15 hours ago - Modi's Kashmir Vote Bank Busted J-K polls: Pandits' no-show may hit BJP's chances Aurangzeb Naqshbandi , Hindustan Times Srinagar, December 15, 2014 ...
First Published: 23:30 IST(15/12/2014) | Last Updated: 01:21 IST(16/12/2014)
The low turnout of migrant Kashmiri Pandit voters in Sunday’s polling has cast a shadow on the BJP’s chances to register its first ever win in Kashmir valley, especially from Habba Kadal constituency.
The BJP had launched an extensive campaign to mobilise the Kashmiri Pandit voters before the polls. HT Photo
There were a total of 16,710 Kashmiri Pandit voters in Habba Kadal out of which only 5,176 registered themselves in Jammu, Udhampur and Delhi. But in the end only 2,817 cast their votes at the three places. This was much less than the 8,707 votes polled at various polling stations across the constituency. Overall, the constituency with total voters of 54,852 witnessed a voting percentage of 21.01%, an increase of about 10 percentage points from 11.28 recorded in 2008 polls. Banking on the Kashmiri Pandit votes and the boycott call being enforced by separatists, the BJP had fielded businessman Moti Koul from Habba Kadal. The National Conference (NC) had given the ticket to its sitting legislator Shameema Firdous while the rival Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had fielded veteran journalist Zafar Mehraj. The other key contenders included Sanjay Saraf of the Lok Janshakti Party, an NDA constituent, and former minister Raman Mattoo of the Congress. The NC had retained the seat six times since 1962. Before the assembly elections, the BJP had launched an extensive campaign to mobilise the Kashmiri Pandit voters and also announced an economic package for their safe return to the valley. However, many Kashmiri Pandits told HT that the mobilisation campaign should have been started immediately after this summer’s Lok Sabha polls. “We were also disappointed by BJP’s U-turn on Article 370 and other crucial issues,” a Kashmiri Pandit leader told HT on the condition of anonymity. The increase in the voting percentage from Habba Kadal is widely being attributed to the anti-BJP sentiment prevailing in the Kashmir valley. Surprisingly, the turnout of Kashmiri Pandit voters in Habba Kadal was even less than that recorded in other constituencies of the Srinagar city. While 837 out of 1355 cast their votes in Amira Kadal, 484 of 838 in Batamaloo, 236 out of 397 in Sonawar, 290 of 982 in Khanyar, 68 out of 155 in Idgah, 77 of 129 in Zadibal and 360 out of 605 in Hazratbal. In all, there were 30,364 Kashmiri Pandit voters in eight assembly constituencies of Srinagar. Of those, 9638 had registered themselves in Jammu, Udhampur and Delhi while 5.169 cast votes on Sunday.
15 hours ago - On Christmas Day Modi's Stealth Hindutva Govt backtracks, Xmas holiday on - Project online, if students wish so Basant Kumar Mohanty John Abraham at a ...
Preparations for conversion event kept under wraps
Mohammad Ali
A day after the Aligarh administration banned their religious conversion programme on December 25, Hindutva groups leading the campaign seem to have rethought their strategy.
The venue of the Ghar vapsi programme may be shifted at the last minute to places such as Hathras, Eta and Bulandshahr, and the ban may be legally challenged too.
The Dharam Jagaran Samiti, an Agra-based RSS affiliate, had last week announced the “biggest ever” religious conversion of about 4,000 Christians and Muslims in Aligarh. Following the ban, most of the office-bearers of the samiti, including its area chief Rajeshwar Singh, have gone underground and the preparations have been kept under wraps. Organising the programme has become a matter of prestige and a rallying point for Hindutva groups which have come together and dared the local administration to stop it. Office-bearers of the Bajrang Dal, Hindu Yuva Vahini, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and Dharam Jagaran Samiti met here on Sunday.
A new set of office-bearers have been announced as the existing names are on the intelligence radar.
The Hindutva outfit is ready with hundreds of affidavits which will be signed by people converting to Hinduism. The volunteers of DJS told The Hindu: “As a precautionary measure, we are ready with affidavits stating that the person is converting to Hinduism out of his/her own will and no inducement of any kind has been offered.” The final decision about the venue and further details are likely to be finalised in a week.
Amid the controversy, nobody has any idea who will be converted. Even the office-bearers of the DJS are tight-lipped about the identity of the people who will come into the Hindu fold.
According to Abhiram Goyal , convenor DJS, Aligarh, the volunteers are visiting villages on the outskirts of Aligarh, Agra, Bulandshahr which have minority Christian and Muslim population. “We will have some idea how many people have signed up for our Ghar vapsi programme in a week. By December 22, we will have the list of people and you can talk to them and find out for yourself that we are not forcing anybody,” Mr. Goyal maintained.
Basant Kumar Mohanty
Source: Hindu
John Abraham at a Christmas event for underprivileged children in New Delhi on Monday. Picture by Ramakant Kushwaha
New Delhi, Dec. 15: Schoolchildren can enjoy their Christmas holiday, after all. If they still want to take part in an online essay-writing contest, they are welcome to. The government today climbed down from its move asking the centrally controlled CBSE and the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) to organise a host of events and observe Good Governance Day on December 25 that would have meant keeping schools open on a holiday. In a press note, the HRD ministry pared down the list of activities - that included quiz contests, online and offline essay-writing competitions on topics related to good governance and screening of documentaries - to just online essays and even made that "completely voluntary". The note also said December 25 would remain a holiday. "This online essay competition is completely voluntary and the students if they so desire can participate from their homes.... There is no requirement for any school to remain open that day and the school vacations will be adhered to," the note said in response to media reports. The climbdown came amid a raging controversy, with several academics and activists criticising the earlier decision to keep schools open on a day the world would celebrate Christ's birthday. According to the now-scrapped decision, the NVS, which runs 600-odd free residential schools (JNVs), was to screen documentaries and films highlighting good governance and problem-solving on Christmas Day. Students of schools affiliated to the CBSE - the country's largest school board - were expected to take part in essay-writing and one-act play contests on December 24 and 25. The CBSE had not issued any circular to affiliated schools, but a letter from NVS commissioner G.S. Bothyal on December 10 made it clear what the activities should be. "You are requested to ensure that Good Governance day is celebrated in all JNVs under your region. A consolidated report specifying activities carried out in all JNVs is to be submitted by email along with photographs/video recordings to this office on 25th December 2014," the letter to regional deputy commissioners and principals of nearly 600 JNV schools said. Since NVS schools are affiliated to the CBSE, the letter also touched upon the activities the CBSE would ask its affiliated schools to do. The events were open to students of other boards too. In a fresh letter today, Bothyal asked NVS officials to wait. "Since the CBSE has not yet issued any circular so far regarding the activities to be undertaken on (the) 25th of December, 2014, you are requested to await the issuance of the CBSE circular before taking any further action," the letter said. Sources told this newspaper the letter followed instructions from the HRD ministry. Bothyal was not available for comment. The ministry's note said the JNVs would observe December 25 as a public holiday. But since these were residential schools, they would function "because children (would) continue to remain there". Thus children, the note added, "will have the opportunity to participate if they wish to in (the) essay competition". The note is silent on whether the JNV or CBSE schools would conduct any other activity. Sources in the ministry said there was no clarity on this. Kiran Bhatti, a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research and a former member of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, said expecting students to voluntarily take part in essay-writing contests on Christmas Day was "uncalled for". "They could have asked the students to participate in any competition on any other day during the winter break. Why on that specific day? One does wonder whether such a competition would have been held on Diwali," she said. Ravi Sagar, an educationist working for the promotion of education among minorities in Assam, said holding any event on Christmas, although voluntary, amounted to depriving Christian students. "Whether you write essays online sitting at home or in a classroom, it is a school activity. If the activity is for a good cause, every student should get an equal opportunity to participate," Sagar said. "But here, one religious group is being kept out."
Oct 2, 2014 – 4 days ago – 1 day ago – September 27, 2014 elcidharth Leave a … 14, Australia, 35987, 0.2 % … Bangladesh, Afghanistan as these countries hate Modi because his …. Happy 125th Birthday Jawaharlal Nehru· Bye Bye Earth, Hello … Select Month, November 2014 (76), October 2014 (199), September …
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Jul 23, 2012 – Doubling of debt, biggest tax increase in 2014 coming up, highest … Massive Republican failure people – vote accordingly in November. … Mr. Cohen, I hate to break it to you but Mitt did flip-flop on releasing tax …… 7 minutes ago – May 25, 2012 – Modi into the national arena, …… twitter.com/@elcidharth/.
