposition at home, both from white South
Africans and a section of black anti­apartheid
activists, for his ideologies and actions. The Nobel
Peace Prize awarded to him in 1984 was seen as a
gesture of international support. As chair of the
Truth and Reconciliation Commission set up after
the fall of apartheid in 1996, Tutu stressed on
‘restorative justice’ in the spirit of the African
philosophy of ubuntu, and praised survivors of
violence who expressed forgiveness towards their
perpetrators. He was also a supporter of gay
rights and criticised the Anglican church for not
being welcoming of the LGBTQIA+ community,
famously declaring: “If god, as they say, is
homophobic, I wouldn’t worship
that god.” With his passing
last week, the world has
lost a moral giant and
true lover of people.
ND-X
 OPEN PAGE
THE HINDU Magazine
02 DELHI
*

Sunday, January 2, 2022

The language FEEDBACK

Letters to the Magazine can be e-mailed separately to
mag.letters@thehindu.co.in

question
Cover story
The Honours List
2021 (Dec. 26) is a
real tribute to our
unsung heroes.
The selection is
quite exhaustive
and illustrated
well. Particularly,
sonnel  and  public  sector the details about
English should remain a medium of bank  employees.  The  exact the frontline
number  of  State  government
instruction, as it connects us with employees is unknown. Even if half
workers, the
Pulitzer­winning
one another and the world the number of Union and State Go­
vernment  employees  have  school­
photographer
Danish Siddiqui,
going children, one can imagine the and virologist
Viney Kirpal
magnitude of the problem the ques­ Gagandeep Kang,

