Media coverage of Mumbai tragedy
It is an undisputable fact that media are known as fourth estate of democracy. Apart from acting as a bridge between government and people, media behave as a platform where people can ventilate their grievances and complaints. It does play multitudinous roles like- Informing the masses, educating them, holding debate and discussions, socialization etc. In this process it keeps practicing the process of checks and balances.
And what if, this vocal cord of people starts behaving in an immature manner? Then it can misguide the masses and also can keep the interest of our nation at stake. To our surprise there are many instances where our media especially electronic media did irresponsible job- coverage of Arushi murder case, Amarnath land row coverage then Gujjar agitation and the likes. However, recent Mumbai terrorist attack coverage arose many critical voices and also made the government to issue regulations to restrict media in covering anti terror attacks, sex crimes, nacro-analysis footage and judicial confessions.
Pertinent question here to ask is- Are these media regulations are necessary as far as coverage of Mumbai tragedy is concerned? Yes there should be regulations to control activeness of contemporary media. Coverage of the 67- hour Mumbai terrorist attack has brought unprecedented condemnation especially of 24-hour television news channels. Critics described it as ‘TV terror’ for showing gory pictures, being too aggressive and reporting incorrect information. This tragedy was like storm that shook everyone. Channels in order to defeat one another in the horse race carried out reckless coverage. Many Indian journalists were overly dramatic, sensationalist and quick to report exclusives of unconfirmed truths. Practice of ‘jingoism’ was on its peak. Did we all need to see gory photograph of six month old girl with her mouth smeared in blood, of man who lost both his limbs and do TV reporters and viewers needed to be told how it feels to be suffering? Moreover TV coverage also revealed commando operations and the positions and reported the locations of hostage at the Taj Mahal hotel. Information of this kind is not supposed to be flashed on digital screens because terrorists too have access to televisions. Flashing this information means feeding these hawks.
K.G. Balakrishan, the Chief Justice of the Supreme court, during recent conference on terrorism that held in New Delhi said-‘one of the ill effects of unrestrained coverage is that of proving anger amongst the masses.’ All public intellectuals even criticised Barkha Dutt’s way of reporting. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has admitted that there is urgent necessity for amendments in Cable Television Rules of 1994. In herd race all TV channels want ‘Breaking News’ without confirming the facts. Their sole aim is to catch more eyeballs and thereby earn higher rating points nothing else.
In this tech savvy age media have become really hyper active. Its policy of activism may jeopardize the nation’s interest anytime. May be profit motive of the corporate media and proliferation have forced journalists to indulge in unethical tasks. In a democracy it’s very difficult to restrict someone’s freedom of speech and expression -issuing regulations or something else. But from country’s security point of view there is need for guidelines and regulations.
by: baninder
The 2008 Mumbai attacks were more than ten coordinated shooting and bombing terrorist attacks across Mumbai, India's financial capital and its largest city.
The attacks, which began on 26 November 2008 and lasted until 29 November, killed at least 173 people and wounded at least 308. The attacks drew widespread condemnation across the world. Ten gunmen took part in the attacks; nine of them were subsequently shot dead and one captured by security forces.
Ajmal Kasab was the only attacker captured alive by police and is currently under arrest. Much of the information about the attackers' preparation, travel, and movements comes from his confessions to the Mumbai police. According to India, the attackers travelled by sea from Karachi, Pakistan, across the Arabian Sea, and entered Mumbai via speedboats that were on board trawlers. The trawlers left Pakistan and stopped at Porbandar, India, before landing in Mumbai.
Eight of the attacks occurred in South Mumbai: at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Cama Hospital, the Metro Cinema Oberoi Trident, and the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower. At least 173 victims (civilians and security personnel) and 9 attackers were killed in the attacks. Among the dead were 28 foreign nationals from 10 countries.
The attacks had multiple, far-ranging effects. The impact was felt on Mumbai and on Maharashtra state, and throughout urban India. International reaction for the attacks was widespread, with many countries and international organisations condemning the attacks and expressing their condolences to the civilian victims. Many important personalities around the world also condemned the attacks. Former US President George W Bush said "We pledge the full support of the US as India investigates these attacks, brings the guilty to justice and sustains its democratic way of life."
Political reactions in Mumbai and India included a range of resignations and political changes, including the resignations of Minister for Home Affairs, Shivraj Patil, CM of Maharashtra, Vilasrao Deshmukh. In addition, there was condemnation by Indian Muslim organisations and personalities.
One thing which depressed every citizen of the country and of this world was the way media, both print and electronic, covered this whole mishappening. Many are unhappy with the media, particularly the electronic media's, coverage of the Mumbai terror attacks. A fair bit has been said and some has been done. The role of the media in the terror attacks has been questioned, in all fairness, because everything it did was in open display. Indian media failed to rise to the occasion once again. It was a tragedy that unfolded in Mumbai for 48 hrs but channels didn't appear sombre and regulated.
Instead, they were over-excited and showing everything as if it was a 'live war reporting' though wars isn’t reported in this manner either. There were alerts, flashes, scrawls and breaking new for 50 hrs.
The aim was to grab eyeballs. Ads were not shown as the viewer could switch to other channel in the meantime.the channels wanted highest TRP in this troubled times, so that they can later demand higher rates for advertisements and stay up on charts.
This act of media has brought shame for all of us. Media which is called the voice of the people and serves all in every possible manner has actually lost its grace after this. We hope that media may act more responsibly in coming times.
by Bhavna Modgil
Topic: Mangalore pub attacks
Indian culture defined for women
Pub newly discovered culture is a term in India courtesy Sri Ram Sene. Now every Indian knows what pub culture is and certainly it’s not the part of Indian culture as is defined by self- appointed moral police.
The pub incident in Mangalore targeting defenseless women is once again an attempt to control women. Though drinking in pubs is not a cause for women empowerment but it does concern women. Indeed anytime, anywhere, anyone can transgress women’s private space and not only create a hullabaloo but also intimidate them physically, mentally and emotionally. Infact strangers in the garb of moral policing can take charge of their lives.
This is not the first time that the moral brigade has decided to take law into its own hands, all in the interest of upholding or protecting Indian culture and tradition. Women have always been taught what to wear, what to drink, what to say and where to go and where not to go. In Haryana, a young woman is thrashed publicly by her husband for daring to don jeans.Taliban has recently forbidden girls from going to schools and forced marriages upon them. In Tamil Nadu, Anna University had issued a diktat asking girl students not to wear jeans, sleeveless tops and t-shirts. In Jammu and Kashmir, there were reports of a ‘farman’ against dating. In Mangalore, Kerala CPM MLA’s daughter had to bear the wrath of miscreants for returning home with a Muslim boy. This self-styled moral police consider it its prerogative as well as moral obligation to discipline “errant” women for violating Indian tradition and culture.
The politicians from time to time have condemned these attacks but it is equally questionable that if the government is really against this invasion of privacy of the lives of women or to say violence against women then can’t they stop these attacks. The bottomline is that even the politicians see this freedom of women against Indian culture. Rajasthan Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot has infact openly condemned the pub culture and mall culture.
Indian culture is being allegedly destroyed by the Indian women. But who is to define what Indian culture is? Doesn’t at one time it had dowry, sati, and untouchability as an important traits? So does this mean that we should practice those social evils? The truth is culture is never static. It changes and evolves with time. Today a large number of women are being educated and trained for jobs. With new-found economic freedom, they have sought and attained social freedom too. It is both their right and privilege and none can be permitted to snatch it.
Nobody including modern women likes to destroy Indian culture and it is too old and big to be destroyed by wearing jeans or going to pub. But putting restrictions by self anointed moral police is not acceptable at any cost.
Chhavi Garg
Roll No.-7
Chhinder Pal Singh
Roll No. 8
India needs young leaders
The health of both the Indian political system and political elite was evident during the first two months of the new year.
While the former remained robust even without a prime minister in office, the latter denoted a discouraging frailness, with septuagenarian prime minister and Congress parliamentary party leader Dr Manmohan Singh making way at the hospital - after a heart surgery - to his octogenarian predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
The principal opposition Bharatiya Janata Party's charm offensive last month to portray Lal Krishna Advani as a gym-savvy politician was uninspiring, considering that he is 81 years old.
This age-health bulletin highlights an irony of "new" India that is set to elect its 15th parliament this summer.
A country that has attributed its recent development to youth - with a majority of the population in the impressionable 40-year age group - is also rusty with 80 per cent of the politicians averaging over 70 years. This makes India a peculiar democracy with such a stark contrast between the average age profile of the politicians and the electorate.
In comparison, Tony Blair was just 43 when he became British prime minister in 1997, and Bill Clinton was 46 when he took oath as the US president in 1992.
A more recent measure, of course, is 47-year-old US President Barack Obama, whose age and attitude presumably appealed to the voters more than 72-year-old Republican rival Senator John McCain.
At 52 and 56, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown were not too old when they assumed office. With Singh and Advani being named as prime ministerial candidates by their respective parties, Indian politicians have yet again opted for wisdom with age over dynamism with youth.
This also means that India is unlikely to see any major changes in its social, economic and foreign policies at a time when both India and the world are grappling with new realities, necessitating fundamental shifts.
The reluctance of political parties to nominate younger candidates could be attributed to the experience with Rajiv Gandhi's reign between 1984 and 1989.
While the 40-year-old was cheered for becoming India's youngest prime minister, many also attributed several political, economic, social and foreign policy debacles, as well as the Congress party's loss five years later to his immaturity. They also said he was too progressive for his time.
It is interesting that the political after-effects of his tenure continue to this day. The end of one-party rule and the consolidation of coalition culture that began after he was ousted have resulted in eight prime ministers in two decades.
It could well be this factor that is keeping the Congress party from projecting Rahul Gandhi as a prime ministerial candidate. The 38-year-old Cambridge graduate is seen as the natural heir to the seat occupied by his father, grandmother and great-grandfather during the early decades after India's independence. (His mother declined to become the prime minister in 2004 because of the controversy over her Italian origins.)
Currently he is serving as the Congress party general secretary. The post is assumed to be a grooming programme for the future.
According to pre-poll forecasts, there is only a slim chance of a clear winner in the elections. Irrespective of which coalition - the Congress party-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) or the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) - garners the most number of seats, the balance of power, like in all elections in recent memory, may lie with regional parties.