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Oct 31, 2014 – NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday raked up the … of Jawahar Lal Nehru and those of the Nehru-Gandhi family in higher regard over others. ….. 7 days ago – 6 hours ago – October 24, 2014 elcidharth Leave a comment. …. Nov 14, 2013 – Modi hits back at tea-seller remark, says it reflects …
Sep 19, 2014 – 5 hours ago – Sep 9, 2014– September 8, 2014 elcidharth Leave a …. Modi has a long history of hate speeches, mostly against so called …. It is only possible with BJP persons, Congress and Nehru’s only divide … 6 days ago – Express News Service | New Delhi | Posted: September 12, 2014 10:14 pm …
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Jul 18, 2014 – Modi Hates Muslims, Loves jews. July 18, 2014 elcidharth Leave a comment. An Israeli Shot In India’s Arm As New Delhi goes arms shopping, …
Oct 11, 2014 – October 11, 2014 elcidharth· Opinion » Comment. October 10, 2014. Updated: October 11, 2014 01:32 IST … Pandit Nehru’s contribution to the freedom struggle under the … Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently made a statement asking … from November 14, the birth anniversary of Pandit Nehru to Indira …
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SECULAR INDIA — 1) Congress Ex-PM organizing roza iftar at his official residence NOT a polarisation bid?? 2) UP Govt withdrawing terror charges from the accused of bomb blasts NOT a polarisation bid?? 3) Construction of 5 star hajj houses in every state, crores in subsidy at govt expense NOT a polarisation bid?? 4) Branding Batla encounter, ishrat encounter FAKE NOT a polarisation bid?? 5) Allowing crores of illegal Bangladeshis to come & settle in country, providing them ration card, driving licence, aadhar card etc & then milking their Votes NOT a polarisation bid?? 6) PM of India proclaiming that Muslims have first share in India’s resources NOT a polarisation bid??? CM of Karnataka’s very first order after taking oath that Cow slaughter is now legal in Karnataka NOT a polarisation bid ??? Indian media showing with all remorse the plight of Muslims in Burma, but ignoring completely the daily conversions, killings of minority Hindus in Pakistan & Bangladesh NOT a polarisation bid???? etc etc etc ………………
Further Reading A useful collection of Nehru’s speeches and writings is Nehru: The First Sixty Years, selected and edited by Dorothy Norman (2 vols., 1965). Major biographies are Frank Moraes, Jawaharlal Nehru (1956); Donald E. Smith, Nehru and Democracy: The Political Thought of an Asian Democrat (1958); Michael Brecher, Nehru: A Political Biography (1960); and M. N. Das, The Political Philosophy of Jawaharlal Nehru (1961). A journalistic account, written by an intimate of the Nehru household, is Marie Seton, Panditiji: A Portrait of Jawaharlal Nehru (1967), a valuable book for students of Indian politics and history. A somewhat simplified biography, particularly suitable for young adults and casual readers, is Bani Shorter, Nehru: A Voice for Mankind (1970). Works that assess Nehru’s achievements and evaluate his place in history include K. Natwar-Singh, ed., The Legacy of Nehru: A Memorial Tribute (1965); The Emerging World: Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Volume (1965); and G. S. Jolly, ed., The Image of Nehru (1969), all of which are laudatory and should be balanced by more critical appraisals, such as that in Brecher’s biography. Walter Crocker, an intimate friend, yet sometimes a critic, of Nehru, wrote Nehru: A Contemporary’s Estimate (1966), which is a more balanced appraisal. Paul F. Power and Columbia University Committee on Oriental Studies, eds., India’s Nonalignment Policy (1967), deals with various Indian and foreign views of Nehru’s foreign policy and contains a good bibliography on the subject. Another work by Michael Brecher, Nehru’s Mantle: The Politics of Succession in India (1966), analyzes the parliamentary system in India that made possible a peaceful succession. □
Free India’s first elections in 1951-1952 resulted in an overwhelming Congress victory. Economic planning and welfare were the first claims on Nehru’s attention. He inaugurated a diluted version of socialist planning: concentration of public investment in areas of the economy that were free from private interests. The Planning Commission was created in 1950 and launched the First Five-Year Plan in 1951, stressing an increase in agricultural output. Nehru also took pride in the Community Development Program, established to raise the standard of living in the villages. He saw the Third Five-Year Plan operative before his death on May 27, 1964, in New Delhi. Nehru was the architect of nonalignment in foreign policy. Economic weakness and the Indian tradition were powerful factors in formulating the policy. The other influence on Nehru’s foreign policy was his controversial minister of defense, Krishna Menon. Nehru sought closer relations with nonaligned Asian states, with India in the role of leader. Nehru’s nonalignment policy was criticized by many Westerners and some Indians as giving preference to totalitarian countries rather than to democracies. Some critics believed that nonalignment left India no effective means to deal with China, national defense, the Great Powers, or the underdeveloped community. On the other hand, nonalignment had many Indian defenders, even in the face of the Chinese invasion of Indian border territory in 1962. Some held that nonalignment was a strategy for deterrence and peace, a force for protecting Indian independence and preservation of the international community on ethical grounds. Nevertheless, nonalignment as implemented by Nehru did not prevent the government from resorting to force in Hyderabad, Kashmir, and Goa.
War in Europe drew India in, together with England. For Indian leaders the question was how an honorable settlement could be reached with England and still allow India to participate on the Allied side. Negotiations toward this end culminated in the Cripps mission and offer of dominion status in March 1942. Nehru refused to accept dominion status, as did the rest of Congress leadership. There followed the Congress “Quit India” resolution and the imprisonment of Nehru, Gandhi, and other Congress leaders until June 1945. There were nationwide protests, a mass demand for independence. Prime Minister In 1945, as Congress president, Nehru was pressed into negotiations with the Moslem League and the viceroy. Congress-Moslem League negotiations were marked by communal killings in Calcutta, followed by sympathetic outbreaks throughout India. Final decisions were reached in conversations between the last British viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, and Nehru, Gandhi, and Mohammad Ali Jinnah. According to the Mountbatten Plan, two separate dominions were created. Nehru became prime minister and minister of external affairs of independent India in 1947. Following Gandhi’s assassination in January 1948, Nehru felt very much alone facing economic problems and the possibility of the Balkanization of India. In 1949 he made his first visit to the United States in search of a solution to India’s pressing food shortage.
Back in India Nehru was immediately engrossed in party conferences and was elected president of the All-India Trades Union Congress. In speeches he linked the goals of independence and socialism. In 1928 he joined the radical opposition to proposals for dominion status by his father and Gandhi. In 1930 Gandhi threw his weight to Nehru as Congress president, attempting to divert radicalism from communism to the Congress. In 1930 Nehru was arrested and imprisoned for violation of the Salt Law, which Gandhi also protested in his famous “salt march.” Nehru’s wife was also arrested. From the end of 1931 to September 1935 Nehru was free only 6 months. During the 1937 elections the Moslem League offered to cooperate with the All-India Congress Committee in forming a coalition government in the United Provinces. Nehru refused, and the struggle between the Congress and the Moslem League was under way. Nehru also established the precedent for economic planning in a suggestion that the Congress form a national planning committee. In 1938 Nehru paid a brief visit to Europe. On his return he was sent briefly as envoy to China until war intervened and made it necessary for him to return.
In 1921 Nehru followed Gandhi in sympathy with the Khilafat cause of the Moslems. Nehru was drawn into the first civil disobedience campaign as general secretary of the United Provinces Congress Committee. Nehru remarked, “I took to the crowd, and the crowd took to me, and yet I never lost myself in it.” Nehru here articulated two of his most distinctive traits throughout his career: his involvement with the people and his aloof and lonely detachment. The year 1921 also witnessed the first of Nehru’s many imprisonments. In prison his political philosophy matured, and he said that he learned patience and adaptability. Imprisonment was also a criterion of political success. International Influences In 1926-1927 Nehru took his wife to Europe for her health. This experience became a turning point for Nehru. It was an intellectual sojourn, highlighted by an antiimperialist conference in Brussels. Here Nehru first encountered Communists, Socialists, and radical nationalists from Asia and Africa. The goals of independence and social reform became firmly linked in Nehru’s mind. Nehru spoke eloquently against imperialism and became convinced of the need for a socialist structure of society. He was impressed with the Soviet example during a visit to Moscow.
