2013

Sir and Madam,
Today is a historic day for two wrong reasons. First, because on this day, July 16, 1945, the world’s first experimental nuclear explosion was conducted at Alamagorodo, USA, as a precursor to the next two nuclear experiments over Japan on August 6 and 8 on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And second, for us in India, it immediately follows the Kudankulam nuclear power plant (KKNPP) going critical in contempt of the people’s well-founded fears for safety and health through calculated (…)

The following article, published in Asia Times in June, is reproduced here, with due acknowledgement, as its contents are still relevant.
The United States may have administered one of the biggest-ever snubs to the Kremlin in the post-Cold War era with the White House announcement on Thursday that it will provide military support to the Syrian rebels.
The announcement in Washington said:
“Following a deliberative review, our [US] intelligence community assesses that the [Bashar al-] (…)

by Showkat Ahmad
The problem of Jammu and Kashmir has been with us ever since the accession of the state to the Indian Union in October 1947. Throughout the chequered history of the past six decades, Kashmir has been not just a territorial dispute between India and Pakistan but a testing ground of the secular, democratic and federal nature of the Indian Republic and the two-nation theory of Mohammad Ali Jinnah.
The year 2012 seemed to be the year of peace, normalcy, hot and dry season, (…)

The report of the Backward Classes Commission (popularly known as the Mandal Commission Report) was submitted in the year 1980. This report has been widely debated but an important aspect of this report has not received the due attention that it deserved. This is a minute of dissent by a member of the Commission, L.R. Naik. Despite his differences with Naik, B.P. Mandal, the Chairman of the Commission, had a special word of praise for him in the letter he wrote to the President while (…)

MUSINGS
With terror gaining ground, this book comes at an appropriate time. Not one of those typical books, but one with a difference—there are not just illustrative visuals but there are those backgrounders, to those vital basics to today’s terror. And it is authored by academic Ram Puniyani (he was earlier with the IIT, Mumbai), with illustrations by Sharad Sharma, founder of the World Comics Network.
This book—Terrorism Explained: A Graphic Account—was launched here in the capital (…)

by B.K. Manish
Looking at the hundred odd reports spanning the last two centuries available with the Department of Personnel and Training one would be forgiven on surmising that administrative reforms stands for bureaucracy reforms. Tiers, layers, list of subjects return with such good frequency they appear an end unto themselves rather than cogs in the wheel of Peace and Good Government. In fact this discourse could well be called retired administrators-bureaucrats reflecting at their (…)

by Naresh Nadeem
The present paper is an attempt to bring out how Manto was one of the finest products of the progressive cultural movement of our country and upheld its values and tradition despite all his idiosyncrasies.
The title of the paper may sound puzzling as Sa’âdat Hasan Manto (May 11, 1912-January 18, 1955) was not known to have been associated with any political party or group; rather he, a maverick, was by his very nature not cut out for any such association. Yet it does not (…)

UNICEF expresses deep sorrow at the loss of lives of children in Bihar after consuming their mid day meals. These deaths could had been prevented with strict adherence to protocols for preparing the mid day meal.
UNICEF is in touch with the concerned authorities to understand what happened and find ways to prevent such incidents from taking place in future.
While acknowledging that India’s Mid-Day Meal Scheme is the largest school feeding programme in the world, and that the Government (…)

BOOK REVIEW
by Saurabh Mishra
Modern Temples of India by Radha Kant Bharti; National Book Trust, India; 2011; ix+173; Rs 90.00 (Paperback); ISBN 978-81-237-6335-4.
The book starts with contextualising the need of a large number of dams for a country like India. The Indian geography and climate compel the policy-makers to think of strong and efficient regulation and management of rain and river water through numerous large and small multipurpose dams on rivers.
The urge for freedom (…)

COMMUNICATION
The present times of globalisation and commercialisation offer a specific and elegant image of art, culture and aesthetics. Interestingly, the meaning of these words changes dramatically when the caste issue comes into the picture. An interesting article titled ‘Dalit Representation in Bollywood’ by Harish Wan-khede (Mainstream Vol. LI, No. 20, May 4, 2013) traces caste representation in Indian cinema as it marks its 100th anniversary. Caste is a peculiar Indian reality but (…)