The only possibility of India having a younger prime minister is if neither the UPA nor NDA cobble up a workable government, thus bringing 53-year-old Mayawati into the frame.
Though tipped to garner only about six per cent of the popular vote, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and its leader could determine the formation of the Third Front with a host of parties, including the Left, and catapult Mayawati to the helm.
Reacting to the popular desire for young politicians, the BSP has announced that 50 per cent of Lok Sabha seats will be allocated to youth in the upcoming polls. The politically-loaded announcement came immediately after the Congress party reportedly called for a quota system that would ensure that at least 30 per cent of the party's candidates are young.
While terror itself may not be much of a campaign issue, despite public anger against the political establishment as a whole after the Mumbai attacks, the sentiments of the slowdown-affected and economically-terrorised electorate will determine the make-up of the next government.
And, whether or not the exercise managed by ageing politicians will yield the desired result for the predominantly young voters is debatable, there is no denying that the estimate of $2 billion (Dh7.43 billion) poll expenditure is bound to serve, at least, as a stimulus during this economic crisis.
Can Ideology control an Individual ?
The attack on women in Mangalore.
24 Jan 2009, A Pub in Mangalore …a group of girls attached the culprite Rama Sene. It is a fundamentalist Hindu group formal by Pramod Muthalik, a former member of the RSS, the Bajrang Dal & The shiv sena 40 activists of the Rama Sine barged into the pub – Anmesia- the Loungi & beat up a group of young men & women claiming the women must violating “traditional Indian values”. Though later he apologized for the attach and said that the way right way acted was wrong, but insisted it was done to “save our mothers & daughters.” Is beating women equivalent to saving them ? On 6 Feb, daughter of on MLA was abducted in karnatka, and the abductors were suspected to be members of the Ram Sene. The girl was travelling for an exam and her crime” was she was with a Muslim boy, she was told that Hindu girls shouldn’t speak to Muslim boys? Are we still lining in secular India?? How can one even Think of making such extreme statements in a nation when Hindu families adopt orphaned Muslim kids, and a Muslim maulvi maintains a temple, to says the least. We are a secular state and we are proud of being one has to be tolerant and must remember that we are all humans before belonging to “particular religion Before valentine’s day the Rama Sene members planned to target couples found dating. They announced their they will forcefully get the couple married. Thanks to on state machining & although which ailed will in the and multination & 140 activists were held in preventive everybody. On valentine eve.
The question is what’s wrong in celebrating valentine’s day? I say nothing until & limits one indulges the manful & obscene activist in public. The whole concept & spirit of the day this in celebrating love & not just the profane love and the love between a couple, but also love of friends, parents, grandparents, teachers, God and even nature. Doesn’t giving a flower symbolizes love for beauty. Fragrance & happiness? If one looks at valentine. On a broad perspective, it can be the most pions festiral. One needs to open up ones conservative mind to let the love of human prevail. The so-called Introduction Hindu were served right when they were sent “pink chaddis’ by a group of women. By sending the prinkes, the women tried to convey that they are not powerless and just by display of muscular power men cannot control impulses,emotions, actions & lives of women.
The larger question is can an ideology control individual will individual life? I think it can’t rather it shouldn’t even try to Nothing can be worse in this age & day where we take about women’s liberation. Women sharing equal space with men at all position, especially in a country where even the president a women. Will the Ram Sene call her also trespassing “the traditional Indian values of stepping out the Lakshman rekha of her dosmestic front”? No, they women catcher they can’t, it is not in their pound to till the first citizens of media any rubbish.
If one talks about The Indian traditional values, why talk only about women. Mothers & daughters, what about men fathers & sons. Is it cultural,ethical,behaviour to urinate on the roadsides? Is it morally justified to have relationship with woman outside marriage??
Just because the men going to Prostitutes are never arrested, doesn’t man that the latter were practicing their profession all alone. Is it legal and just when fathers and mothers ripe their even daughter & sisters? We all know the answers, don’t we?
I feel that each individual should be allowed to live life as they want to, one should never trespass human territories. Violence, practised under which ever garb, will remain a crime against humanity. One should be allowed to smoke, drink, dance, practise any religion, marry anyone, talk to anyone. The society is made for individuals, the norns, religions, values are for individual & not the other way round One must not be made to feel suffocated by the norms, castes, religions Rather everybody should fell free as a bird who can roar high in who limitless sky. Oscar wilde has rightly said –“society exists only as a mental concept, in the real world there are only individuals.” And I say, let individual spirit be alive.
DEEPTI
Roll no.9
DIVYA JYOTI RANDEV
The Mangalore Pub Attack
The Right-wing Hindu group, Sri Rama Sene, created by Belgaum-based Pramod Muttalik, following his expulsion from the Bajrang Dal in 2004, has been at the forefront of several moral policing incidents and communal violence in the Mangalore region in the last three years. Among the latest incidents the outfit has been associated with is the attack on a pub in Mangalore carried out on January 24 — something the outfit proudly claims as a “spontaneous reaction” to the alleged flouting of Indian norms of decency.
Twenty eight members of the outfit were arrested but exactly a week after the incident, a magistrate’s court in the city on Saturday granted bail to all the accused, including Pramod Muthalik, who is accused of instigating, justifying, and conspiring the attack.
Political leaders found a good opportunity to play the blame game. The BJP accused the Congress of conservatism and of indulging in politics on such issues. Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda blamed the BJP for the rising rowdyism of Sangh Parivar elements in the state. The BJP defended itself by saying that it was not involved in the attack and termed it as an “unacceptable act of hooliganism”.
Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa said that he would not allow growth of "pub culture" and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also slammed the 'pub culture' and said he was 'against boys and girls walking hand in hand in pubs and malls. There were leaders like Shiela Dikshit and Renuka Chowdhary who condemned the incident. Renuka Chowdhary went as far to say that ‘Mangalore had been Talibanised’ and she also launched a ‘pub bharo’ campaign. Opposition leader L K Advani stated that there can be ‘no compromise’ on the issue of last month's attack on girls at a Mangalore pub as the act was ‘against Indian culture and ethos’. "I strongly condemn the attack on girls in Mangalore. There can be no compromise on this. It's wrong", Advani said on the sidelines of a function in Bangalore. "It (the attack) is basically against Indian culture, Indian ethos. Girls or boys, they have their own way", he said, adding that one may not approve the girls in pub but that does not mean one attacks them. Students from Delhi University and Panjab University also staged protests against the chains on the freedom of the youth.
Thousands of Indians, fuming over the recent assault on women vowed to fill bars on Valentine's Day and send cartons of pink panties to Sri Ram Sene as part of their ‘pink chaddi campaign’. A ‘consortium of pub-going, loose and forward women’, founded by four women on social networking website Facebook attracted more than 25,000 members with over 2,000 posts about the self-appointed moral police.
How prepared are we for the commonwealth games?
Running out of time .Commonwealth games preparations are woefully lacking..
Commonwealth games are scheduled to be held in Delhi from 3-17 October, 2010.how well are we prepared for this mega event?
India seems set to miss its 2010 date with posterity. A parliamentary committee has tabled a report in the Rajya sabha slamming the Delhi government’s preparation for the commonwealth games in emphatic detail. The powers that be, however, feel that the concern is misplaced. Just a few days before the report, sports minister Manohar Singh Gill compared the games to be lavish Indian wedding. The preparations might seem shambolic but it would all come together in time for the opening ceremony. The approach reveals a refusal to face up to ground realities as well as culture of ad hocism in matters of infrastructure development.
With 71 nations and teams lining up to appear at the games, any flow in execution would be an issue. Infrastructural shortcomings of the magnitude enumerated in the report- in everything from airport facilities, accommodation and roads to security, stadia and power supply- garnered by china in the wake of the Beijing Olympics and the quality of the 2006 commonwealth games in Melbourne have only raised the stakes. This is more than only raised the stakes. This is more than a sports event. It is an opportunity to project a certain nation image on global image. But as matters stand now, that image is not likely to be an especially flattering one.
This is not simply a local governance issue but points to attitudes towards infrastructure devolpment in the country as a whole. Corruption, schedule overruns, ballooning costs and a lack of foresight in policy decisions make for a tangled skin. The statistics are damning. Currently 519 infrastructure projects are funded by the central government. Their cumulative cost is expected to go up 13.4 per cent from Rs 3, 44,110 crore to 3, 90,230 crore. Given that 258 of those projects are behind schedule, this is not surprising.
As far as immediate problem goes, it is time for the government to walk the talk. The commonwealth boxing championships have already been pushed back from December 2009 and the vice-president of the international swimming federation has criticised the organisers for the poor swimming facilities. Budget overruns because of the economic climate and a resultant paucity of funds with private developers are inevitable, but there is little point in carping about it. As time runs out before new Delhi’s hosting of the 2010 Commonwealth Games there is widespread concern about India’s level of security. Organisers of Commonwealth Games have assured full proof security for the event in the wake of a terrorist attack on Sri Lanka cricket team If preparations are not taken up on a war footing, this is one wedding that may have to be called off.
DIVYA VIG
Regulation on media
Journalists are the eyes and ears of the public. In a democratic society they must be free to investigate and report matters of public concern. And the public should be able to trust them to provide accurate information.Many who find themselves ‘in the news’ are unhappy about the way their story has been presented or the way journalists have obtained information.Regulatory bodies for the print & broadcast media receive some 10,000 complaints a year. Inaccuracy and unfairness top the list of complaints about journalism.
Many laws restrict what can be published but not the behaviour of journalists, and there are few legal remedies for inaccurate reporting. Legal aid is not available for libel cases, which are very expensive, but it can be obtained if you are claiming that a ‘malicious falsehood’ has been published.There is no statutory regulation of the Press. Instead there is an entirely voluntary system which does not have the force of law.
The industry has drawn up a Code of Practice and funds the Press Complaints Commission to resolve or adjudicate complaints. Editors agree to publish the PCC's criticisms, but damages cannot be awarded.
Parliament has empowered Ofcom to regulate broadcasting. They can order broadcasters to publish apologies and corrections, while serious breaches can result in fines or even the loss of a licence to broadcast. The BBC is governed by a Royal Charter and also has its own internal regulatory system.