Early Political Moves Back in India, Nehru began to practice law with his father. It was not until 1917 that Nehru was stirred by a political issue, the imprisonment of Annie Besant, an Irish theosophist devoted to Indian freedom. As a result, Nehru became active in the Home Rule League. His involvement in the nationalist movement gradually replaced his legal practice. In 1916 Nehru was married to Kamala Kaul, of an orthodox Kashmiri Brahmin family. They had one daughter (later Indira Gandhi, third prime minister of independent India). Apart from his father and Besant, the greatest influence on Nehru politically was Mohandas Gandhi. Gandhi had been educated much like Nehru but, unlike him, remained basically untouched, essentially Indian. A second issue which fired Nehru’s nationalism and led him to join Gandhi was the Amritsar massacre of 1919, in which some 400 Indians were shot on orders of a British officer. The year 1920 marked Nehru’s first contact with the Indian kisan, the peasant majority. Nehru was “filled with shame and sorrow … at the degradation and overwhelming poverty of India.” This experience aroused a sympathy for the underdog which characterized many of Nehru’s later political moves. The plight of the peasant was a challenge to his socialist convictions, and he attempted to persuade the peasants to organize. From this time on Nehru’s concerns were Indian. He began to read the Bhagavad Gita and practiced vegetarianism briefly. Most of his life he practiced yoga daily.
Jawaharlal Nehru Encyclopedia of World Biography | 2004 | Copyright Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964) was a great Indian nationalist leader who worked for independence and social reform. He became first prime minister of independent India, a position he retained until his death. He initiated India’s nonalignment policy in foreign affairs. Jawaharlal Nehru was born on Nov. 14, 1889, in Allahabad into a proud, learned Kashmiri Brahmin family. His father, Motilal Nehru, was a wealthy barrister and influential politician. Jawaharlal was an only child until the age of 11, after which two sisters were born. The atmosphere in the Nehru home was more English than Indian; English was spoken. It was also a luxurious home, with an impressive stable and two swimming pools. Jawaharlal was educated at home by tutors, most of them English or Scottish. Under the influence of a tutor Nehru joined the Theosophical Society at 13. At the age of 15 Nehru left for England, where he studied at Harrow and Cambridge and then for the bar in London. He was called to the bar in 1912. His English experience reinforced his elegant and cosmopolitan tastes. As Nehru said of himself at Cambridge, “In my likes and dislikes I was perhaps more an Englishman than an Indian.” In London he was attracted by Fabian ideas; nationalism and socialism from this time on provided his intellectual motive force.
(3) Organised attempts should be made to introduce substitute foods and to encourage a balanced diet, even though this involves change in the pattern of food consumption. It has often been stated that the present food habits in the country are not conducive to health, and recognized authorities in medicine and nutrition are of opinion that even from this point of view there should be a change in favour of a more balanced diet. Production and consumption of vegetables should be increased. (4) More fish should be produced and consumed by those who have no objection to such diet. (5) Production of short-term crops should be taken up systematically and immediately. This will depend on the area as to what crops can be grown there. In some places, maize or some of the coarser grains can be cultivated. Potatoes and bananas should be encouraged. For these short -term crops, Kutcha wells should be sunk to supply water. Wherever this is feasible. Kutcha water channels can also me made. (6) Every available small piece of lad should be used for growing some foodstuff. More particularly, this should be done near villages. It is possible to make even usar or saline land cultivable with a little treatment. (7) Relief work hold be specially related to agricultural production. Small schemes should be encouraged and village panchayats should be put in charge of these schemes. The community development blocks should particularly interest themselves in these small schemes. Doles must be avoided except in the case of the infirm. Every attempt should be made to fill the deficit by short term production. It should be realized that the present crisis can only be met by the fullest coordination between official and non official agencies. Targets should be set for the short-term as well as long-term production , and each village, and wherever possible, each family should be set a target. It has sometimes been said that the agricultural departments of state governments are considered not too important. This is obviously not right. They have to deal with the most important sector of our economy. They should therefore, be activised and take up their work as one of top priority and extreme national urgency. I have repeated here some of the suggestions that have been made. No doubt, others will suggest themselves to you. The point is that all of us should realise the vital necessity of attaching this food position from all fronts and not wait for some miracles to happen from the Centre or from overseas. Our attention must be diverted more and more to self help (Letter by Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister of India to State Chief Ministers. 20/11/1957)
Nehru on Food Shortage ..We have been repeating almost ad nausea that agricultural production, and especially production of cereals, is the very basis and foundation of our plans and of our progress….The recent drought has made this matter of extreme importance. But, then, can we treat this matter so lightly and change our opinions and estimates within a few months? ..I have drawn your attention to Working Committee resolution which you must have seen. In this, both the short-term and the long-term aspects have been considered. In the long-term aspect, attention is drawn to the progressive spread of what might be called desert conditions in some parts of the country. ..In fact , while we talk about planting trees and Van Mahotsava, actually we treat this rather causally and as some kind of an annual event. Our forests disappear , leading to disastrous results. We must have an extensive and clearly defined plan of afforestation on a large scale…A great deal can be done by small schemes or in a small way. Everything now is made to depend on large sums o money as grants from somewhere. The local area asks for a grant from the State Government ; the State Government looks for credits or grants from other countries. This is not the right approach, and if we depend on everybody but ourselves, we shall sink more and more in this morass. For the short-term, it is essential that: (1) All waste of foodstuffs must be avoided. Restaurants, hotels and like institutions must be asked to avoid waste, more particularly in regard to food grains. We must give up feasts and banquets. We must limit people invited to functions where meals are served. In fact, we should do all this on an austerity scale. (2) The consumption of rice should be limited everywhere, and , to some extent, replaced by wheat or other grains. In the wheat-eating areas, more particularly, rice should be strictly limited, so that it may be available to other parts of India. It should be remembered that it is very difficult to get rice from abroad. There is scarcity of it the world over. We hope to get some from Burma, but that will not be much. Wheat, at least, we can get, though every import is a heavy burden on us.
Nehru on Indian Press The Press if it wants freedom – which is ought to have must have some balance of mind which is seldom possesses. One cannot have it both ways. Evert freedom in this world is limited, limited not so much by law as by circumstances. We do not wish to come in the way of freedom of the Press. Personally, I am convinced of the freedom of the Press (Speech in Parliament. 29/5/1951) The press is one of the vital organs of modern life, especially in a democracy. The Press has tremendous powers and responsibilities. The Press must be respected and it must also have co-operation. (Speech in Parliament. 16/5/1951) To my mind, the freedom of the Press is not just a slogan from the larger point of view but it is an essential attribute of the democratic process. I have no doubt that even if the government dislikes the liberties taken by the press and considers them dangerous, it is wrong to interfere with the freedom of the Press. By imposing restrictions you do not change anything; you merely suppress the public manifestation of certain things, thereby causing the idea and thought underlying them to spread further. Therefore, I would rather have a completely free Press with all the dangers involved in the wrong use of that freedom than a suppressed or regulated Press. (Speech at the Newspaper Editor’s Conference. 3/12/1950) Whatever we may think of the virtues and failings of the Press it is obvious that it plays a very important part in our lives; it moulds people’s minds and thoughts and this affects the policies of the government, if not always directly. Therefore, when we have to deal with any major problem, it is important that the Press should- if I say so with all humility- give it right lead…. (Address at the newspapers Editor’s Conference. 4/5/1950) We have been extraordinarily lenient towards the Press, Indian and foreign. We have gone out of our way to tell them that we will not do anything even if they send message which are extremely disagreeable to us. (Speech in Constituent Assembly. 8/3/48)
6 Harish Kapur, India’s Foreign Policy, 1947-92: Shadows and Substance (New Delhi, 1994), p.180. 7 M. O. Mathai, Reminiscences of the Nehru Age (New Delhi, 1978), p.76. 8 Indian Foreign Affairs , vol.1, no.2, April 1958, p.30. 9 India, Lok Sabha, Debates , vol. I, part II, 25 March 1957, cols. 722-3. 10 The Hindu (Madras), 2 February 1957. 11 Nalini Kant Jha, “Cultural and Philosophical Roots of India’s Foreign Policy,” International Studies (New Delhi), vol. 26, no. 1 January-March 1989, pp.45-66. 12 Appadorai, n.5, pp. 229-30. 13 Kuldip Nayar, India: The Critical Years (New Delhi, 1971).
