2012

Political analysts are of the view that India and Russia today have several concurring interests. Besides the systematic growth of bilateral relations—that have registered a steady development since the mid-fifties of the last century—both countries are committed to ease tensions in the Asia-Pacific region while ensuring the effective functioning of security systems. In this connection, against the backdrop of conflict situations involving the US, China, Japan and both Koreas, the (…)

K.N. RAMACHANDRAN
This article reached us sometime ago but could not be used earlier for unavoidable reasons.
Kuldip Nayar had concluded his article “Where is the Vision?”(Mainstream, June 30) with these words: “The people’s dilemma is that both the national parties, the Congress and the BJP, riven as they are with groupism and ambitions, do not qualify to lead the nation. How I wish there were some party, even though small, that had the vision to retrieve the country and take it (…)

IMPRESSIONS
Opposition to the FDI-in-retail idea is genuine and widespread. The main reason is the people’s distrust of politicians including, in this case, Manmohan Singh. The Prime Minister is seen as an American camp-follower. Remember his telling the very unpopular George Bush that the people of India loved him. When he and “experts” like the World-Bank-branded Ahluwalia say that FDI in retail will do no harm, people just don’t trust them.
It now stands revealed that America in fact (…)

Even as the debate over FDI in multi-brand retail continues in various forms on TV channels and newspaper articles, the alleged favours to the Congress President-cum-UPA chairperson’s son-in-law have lately hogged the headlines thus acquiring national prominence.
The allegations by India Against Corruption (IAC) are doubtless serious and cannot be brushed under the carpet. IAC head Arvind Kejriwal has charged businessman Robert Vadra, a private citizen even if he is the husband of (…)

The agreement reached on October 11 between the government and Jan Satyagraha, the Gandhian movement for land reforms, has created conducive conditions for the foot-march of over 50,000 people to end at Agra, instead of the original plan of the marchers coming all the way to Delhi.
The agreement has emphasised the setting up of a task force and homestead land for all land-less rural people. Beyond the immediate terms of the agreement, however, the bigger and hard-won victory is that of (…)

COMMUNICATION
On September 26 Dr Banwarilal Sharma breathed his last at the PGI hospital in Chandigarh. For the academic world, Dr Sharma was a highly accomplished mathematician of international repute, but as far as the common people of India are concerned, Dr Sharma was first and foremost a relentless protector of national interests and sovereignty who devoted his life to exposing and opposing the misdeeds of multinational companies.
After obtaining a doctorate in mathematics from (…)

CREDIT CARD WARS
by A COMMENTATOR
Those who witnessed the historic Denver debate between Mitt Romney and US President Barack Obama might have not been allowed to think freely by the media which is busy spinning the tales of who out of the two—Romney or Obama—won the debate. But Obama did make a few honest observations in course of those 95 minutes of debate. At one point Obama eluded that Romney has gone back on the promises he made during 18 months of campaign, especially on his promise (…)

This article was written sometime ago but could not be used earlier due to unavoidable reasons. It is now being belatedly published as its contents have not yet lost their vailidity.
The confusion in the American mind about Egypt ended recently, a mere nine days since President Barack Obama made the famous remark in a television interview that he wasn’t sure of the post-Hosni Mubarak Egypt being the United States’ ally. The confusion actually arose when US National Security Council (…)

FROM N.C.’S WRITINGS
Fifty years ago in this month itself the Chinese aggression on India rocked the country. It formally happened on October 20 but the preparations for it were going on for quite sometime and Chinese intrusion on Indian territory had taken place since the beginning of September 1962. To mark the anniversary we reproduce here N.C.’s ‘New Delhi Skyline’ in the Mainstream (which first appeared on September 1, 1962) issues of October 13, 1962 and October 20, 1962 (the October (…)

On the occasion of Jayaprakash Narayan’s 110th birth anniversary we are carrying the following piece written by N.C. under the pseudonym ‘Analyst’
ANALYST
Jayaprakash Narayan has carried with him fulsome tributes from all political circles-his adherents and admirers, his adversaries and detractors. A life of ups and downs of heroic times and despairing moments Living beyond the Psalmist’s assigned span, JP had not only witnessed mighty deeds but participated in them in the company of the (…)