As the TV news channels stepped up their campaign against the proposed amendments to the Cable Television Network (regulation) Act, 1995, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today assured them that though his government was actively considering this, any changes in the existing norms would not be done without holding consultations with all the stakeholders.The PM’s office released a statement saying that he had received a large number of representations from the TV channels on the proposed changes in the Act. "The prime minister has assured that the matter will be taken up for finalisation only after the widest possible consultation with all the stakeholders and eliciting their different points of view on the proposed changes,’’ it said.Congress chief Sonia Gandhi also assured the broadcasters that she would take up the matter with the PM. This was conveyed during a 25-minute meeting between the UPA chairperson and a delegation of TV channel editors today.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani has also asked the TV channels to evolve a self-regulatory mechanism whereby they would ensure that the anti-national elements like terrorists could not take advantage of the freedom of media in the country.Although Advani opposed the government’s role as a regulator to monitor the content of the channels, he told the TV news channel representative that the recent coverage of the Mumbai terrorist attack had changed the public opinion on the live coverage of such situations. He said the news channels must ensure that the self-regulation was complied by all.Meanwhile, CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat has called for setting up an independent regulator to monitor the content of news channels. Karat said, "Our party is of the view that apart from the self-regulatory mechanism put in place by the news channels, it is necessary to have co-regulation through an independent regulator." However, Karat has asked the PM that "no hasty steps be taken on empowering the government on this" till a common approach is arrived at this after proper discussions.
ESHA NAYYAR
TERROR HAS A NEW DESTINATON – INDIA
TERROR has stalked Mumbai, India’s commercial capital, all too many times before. In 1993 more than 250 people died in a series of bomb attacks, seen as reprisals for the demolition by Hindu fanatics of the mosque at Ayodhya. In 2003, more than 50 people were killed by two car bombs, including one just outside the Taj Mahal hotel, next to the monumental tourist attraction, the “Gateway of India”. And in 2006 over 180 people were killed in seven separate explosions at railway stations and on commuter trains. But the latest atrocity is something new to the city. It has alarming implications not just for India, but for the entire international fight against terrorism.It differs from most previous attacks in two important ways: in the sophistication of the operation’s planning and the terrorist manpower that must have been involved; and in selecting foreigners as targets. As The Economist went to press, the crisis in Mumbai was still unfolding. Hostages were still held, fires still smouldering at the Taj Mahal hotel. It was uncertain who was responsible, though a previously unknown group calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen had contacted television stations to claim credit. Whether or not such a group really exists, suspicion falls on Islamist extremists. The tactic—familiar from New York’s twin towers, simultaneous assaults on “soft” targets, designed to kill large numbers of civilians, suggests an al-Qaeda involvement, or at least that the group has provided an inspiration. This is deeply worrying for India, which until recently thought itself immune from that particular scourge. Introducing Manmohan Singh, India’s prime minister, to Laura Bush a few years ago, George Bush reportedly noted that India was a country of 150m Muslims and not a single al-Qaeda member.
In the past, terrorist attacks in India were routinely blamed on foreigners. This usually meant Pakistan, either as part of deliberate government policy or as the work of rogue elements of the state apparatus, or occasionally Bangladesh, also suspected at times of tolerating terrorist training camps on its soil. But in recent months a series of attacks in Delhi, Jaipur, Bangalore and Ahmadabad have been claimed by the “Indian Mujahedeen”. Indeed, this group, which the government since claims to have dismantled, had threatened to carry out “deadly attacks” in Mumbai. India’s Muslim population does indeed look like fertile ground for those sowing hatred. This year more than 30 unarmed demonstrators were killed in mass protests against Indian rule. Tension there is again high as a state election, which separatist leaders want boycotted, is under way. Elsewhere in India, the Muslim minority is economically disadvantaged. A report the government commissioned in 2006 found Muslims across the country faring, on average, worse than the Hindu majority in education, jobs and income. And Muslims have occasionally been subject to hideous communal slaughter. More than 2,000 died in a pogrom in the state of Gujarat in 2002, for which the perpetrators have never been brought to justice.
A second danger is that if Indian suspicions again point to a Pakistani involvement, the slow thawing of relations between the two hostile neighbours will revert to the deep freeze. In fact Pakistan’s new president, Asif Zardari, has been going out of his way—and courting controversy at home—to placate India. He has annoyed jihadists by describing Kashmiri militants as “terrorists”. And he has said Pakistan would never be first to use its nuclear weapons. This week it has also emerged that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence, the spook network habitually blamed by India for involvement in cross-border attacks, has been revamped.So any official Pakistani involvement would suggest that Mr Zardari and his government are not in control.
A third danger is one that faces not just India, but the world as a whole: that the attacks in Mumbai mark a serious setback or even turning-point in the battle against al-Qaeda and its clones. The group has been losing ground in some of the Muslim countries where it has been fighting: in Indonesia, for example, where since the Bali bombings in 2002 the extremists have been in retreat; or in Iraq, where the Sunni “awakening” illuminated the resentment many Iraqis felt for the terrorists. Killing fellow Muslims has been the group’s biggest mistake. Many Muslims in small places feel marginalised, pushed to the fringes of society. Attacks there can provoke a backlash, feeding a sense of Muslim beleaguerment for al-Qaeda to exploit. This tactic has already worked in places such as Britain. If it succeeds in India, which has the biggest Muslim minority in the world, the implications for the global struggle against terrorism could be catastrophic. It’s time that India asked itself where all this lead to.
BY -
Harjit Walia
The True Reasons for Terrorism, Why Terrorism Fails, and How to Stop Terrorism
The following seeks to be a chronicle of violent deaths that come by in the course of fighting India from within and without in 2009. The objective is to track the mindless violence that has become routine to such an extent that Indian society at large has fully internalized it, and if anything is actively aided and abetted by a rotten slice consisting of fifth columnists (material help), media columnists (mind share), and political calumnysts (vote trail).
With material help, mind share, and vote trail readily available by design or default, what more can a terrorist ask for? In such an environment bullets and gullets (for fifth columnists), notes and quotes (for media columnists), and votes and notes (for political calumnysts) become readily interchangeable and pose no moral hazard.
Meanwhile, the societal impotence as seen by a sampler of dozen headline grabbing bombings/killings listed below in just the last five years is telling. No part of India is immune, nor are Indian interests safe outside the country. Difficult as it may be to grasp and humiliating as it is to accept, the truth of the matter is in today’s India, the life of an average Indian citizen is very cheap and the society at large does not give a damn despite all the macho display of righteous anger and chest thumping when things become unbearable. But the real message for the citizens of India always was/is/will be – best captured in the infamous quote from R.R. Patil, former Deputy CM and Home Minister of Maharashtra, following the Nov 26, 2008 Mumbai massacre - “bade shahron mein aise ek adh hadse hote rahte hain. Woh 5,000 logon ko marne aye the lekin humne kitna kum nuksan hone diya”.
elow is a select list of dirty dozen bombings/killings of just last five years. A sampler of security that India offers to its citizens...thousands of other incidents are never heard nor cared for - what a shame!
Delhi bombings (62 dead) – Oct 29, 2005
Varanasi bombings (28 dead) – Mar 7, 2006
Mumbai bombings (209 dead) - July 11, 2006,
Malegaon bombings (37 dead) – Sep 8, 2006
Samjhauta Express train bombing (68 dead) – Feb 18, 2007
Hyderabad bombings (42 dead) – Aug 25, 2007
Jaipur bombings (63 dead) – May 13, 2008
Indian Embassy bombing, Kabul (58 dead) - July 7, 2008
Ahmedabad bombings (56 dead) – July 26, 2008
Delhi bombings (30 dead) – Sep 13, 2008
Assam bombings (84 dead) – Oct 30, 2008
Mumbai massacre (164 dead) - Nov 26, 2008
And 2009 is off to another shameful start with eight deaths reported on day 1 of the year...India is truly fast tracking to being the first dodo civilization of modern human history. SEE COMMENTS SECTION FOR DAILY UPDATES OF THE BLOODY MESS THAT GOES ON UNHINDERED DAY IN AND DAY OUT.
It is often incorrectly believed that the purpose of terrorism is to cause fear and the eradication of people who do not share the same religious beliefs as the terrorists. While this belief has some truth, it greatly underestimates the true reasons for terrorism.
Terrorists believe that they have no alternative options for their political, economic, and/or religious grievances and oppression. As a result, terrorists kill and maim random civilians at random places and at random times to give publicity to their causes. In return, terrorist believe this publicity would cause more violence and uprisings. Eventually, terrorists believe this will ultimately force changes in favor to their political, economic, and/or religious demands.
The flaw with the logic of terrorism is that violence begets more violence. The oppressing group that is being terrorized will become even more oppressive and violent to the oppressed group and maybe even to other people; and in return, the terrorists will escalate their efforts too. Alternatively, if a violent terrorist group seizes power thus becoming the oppressors themselves, the newly oppressed group of people will then seek revenge. Either way, terrorism leads to more violence and killings without an end in sight.
Furthermore, most of the non-Muslims and some Muslims believe, to a certain extent, that Islam is a religion of hate, oppression, intolerance to others, and murder because of the beliefs, customs, and actions of religious Islamic extremists. Even each denomination of Islam, women, and other subgroups of people in Muslim countries are being brutally oppressed and even killed by other Muslims. For these reasons and many others, many people in the world associate the Muslim religion with terrorism.
What the Islamic society needs are other alternatives for change. Such as, it was Gandhi who taught and practiced peaceful resistance. This morale high ground caused several major changes including the peaceful liberation of India from the British Empire. Unfortunately, certain interpretations of the Muslim religion allow oppression, murder, and terrorism.
The only possibly option to change certain Muslim beliefs, and therefore terrorism, is for a fundamental change in the morality of the Islamic religion, just like what happened to the Christian religion. So far, exposure to Western and Eastern beliefs has not sufficiently influenced a lot of Islamic customs or beliefs. Only a major religious and/or civil rights movement from within the Middle East could influence the Muslim religion into being more peaceful and thus preventing future acts of terrorism.
The only method that I can imagine this working is if Muslims realize that terrorism does not work and therefore openly renounce Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism. Only after this internal change, could other revolutionary alternatives start to take hold both within and outside of the Muslim religion.