This forced Nehru to admit his mistake in Parliament and later on embark on themodernization of India’s defence forces. It is a different matter that he could not surviveto continue with this new pragmatic approach to foreign and security policies.If one were to assess the impact of Nehru’s personality on three aspects of India’sforeign policy, namely, routine, broad framework and crisis situations, it could be arguedthat though on routine and evolving the broad framework, Nehru exercised a decisivecontrol, crisis situations were not under his complete control. He was held accountableand he had to introduce changes on these matters under public pressure manifestedthrough Parliamentary debate, press and attitude of the opposition parties, etc. 1 For a theoretical overview of foreign policy making, see Nalini Kant Jha, Domestic Imperatives in India’s Foreign Policy (New Delhi, 2002), chapter-I. 2 Joseph Frankel, The Making of Foreign Policy: An Analysis of Decision Making (London, 1963), p.15 3 Michael Clarke and Brian While, eds., Understanding Foreign Policy: The Foreign Policy Systems Approach (Aldershot, 1989), pp. 138, 141. See also, Richard W. Cottam, Foreign Policy Motivations: AGeneral Theory and a Case Study (Pittsburgh, 1977). 4 Jha, n. 1, pp. 58. 5 A. Appadorai, Domestic Roots of India’s Foreign Policy (New Delhi, 1981), p.226.
Purna Swaraj or complete independence; the commonwealth did not take away an iota of Indian independence.Rather, it would be to India’s advantage to continue her association with a group of nations to further certain causes, peace for instance, in which India was interested.
acquired any degree of authority or power to become a policy making body. Its memberswere ‘only gatherers and conveyors and, in short, mechanics men. 7 Nehru had thus more or less complete hold over foreign policy, which was never replicated under any other Prime Minister. N G Ranga, the leader of the Swatantra Party,was correct when he wrote in Indian Foreign Affairs in April 1958, “India is today in thefortunate position that there is almost complete unity among all her political parities over her foreign policy. 8 Even one of the best informed critics of India’s foreign policy at thattime, and a respected statesman—Acharya Kripalani—began his criticism of foreign policy in Parliament by avowing his ‘complete agreement with the basic principles of our foreign policy’, 9 peace, anti-colonialism and non-alignment with power blocs.There were, of course, differences in the approach of political parities to variousaspects of foreign policy. The Praja Socialist Party, for instance, as Nehru said on 31January 1957, 10 liked India to align herself more with the Western bloc, while theCommunist Party wished to do so with the Soviet bloc. But there was no doubt that onthe fundamental of foreign policy Pt Nehru was able to build up a broad nationalconsensus.IIIDeveloping a broad national consensus on foreign policy apart, the impact of Nehru’s personality on India’s foreign policy can be seen three aspects of its foreign policy duringits formative phase, namely, non-alignment, panchsheel , and the continuance of India’sconnection with the Commonwealth. For a start, while tailoring India’s policy of non-alignment, Nehru was undoubtedly influenced by a variety of factors such the politics of the Cold War and India’s domestic milieu, but it was his vision and perception that Indiacould follow a policy that was dictated by these imperatives. It was, for instance, whoclearly understood the logic of military alliance that could only erode the hard ownedindependence of newly liberated post-colonial states. It was he, who articulated withclarity that non-alignment was neutrality; it was not a negative policy, but a positive one;and that it would contribute to peace in so far as the area of peace built up the non-aligned countries would speak the language of peace, no of war. He also communicatedthe rational of this people in keeping with the Indian tradition of tolerance. 11
In order to have a better understanding of India’s foreign policy, it is thereforenecessary to closely examine the role of the personality factor in this regard. As Pt.Jawaharlal Nehru was the sole architect of India’s foreign policy during its formative phase, the present paper therefore proposes to briefly discuss his role in this regard.IISurely, it was Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, who defined the broad framework of India’s foreign policy. While Nehru’s leadership influenced both domestic as well as foreign policies, hiscontribution to foreign policy was more significant. For, in the internal field, he built primarily on an existing framework; in the external arena, he had to lay the veryfoundations of the foreign policy edifice. In the domestic sphere, for example, there was aCivil Service and the rule of law had been established before Nehru. The beginning of theIndian democracy could be traced to the Morley-Minto Reforms. Large-scale industryand modern transport had been developing in India since the middle of the nineteenthcentury. Nehru, of course, did much to reorganize the Civil Service, re-draw theadministrative map of India, extend democracy, and to plan economic development; butthe base was already there. On the contrary, the basic elements of foreign policy had to beformulated. This exercise included: building up official contacts with sovereign Statesand with the international community organized in the United Nations; crating a foreignservice and framing a foreign policy. 5 It was really a tribute to Nehru’s personality at lest partially that nobody, belonging to the mainstream of India politics really challenged it, excepting of course ona few occasions. Although the Indian Cabinet was composed of powerful personalities, itleft foreign policy making to Nehru. Parliament trusted Nehru and it hardly showed anyinterest in foreign affairs, the external intelligence services were almost non-existent andthe media was generally euphoric about the principles that underpinned India’s policies.His own party, the Congress Party, virtually dominated the political scene with nobodyreally to challenge it. Even the Secretariat, established to assist Nehru, was basically a co-ordinating agency, which was classified as his personal Secretariat. 6 It never really
Nalini Kant Jha , “Nehru and Modern India: Impact of His Personality on ForeignPolicy,” in T A. Nizami, ed., Jawaharlal Nehru and Modern India (Aligarh: Three WayPrinters, 2003), pp. 17-22. Nehru and Modern India: Impact of His Personality onForeign Policy Foreign policy of a country is, of course, determined by a large number of factors and noleader, however influential he or she may be is free in shaping foreign policy according tois whims and fancies. His freedom in this regard is restrained by both the realities of domestic as well as international politics. 1 India’s first Prime Minister, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, himself was candid enough to admit this fact on several occasions. Theseconstraints notwithstanding, personality of leaders, however, plays a significant role inthe shaping of any country’s foreign policy, as it is their vision and perception of theobjective realties that ultimately matters in the making of foreign policy. Not surprisingly, the personality factor is being increasingly recognized as acrucial element in foreign policy making, perhaps even more crucial than some of theestablished institutions. Scholars like Joseph Frankel have viewed the personality factor as ‘a legitimate and important topic of historical analysis’ in all investigations pertainingto external State behaviour.” 2 More recent studies have gone even further by evoking a panoply of psychological approaches to understand the ‘decision makers’ cognitivesystem;’ how it is formed and modified and how it operates ‘so as to structure perceptions and thereby determine behaviour.’ 3 The role of personality in the making of foreign policies of developing countrieslike India is even more decisive, where institutions are less institutionalised as comparedto well advanced countries In the case of India, for instance, the role of press,intelligentsia, and Parliament, etc., is normally not overwhelming on foreign policydecision makers. Besides, in a religious and a highly hierarchical society, where all thosewho have risen to political heights, are unquestioned by those who are close to them or are generally revered by those who are not, despite considerable erosion in their image.And the lack of interest in and knowledge of foreign affairs among the vast majority of Indians also prohibit them from providing any meaningful input in foreign policy makingexcept perhaps during the crisis periods. 4
Self-respect Famine prevailed in Chi. Chien Ou prepared food by the roadside and waited to feed the starving refugees. A starving man came shuffling along with a mournful countenance covered by his sleeve. Chien Ou, holding forth food in his left hand and drink in his right, called out off-handedly. “Hey, there, come and eat.” The man raised his head to look at Chien Ou and said, “The reason I have come down to such straitened circumstances is that I don’t accept food offered with a ‘Hey’.” Chien Ou apologized but the man left and died of hunger. When Tseng Tze heard of this, he said. “Although the shout was uncalled for the man should have eaten after the apology.” Book of Rites. Chapter Tan Kung
“After quoting Mr. Robertson’s remark that ‘reneutralization’ and ‘new Yalu sanctuary’ were ‘catch phrases’ for which there was no basis, the paper declared: “The complete disavowals of any intent of the U.S. to hold its military and economic aid programs over Chiang Kai-shek as a club to force the· Nationalists to abide by our wishes is a clear answer to those in this country who were seeking to make political capital, and at the same time a warning to Communist China that the U. S. recognizes that the Nationalists have a right, and a duty, to reduce the effectiveness of the Reds to whatever extent they are able.” “Meanwhile,” commented editorialIy the New York Daily Mirror on October 20, “we ought to know what our policy toward Chiang Kai-shek and Formosa really is. “Does Chiang Kai-shek know? One day, we are told that he has been influenced to discontinue his raids on the China coast; then we are told that he has not been so influenced. Is he to do nothing while Peking plans to capture him? If he has to twist and turn with every change of American policy, he must be as confused as the American people are. Surely by now the American policy in the East of Asia is sufficiently fixed to include opposition to the Nehru-Mao axis and full support for Chiang Kai-shek and for constant raids on the China mainland. If that is not American policy, what is American policy?”