I
mplementing the new language tion  of  medium  of  instruction  can who helped
formulations  in  the  National create  for  them  as  they  get  trans­ disseminate
Education  Policy  (NEP),  2020 ferred  every  three  or  four  years scientific
will  produce  more  problems within the State or outside.  information about
than it will solve. For instance, According  to the pandemic,
in whose mother tongue is a child in the NEP, “wherever were noteworthy.  the crisis was not out
a multilingual,  inter­State  migrant possible, the medium of in­ K. Balakrishnan there in the world, but
society like ours, going to study?  struction  until  at  least  Class  5,  but within our
ILLUSTRATION:
An elderly man asked me recent­ preferably  till  Class  8  and  beyond, Hindi  or  Urdu,  besides  En­ J.A. PREMKUMAR ■ Neeraj Chopra consciousness. Gold
ly,  “How  many  languages  does  the will  be  the  home  language/mother glish. Parents choose the school they becoming the first Indian medallist Neeraj Chopra
government  expect  my  primary tongue/local language/regional lan­ want their children to study in. The to win an Olympics gold teaches us all to be
In whose school­going  granddaughter  to  stu­ guage.”  The  all­India  implementa­ NEP’s  recommendation  is  not  as While  working  with  schools  in in athletics was easily the together, the Bonda tribe
dy? Her father has been transferred tion of teaching in the mother ton­ new as it appears. What is new is the Pune, we saw an exodus of children most significant shows us how to return
mother to three States in three years.” gue will create chaos if its ultimate gloved  manner  in  which  it  is  being from Marathi schools to paid English achievement in sports to our roots with
tongue is a Children  of  parents  in  transfera­ motive  is  to  dislodge  English  from piloted. The pressure with which it is schools.  The  writing  on  the  wall  is this year, and no wonder sustainable farming, and
child in a ble jobs repeatedly undergo a cultu­ schools,  the  one  language  which likely to be implemented can cause clear:  the  poor  know  where  their he became the toast of Danish Siddiqui held up
multilingual, ral shock. Everything changes from connects  us  with  one  another  and unimaginable  harm  to  the  existing children’s future lies. the nation. The most a mirror to society with
inter-State the  uniform,  teachers,  classmates the world. system and national equilibrium. English  is  the  language  of  well­ distressing event, his work. More power to
and textbooks to the school environ­ It is compulsory, for example, for Support for teaching in the moth­ paid jobs and economic opportunity however, was the such champions of
migrant ment.  I  studied  in  seven  schools  — a student to learn the State language er  tongue  often  comes  from  those in India and abroad even today. Poor unfortunate passing of humanity. 
society like one each in Delhi, Haryana and Mah­ in SSC schools. I was in Standard 9 who have studied in English schools schools teach in the mother tongue Fr. Stan Swamy. For a K.M.K. Murthy
ours, going arashtra and two each in Uttar Pra­ when our father moved from Amrit­ and whose children are studying in but do not build the child’s founda­ country that thumps its