Jagdish sandhu
MMC 1ST
ROLL NO 14
Regulating the media
Recent history has set a precedent that will be followed, we assumed, but such a debate that raises doubt over the efficacy of the modus operandi of the anti-terrorist operation forces us to contemplate over the issue once again. A very simple answer to the whole situation would be that we let the winds drift us, but as Homo sapiens we are not naively foolish to do so. We know that the state will tend to suppress the institutions that show or have the power to oppose and watch it, always. Similarly we know that these institutions will always rise for their own rescue; redundancy teaches us the verities of life& these authorities, no doubt.
The attack on our financial capital, Bombay was not just an attack on an affluent hotel or the railway terminus but on the security in general; that is subject to so many breaches in the fresh action-packed history. Whom to question and whom to see responsible for the whole happening, we all know, but feel constrained to say aloud.
Media covered the event in its own manner and extempore spirit, though the TRP greed was starkly evident but the timely message it conveyed can not be denied even. Mistakes were bound to happen during such emergency, and they will be represented magnified through the Government machinery was anticipated too.
Government is shifting all blame to media and trying to cover up all its negligence. The intruders entered and captured the prime location to our chagrin, and they want to commit such crime with impunity. In this situation even a common man can decide, who is guilty and who is manipulated.
Media could have done the job in a better manner, no doubt, but what it did was praiseworthy too. Regulating media is something that should be decided within media fraternity and no other machinery needs to encroach to pollute and harness the situation for settling personal scores.
Till now what ever I wrote was what a layman feels and now I would like to pour some journalistic emotion and concern. Government wants to suppress me (Media) just because while covering their carelessness I made some tolerable errors .Today I am covering their responsibility still people are non-serious and are affected; tomorrow if I am tethered, who will raise voice for the masses … who will? This Government, who made us witness to Chinas aggression, Kargil war , Attack on parliament ,Kandhar hijack and much more or this judiciary that is totally inclement towards even exposing their assets. If you want me to carry my duty ,don’t let me get muzzled through the hands of this tyrant state ; let me introspect and revive my ethics to earn more credibility in your eyes ,and it is a universal truth no one wants to be seen as depraved,.
I don’t like to vote,everyone is corrupt,I hate politicians……….
Politics is bad, politicians are worse. What is there in a voting,one is given an option to choose amongst the scoundrels. Why should I waste my time money, I enjoy my holiday with friends and family. Besides I didn’t like the reservation system in higher education institutes, look at the way they handled Mumbai terror attacks, every bureaucrat is corrupt. These representatives take money to vote in parliament ,to ask question on behalf of people,to decide where to spend the funds. Everything is up for sale. You have the money, you get everything ,then why go to vote? Connections, nepotism ,bribes, work very well. We are used to of these quarelling criminals in our parliament .They buy votes to further sell themselves in future.
All the above are the arguments people give in their defence of not voting in elections.Has anyone ever given it a thought that who are these 500 people.Why was it decided that people would choose anu representative,anu person from the masses who would speak for them,solve their problems. How important is this govt of,for and by the people.Not everyone gets this opportunity to decide who should govern them ,who should decide the kind of education their children would get.Look at the countries like Pakistan, Somalia, Congo. Fiji and even the worlds 3rd largest economy, China.Their public has no say in their govt. They cant even rise and protest that their policies are wrong ,all the suppressed people and their voices.
At this point of time India is facing both internal and external threats like terrorism, fundamentalism,naxalism, factionalism, economic recession. Beyond this we have many perennial problems like poverty, corruption,illiteracy.India is in need of visionary, honest and willful leaders. The situation damands Indians to rise to the occasion. More than any time in history,these are the elections when the public is aware of all the allures given to them by politicians during elections and how they are forgotten for the next 5 years.
We know their tricks, now is the time to nip their bud, eradicate them from the political scenario.
Our first problem is getting people to vote and second and more important is to vote for the right person. We Indians have a particular affinity towars filmstars, rajas, ranis, political heirs.Do we lack confidence in a common ,honest man, who does not have any godfather,no money ,no criminal or corrupt background. A person who has displayed good leadership qualities and will power to solve problems and has not played the blame game in times of crises.It is our responsibility to work towards searching good charactered leaders as this is the only time when our voices are asked .Dont keep shut,make some effort.As Baba Ramdev says even if all the contestants are corrupt vote for the least corrupt man.
Remember this exam comes only once in 5 years.Do appear and perform efficiently on this day.India will pass out with flying colours and would touch new heights in next 5 years.Show the doors to corruot and rowdy.
Remember the govt is of the people,for the people and by the people.And together we can change the destiny of our motherland.
Kirti Gautam
Violence in sports
In ancient societies, athletics and especially competitive contact games always have been rough, but aggression in the past was tempered by an insistence that playing hard, playing to win, did not countenance playing to cheat and to hurt. One of the very first nations that expressed athletic ideals, were the Greeks. As enunciated by Pindar, the athletic ideal incorporated courage and endurance with modesty, dignity, and fair-mindedness, those elusive qualities the Greeks called Adios. As sports became more specialized, the general populace increasingly withdrew into spectatorship. Sports history reveals that although Greek sports had increasingly marred by corruption and bribes, nonetheless they flourished in an era which witnessed the rapid expansion of stadiums and arenas under the Roman Empire. During the Roman Empire, violence in sports became the generally accepted principle and spectators not only endorsed it, but also embraced it as a social norm.
In recent years sports violence has become to be perceived as a social problem. Commissions have been appointed in Canada and England to investigate violence among hockey players and soccer fans. Numerous examples of violence in professional sports exist today, as counties like the United States, Canada, Greece, Italy and Germany, report court cases have been heard which concern the victims of violence perpetrators. Newspapers, magazines and television programs portray bloodied athletes and riotous fans at hockey, boxing, football, soccer, baseball, and basketball games with what appears to be increasing regularity. But are sports violence incidents actually increasing, and if so, what is the reason of such a negative increase? Or does the heightened public attention and media focus on sports violence reflect not an increase in the incidence or severity of aggression, but greater public concern with moral issues and political discourse?
Contrary to popular belief, there appears to be growing dissatisfaction with sports violence. Changes in sports rules, developments in the design of equipment, and even the physical characteristics of modern sports arenas evolved in an effort to reduce violence or its consequences. But still, among athletic management teams, government officials, fans and athletes themselves, there is an ambivalence attitude towards sports violence. The ambivalence takes the form of justifying the existence of violence in sports, but not taking personal responsibility for it. Coaches and managers tend to blame fans, saying that violence is what attracts people into stadiums, as the risk entailed makes the game more "interesting". Athletes frequently admit that they are opposed to violence, but it is expected of them by coaches. Fans justify it by attributing aggressiveness to athletes and to situational aspects of the game. Spectators view violence as an inherent part of some sports as one cannot play games like hockey or football, without accepting the necessity of violent action.
Can some acts of violence be explained by a society's "culture"? Scholars have found it hard to empirically disentangle the effects culture, legal institutions, and poverty in driving violence. We address this problem by exploiting a natural experiment offered by the presence of thousands of international soccer (football) players in the European professional leagues. We find a strong relationship between the history of civil conflict in a player's home country and his propensity to behave violently on the soccer field, as measured by yellow and red cards. This link is robust to region fixed effects, country characteristics (e.g., rule of law, per capita income) outliers, and team fixed effects Reinforcing our claim that we isolate cultures violence rather than simple rule-breaking or something else entirely, there is no meaningful correlation between a player's home country civil war history and soccer performance measures not closely related to violent conduct, player characteristics (e.g., age, field position, quality),
This study deals with forms of violence and aims at showing that these are very much in evidence at the very heart of sport. A cross-section of nine sport practices (soccer, basketball, volleyball, karate, judo, shooting, table tennis, swimming, tennis) was sampled for that purpose. Some 420 competitors filled in a questionnaire. Results show that instances of violence greatly vary depending on the sporting area and produces collective representations. Three groups of practices showing differentiated forms of violence have been observed thus proving that these forms are particularly pertinent differentiation factors in the field of sport.
In cricket also at times there were incidents of violence. Aggression usually results in violence in sports. In past players sometime used abusive language and also indulge in violence. But when violence is created from outside then the problem became severe and it could be havoc in the world. Incident like attack on Sri Lankan team is not tolerable. Sports should be left out of the terrorism. It reminds people of terrorist attack on Israeli athletes in Munich Olympic.
Sports events are not the place to show your aggression. Sports are for developing some valuable attributes in the players. Continues violence in sports can lead to lack of sportsmen’s spirit. Accidents may happen but deliberately attacks are not tolerable. Government should provide adequate security to players and officials of the sports.
Different countries have their different cultures and this also play an important role in the sports. Some countries are calm and some are aggressive. Their attributes can affect the game in different manners. The message of peace and harmony is spread in better way by the sports. So violence in sports can ruin the spirit of sports.
All set for Commonwealth Games
The city of delhi is already set being beautified as a bride for the nations proudest sporting moment yet the 2010 Commonwealth Games .though the games are scheduled to be held between 3 October and 14 October 2010 , the city seems to be shining in glory of achievements made in preperations so far .The city of Delhi though does not seem to be new to sporting events , with history of hosting Asian games in 1951 and 1982 With a population of over 15 million , Delhi is one of the largest cities in the world and with 85 nations planning to field teams at the 2010 Commonwealth games the challenges were bound to be of astronomical proportions .
Starting with basic infrastructural requirements as transportation . since Delhi in itself has a large population to sustain apart from people who involve in a kind of daily ritual o inmigration and out migration from neighboring states or regions in National capital region , the government had to come up with ingenious solution of its own such as the four-lane, 2.2 km underground stretch from Ring Road to Lodhi road, linking the Games Village to the Jawahar lal Nehru Stadium and reducing traveling time for athletes traveling between the Village and the Stadium by six minutes. Apart from that a number of over –bridges and under bridges has been constructed to facilitate the passage of traffic over railway lines not only that to expand road infrastructure, flyovers, cloverleaf flyovers, and bridges have been planned to provide connectivity to the Games Village, to sports venues, to hospitals, and for intra-city connectivity. Road-widening projects have been under process, with an emphasis being placed on expanding national highways. To improve traffic flow on existing road, plans are underway to make both the inner and outer Ring roads signal free. To support its commitment to mass transportation, nine corridors have been identified and are being constructed as High Capacity Bus Systems (for example, one from Ambedkar Nagarto red fort). Six of these corridors are expected to be operational in 2008. Additionally, the Delhi Metro will be expanded to accommodate more people and boost the use of public transportation during the 2010 games. By then it will have the second longest network in the world and later the longest, which will be more than 420 km.