“Loss of the coastal islands also would deprive the Nationalists of their springboard for possible invasion of the mainland. All in all, it would be a terrific blow that might easily lead to the breaching of the Pacific defense line through loss of Formosa. It would be a major administration error if the Nationalists have been compelled to regard the coastal areas opposite their islands as a ‘privileged sanctuary’ for the Red forces as General MacArthur had to treat Manchuria. That Truman error prevented our winning the Korean war. Another such error could de equaIIy disastrous as regards Formosa.” “President Chiang left no doubt whatever that any decisions calling for the Nationalists to halt their blows at Red China for the time being,” observed editorially the Oakland Tribune on October 19, “were decisions made by the Nationalists alone. The events at Quemoy, both the retaliation against Red artillery and the order to call a halt were entirely dictated by practical military matters and have not been influenced by any of her consideration.”
“These island groups can hardly be said to be stepping stones to the reconquest of the mainland,” argued editorially the New York Times on November 7. “Their value is essentially defensive rather than offensive in character. They do constitute a part of the network of information a d warning that screens Formosa. It is for this reason that the Nationalists have made spirited reply to each attack on them. While the New York Daily News raised the question in its editorial of October 14 “What Cooks on Formosa?” the Houston Chronicle editorialized on October 17: “There is a suspicious odor of appeasement about Assistant Secretary of State Walter S. Robertson’s hush-hush mission to Formosa.” “If the Nationalists have been, induced to agree not to bomb shore installations opposite the islands they hold near the coast and not to attack fleets of junks and motor vessels massing anywhere in the area,” the paper continued, “a major victory for the Red defeat for the Nationalists is shaping up. If the defenders of Quemoy, for example, have to wait ‘until they see the whites of their eyes’ before firing on invasion fleets, Quemoy is doomed along with its 30,000 de fenders. If Quemoy and other islands off the coast are lost, the Nationalists will lose their ‘windows’ on the continent through which they obtain invaluable information and maintain con tact with guerrilla forces in China. Also, Red invasion of Formosa itself then would become a possibility. A fleet of junks leaving the coast under cover of fog some afternoon could reach Formosa before dawn. The 7th Fleet’s patrol of the Formosa Strait is not so thorough as to rule out the possibility of complete surprise.
(2) Courage on the Quemoys In its editorial of October 22, the New York Herald Tribune stated that “to the world at large, the Nationalist-held islands off the coast of China are possible stepping stones for the invasion of Formosa or the liberation of the Chinese mainland. They have the kind of grim featurelessness of any strategic point on a war map. In the report of Mr. Homer Bigart in yesterday’s issue of this newspaper, however, Quemoy and Little Quemoy assume a different aspect. They are the sites of homes and farms of thousands of Chinese, who cling to them courageously under all the shelling-indifferent, possibly, to the broader issues, but determined to hold to the land they have tilled, to the ruins of the houses in which they have lived.” Casting doubt on the ability of the Chinese Communists to take the islands at this time, without massive and risky air operations, the paper went on to say: “Whether they have a serious military purpose or are simply firing and shouting for propaganda effect, they have sent random death and destruction to their own countrymen, to farmers in the fields and mothers in the homes. Yet the survivors refuse to abandon, the soil of the islands, undeterred by shelling, unmoved by propaganda. On the small but vital stage of the Quemoys, under Red guns, there is a striking example of the enduring strength and staunchness of the Chinese people, a demonstration of genuine human values that will surely be sustained in China despite all the efforts of the Communists to pervert and destroy them.”
With reference to Nehru’s statement that he “came out 100 per cent in favor of (peaceful) coexistence, no matter what,” the New York World-Telegram editorialized on October 29, “That ‘no matter what’ is interesting because when Red China decided to coexist peacefully inside Tibet a few years ago, Nehru got quite jittery about it. Evidently it mattered then, for Tibet’s occupation by an aggressor power had obvious military and political implications. It meant not only Red conquest, but bringing large Red Chinese military forces to the very borders of India, as well as the rich state of Kashmir, which India covets.” “Well, suppose some time in the future depending on the Communist timetable,” the paper continued, “Red China decides to ‘peacefully coexist’ inside Kashmir, or even India. Will Nehru be 100 per cent in favor of that? He’s bound to be, as he says-no matter what.” While The Economist observed on October 23: “The real question, therefore, is whether the results of Nehru’s journey to (Communist) China will have any special significance at all, and whether they will do more good than harm or more harm than good,” the Glasgow Herald commented editorially on October 27: “Official good will has no doubt been increased between the two countries, even if it is of the suspiciously temporary nature that might be expected from the lying down together of a lamb and a lion in lamb’s clothing. Beyond the possibility of a reciprocal agreement about civil airlines, nothing concrete has emerged. But there has been much reiteration on both sides of the importance of the Tibet agreement’s preamble advocating peaceful co-existence. Like all such declarations between Communist and non-Communist countries, this agreement had a limited and superficial virtue; but while non-interference in each other’s internal affairs was agreed, no mention was made of the fact that India has a Communist Party but (Communists China has no Congress party, that Chinese Communism (like all Communism) has a proselytising mission backed by force, while Indian democracy is a tender and almost rootless plant surrounded by a little chicken-wire.”
“If it does, then Nehru’s visit to Peiping will indeed have historic significance. It will be historic because it will signalize the first time in history that Commies ever kept a major promise they weren’t compelled to keep.” “Clearly, the Communists have organized a counter-SEATO movement,” commented editorially the New York Mirror on October 20, “the axis of which is Nehru-Mao, India and Red China. First Chou En-lai visited India; now Nehru returns the call but to Mao Tse-tung. An alliance between Red China and India, particularly a military alliance, could endanger the peace of the world.” “The biggest mistake at the SEATO conference at Manila,” the paper continued, “was the omission of Formosa, Japan and South Korea from its membership. Had these countries been present, there could be no mistaking its character. They were omitted to please Great Britain, which believes that it can differentiate between Chinese Marxism and Russian Marxism and which still lives in the hope that somehow, by some means, some day, Red China will be separated from Red Russia and will fall into the lap of the Western powers.”
Stating that Chou En-lai’s visit to India and Burma when he was on his way home from Geneva added materially to the Communist prestige in the Far East, the paper went on to say; “There should also be no doubt that Peiping is eager to entertain Prime Minister Nehru because of the confidence that this prestige will be still further enhanced. Mr. Nehru is not worried about enhancing the prestige of Mao and Chou. We happen to be, and for that reason we can deplore his trip. He will definitely be giving ‘aid and comfort’ to the Chinese Communists, whom we regard as enemies of freedom.” Declaring that the public statements made by Nehru and Mao “made it seem a good guess that they are cooking up some sort of non-aggression pact between India and Red China,” the New York Daily News editorialized on October 22: “Suppose they do; and suppose the treaty carries a Chinese Communist promise not to give any more help to the Hindu Reds who are trying to undermine Nehru’s government. Soviet Russia made such a promise to the United States in 1933, when President F. D. Roosevelt recognized Stalin, thereby probably saving the Red Czar’s gangster government from collapse. Russia went gaily ahead with its effort to foment Red revolution here, and is still at it. If Communist China makes a similar promise to India, will Mao Tse-tung’s and Chou En-lai’s Red government in Peiping live up to that promise?