to study? desh  and  Punjab.  The  only  advan­ sar  in  Punjab  to  Solapur  in  Maha­ IB  schools  or  foreign  universities. tion in any subject or language, in­ chest and crows from the Saving grace
tage I had was the common medium rashtra. I also had to change from an They recommend the policy should cluding  English.  Twenty­five  per rooftops about being the The best books listing
of instruction — English.  ICSE  school  to  the  SSCE  Board.  In be implemented in English schools cent of their children in the four to largest democracy in the (‘Top 10 in fiction and
Kendriya  Vidyalayas  were  intro­ those days, non­Maharashtrian chil­ too. Converting all schools into ver­ eight age group “do not have age­ap­ world, Fr. Swamy, non­fiction’; Dec. 26) is a
duced in 1963. But not all parents are dren  of  parents  with  transferable nacular  medium  schools  works propriate  and  essential  cognitive suffering from an wonderful ready
keen on sending their children there jobs  could  seek  exemption  from against  the  poor.  It  distracts  the and numeracy skills”, which makes advanced case of reckoner for the times.
because  of  the  variation  in  stan­ learning  Marathi.  Otherwise,  ima­ country from the promise of provid­ for  a  “learning  crisis”  at  an  early Parkinson’s, being Books of all kinds have
dards.  gine my fate if I had to learn the let­ ing  a  sound  education  and  decent stage, according to the Annual Status denied a sipper/ straw, helped many of us get by
ters of the alphabet of Marathi and work opportunities to everyone. Al­ Educational Report (ASER), 2019 re­ leave alone bail, marked during the pandemic.
State to State clear it the following year.  ready  on  the  margins  for  want  of leased in January 2020.  a new low even by the Dhwani Kishore
There are millions of Union govern­ Many schools even today offer in­ knowing  English,  the  poor  remain ........................................................................ standards prevailing in
ment employees, armed forces per­ struction in the State language and cheap labour for the rich. ceogiit@gmail.com the country. Convenient excuse
C.V. Aravind With subtle humour
(‘Thank god for small

Mumbai’s mangroves: a world in itself ■ 2021 has been a

treacherous year full of
mercies’; Dec. 26), the
writer has rightly

Christmas in of  a  human  disturbs  the

uncertainities for
everyone. But, the 10
pointed out how the
phrase “Due to COVID
A bulwark individuals/ groups reasons” has been used

good old Madras against

serenity  and  tranquillity
of  the  crustacean  world
there.  Crabs,  sea  snakes
featured in the cover
story have kept the flag
of hope and human
in the recent past as an
excuse to explain away
some restrictions. This
Shirley Philip
future shocks and  a  variety  of  molluscs resilience flying high.  reason was also
abound in these areas. Al­ The stellar role played  conveniently dished out
so,  a  study  by  the  ICAR’s by virologist Gagandeep to customers by some

M
adras, a melting pot of culture, art and Prathamesh Mokal
literature, has always evoked fond and Central Institute of Fisher­ Kang in disseminating companies selling