Since air travel is to assume prominence with influx of foreign tourists Indra gandhi international air port is being modernized, expanded, and upgraded. By the 2010 games, a new terminal (Terminal 3) will have been constructed, with the capability to cater to more than 35 million passengers a year. Terminal 3 will be a two tier building, with the bottom floor being the arrivals area, and the top being a departures area. This terminal will have over 130 check in counters, 55 aerobridges , 30 parking bays, 72 immigration counters, 15 X-ray screening areas, duty free shops, and much more. The airport will also have a new runway to cater more than 75 plus flights an hour; the runway will be more than 4400 meters long and one of Asia's longest. The entire airport will be connected to the city via a 6 lane highway (National Highway 8) and the Delhi Metro.
Even energy consumption is supposed to rise during the games, for that additional power supply to Delhi, the government is undertaking a large power-production initiative to increase power production to 7,000 MW (from the current 4,500 MW). To achieve this goal, the government plans to streamline the power distribution process, direct additional energy to Delhi, and construct new power plants. In fact, the government has promised that by 2010, Delhi will have a surplus of power.A new, modern Games Village is being built by the Delhi development authority along the east bank of the river yamuna at a cost of USD 230.7 million. Village will be a low rise medium development with a possible capacity for 8,500 athletes and officials.The Games Village would be completed by December 2009.
All said and done but the bitter fact of the day is that this bride like face of delhi is under threat, threat of terrorism . The vicicious carnage at the Taj mahal hotel still haunts the public memory . No doubt government has made security arrangements but are they enough for tourists who consider this part of sub continent as unsafe . Not only the threat of terrorism there is a whiff of uncertainity that whether this extravagance might not be worth the effort with economic slow down and recession looking straight in face . Looking at the breath taking strides in terms of infrastructural developments and arrangements yet to take form the whole chapter of common wealth games looks like a promising invesment with single line at the end – “conditions do apply “.
By Manavjeet
Terrorism in India
It is a bit unfortunate that we as a country are facing hostilities from our neighbouring countries since independence. Pakistan since its creation has always harboured terrorist elements against India with an intention to destabilise our country. China the Big Brother supports Pakistan in their endeavour to divide India. We face threats from Bangladesh and from Sri Lanka in the South. Since we have open borders with Nepal, terrorists use Nepal as easy entry and exit points. Our borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh are porous and not fully sealed. We face trouble on the North -East side with China claiming Arunachal Pradesh. These countries hobnob with these terrorists and have helped them to establish their bases from where they can carry out their evil acts. So all the expert is a bit unfortunate that we as a country are facing hostilities from our neighbouring countries since independence. Pakistan since its creation has always harboured terrorist elements against India with an intention to destabilise our country. China the Big Brother supports Pakistan in their endeavour to divide India. We face threats from Bangladesh and from Sri Lanka in the South. Since we have open borders with Nepal, terrorists use Nepal as easy entry and exit points. Our borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh are porous and not fully sealed. We face trouble on the North -East side with China claiming Arunachal Pradesh. These countries hobnob with these terrorists and have helped them to establish their bases from where they can carry out their evil acts. So all the expertise for planting Bombs on soft targets come from these countries. But not everything can be done from these foreign bases. So they take advantage of the unemployed youth and others who fall easy prey to their indoctrination and create local groups who formant trouble in all cities across India. They take help from some political class and the corrupt officials provide fodder for their entry and exit from India.
So Terrorism is not about Muslims only and their quest for Jihad. Not all Muslims are terrorists and not all terrorists are Muslims. India's 140 million Muslims are a salutary negation of the facile thesis about Islam's incompatibility with democracy. The terrorists that we encounter today are not men who commit evil acts out of revenge. For these men indoctrinated by outfits like the Al Qaeda and the Dawood gangs, terrorism is a fully fledged profession. The cold blooded killers of Ahmedabad last week went about with their tasks with clinical precision.. They did it because it was a job they wanted to do. Only few Muslims believe that these phonies are fighting for any cause but their own. Hindus have stopped fulminating against terror despite the heavy toll it takes each time. For these terrorists who are invisible, they have no Agenda. They do it in the name of Jihad or some linguistic or religious cause, which a common man does not identify himself with.
India earned its reputation as a soft state that can be intimidated into meeting terrorists' demands. Our then foreign minister in the year 1999 in the month of December personally escorted three terrorists freed by India in order to secure the release of passengers of a hijacked Indian Airlines flight to Tliban controlled Afghanistan. This act led to the 9/11 attack in New York as one of these very terrorists was later implicated in the 9/11 attacks. Tough rhetoric and reactive government policies and Draconian acts like the POTA will not serve the cause for curbing such terrorism. It will only result in violation of human rights and engineer more youth to fall prey to such terrorist organisations. We have to break out of this trap that we have imposed on ourselves.
Democratic politics, political freedoms, civil liberties and religious tolerance must be protected at all costs. The corruption and politicisation of the police forces must be minimised. We need a dedicated and an unbiased police force. Criminalisation of politics must stop. Instead, we have number of parliamentarians with pending criminal cases. Some jailed parliamentarians also cast their vote on important National issues which is alarming! Terrorism prospers and thrives in such conditions. In a way, Poverty is an incubator of terrorism and a root cause of corruption. It breeds the Naxalites and the local terrorist groups. The government needs to be tough in implementing reforms to maintain rapid economic growth and uplift the status of its downtrodden people.
More importantly, India's terrorism problem is largely specific to Kashmir. There is a difference between terrorists and freedom fighters and one should not equate them. India must muster International support in this issue and put pressure on Pakistan to stop supporting these terrorists. India habitually points fingers at Pakistan which is the hotbed and the epicentre of terrorism all around the world. But merely pointing fingers will not help matters. For a small country like Pakistan to be able to infiltrate groups of Indians and recruit them to the terrorist's cause indicates failures of the intelligence on the other hand. We have to look into this fact. There is no co-ordination between the central intelligence agencies and the states. Each points a finger at others each time a bomb blast takes place. This is matched by the flaws of the criminal justice system, which is rudimentary by the standards of mature democracies. Whether it is the Bombay bomb blasts of 1992 or the Gujarat riots in 2002, justice takes many years to deliver. Justice has neither been done, nor seen to be done. India needs to be tough but not reactionary to the causes of terrorism
rtise for planting Bombs on soft targets come from these countries. But not everything can be done from these foreign bases. So they take advantage of the unemployed youth and others who fall easy prey to their indoctrination and create local groups who forment trouble in all cities across India. They take help from some political class and the corrupt officials provide fodder for their entry and exit from India.
So Terrorism is not about Muslims only and their quest for Jihad. Not all Muslims are terrorists and not all terrorists are Muslims. India's 140 million Muslims are a salutary negation of the facile thesis about Islam's incompatibility with democracy. The terrorists that we encounter today are not men who commit evil acts out of revenge. For these men indoctrinated by outfits like the Al Qaeda and the Dawood gangs, terrorism is a full fledged profession. The cold blooded killers of Ahmedabad last week went about with their tasks with clinical precision.. They did it because it was a job they wanted to do. Only few Muslims believe that these phonies are fighting for any cause but their own. Hindus have stopped fulminating against terror despite the heavy toll it takes each time. For these terrorists who are invisible, they have no Agenda. They do it in the name of Jihad or some linguistic or religious cause, which a common man does not identify himself with.
India earned its reputation as a soft state that can be intimidated into meeting terrorists' demands. Our then foreign minister in the year 1999 in the month of December personally escorted three terrorists freed by India in order to secure the release of passengers of a hijacked Indian Airlines flight to Tliban controlled Afghanistan. This act led to the 9/11 attack in New York as one of these very terrorists was later implicated in the 9/11 attacks. Tough rhetoric and reactive government policies and Draconian acts like the POTA will not serve the cause for curbing such terrorism. It will only result in violation of human rights and engineer more youth to fall prey to such terrorist organisations. We have to break out of this trap that we have imposed on ourselves.
Democratic politics, political freedoms, civil liberties and religious tolerance must be protected at all costs. The corruption and politicisation of the police forces must be minimised. We need a dedicated and an unbiased police force. Criminalisation of politics must stop. Instead, we have number of parliamentarians with pending criminal cases. Some jailed parliamentarians also cast their vote on important National issues which is alarming! Terrorism prospers and thrives in such conditions. In a way, Poverty is an incubator of terrorism and a root cause of corruption. It breeds the Naxalites and the local terrorist groups. The government needs to be tough in implementing reforms to maintain rapid economic growth and uplift the status of its downtrodden people.
More importantly, India's terrorism problem is largely specific to Kashmir. There is a difference between terrorists and freedom fighters and one should not equate them. India must muster International support in this issue and put pressure on Pakistan to stop supporting these terrorists. India habitually points fingers at Pakistan which is the hotbed and the epicentre of terrorism all around the world. But merely pointing fingers will not help matters. For a small country like Pakistan to be able to infiltrate groups of Indians and recruit them to the terrorist's cause indicates failures of the intelligence on the other hand. We have to look into this fact. There is no co-ordination between the central intelligence agencies and the states. Each points a finger at others each time a bomb blast takes place. This is matched by the flaws of the criminal justice system, which is rudimentary by the standards of mature democracies. Whether it is the Bombay bomb blasts of 1992 or the Gujarat riots in 2002, justice takes many years to deliver. Justice has neither been done, nor seen to be done. India needs to be tough but not reactionary to the causes of terrorism.
By Mandeep Singh
Assignment
What next in Pakistan
If we look nearly one & half year back ,the journey of Pakistan towards its deterioration started.Many incidents acted as fuelling agent in this. Former President Pervez Musharaff imposed theemergency & then removed the Chief Justice Iftikihar Chowdhary which was widelty condemened in Pakistan implicitly & explicitly.Even restrictions were imposedon the media.On December 27 ,2007 Benazir Bhutto,widely known as the Daughter of the East, was assisinated. It came as a shock for the whole Pakistani administration.Investigation orders were given but who was behind herassasination is still amystery despite various concorted theories. Musharaff later resignedas the chief of thearmy as well as of the country. The elections took place & post poll alliance of PPP & PML(N) took place on certaibn parameters.Asif ALi Zardari became the President & Gilani became the Prime Minister of Pakistan.Everybody in & outside Pakistan took the sighof relief that was assumedto be back in Pakistan.It was exprcted that peace would flourish in Pakistan.