“It would be unfair to characterise this trip as just another ‘pilgrimage to Peiping,’ editorialized the” New York Times along the same line on the same day, “and to compare it with the recent journeys of Clement AttIee and the chief Soviet dignitaries who were the recipients of the Communist hospitality. Mr. Nehru is doing no obeisance and asking no favors. Indeed, it is clearly suggested that one of the major purposes of his trip is to ask some sharp questions in Peiping such as, for example, what Red China will do or stop doing about Communists in Burma and what Red China will do or stop doing about the Overseas Chinese. If Mr. Nehru can get unequivocal answers to such questions he will have helped to clear the international atmosphere. “The net result, however, can be unhappy. India’s influence, for example, is thrown against the Southeast Asia Defense Pact because this constitutes such an ‘alignment,’ Indonesia is influenced, in turn, by Indian leadership, and. one of the most vulnerable spots in East Asia is made even weaker in the face of Communist infiltration and subversion. One of the Moslem groups in Indonesia has now taken a firm stand against the Government and expressed its support of the idea of the Manila Pact, but unless there is a more general expression of popular opinion Indonesia will continue to be a prime Communist target and present the possibility of a relatively easy prey.”
“India and China are essentially rivals, for prestige and leadership in Asia. Chou En-lai raised his own and (Communist) China’s prestige by his visit to India and Burma following the Geneva Conference; it is not surprising to see Mr. Nehru attempting the same thing. Nehru needs peace to carry out his own ambitious program for improving the Indian standard of living as well as to lead a neutralist bloc in Asia. For this reason he is conciliatory toward his big northern neighbor. But presumably he also is well aware that his own plans will be frustrated if Communist China pushes further into Tibet and Nepal or worries the other countries of South Asia. Hence he is concerned with giving practical meaning to the Communist theme of coexistence.” “It would be unwise and unjust at this stage,” concluded the paper, “to brand his journey to (Communist) China as appeasement. Rather it may be considered in the nature of a fact-finding expedition. One of the questions on which he may be able to throw some light is just what the new Russian concessions mean in terms of a tighter Sino-Soviet relationship-a question on which countries with no contact at Peking can only guess.”
Pointing out that Nehru’s visit to Peiping was “hardly the sort of thing that tends to reassure,” the paper concluded: “From the stand point of population, India and Red China are the two biggest countries in the world, and although the Peiping get-together probably will fall very far short of being the most important event of the decade, it can have significant and possibly quite adverse results for the West particularly if Mr. Nehru is in a mood to promote ‘peaceful co-existence’ at almost any price, on the basis of mere propaganda promises from the Communists.” “Some critics of India’s neutral course doubt less will see in Prime Minister Nehru’s visit to Peking,” observed editorially the Washington Post and Times-Herald the next day, “a closer alignment with the Chinese Communists. Our guess is that the purpose of his trip is something quite different. For all his skepticism about American policy and his misconception of capitalist economics, Mr. Nehru is by no means indifferent to the dangers of Communist expansionism. We suspect that he will ask some searching questions about Chinese intentions in the areas bordering India, the support of subversive movements in Southeast Asia and the direction of the overseas Chinese in Burma, Thailand and Indonesia.
“All this, coupled with some other things that Mr. Nehru has said and done in recent years, justifies a certain feeling of misgiving about the nature and possible effects of his trip to Peiping. True, besides preaching the doctrine of ‘Asia for the Asians,’ he has long professed to be a kind of tight-rope walker or fence-sitter unwaveringly intent upon having India follow a policy of strict neutrality between the Sino-Soviet empire on the one hand and the United States and the West as a whole on the other. But unfortunately, especially since the outbreak of the Korean war in 1950, he has several times given the impression of leaning markedly toward the Communists and being rather too self-righteous and free-wheeling-not to mention inaccurate and confused-in his criticism of our country and its allies.”
Congress Calls PM Modi ‘Pied Piper’, Attacks Minister Accused of Forging Marksheets All India | Press Trust of India | Updated: November 14, 2014 17:30 IST Congress Calls PM Modi ‘Pied Piper’, Attacks Minister Accused of Forging Marksheets Junior education minister RS Katheria New Delhi: Congress today attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ministerial colleagues, after the controversy surrounding newly-inducted minister of state for HRD Ram Shankar Katheria over his graduation marksheet. Party general secretary Digvijaya Singh called Mr Modi as “Indian pied piper” who “takes credit of all the things which he hasn’t done”. Ajay Maken, who heads the Congress’ communications department, said in his tweet, “BJP-Gift to the Nation Education Min filed wrong Affidavit: MOS allegedly forged MarkSheet! Modi’s #Clean Politics ? (sic)”. While attacking Mr Katheria, both the leaders also referred to the degree controversy surrounding Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani sometime back. “First Minster HRD and now MOS HRD has given Fraud Mark Sheet! On top of it RSS wants to change the Text Books and Indian History (sic),” Mr Singh said on Twitter. Mr Katheria, the Junior Education Minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, faces charges of forging two university marksheets to land a teaching job at Agra University. The minister has, however, strongly denied the charge against him terming it a political conspiracy. Digvijaya Singh also slammed the BJP for “taking support of MIM” in Maharashtra and claimed the saffron party will benefit if MIM contests elections in Delhi. He said that “religious fundamentalists of majority and minority” are two faces of the same coin. Two MLAs of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) had abstained from voting against the Devendra Fadnavis government of BJP in Maharashtra. He added “Bhakra Nangal other Dams Power Projects Navratna PSUs IITs IIMs are products of his Vision. Through Land Reforms he gave Land to the Tiller.” Story First Published: November 14, 2014 16:37 IST
Marksheet Case: Minister RS Katheria Charged with Faking Work Experience Too All India | Kashish | Updated: November 14, 2014 21:21 IST Professor RS Katheria’s allegedly original and allegedly false marksheets from Bachelor of Arts second year New Delhi: A chargesheet against new junior education minister RS Katheria alleges not just that he forged two university marksheets to land a teaching job at Agra University, but also a work experience document. Less than 20 days after Prof Katheria, a two-term BJP lawmaker, was sworn in as a central minister on Sunday, an Agra court in Uttar Pradesh will hear the forgery case against him. The minster said today, “If the charges are proven, I will not just resign as minister but also as a parliamentarian.” He is charged with falsely claiming to have had work experience of three years in an Etawah college, also in UP, when he applied for the post of reader in an Agra college in 1999. The state police allege that their investigations show Mr Katheria never worked at the Etawah college. Related Make in India, Make Your Own Marksheet: Congress’ Dig at Junior Education Minister Congress Calls PM Modi ‘Pied Piper’, Attacks Minister Accused of Forging Marksheets Will Quit if Charges are Proven, Says Minister RS Katheria Accused of Forging His Marksheets He is also accused of changing a mark sheet for his Bachelor of Arts programme and another for his second year in a Master of Arts programme. The minister has said that the case, filed by a rival Bahujan Samaj Party candidate who lost narrowly to him in the 2009 national elections, is a result of political vendetta. He also claimed that he had been given a clean chit in an inquiry conducted by the Uttar Pradesh government under Mayawati. In 2012, the Allahabad High Court dismissed Mr Katheria’s attempt at getting the case quashed and directed the Agra sessions court to resolve it as soon as possible. Mr Katheria has been charged with cheating and dishonesty under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code. If convicted, he could get a prison term of up to seven years. Convicted politicians are disqualified from office and are barred from contesting elections for several years after a landmark Supreme Court ruling last year. This is only one of 21 cases that Mr Katheria has listed in his election affidavit. The Congress has questioned the induction of a minister with so many cases against him. Story First Published: November 14, 2014 20:50 IST
Make in India, Make Your Own Marksheet: Congress’ Dig at Junior Education Minister All India | Reported by Kashish, Edited by Amit Chaturvedi | Updated: November 14, 2014 21:31 IST Make in India, Make Your Own Marksheet: Congress’ Dig at Junior Education Minister Congress leader Salman Khurshid Prof Katheria said today that, “If the charges are proven, I will not just resign as minister but also as a parliamentarian.” He has called it a political conspiracy against him. The forgery case against him was filed by a rival Bahujan Samaj Party candidate who lost narrowly to him in the 2009 national elections. He has been charged with cheating and dishonesty under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code. Mr Khurshid linked the controversy to an earlier one about the educational qualifications of Smriti Irani, the senior minister in the same ministry. “There is something called a talent pool and one picks people for a particular job, the best suited candidate is chosen. In this case, it seems those who have maximum human resources have been picked for the job,” he said in more sarcasm. Fellow Congressman Digvijay Singh tweeted, “First Minster HRD and now MOS HRD has given Fraud Mark Sheet! On top of it RSS wants to change the Text Books and Indian History”. Professor Katheria was one of 21 ministers inducted last Sunday in Mr Modi’s Cabinet expansion exercise. This is only one of the 21 cases that Mr Katheria has listed in his election affidavit. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said, “All these cases are nothing but political vendetta. The case had been started by the BSP government. The BSP government could not find anything in the enquiry and as a result no FIR was filed.” Story First Published: November 14, 2014 20:42 IST