T
beautiful memories in me, a Keralite here  is  no  place  on ies  Education  says  there scientific and authentic gadgets and appliances,
born and brought up in the hot and dusty city land or water like a are  nearly  10  species  of information on for not carrying out
now called Chennai. Though now, I have been a mangrove  forest. mangroves in the vicinity COVID­19, and dispelling maintenance of their
resident of Kerala for years, nostalgic memories, Anyone  who  wishes  to Green lung The mangroves of Lokhandwala in of Versova. the fears of people, is products as per the
especially those associated with festival bask  in  the  singularity  of Mumbai. BHARGAV REDDY
*
noteworthy and deserves Annual Maintenance
celebrations, remain.  nature  ought  to  visit  a Extinction threat top honours. While it is Contract.
We lived in a residential colony, where people dense  mangrove  vegeta­ quiet and cut off from the out. A good pull, and you However,  Mumbai’s  man­ true that no honours list N. Rama Rao
of all religions, caste and communities coexisted. tion once in her lifetime.  urban cacophony. What is are  good  to  let  the  land groves  may  be  on  the can be exhaustive, the 
I believe that this cross­culturalism, pluralism It  is  a  world  in  itself  — remarkable is that such a play  tricks  on  your  next verge of extinction. Coas­ displaced Bru people  No social barriers
and multilingualism shaped my personality and isolated  yet  integrally  in­ site  has  survived  within step.  If  you  resist  the tal  pollution  is  a  major in Tripura (featured in  I’m sure book lovers
fashioned me into a free­thinking individual with tertwined  with  its  neigh­ the metropolis despite the land’s  hold  on  your  leg threat,  besides  the  de­ an earlier Magazine benefitted the most (‘All
liberal, democratic values. We celebrated all bouring  ecosystems  of onslaught of urbanisation. and try to escape its cush­ mand  for  sea­facing  real story), who have shown are invited’; Dec. 26)
festivals with gusto, and there existed a rare land  and  water.  The  eco­ Take  an  adventurous iony  embrace  in  panic, estate.  The  Intergovern­ tremendous fortitude from the pandemic as it
camaraderie among the colony mates. Being tone of a mangrove forest step,  and  a  decently you are only a few seconds mental  Panel  on  Climate and foresight during the allowed them to
Christian, we celebrated Christmas with fervour with  its  flora  and  fauna healthy  person,  weighing from  the  land  taking  you Change  Sixth  Assessment pandemic, are participate in literature
when the sweltering heat would give way to the will mesmerise you. around  85  kg,  has  his  leg in its muddy hug. There is Report  has  warned  that inspirational and festivals, discussions and
cool winds of December.  Recently, I had the for­ easily  sunk  by  five  or  six a knack  in  trudging large portions of Mumbai deserved a place  other related activities
The festive spirit would fill the air, with frantic tune  of  visiting  one  for  a inches in the marsh. Two through without falling to may  get  submerged  from in the list. without having to
shopping and carols played and replayed in our biomass  survey  with  my of  my  colleagues  did  not the ground.  rising sea­levels.  Kosaraju Chandramouli commute. As we all
old tape recorder creating the right Christmas colleagues.  We  located  it understand the tricks that Contrary  to  popular Mangroves function as know, everything has its
ambience. The curtains and cushion covers in the heart of India’s bus­ these  marshes  play.  And imagination,  this  man­ shock absorbers to surges ■ The various people and pros and cons. COVID­19
would all be brought down for a wash, the tling  metropolis  —  Mum­ they fell to the ground co­ grove forest is not a cover from  the  seaward  side. institutions highlighted made everything
mosaic floors scrubbed clean and furniture bai.  A  glance  at  the  man­ vering themselves in mud of  shrub  vegetation.  The They  are  not  merely  ba­ here picked up the accessible to everyone all
dusted, and our home would be geared to groves  just  abutting  the from head to toe.  mangroves  here  are  tall, dlands to be forgotten, but threads of their lives with over the world setting
welcome Christmas. Making Christmas cards for high­rise  locality  of  Lok­ But it’s simple — only do some even reaching seven a crucial  organ  of  the  ur­ indomitable spirit and aside all social barriers.
all my relatives and handwala  feels  like  a not panic! If the land sucks metres in height, with an ban ecosystem. For a city resilience. They all said Sandhya Suresh V.
friends was a labour of glance at a landscape sto­ your  foot  in,  let  it  do  so. average  girth  of  35  cm. like  Mumbai,  the  man­
love. Each card had my len from an alien planet.  Your  leg  sinks  three  in­ The trees have a wide ca­ groves  are  the  last  major
heart and soul ingrained Just  about  100  metres ches, maybe four or even nopy.  Though  I  call  the bulwark against an uncer­
into it. The glittery ones from  a  busy  road  and  a six in the mud. But then it landscape an alien world, tain future.
which would open up in Metro construction site, is stops.  And  that  is  when it  is  we  who  are  aliens  in ....................................................
many layers were my a world  that  is  pristine, you  try  to  drag  that  leg the mangroves. Each step mokalprathamesh95@gmail.com
favourites. Decorating the
Christmas tree was a big
affair. My dad would take me on his Lambretta
scooter to cut a good branch for the tree, which
would proudly stand in a flowerpot in our
Have you had a kindness shown? More on the Web
thehindu.com/opinion/open-page
veranda like a bride in all her finery. A Christmas
star with a red bulb lent the right aura.  Vijaya Bharat their children or relatives of  the  frenzied  digital
and  friends.  A  desire  to world.  She  never  com­
Festive memories
My mom would bake heavenly plum cakes and
To us, Christmas meant festive mood, many colours,