But it turned out to be untrue. Terrorism is not anew word in Pakisatn .Infact it is the homecity for the terrorists & habitat for the terrorist outfits.The attack on Marriot hotel was first of its kind that happened insuch huge scale in the heart of Pakistan& it shook the very foundationb of Pakistan.Itis well known fact that in certain belts of Pakistan the writ of Pakistan does not function.Taliban is all pervasive there & this devil is stretching its arms in an unimaginable manner.
We all know that how taliban was created with the aid of US so that it could help it to fight against Soviet Union in Afganistan.But now it has become the biggest problem for US & even Pakistan to control the activities of Taliban.Pakistan haseven joined the US in their fight against the terrorism & even get the military & financial aid.It is bound to conytrol the activitis of Taliban in Afganistan & related areas.Some analyists say it with authority that Mumbai Attack was so stratigically well planned . When Mumbai was attackedwholeIndia came to standstill & it created a war like situation between India & Pakistan. Pakistan in order to defend its boundaries shifted its armed forces towards Indian border.But it was well planned that Pakistan justified its move to shift its forces from Afganistan border & allowed the Talibans to carry out with their activities which it could not do in normal situations becauseit is accountable to US on one hand & on other hand it somehow foolishes the US.We all know that how Pakistan has responded to the Mumbai attack . It itself is confused that what stand itshould take & as usual indulgedin the blame game theories.
It is unfortunate that how Shariyat is imposedin the SWAT valley which was once known for its efficient administration.It is the only place which is completely overtakrn by the Taliban.It may be because of its geography.The sutuation is morethan worsethere .The police officials have resigned from their jobs in orderto save their lives. All the elites have fled the SWAT valley. It is only the poor who are surving in the hell situation. The girls aaaare not allowed to study . The women have been rendered as prisoners in theie own homwes as they are notallowedto move out.There are no barbers because shavig is interpretated as unislamic according to the fundamentalists.They want to dominate all the aspects of people's life.It is ironic that Pakistan government is agreed with the people like Baitullah Mehsud who is alleged to have aassasinated Benazir & government is on the verge of signingpact with the Talibans.
The latest attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore has vanished the assumption that sports is above terrorism.The Pakistani authorities have blamed India's RAW for this attack which is nullified Sri Lankan government.Pakistan has become the no area zone for the sports events to be held. The World Cup is to be heldin Pakistan on 2011 but this attack has raised several questions relating to the security .It is rare event that sportsperson have been targeted .before it ,during the time of Munich Olympics 13 Israili atheletes were attackedwhichwas highly condemnable.This attack has raised question mark relating to the sports progress in the country.
Latest comment of Pervez Musharaf to the army that army should do somethingin order to save the repotation of Pakistan in the international community.This statement has the prospects that army may take over the comands on nation in coming times.
As the things are moving It is clear indication that the futureof Pakistan is drastic.The Taliban if not stopped may take over the entire Pakistaan administration & according to some of the international reports Pakistan may cease to exist as a nation.So instead of the speech therapy & lip servicePkistan should take some stringent measures to fight againstterrorism because now its a matter of bidg deal that is survivalof pakistan as an independent nation .So wake up Pakistan before its too late .
Neha Salaria
Roll no 25
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How much is too much?
It is said that media is the reflection of the government and the society that exists in any country. It is a bridge between the governance and the governed. It is the medium through which information can both be received and given. What sets the media apart is the daring way in which it has been delivering information to the public in a fair and neutral manner. But as the world is growing towards profit, it seems media too has become profit driven. The Mumbai terror attacks has exposed the hidden instincts of this profit driven media. As if sting operations and sensationalism of news was not enough to satisfy their greed for TRP’s, the word ‘live’ has done the remaining harm. Particularly the broadcast media, which is crossing all its limits in giving up to date information or “live” coverage of the event. And the way it had covered the Mumbai terror attack, it has actually forced the law makers to draw some guide lines for the media. From telling the location of the people where they were hiding, to landing of NSG commandos in the Nariman building, media kept nothing away from the viewers. Instead of helping in the hour of crisis it actually made the task more tough for those who put their life at sake to save the dangered lives. The NSG commandos faught a pitched battle between terrorist, and the television cameras and journalist kept viewers all updated, infact the coverage itself became a news. The public, the government, everybody criticized the way media behaved during the terror attacks. It is not the first time that the media behaved in such an irresponsible manner. Even during the parliament attack, the cameras went all the places where they were not suppose to go. Apart from live coverage of the entire event, it also sensationalized the entire event to such an extent that it almost lead to state of war between India and Pakistan. The havoc created by media was not less than the terrorist attack. All this has lead to a situation where we are forced to think whether media needs to be controlled? Although in a democratic country like India where everybody has the right to freedom of thoughts and expression, media certainly stands as self regulatory body. But in the present scenario where every private organization is market driven, it seems there is a need to lay down regulations and guidelines to control the TRP hungry media . The urge of telecasting everything ‘live’ and the need to strive in the competition has made the media act irresponsibly. The media which is supposed to remain neutral and do fair reporting is increasingly getting biased, indulging in opinion making and propagating their own agendas. To tackle this over- enthusiastic media, certain guidelines and regulations are needed to be laid down. In countries like US and Russia , which have already framed guidelines for the media and journalists, a line is need to be drawn for media in India as well. So that if next time there is such a mishappening, life and not ‘live’ should be concern of our media .
Submitted by :
Neha Verma
R.NO - 13
MMC-1
The nexus of terror, cricket and politics in Pakistan
Viewers who watched the coverage of Mumbai attacks on 26/11 could easily make uncanny comparisons with the footage from Lahore’s Liberty Chowk of young men with backpacks and rifles moving undauntedly in public space opening fire. The target, the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team who against all warnings of security issues in Pakistan stepped in after the cancellation of the Indian Cricket team, all in the spirit of the sport.
What happened? A dozen or so gunmen attacked the bus carrying the cricketers to Gaddafi stadium with rocket launchers and grenades. The whole mayhem lasted for about half an hour leaving 8 people dead, 6 of which were police men trying to save the lives of the Sri Lankan cricket team who miraculously escaped thanks to the quick thinking of the bus driver.
In all probability a hostage situation or far greater catastrophe was evaded, but never the less it highlighted serious security lapses on the part of Pakistan. How did the attackers manage to get so close to a team being provided VVIP security? How were they able to escape unhindered? What is even more troubling is the evidence pouring in that both the CID and the RAW has specifically warned the Pakistan Government of an impending attack on the Sri Lankan team, pinpointed to an exact time and date, which is while they were being transported to and fro the cricket stadium.
Evidently, it was the volatile political situation in the country that the terrorist were able to take advantage of. With the Sharif government being dissolved because he was disqualified from holding an elected post by the Supreme Court, Governor’s rule has been imposed in the state. This has led to a lot changes in the bureaucratic hierarchy which led distraction for officialdom from an immediate security threat.
Unlike the Mumbai attacks, where a captured Kasab, spilled the beans, the Lahore attack is drowned in speculation on who could have masterminded the assault. These include possibilities of the involvement of the Lashkar-e-Toiba, who is believed to be furious with the government for the current pressure on their organization.
In government circles the blame is being directed on RAW. Even thought Pakistan has not officially accused India of the complicity in the attacks, it is expected to eventually. Already the government has blamed the attacks on “those against the friendship between Pakistan and Sri Lanka”. No guesses for the country being referred to. In fact Pakistani television channels have also been broadcasting footage of Sonia Gandhi’s speech where she speaks to teaching Pakistan a lesson. According to many anchors, “this is the lesson”.
Strangely, even in Pakistan there are many who do not believe in the involvement of RAW and their intentions behind the alleged attack to show Pakistan as a security risk state for sports activity. Some senior journalists state that judging by their appearance they seemed more likely to be from Punjabi or Kashmiri activists groups.
Whether or not the accusations on India have merit, a few things are evident post the Lahore attack. Firstly, relations between India and Pakistan are not going to return to any sort of normalcy in the near future. Secondly, these attacks have only added to the feeling amongst the state that the Zardari government does not have the country under control. Finally, Pakistan’s future as a cricketing destination or as a matter of fact in sphere of tourism looks extremely bleak.
By Neharika
Are you safe?
As Pakistan continues to slide, the world is seriously thinking where the bottom is. Latest entry in the archives of terrorism – is the Attack on Sri Lankan players in Lahore. On Tuesday March 3rd masked gunmen in Lahore ambushed a convoy carrying Sri Lanka’s national cricket team, wounding seven players and a British coach and killing five policemen and two others.
The Sri Lankan cricketers had been travelling in a well-armed convoy to the city’s Gaddafi stadium, to commence the third day of a five-day game against Pakistan’s national side. The team bus was attacked by around a dozen militants armed with automatic rifles and grenades. Two of the Sri Lankans were reportedly wounded by gunfire. In a vehicle to the rear of the bus, the driver was shot dead and one of the game’s umpires was shot and wounded in the back. In a stunned first response to the calamity, a member of Sri Lanka’s cricket board announced that the game had been abandoned.
In a society beset by Islamist violence, including some 60 suicide bomb-blasts in each of the past two years, this was less bloody than many recent attacks, but nonetheless remarkable. Sri Lanka’s decision to send its revered cricketers to Pakistan, despite fears for their security, was a brave act of south-Asian solidarity from a country with terrorism troubles of its own.
It followed India’s decision last December to cancel its cricket team’s scheduled tour of the country, after Pakistani militants killed over 170 people in Mumbai the previous month. This came after the cancelling of tours by two other cricketing powers, Australia and the West Indies. That Pakistan has now proved unable to protect the Sri Lankans, despite extraordinary efforts by Lahore’s police in the face of a manifest threat to their lives, is, to say the least, dispiriting. It seems reasonable to suppose that many of Pakistan’s dwindling foreign visitors will now stay away from the country. At a time of economic duress—partly related to the country’s worsening insecurity—this will have repercussions far beyond cricket.
What is the commoner’s role in countering terrorism? I don’t think anyone knows that. But, by now most of us get of the house not knowing will all the members will dine together happily or some bigoted terrorist will attack the work place of some family member or the school of your kid. Earlier we used to crib that the corrupt polity, film stars and cricketers roam about with convoy of security and the unarmed common man made face to face with the terrorists armed with a feeling against humanity.
