February 2009

By the time this small piece happens to see the light, George W. Bush would have moved to his multi-million dwelling after laying down office. When an eminent person or a person holding high office/position retires or demits office, we normally eulogise him. This writer, however, acknowledges a sense of guilt in painting Bush in a rather bad light.
Few tears would have been shed when the great George W. Bush (hereafter referred to as Bush Jr) laid down office as he was considered the most (…)

COMMUNICATION
In modern democratic state, the sovereignty of the people is delegated to three wings of the state, namely, Executive, Legislature, Judiciary. The other agencies, Bureaucracy, Military, though extremely important, do not publically comment on matters of policy, security. Though their experience, perception are extremely important to policy-makers, they do not speak in public about these matters.
It is in that context that I feel it was not correct for Army Chief General (…)

This is a demand that should get the support of all self-respecting citizens of India who take pride in their glorious freedom movement and accord the highest respect to the martyrs of this movement. This is the demand for creating a magnificent memorial to honour the martyrs of the freedom movement and freedom fighters near India Gate in New Delhi.
Every year in the ceremonies relating to the Republic Day and Independence Day, it is this site which occupies a very important role and (…)

DOCUMENT
STATEMENT OF PAKISTAN PEACE ACTIVISTS VISITING INDIA
The following is a statement issued at the conclusion of a “Peace Mission” from Pakistan to New Delhi on January 23, 2009. The Peace Mission was organised by the South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR), a network of human rights defenders in the region, and actively backed by the South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA). The Pakistani activists in the Peace Mission were: Haji Muhammad Adeel, Senator (ANP); Ms Farzana Adeel; Ali (…)

The latest American contribution to international diplomacy is the concept of “smart power”. Joseph Nye, the Harvard professor and author, and ideologue of “soft power”, wrote recently: “Smart power is the combination of hard and soft power. Soft power is the ability to get what you want through attraction rather than coercion or payments.”
The Barack Obama Administration lent its imprimatur to the doctrine when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton elaborated, during her confirmation (…)

India Today
It is a common observation that the levels of discontent and disaffection among most sections of society all over the country are on the increase. There is a feeling of injustice among the people not only at the social level but also at the economic level. This is evidenced by the rising groundswell of social unrest and anger that shows as verbal and physical militancy among unempowered people, rural and tribal people, and people working in the unorganised sector like hawkers (…)

India’s anger over the Mumbai terror attack is understandable and legitimate. That it originated from the soil of Pakistan has been confirmed by intelligence agencies of some world powers.The initial reaction of the Pakistan Government was very positive. Its President, Zardari, not only shared India’s shock over the terrorist attack but also offered to send the ISI chief to Delhi for joint investigation into the tragic event. But he soon retracted his offer. In fact, he changed his (…)

The very havoc these private run brigades are unleashing! These so-called ‘senas’ nurtured, kept alive and kicking by political outfits. To terrorise the ordinary. After all, the very hounding of girls in the Mangalore pub by members of the Sri Ram sena was nothing short of terror tactics and yet it’s not declared a terror outfit. Its members go berserk, doing what they want to—molesting, fracturing skulls, tearing off shirts and more. And after much hue and cry some of these attackers are (…)

As I watched Barack Obama being sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America, my mind went back to the fall of 1956. I was then in Bloomington Indiana; as a graduate student there, I had taken up lodging in an approved house just across the road from the campus. My landlady was a White American widow. One day a classmate of mine, who happened to be a Black American, came home with me after class and spent some time with me in my room before we went out again. When I came (…)

BOOK REVIEW
Urban Governance in India: Issues and Challenges edited by Rajvir Sharma; Research India Press, E-634, 1st floor, Sangam Vihar, New Delhi-110062.
With rapid urbanisation, proliferation of cities, increasing population, there arise new challenges as new vistas open up. Here comes a timely compilation of the issues, in the form of a compilation of scholarly articles, within the book titled as Urban Governance in India: Issues and Challenges, associated within the (…)