M
other goodies. The watchman, postman, sweeper y  six­year  old manage by themselves for plained  and  considered
would visit for their share of Christmas goodies.  grandniece  was as long as they could and herself fortunate to be liv­ gifts, greeting cards and noisy camaraderie
On every December 20, my brother would be asked  in  her  on­ not  wanting  to  trouble ing with a caring son and Sudha Devi Nayak
at his creative best making the crib, complete line  class  about  her  best children may lead to a lack his family. No technology
with a blue starlit sky, mountains, rivers and the friend. She promptly gave of involvement, even if as­ can  replace  the  tender­ Platform tales
broken­down cattle shed. The neighbourhood the  name,  but  could  not sistance is required.  ness with which she holds Gone are the days when people used to visit railway
children contributed their bit, and admiring answer  where  the  friend In  the  1970s,  when  I hands while squinting her
stations to breathe fresh air and sit under trees
spectators would take photographs. Ecumenical lived,  her  father’s  name moved  to  another  city,  I eyes to identify the person J. Eden Alexander
carol singing was another highlight. When and  other  questions.  The stayed  in  touch  with  my and  indulge  in  kind  con­
Christmas eve arrived, our excitement would child  was  quick  in  res­ do  kind  people  feel  let mother  through  long  de­ versation.  In  this  fast­
ponding  to  the  last  ques­ down at times? Perhaps, it scriptive  letters.  Later,  I paced materialistic world,
Humane act
reach a crescendo. The picture of my mom
slaving in the kitchen preparing a four­course tion,  “Why  do  you  like is because kindness is mis­ switched  to  telephone will kindness and proximi­ Feeding hungry animals offers multiple benefits, in-
Christmas dinner for at least 20­odd guests her?”  construed  by  some  as calls, but my mother was ty survive? I hope they do.  cluding closely watching their behaviour
remains etched in my memory.  “Because she is kind.”  weakness  or  even  taken not  pleased.  She  would Recently as I was about J.V. Yakhmi
After the midnight Mass, all the parishioners “What else?”  for granted. If a kind act is say, “I could read your let­ to  climb  some  steps,  my
would wish each other and we would return “Isn’t  kindness acknowledged  and  reci­ ters  repeatedly  and  feel grandson shouted, “Paati, Surprising nostalgia
home to burst firecrackers. Christmas hampers enough,” she retorted. procated,  the  tender  fila­ your  presence.  Now,  the wait.  I  will  hold  your Incredible as it may sound, even harsh army
would be distributed among the neighbours. The dialogue reminded ment  of  relationships  re­ moment I put the receiver hand.”  He  told  his  sister, routines could turn nostalgic when a soldier retires
Breakfast and lunch would be followed by a me of my father who deve­ mains strong.  down, you are gone.”  “Paati is  getting  old.  She Hari Arayammakul
refreshing nap. After a late dinner, we would loped  dementia  later  in The  enlightened  ones needs to be helped.” Much
retire exhausted to bed, disappointed that life.  Once,  he  suddenly say, “Do good without any In digital world as I could walk without as­
Christmas was over. All these memories have asked  me,  “Ammai,  who expectation,”  but  lesser Yet  I  could  not  bring  my­ sistance  and  hate  being This page consists of reader submissions. Contributions of up to a
been shared and recreated for my daughters, but are  you?  Where  are  you mortals  do  feel  good  if self to the old habit of writ­ called “old”, I didn’t want length of 700 words may be e-mailed to openpage@thehindu.co.in.
what is missing is the multi­religious, from?  You  are  talking  to their  actions  are  noticed ing letters. For the past 10 to  snuff  out  the  little  an­ Please provide a postal address and a brief background of the writer.
me so kindly.” and appreciated.  years,  I  am  connected gel’s innate desire to help.  The mail must certify that it is original writing, exclusive to this page.
multi­cultural society which made all Christmas The Hindu views plagiarism as a serious offence. Given the large
celebrations meaningful and unforgettable! Kindness is well appre­ When  some  of  my  el­ more  than  ever  before Taking his little fingers volume of submissions, we regret that we are unable to acknowledge
................................................................................................... ciated  in  the  extremes  of derly  patients  rue  about with  my  tech­savvy  rela­ in my hand, I resolved to receipt or entertain queries about submissions. If a piece is not
age and is an effective tool being  alone  and  uncared tives and long lost friends.  be kind to “the kind”. published for eight weeks please consider that it is not being used.
shirley.philip22@gmail.com
The publication of a piece on this page is not to be considered an
to blunt the thorns in life. for,  I  urge  them  to  com­ But  my  90­year­old ....................................................
endorsement by The Hindu of the views contained therein.
If kindness is so good, why municate  explicitly  with mother has remained out vijayacardio@gmail.com