Now, when the wall has been broken and now even the powerful are not safe. Do you think you are?
#
(455 words)
Submitted By– Nidhi Bhatia
Roll No – 27
A Billion. That is the number that can change the face of our country like never before... Literally, herald in a time that will change the face of our politics, as we know it. .A billion votes...Is the youth even prepared/ ready/ aware of it? Are we a nation of individuals who care two pence about our democracy? Is the discussion just limited to coffee houses? Or can something actually be done about it? Can the youth of the largest democracy in the world come together to kindle a flame that will ignite our minds and souls into consciously doing something of concrete importance for our nation? Can the engineers, architect an institution that is doctored by the hands of artists and accounted for to the rest of the country?
Questions about youth being a part of politics, which may seem incongruous to many, are the questions we need to raise. Today’s Indian youth is a generation full of hope and promise. This generation is poised to become the new leaders, those that will carry forward the torch of our nation's politics and culture. Yet there seems to be a kind of paradox here. While the harbingers of the new India are busy pursuing their careers, there is a sort of non-chalance about our nation's politics. A very less number actually possess a voter identification card and even lesser number actually go to vote, all of which results in a degraded majority and a wrong party on power. Many of us regard politics as "quicksand" where if one gets in; will never be able to come out. Due to this wrong notion, politics is definitely not one among the diverse career options chosen by the youngsters.
We have taken for granted that the politics of our country would never change. If politics and politicians of the generation before us have degraded, then it is time for a change in the attitudes towards politics in our youth. People who are educated and full of fresh ideas are certainly needed to pull this off. It will not be an easy task, but we need to start somewhere. Each young person of India needs to examine the policies and manifestos of major political and see what they have to offer. They should vote according to their own conscience, but only according to what they feel is right. The youth needs to begin the first steps in these directions.. Awaken the youth to the power that lies in their hands - the power to influence, the power to choose, the power to vote! A strong example of this is Obama’s win. Barack Obama engaged young voters - a vital part of his strategy. Young voters outperformed their share of the voting population and voted in
equal numbers to the "reliable senior" demographic. Without youth support Barack Obama would not have been the Democratic nominee or consequently the president of US of A. In India, The Jaago Re campaign is one such which calls for active youth participation in politics.
Politics may not be considered an 'in-thing' today. But it has to become the in-thing amongst youth, for a better India of tomorrow. If doyens like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru had not had the vision of a free India, we would still have been bonded slaves of the British.
We...The youth... must be the great arsenal of democracy. Remember that the ballot is stronger than the bullet. Dance of democracy is reaching its climax. It is time for the great silent majority of Indians to stand up and be counted. As we age into the electorate, we will be the bedrock of a future progressive majority. The real makers of history in these elections will be the youth; our participation in every decision about the future is the only guarantee of true democracy and freedom.
So it is integral for the youth to ask this question to themselves-Are u a part of it or are u apart from it? Decide now...Your future is at stake. Rock the vote.
POOJA DADWAL
2nd semester
Sports, terror and the Indian-subcontinent
It was another black day in the history of sports. A dozen gunmen ambushed a convoy taking Sri Lanka team and match officials to the Lahore stadium for Day 3 of the second test match against Pakistan. Eight members of the Sri Lankan touring party and an official were injured and at least six police officers were killed. With this horrifying incident, the disgraceful killings of Israeli athletes at 1972 Munich Olympic, resurfaced in the mind of every sports enthusiast. For some it was a replay of Mumbai terror attacks. The TV channels carried similar images of the two incidents which had young men with backpacks and Kalashnikovs in a wild fury to kill people. More than anything else, it added evidence to the fact that in the current troubled world scenario anyone and everyone is the target of ruthless mayhem.
As far as India is concerned, this event happened at a time when the country is struggling with its image of a ‘safe’ destination. No one in India, whether a Government official or a laymen wants to be clubbed under ‘that’ part of subcontinent which is ‘volatile, susceptible to terror attacks and unsafe’. Besides India; Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are other important sporting nations in this part of this world. But they are facing serious security issues from within their country. And, unfortunately they are India’s neighbors which effect the country’s image, security and stability. India itself has not been successful to abate terrorist activities planted on its soil from other nations and neither has it done anything concrete to control the growing influence of naxalism and home grown terror. Lob Sabha elections this year have molded every social and national security issue into a political issue. From Khandhamal to Ayodhaya; Mangalore pub attacks to Bangalore hooliganism; MNS activism to Maratha-ization of Mumbai- religion, women and regionalism have been politicized. And, now there are traces of sports becoming another issue of disgraceful political banter.
Lahore attacks have raised questions not only of security provisions to sports person but also regarding the capacity of Indian security forced to prevent such unprofessed events. Moreover, the present dilemma of whether to reschedule IPL tournament or to cancel it completely because of the coinciding Lob Sabha elections along with security concerns in the light of Lahore attacks, has gathered a lot of heat and attention. The question here is not whether our security forces are capable but whether they are being over strained or not. In its year of inception IPL was seen as a platform where international barriers were broken, infact the tournament this year has been even promoted in manner which reflects this quality of the tournament. But the unfortunate events in Lahore have had dire consequences on how the entire Indian-subcontinent is perceived. Hosting IPL successful has become an issue of prestige and an opportunity for India to prove to the world that India is an exceptional case in this troubled part of the world.
In the wake of the world wide recession, the feel good atmosphere has ceased to exist. Though human resilience continues to fight the blues but the impact is clearly visible in the manner stock markets are reacting to any inkling of failure of any nature. Stake holders are petrified about their investments and sponsors are cautious in terms of expenditure. In India, it is not a very good time for the struggling sports and sportspersons. On one hand everyone is keeping their fingers crossed for the 71st Commonwealth Games which are to be held in New Delhi in 2010; and on the other hand feasibility of the 2011 World Cup which was to be help in the subcontinent seems dimming. Terror has struck not only a particular nation but effect the entire region creating a ripple effect of pessimistic and suspicious attitude.
It is undeniable that terror has become uncontrollable, but human attitude towards such events can be molded to ensure that life continues without being drastically effected by terror.
In due course of time certain life choices may have to be altered to prioritize their importance, but it is important that mental resilience is created among masses so that they can withstand terror and not break when confronted with an unimaginable act of terror. Sports play an important role here. It evokes the spirit of life which encourages one to stand up, fight and win after every loss. Therefore, we might be living in times where no one knows what godforsaken tragedy might strike us but we must not let it affect the present, the future and the image of sports and the nation. The ball is in our court.
Prabhjot Sohal
SHOULD MILITARY TRAINING BE MADE COMPULSORY ?
During the British rule in India, there was no opportunity for all to receive military training. The British Government did not allow the people of some provinces of India to receive this training. But now India is free there is now no bar to the people of any particular state to receive this training. Rather, the government of India is encouraging the students in schools and colleges all over India to receive military training. Thus there are junior divisions of national cadet corps in colleges in India. Besides this, there are a few institutions in India only for military training. Every year the government recruits young men for military training under the direct supervision of the three branches of the military department – the land force, the air force and the naval forces. Thus there has been a great opening for the young men of India to receive military training at schools, colleges and under the direct supervision of the military department. Those who are recruited by the military department must join the land force, air force or the navy as regular soldiers. But those who join the national cadet corps at schools and colleges are not yet bound to join the military department.
But the question is Should military training be made compulsory for all?
Necessity of Compulsory Training - India is a vast country.
The main causes for the problems faced by our country are corruption, unemployment and lack of transparency and accountability and total disregard for law of the land. It has a very long coat line. There are many countries on its borders. It is very difficult to defend such a country against foreign invasions if it is not well protected. The land forces should be strengthened to defend the borders. So the number of soldiers should be increased. Though it is not possible for all young men to join the army navy or the air force, they must all receive military training. They will thus be able to defend the country in time of danger. In many countries military training is compulsory for all young men. This should be done in India also. It may not be possible at once. But in the course of a few years it should be made compulsory. Military training should be made compulsory this will reduce the cost of recruiting the cadets and officers at time of emergency. National awareness will be created among youngsters as time has come that military training need to be given to each and every child, so that they have confidence to defend themselves and serve the country whenever required
It’s Utility – Compulsory military training is very useful to young one. This training will help to build up a strong body. This is of great importance to young men of this country. Many of us do not generally like to undergo physical labour. But if it is made compulsory, we shall be bound to undergo physical labour. We shall be strong built. A course of military training will make us well disciplined. It is also of great importance in attaining success in life. It will help to build our character also. It will develop many good faculties in us. We shall be made real men and useful citizens. We shall be proud to defend our motherland when necessity arises. The physical benefit of military training is often mentioned. If it were made compulsory, it is claimed that the regular hours, scientifically prepared diets, outdoor living, and proper personal hygiene might markedly improve the health of a considerable part of the population. Better teeth, better living habits, and a sense of improved physical well-being might be acquired.
The Other Side - But looking at the other side Military training should be optional and not made compulsary because not everyone will make up to be a good soldier, it differs with personality. Conscripting is justified only when country is lacking in professional manpower. No Army should be for professionals, like in Europe. If every one is well equipped knows how to shot they may missuse the training and become the liability on the nation. For self defence there are so many other institutions giving self defence training like karate….
The conclusion is that, for carrying on of international relations, a state which follows the traditional role of a Great Power must possess military strength sufficient to carry out its political obligations. So basic military training should be given to all for self defence and towards nation in times of need.
SHIVANI
ROLL NO 37, MMC I
The politics of shoe
The episode of a journalist throwing shoe on the then president of America has attracted lot of media coverage. After this attack on Bush such a thing happened with Chinese premier. Thus this act of throwing shoe is creating its own politics. Though the journalistic ethics don’t accept this trend and people resent it with full vigor. But looked at from the point of view of Iraqis this shoe has become a metaphor of their frustration and anger against the American and Anglican regime.