Reviews & endorsements “Joan Hoff is universally recognized as among our most distinguished and perceptive historians of the American presidency and US foreign policy. In A Faustian Foreign Policy from Woodrow Wilson to George W. Bush she has produced another perceptive, graceful and informative history that targets and explains the deadly combination that too often has led our nation astray: grand visions conceived in a myopic haze of American exceptionalism. It is a major achievement.” -Martin J. Sherwin, George Mason University; Co-author of American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, 2006 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for biography “Joan Hoff has given us a superb critical analysis of post-9/11 U.S. foreign policy. But her book is most important in providing a powerful insight which has been missing from too much recent analysis: how that post-9/11 foreign policy catastrophe comes directly out of how Americans have been viewing and making their foreign policy over the past several centuries. The 17th-century American ‘City on a Hill’ exceptionalist belief (emphasized by Ronald Reagan), the religious Manifest Destiny of the 19th-century which climaxed in Civil War, and, above all, the haunting illusions of Woodrow Wilson’s export-democracy-to-the world — all, as Hoff masterfully and succinctly explains, are absolutely necessary for us to understand if we are also to understand — and correct — post-9/11 U.S. foreign policy disasters.” -Walter LaFeber, Tisch University Professor at Cornell University “With customary insight and erudition, and passion to diagnose what ills the United States at this moment in time, Joan Hoff shows how blind faith in American exceptionalism has produced a century of foreign policy that perverted, and threatens to destroy, the nation’s values. That does not have to happen. Like no book since William Appleman William’s The Tragedy of American Diplomacy, Hoff’s study powerfully demonstrates that a better future for America (and the world) lies in coming to terms with the corrupt bargains of the past. By so doing, citizens and leaders together can recover their nation’s lost honor.” -William O. Walker III, University of Toronto “In this brilliant book, Joan Hoff deftly explores how the myth of unparalleled virtue has cloaked an increasingly sordid reality of U.S. foreign policy. If more Americans shared her wisdom, they would live in a better nation and a better world.” -Lawrence S. Wittner, State University of New York, Albany; Editor of Peace Action “Hoff bases this well-written narrative on solid research and a clear moral standpoint…The American public and its leaders–not only historians–should ponder this excellent, disturbing book.” The Historian, Richard T. Fry, Illinois College
Professor Joan Hoff’s A Faustian Foreign Policy: Woodrow Wilson to George W. Bush critiques U.S. foreign policy during this period by showing how moralistic diplomacy has increasingly taken on Faustian overtones. As long as the ideological outcome of the Cold War remained in doubt, there was little reason for presidents or government decision makers to question the unethical aspects of U.S. relations with the rest of the world or the universal and exceptional nature of American values. September 11 allowed the United States to assert its exceptionalism and dominance more unilaterally than ever before. Controversial, critical of both Democrats and Republicans since 1920 – does not take a partisan stand Original historical synthesis Covers a number of important themes
A Faustian Foreign Policy from Woodrow Wilson to George W. Bush Dreams of Perfectibility Author: Joan Hoff Date Published: December 2007 availability: In stock format: Paperback isbn: 9780521714044
Reviews & endorsements “The International Ambitions of Mao and Nehru is the work of a gifted scholar, one knowledgeable of both Chinese and Indian foreign relations. Indeed, there are very few individuals working in the field of Asian security studies who have shown a comparable mastery of both countries. Moreover, Kennedy has broader aspirations than to simply study Chinese and Indian foreign policy, rather through his development of the concept of national efficacy beliefs he aims to speak to debates in international relations theory and security studies about fundamental aspects of international politics.” — Allen Carlson, Cornell University “Andrew Kennedy has written a terrific book that challenges the conventional wisdom about the constraints on leaders in international politics. By combining theoretical creativity with careful historical research, he demonstrates how Mao Zedong and Jawaharlal Nehru chose to pursue bold and risky strategies in their relations with other states. The result is persuasive study that advances international relations theory as well as our knowledge of Chinese and Indian foreign policy.” —M. Taylor Fravel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology “Andrew Kennedy has focused on a most unlikely comparison of the leadership styles and foreign policies of two twentieth-century Asian nationalists of extraordinary significance: Jawaharlal Nehru of India and Mao-Tse-Tung of the People’s Republic of China. Nehru was an aristocratic, Anglophilic, and erudite nationalist passionately committed to the principles of liberal democracy at home and in the world. Mao was a peasant revolutionary who ushered in a violent revolution and created a totalitarian state which presided over the deaths of millions through ill-conceived policies of social and economic transformation. Despite these obvious contrasts, both individuals sought to pursue significant foreign policy goals for their respective nations. Kennedy’s carefully researched, historically-grounded and theoretically supple work makes an important contribution to studies of both leadership and foreign policy.” — Sumit Ganguly, Indiana University, Bloomington “An insightful, well argued, and solidly documented re-interpretation of the psychology and foreign policy choices of Mao Zedong and Jawaharlal Nehru. Kennedy convincingly links the historical experience of India’s independence movement and China’s revolutionary upheaval to differing belief systems of Mao and Nehru, and then those beliefs to the foreign policy choices of the two leaders. He argues convincingly that India’s long and successful non-violent struggle for independence, and the victory of the Chinese revolution against seemingly overwhelming odds, gave rise to different beliefs about the efficacy of moral suasion and war, and that Nehru’s and Mao’s embrace of these varying world views deeply influenced those leaders management of their nation’s foreign relations. An important contribution to the study of the
Description Contents Resources Courses About the Authors Why do leaders sometimes challenge, rather than accept, the international structures that surround their states? In The International Ambitions of Mao and Nehru, Andrew Kennedy answers this question through in-depth studies of Chinese foreign policy under Mao Zedong and Indian foreign policy under Jawaharlal Nehru. Drawing on international relations theory and psychological research, Kennedy offers a new theoretical explanation for bold leadership in foreign policy, one that stresses the beliefs that leaders develop about the “national efficacy” of their states. He shows how this approach illuminates several of Mao and Nehru’s most important military and diplomatic decisions, drawing on archival evidence and primary source materials from China, India, the United States, and the United Kingdom. A rare blend of theoretical innovation and historical scholarship, The International Ambitions of Mao and Nehru is a fascinating portrait of how foreign policy decisions are made. Offers a novel theoretical perspective on why political leaders sometimes act with surprising boldness in foreign policy Offers a historically rich account of Chinese foreign policy under Mao and Indian foreign policy under Nehru, drawing on newly discovered archival documents from China, India, the UK and the US The only extant book that systematically and in detail compares the foreign policies of Mao Zedong and Jawaharlal Nehru
The International Ambitions of Mao and Nehru National Efficacy Beliefs and the Making of Foreign Policy Author: Andrew Kennedy Date Published: December 2011 availability: Available format: Hardback isbn: 9780521193511
14 hours ago - International » South Asia GALLE, December 1, 2014 Updated: December 1, 2014 12:37 IST Indian Ocean has to remain a zone of peace: Ajit Doval Meera ...
Indian Ocean has to remain a zone of peace: Ajit Doval
Meera Srinivasan
PTI
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval
If the Indian Ocean has to contribute to the prosperity of different nations, it is necessary that it remains a zone of peace, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval said on Monday.
He was delivering the keynote address at the ‘Galle Dialogue’, held in Sri Lanka's southern coastal town of Galle. Evoking a 1971 UNGA resolution, on the Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace, Mr. Doval said it was important to revisit the resolution mooted by Sri Lanka then “calling upon great powers not to allow escalation and expansion of military presence in the Indian Ocean.”
Mr. Doval’s remarks come at a time when India has been voicing serious concern over China’s growing military presence in the island. In October, Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa was in New Delhi for a meeting with Mr. Doval and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley where New Delhi raised the issue of a Chinese submarine calling at the port in Colombo.