CM ND-X
YK
04
Literary Review
DELHI THE HINDU Magazine *

Sunday, January 2, 2022

IN CONVERSATION The chronicler Abdulrazak

Gurnah with his 2021 Nobel
Prize for Literature diploma

‘I don’t always recognise

on December 6, 2021. AP *

business  and  moneyed  people.

There  was  a  great  exodus  of  In­

the border between

dians.  Many  of  those  who  didn’t
leave  were  targeted.  If  you  go  to
Zanzibar  now  you  will  find  only  a
handful  of  Indians  and  empty
streets  where  they  used  to  live.
Their  influence,  however,  is  still

prose and poetry’

there  in  the  architecture,  in  the
food,  in  the  Swahili  that  folded  in
various Hindi and Indian­language
words. But the people themselves
are not there any more. 

You have often spoken about

The winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature for 2021,
Abdulrazak Gurnah says he is interested in telling
suppressed stories that need to be revealed
Prathyush Parasuraman
the “miserliness” of European
culture vis-à-vis the refugees it
refuses to accept. Yet this is the
culture you chose to live in. Your
novels also have this uneasy
relationship between the home
you were born in and the home
pleasure in the exercise.” Over you later make for yourself. Is
the decades, as your relationship this tension something your

O
n  October  7,  2021,  Ab­
dulrazak Gurnah got a
call  from  the  Perma­
nent  Secretary  of  the
Swedish  Academy  15
minutes before the announcement
of  the  Nobel  Prize  for  Literature
was made. He half­thought he was
being  pranked.  Gurnah  was  con­
vinced only when he saw the news
flashing that he has won the most
prestigious  literary  prize  for  his
“uncompromising  and  compas­
sionate penetration of the effects of
colonialism and the fates of the re­
fugee in the gulf between cultures
and continents.”  As  to  pleasure,  I  remember
Born  in  Zanzibar,  an  island  off
the coast of Tanzania, in 1948, Gur­
nah  grew  up  looking  at  the  docks
from the window of his bedroom.
He  saw  sailors  and  traders  from
Gujarat,  Oman  and  Yemen  make
merry and money — “it was impos­
sible not to know you were part of a
wider world with its own centre of
gravity,” he says.  more self­conscious about what it is
After  the  brutal  revolution  of
1964  in  Zanzibar  that  led  to  the
overthrow of the Arab government,
the harbours became empty. Soon
after,  Gurnah  left  for  England  to
study, and later, to teach as a pro­
The part of fessor of post­colonial literature at
Zanzibar I grew the  University  of  Canterbury.  He
up in had a never traced back that journey.  don’t succumb to emotions
large Today,  he  lives  in  Canterbury
population of with a British passport. But his no­
Indians — vels keep transcribing the distance
Hindus, between one home and the other,
Ismailis, filled as they are with yearning for a
Ithna’asharis, place where one can feel free, even
Bohras... So I if one necessarily isn’t. In a Zoom
grew up with interview,  Gurnah  talks  about  the
guilt and gumption of being a post­
Indian boys,
colonial writer.  poetic  way.  I  think  about  my  sen­
played hockey
and cricket In your Nobel lecture, you spoke
together, of how you began writing in
visited your schooldays — “I wrote
each other’s because I was instructed to
houses write, and because I found such
with writing changed, what has
it done to the pleasure and
innocence of the act?
L In my childhood I did not think
what  writing  was  for.  It  was  the
teacher asking us to tell something,
and everybody would just sit quiet­
ly for an hour and see what comes.
Always, something came. But when
you  are  writing  fiction,  you  are
making something up, intended for
someone you don’t know. You are
speaking to the world, an unspeci­
fied audience, and so you’re craft­
ing something that will, hopefully,
be read forever.
there was a time, not so long ago,
when we would write long letters,
intended just for one person. When
you are writing or reading a letter, it
is almost like that person is in front
of you. You might laugh or smile at
the jokes. There is something very
intimate about that.  physically inhabit?
Writing  fiction,  you  are  much
that the words are doing and what
you want them to do. The pleasure
in writing fiction is in having an ap­
proach or an idea, and actually deli­
vering it, conveying it with beauty
— though not always successfully.  which is used for polemics.  said  that  only  when  her  mother
Your sentences are spare. You