Thus with regard to this episode we find the journalistic opinion divided between the west and east (the Islamic world). The way in which this episode was hailed in the Islamic world is heartening in the way it purged their battered emotions. The episode tells us that the frustration of Islamic world is near total as they have very little say in the international politics. The incident was a freak but the way it was hailed and celebrated give rise to some disturbing questions. Is this sign of desperation of collective consciousness which thinks that pen has failed them? It can also be a new metaphor to show resentment when the words have become hollow. The media which is more or less controlled by the west and the advanced technology has to do self introspection. If this is not done sincerely then not just shoe but other things can also enter the media vocabulary. The shoe and politics attached to it has brought to light the world which is divided and fragmented. Such freak incidents should be studied and not rejected out rightly as they seems to convey us something about people who feel lost and isolated. The shoe will keep on falling until we understand the source.
The world is becoming a dangerous place. The walls between people are becoming higher and higher. There seems to be no trust present between us and our feelings. We should try to make a world where people don’t throw shoe to be heard.
The politics of shoe has to be understood and not rejected out rightly.
Name Siddharth Negi Mcc1
Media is undoubtedly the fourth pillar in a democratic state and in a country like India that provides freedom of speech and expression as a constitutional right, it seems, sometimes this fourth pillar too needs some guidance or regulations by the government itself. The media is the voice of masses in a democratic setup but quite often it starts forming and imposing its skewed opinions knowingly though that its duty is just to inform. It is a fact that media is more or less dedicated to inform the masses however while covering events for instance that of terrorist activities show their immaturity, and attack on their own image.
Memory is replete with many events in which the media has acted irresponsibly andjus because of that the government has been forced to put regulate the media. If we see at the Aarushi murder case which took place recently in Noida, the media was actually propagating rather than informing the masses. The way they were intruding into the personal matters of the family it disclosed the corrupt face of this informing agency. The moment when the media started pressurizing Dr.Talwar to reveal the truth knowing that the family was actually disturbed by all that happened, it was a clear cut display of wicked professionalism and their motive to earn profit. So by citing this case as the base, we can say that self regulation of such media organization is very important as they possess no right to hurt the sentiments of the people the media is not higher than judiciary so it also does not have to propagate ideas which can create biased or negative opinions among the public and eventually take form of decisions.
In these type of cases if the government tends to regulate media, then it defends itself through article 19 1 a . Now another incident that took place on 26/11 in Mumbai, clearly shows the violation of this article. The media no doubt covered the event with courage but the application was inappropriate. The media considered itself under no restriction and covered the situation when it could have been dangerous for the reporters. The information which was being provided was much less as the media seemed more interested in telecasting the maneuvers of the forces and editorializing the event which was certainly unprofessional on their part. The media looked like as they were not aware of the fact that they might be a bone of contention for the forces but because they had the freedom, they continued without thinking of the disaster.
Now it becomes clear as glass that the media needs to be controlled by the government especially during the terror activities. The government has to chart out particular regulations which should be made compulsory and hence followed or exercised. There is always a chaotic situation taking place whenever government exercised regulations on media but if the media continues to present themselves like this then the government has no other option left. But it is always for the betterment of the media if they regularize themselves and become more responsible....
siddhartha sharma
mmc 1
roll no 40.
Commonwealth Games: Pride at stake for Delhi!
In a huge jolt to Delhi's preparedness to the Commonwealth Games, a parliamentary committee expressed concern over the capital’s readiness. The latest revelations are a blow to the Delhi government. It may lose the right to host the games.
THE COUNTDOWN to Commonwealth Games has begun and so is the excitement. But what could serve as a dampener is the report, which says that New Delhi is falling way behind as far as infrastructure for hosting the Games is concerned. The Commonwealth Games are scheduled to take place next year from October 3-14 in New Delhi but the organisers are under extreme pressure pertaining to the delays in several projects for the games. There are problems in almost all sectors such as roads, airport, accommodation, surface transport, entertainment, basic amenities, parking, information centres, security, stadia and supply of power.
A report by a parliament committee reveals the fact that the national capital is not prepared for hosting a coveted event like Commonwealth Games in the year 2010. The parliamentary committee found a number of lacunas on the part of Delhi government in the development of infrastructure and preparedness for the Commonwealth Games. The report says that there had been no proposals for development of infrastructure and capacity building, including creation and renovation of hospitality facilities, and modernization of tourism sites to the Tourism ministry till November 2008.
The Parliament Standing Committee headed by CPI-M Rajya Sabha MP Sitaram Yechury says the biggest hurdle would be adequate infrastructure for guests for the games, as there are not enough hotels. Of the proposed 39 additional hotels, work is in progress only at 19 sites. What was most startling to the committee was the fact that a number of projects have not even been initiated, leave alone their completion.
The games are seen as a platform to prove India’s mettle of organising a world class sporting event, but seeing the development so far a number of doubts have surfaced about the future of the event.
It could be termed as a case of total ignorance and foresightedness. It said that there has been no dearth of funds and it is the initiation and application that are missing. There has been an absence of a coordinating mechanism between various civic bodies that are responsible for the infrastructure.
However, Tourism minister Ambika Soni seemed optimistic about the consequences. She rejected fears that the slowness of work on infrastructure would hamper the Games’ prospects. She ascertained that there would be ample hotels to accommodate guests during the event. We hope that she is true, but the reality is something else.
The latest revelations mean a huge blow for the Delhi government, which has all this while sounded confident of the capital’s preparedness of hosting this mega event. If the government machinery doesn’t wake up to the call, Delhi may even lose the right to host the Commonwealth Games in 2010 which would be nothing less than catastrophe and according to me India should not host the CWG not because of the waste of money but it doesn't deserve
to host any big sporting event other than cricket as
it is only a country of filmstars and cricketers.No-
body has a sporting culture.The fact that 23 crores were spent during the closing ceremony, were spent uselessly.Mind you the D/A paid to the athletes were only about 26A$,whereas all these stage performers
were paid one crore each.So it is a question of where
the money was spent and not a question of whether the
money spent was usefull or not.As far using this money for educational puposes,i think we have a lot of organizations to support this.We dont even have a
proper athletic track to host any international meets.The
fact what hurts me is that bollywood filmstars are made to be involved in this rather than our sporting heros.That is why India doesn't deserve to host the cwg.
SRITI GHOSH.
41.
Inclusive Growth of India:
Need of the hour
If America catches cold, the world sneezes. This is perhaps the effect of globalization. It all began with the sub prime crises and everybody thought it could be contained. But, very few knew that, it was just the tip of the iceberg, the worst is yet to come. And, today we are facing it! As a matter of fact, to blame sub prime crises the cause of present economic recession will be amateurish. Paul Krugman pointing to Mr.Ben Bernanke the Federal Reserve Chairman’s speech made four years ago has laid down the reasons for this global vicious meltdown (The Hindu: March 3, 2009). He says after the crumbling of tiger economies in 1997-98 these Asian countries began protecting themselves by amassing huge war chests of foreign assets, in effect exporting capital to the rest of the world. The result was a world awash with cheap money, which found its way to America and European economies indicating giant trade deficits and on other side large capital inflows. This inrush of wealth created an illusion and economic bubble. However, like every bubble, it had to burst and it did creating the present day global economic crises.
The other cause lamented has been the implementation of free trade as prescribed by the ‘Washington consensus’. Therefore, the current global recession is cumulative effect of certain interrelated economic variables. This unprecedented global recession has led to the realization of many lacunae in our economic system and unless until these loopholes are corrected, growth and development of countries is not possible which has really become a cause of concern.
As it has become a global phenomenon, not only developing but also developed countries are facing the wrath of this global recession. Countries individually as well as collectively are making efforts to get out of this recession as soon as possible. Every Government is giving enormous sums of money amounting to hundreds of billions to capitalists firms to revive them, to bail them out.
Taking the case of India, which is considered by world community to be the future leader of South Asia this time is equally tuff. General elections in India are knocking at the door. As political parties get their manifestoes ready, it seems quite likely that economic issues (along with issues like Terrorism etc.) will dominate the election campaign.
At the end of February, the Centre Statistical Organization came out with its estimate of GDP growth for the third quarter of current year(2008-09).between October and December economy grew at 5.3%, way below the 7.8% recorded during the first six months. Although it was known that the economy was slowing down, the extent of deceleration probably surprised the official forecasters, including the CSO, the Reserve Bank of India and the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council. All three had estimated GDP growth for the year at 7% and over. The Stock Markets dropped to their lowest levels in the three years .The two most grim area of India economy are: the unsustainable fiscal situation and falling exports.
This all had led to a vicious circle: falling exports means cut in production, cut in production means, cut in work force, which in turn leads to reduction in purchasing power, which in turn means low level of living, eventually dragging masses towards poverty!
In this crises a new slogan –“Inclusive Growth” has been raised. It means growth taking place in such a way that even the poorest get shelter, employment, education, healthcare, maternity benefits, social security(like old age pension)etc. In India if housing for all is taken up earnestly the crises in the cement industry will ease. If the poor people are able to avail purchasing power, the crises in textiles due to fall in exports to USA will ease. The slogan of inclusive growth is being backed by the middle class and many top economists in the world. This is in United Nations plan as well.
On the national front the Government in India, like those of the USA and the European countries, is extending immense help to the corporates that created the crises with the same measures like easing the liquidity and making credit plentiful and cheap for them. Lowering the interest rates also helps the corporate sector most and will go long way in increasing their profits. The Government is concerned with the stock market alone and not the people. Certain steps need to be taken in general and in India in particular, to revive the economy. Bailing out corporations with the money, which belongs to common people, will not help. As has been suggested by world experts, to come out of this crisis some international rules are to be framed to ensure that crises is not repeated;
• The exchange rates need to be fixed,
• Subsidies by governments to distort trade must be stopped ,
• Rules of World Bank ,WTO and IMF should be changed and developing countries given a bigger say in theses institutions,
• Tax system of developing countries should be such that the developing countries are able to export more,
• Profits of trans-national companies must be taxed.
• The purchasing power of the people in both the developing and developed countries must be increased so that full-scale production starts everywhere.
At National level, to make growth genuinely ‘inclusive’ united actions of the central trade unions beginning with the merger of the left trade unions become imperative. Further policy initiatives will have to wait till the new government takes offices.
Inclusive growth is an achievable demand. And the economic crises we are currently facing makes it all the more achievable. No doubt getting out of this global recession is a Herculean task. Both care and caution is required as a single move can better off or deteriorate the situation. In such a scenario, policy to bring in an inclusive growth is the safest option.
Sources
o Yojna, January 2008
o The Hindu, January- March’2009
o Mainstream, January 2009
o Times of India .February 8’2009
o Tribune, March 3’2009