easily. Is this a conscious choice?
L In  Afterlives I  wrote  short  sen­
tences,  but  elsewhere  I  have  writ­
ten very long sentences. It depends
on the kind of voice you are trying
to generate, particularly if the voice
is in the first person — whether the
characters wants to speak directly
or  in  a  fuller,  more  mellifluous,
tences, for sure, but I don’t neces­
sarily torture them too much.  things — usually for what they think
Your books read like
testimonies. What is the
relationship between testimony
and literature? When does
testimony become literature?
L There is a genre called testimony
— mostly  a  Latin  American  form
But there is another way of giv­
ing testimony, which is what I am
interested in — to tell your story, so­
mething that has been suppressed,
which needs to be revealed. I used
this form in The Last Gift and Gravel
Heart, where  a  father  tries  to  ex­
plain to his son the meaning of cer­
tain  events  in  the  past.  Here,  it  is
not inviting judgement. It is a ges­
ture, sometimes a gift, an attempt
at  explaining.  This  has  a  different
tone. I am interested in how fami­
lies  are  secretive  about  certain
are good reasons. Sometimes these
are quite big things, and they create
something  sad  and  sorrowful
among family members.  nection,  enlarging  the  idea  you
I remember a journalist talking
to me about The Last Gift — where
the  father  and  mother  keep  their
secrets  from  their  children.  She
died,  she  found  out  that  she  had
one of those tattoos stamped on in­
mates  of  concentration  camps.
That is the kind of thing I am talking
about.  Zanzibar  I  grew  up  in  had  a  large
You quoted D.H. Lawrence’s
poem in your Nobel acceptance
speech. Poetry is interspersed
with your prose too. Why do
you keep reaching out to
poetry?
L I don’t always recognise the bor­
der  between  prose  and  poetry,  to
be  honest.  Sometimes,  poetry  is
useful as a way of being intertextual
— bringing  in  another  text  which
enables  a  swift  and  complex  con­
want  to  explore.  It  is  a  way  of  ex­
pressing  how  a  person’s  imagina­
tion works.  whether  you  are  doing  enough  to
There are often Indian-origin
characters in your novels. What
is your sense of India?
L My  sense  of  India  has  always
been  comprehensive.  The  part  of
population of Indians — Hindus, Is­
mailis, Ithna’asharis, Bohras. They
were  shopkeepers,  traders,  buil­
ders and contractors. So I grew up
with  Indian  boys,  played  hockey
and  cricket  together,  visited  each
other’s houses. This mixing wasn’t
odd  or  exceptional  —  there  were
marriages sometimes, but not very
often because of religious and other
considerations  that  communities
used to closed themselves in.  The writer is a critic with a weekly
After  the  revolution  of  1964,
there was panic because it targeted
characters inherited from you?
L I  would  say  it  is  one  of  the  sub­
jects I am deeply interested in. Part­
ly because it is my experience. But
what makes it so interesting is that
it is the phenomenon of our times,
where millions of people are in the
same situation as I am in — not liv­
ing  in  the  same  place  one  started
from.  Both  these  places  —  the  ab­
sent and the actual one — have a vi­
tality  and  a  compelling  engage­
ment. As a subject, it is rich, full of
possibilities. But of course, there is
something tragic as well because of
what a person loses in the process
of being separated from people, or
memories,  or  just  the  conviviality
of a people who would understand
you  more  fully  than  those  in  the
place you are living. 
Is there guilt then, in writing
about a culture you no longer
L You mean, is there guilt about liv­
ing  away  from  your  home?  Of
course, there is guilt. The guilt is to
do with the people you have left be­
hind, and how they are coping, and
help them. Perhaps the guilt is also
that  you  are  living  among  people
who  don’t  need  you.  With  time,
you learn to live with it. 
Have you been able to read and
write through this haze of fame?
L Since  the  announcement  of  the
Nobel, I haven’t been doing anyth­
ing other than talking to people like
you (laughs).
Is that a good or a bad thing?
L Well, for a while, it is unavoida­
ble. It is global. It is wonderful. And
if people want to know you or and
hear you, that’s fine too. 
.......................................................................
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CRIME NOIR
SHORT STORIES

Bengaluru to Ballari Rooting for Lalee

Combining murder mystery with gritty realism, this is a skilled debut novel
A gripping collection of 12 stories about ones set in the smaller towns of North
Karnataka. While the Bengaluru sto­ Sheila Kumar laugh­out­loud funny, with a workers can be found across
characters caught in a fast-urbanising landscape ries sometimes have a thinly veiled di­ less­than­charitable description of Kolkata’s tony areas, hotels and

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dactic tone, rendering the characters ith such a Tilu — a writer of penny eroticas parties, blurring the lines between
Bageshree S. Quite  predictably,  Bengaluru  and flat, those from beyond the metropo­ straightforward who is in thrall to the city’s past. So ‘respectable’ and ‘disreputable.’ 
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annada writer Vasud­ stories. This  is  a  world  Vasudhendra ky. The women of “Ambrosia”, “Bro­ reader expects is a that the reader is lulled into there is a restraint to her prose
hendra  caught  the  atten­ knows  up  close,  having  been  an  IT ken Tumbler” and “Two Rupees”, for Shonagachhi thinking this is going to be a quirky through which the pain of most of
tion  of  the  English­read­ professional before he decided to be­ example, refuse to stay put in strait­ crime, and that is what the reader thriller.  the characters (pimp and cop
ing  world  with  the come  a  full­time  writer jackets.  gets. To unravel the backstory to But no. The story then dives into included) peeps through. And if the
translation  of  Moha- and publisher. Here one The most haunting story in the col­ the deed, we are taken to South a darker place involving the usual ending is pretty much de rigueur, if
naswamy, his collection of short encounters, for instance, lection, “Red Parrot”, is set in Sandur Asia’s largest red­light district with suspects: a the the female characters are
stories  focused  on  the a young woman who has in Ballari district, which happens to all its murk, heartbreak, violence merciless brothel better drawn than the male
LGBTQIA+  community.  The to  choose  between  the be  Vasudhendra’s  hometown.  Once and unexpected pockets of owner, a faux­Russian ones, that’s alright,
book,  which  marked  his  own desire  to  be  a  mother an idyllic small town, it shot to infamy comfort.  hooker, some sweet because somewhere along
coming out as a gay person, was and her corporate job; a after illegal iron ore mining ravaged The protagonist Lalee is a sex young sex workers, an the way, the reader has
preceded by over a dozen works family  that  finds  new its fertile, red soil to fill the pockets of worker who has managed to evil Maharaj and his started rooting for Lalee
in Kannada on various themes. avenues  in  the  city  for the mining mafia and its political be­ survive by repressing all memories acolytes, and cops and Co. 
The Unforgiving City and Other their  differently­abled neficiaries in the 2000s.  of her past and adopting a carapace who are reluctant to Not quite a murder
Stories offers us a peek into his son but at a cost; indivi­ The  story,  published  in  2008, of indifference, under which take up this mystery, not quite a crime
larger oeuvre. The 12 stories in duals  or  whole  com­ stands out for its rich detailing of the simmers much anger. Lalee has a particularly gruesome novel, more a pointillist
this  collection,  published  bet­ The Unforgiving munities  caught  in  the wrecked  landscape,  of  people  who babu, an unlikely admirer and murder case because story about a sex worker’s
ween  2008  and  2017,  are  about City and Other snare  of  social  media, manage to escape the town to build a regular visitor by the name of they think sex workers life, A Death in Shonagachhi
characters caught in a fast­chang­ Stories and more.  life elsewhere and those who remain Trilokeshwar ‘Tilu’ Shau, a man are low on the is a skilled debut. 
ing,  fast­urbanising  India.  The Vasudhendra, trs Despite the book’s tit­ trapped. The very title of the story is a who “possessed all the charm of a money­making chain. A Death in ......................................................
manner  in  which  identities  are Mysore Nataraja le  drawing  attention  to remarkable inversion of a childhood leftover roti.” It is with him that Within a few chapters Shonagachhi The Bengaluru-based
lost, gained or transformed in the Penguin Viking the  city­based  stories, image  that  reveals  the  scale  of  envi­ Rijula Das chooses to start her though, Das blows the Rijula Das writer is an author,
process plays out here.  ₹599 more  gripping  are  the ronmental devastation in a flash. story. cops’ premise apart, Picador India journalist and manuscript
The first chapter is showing us how sex ₹599 editor.

BROWSER
Putham House The Book of Dog Run for the Shadows Saat: 7 Short Stories
Hephzibah Jesudasan, trs G. Geetha Edited by Hemali Sodhi Sridala Swami Abhimanyu Jamwal
Rupa HarperCollins Context Vishwakarma Publications
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Lizzy, trapped in a patriarchal Releasing on January 17, this The poems in this collection are The seven short stories are poised
household that wallows in its former anthology is a tribute to our furry about the jagged edges of our on the thin line between reality and
eminence, falls in love with a young best friends. It has 45 original lived experience. While fantasy. What if a pigeon could
man from the palmyra-climbing pieces by some of India’s leading responding to the ecological and resolve the Kashmir issue? What if in
community. This is a scrupulous writers, all of whom have political crises of the moment, 2040 dreams come true and the
portrayal of the palmyra-climbers, contributed for free. All royalties they also imagine an arc of time truth is nothing but a dream?
whose lives are as precarious as that of from the book will go to registered that encompasses both the deep Abhimanyu Jamwal calls his writing
women under patriarchy. animal welfare charities. past and the far future. style provocative literary fiction.

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