In his address on Monday, Mr. Doval said India has been a status quoist power in the region for 5,000 years, but it had no aggressive design or strategic reason for dominance that is detrimental to any other country.
He called for cooperation between countries to tackle challenges such as piracy, drug smuggling and human trafficking. India would enhance trilateral cooperation with Sri Lanka and the Maldives, he said, stressing the need for maritime security for prosperity. Over 100 representatives from 36 countries participated in the event with the theme Cooperation & Collaboration for Maritime Prosperity’, organised by Sri Lanka's Ministry of Defence and Urban Development.
Revisiting the Indian Ocean zone of peace concept, which has led to long debates since 1971, may prove hazardous in the present context, because the rivalry that is taking shape in the region is between the U.S. and its allies, and China.
The National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval, has sought to revisit the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2832 (XXVI) declaring the Indian Ocean as a zone of peace, and which has called upon the great powers not to allow an escalation and an expansion of military presence in the Indian Ocean. (The Hindu, December 1, 2014). The expectation is that it can be used as a device to prevent China from holding sway in the Indian Ocean.
While the Indian Ocean Zone of Peace (IOZOP), in its original form, appears relevant in the present context, the innumerable problems India has faced on account of the resolution and the U.N. Adhoc Committee on the Indian Ocean must be recalled before we take any formal initiative in this regard. Sri Lanka, our comrade in arms in the IOZOP initiative, has played games with us even in the happier days of India-Sri Lanka relations and when China was not in the picture. The new narrative in the Indo-Pacific may not be congenial to depending on Sri Lanka or any other neighbour to deliver on the IOZOP in accordance with our interests.
The formulation
The idea of IOZOP goes back to the days of the 1964 Cairo Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement, which had expressed concern over the efforts of the imperialists to establish bases in the Indian Ocean and declared that the Indian Ocean should not be a battleground for the big powers. The Lusaka Declaration (1970) refined the idea further and it led to the UNGA resolution, which proposed the IOZOP strictly in the context of the raging Cold War at that time.
The UNGA resolution said: “the Indian Ocean, within limits to be determined, together with the air space above and the ocean floor adjacent thereto, is hereby designated for all times as a zone of peace”. It went on to define the zone of peace not as one where there was an absence of war or of a state of peace and tranquillity, but specifically about the great powers halting and eliminating all bases, military installations and logistical facilities, and the disposition of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction. It also envisaged universal collective security in the region without military alliances. Ships would have the right to unimpeded use of the zone, except warships posing a threat to the littoral and hinterland states of the region.
In subsequent years, in the Adhoc Committee on the Indian Ocean, which was set up under the aegis of the U.N. disarmament machinery, the concept divided rather than united permanent members and the littoral and hinterland states. The permanent members, except China, did not support the original resolution. France, the United States and the United Kingdom kept out of the committee as they felt that they had been directly targeted and the Soviet Union had participated in the work of the committee, paying lip service to the notion of a zone of peace. Australia was the spokesperson of the West, which raised questions on the feasibility of the elimination of foreign military presence.
Regional interpretations
Till the end of the Cold War, India stuck to the purist interpretation of the zone as an area free of foreign military presence, particularly bases and other facilities, conceived in the context of great power rivalry. Implicitly, India did not object to the movement of warships, as long as they did not threaten the regional states. Indira Gandhi reiterated this position at a press conference in Moscow, making the Soviet presence legitimate, even though there were reports that the Soviet Union was seeking to establish bases in Somalia and elsewhere.
“The innumerable problems India has faced on account of the U.N. resolution and the U.N. Adhoc Committee on the Indian Ocean must be recalled before we take any formal initiative in this regard.”
After a meeting of the littoral and hinterland states in 1979, India became acutely aware of a hidden agenda on the part of Sri Lanka and others to draw attention to the increasing strength of India, posing a threat to the smaller states in the region. Sri Lanka was not loath to have an American presence in the Indian Ocean as a stabilising factor. President Jayewardene said at one point that he did not know whether Sri Lanka wanted the Americans to get out of the Indian Ocean and even hinted that the interests of regional countries differed.
Pakistan began to emphasise “denuclearization” of the Indian Ocean after the Indian tests of 1974 and took the initiative of a Nuclear Weapon Free Zone in South Asia, which was strongly opposed by India. The polarisation was palpable in the Adhoc Committee. Consequently, the possibility of a Colombo Conference to implement the Declaration became remote. India did not find it helpful to hold the Colombo conference without the participation of the great powers. Nor did India participate fully in the Indian Ocean Marine Affairs Cooperation (IOMAC) on the plea that it detracted from the concept of the zone of peace by inviting the great powers to it.
A fallout of the debate in the Indian Ocean Committee was that India and Australia had become antagonistic to each other. Australia began complaining about the growth of the Indian Navy and also countered India at disarmament forums, particularly at the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) negotiations. At one point, K. Subrahmanyam maintained that the confrontation in the Indian Ocean should be treated as being triangular rather than bipolar as he felt that the military presence of the super powers was directed against the autonomy of the Non-Aligned countries.
China had taken a position of tactical support to the zone, as its presence in the Indian Ocean was not in focus. As a proclaimed supporter of the developing countries, China expressed solidarity for the littoral and hinterland states in seeking to eliminate foreign military presence. The focus on the Indian capabilities, which emerged in this context, was also a welcome development for China. It claimed legitimacy for itself as a permanent member of the Security Council and as an Asian power.
Shift in focus
After the end of the Cold War, the dynamics in the Committee underwent a sea change, with India itself shifting the focus of the zone of peace from the elimination of foreign military presence to one of cooperation between the major powers and the littoral and hinterland states. The debate became increasingly an embarrassed ritualisation of the demilitarisation effort. India’s joint exercises in the Ocean with multiple partners legitimised the presence of various navies including that of the U.S.
The Adhoc Committee soldiered on without a particular focus, merely recalling the old resolution and emphasising the need for the permanent members and major maritime users to join in an effort to bring about a balance in the Indian Ocean. From an arena of the Cold War, the Committee became ritualistic without a clear focus or agenda. Naturally, new threats, such as piracy, terrorism, drug trafficking, etc were brought in, making it a forum to combat non-state actors rather than the great powers.
Revisiting the zone of peace concept, which has led to the long debates since 1971 may prove hazardous in the present context, because the rivalry that is taking shape in the region is between the U.S. and its allies, and China. With the kind of support China demonstrated in Kathmandu among the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries, it is possible that the zone of peace idea will turn into a move to counter the U.S. as a foreign presence and to seek some balance between India and China in the Indian Ocean. China might well gain a status similar to India and strengthen its capabilities there. International focus on India’s naval acquisitions, present and future, may well become counterproductive. According to Admiral Arun Prakash, there are not many navies, worldwide, which have seen, in recent years, or are likely to see such significant accretions to their order-of-battle. “This force build-up, once complete, will not only enhance the Navy’s combat capability by an order of magnitude, but would also alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region.”
A way out
The greatest resistance to the revival of the IOZOP will come from those who will argue that the idea itself is outdated as the Cold War and great power rivalry are non-existent. They are likely to remind us that we ourselves had stressed the Cold War angle more than anything else. Others will begin highlighting the spirit of cooperation that has dawned in the Indian Ocean and lamenting that India is reviving old ghosts. The U.S. may also look at the concept negatively as it will impinge on its own activities. China will marshal support to campaign against the concept of the zone, from which they are sought to be excluded. In other words, a new IOZOP will have even less chance of success than the old one.
A strategy of enhancing cooperation between the littoral and hinterland states and external powers without the reference to the IOZOP may have a greater chance of success. India has special strengths in combating piracy, alleviating natural disasters and trafficking. The involvement of the U.S. in fighting terrorism may be of an advantage. China has already taken note of India’s inclinations in the Asia-Pacific and offered cooperation to avoid the “Asia Pivot” and to adopt an alternative Chinese vision. An opportunity exists for us to develop a third plan of engagement between the regional countries and external forces for fruitful cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
(T.P. Sreenivasan was India’s representative to the U.N. Adhoc Committee on the Indian Ocean from 1980 to 1983 and from 1992 to 1995.)
Earlier this week, China requested India for permission to deploy four naval vessels in the waters of the Andaman Sea, as the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 widened across the waters of the Indian Ocean.
India turned down the Chinese offer to search its own backyard, and replied to the formal request by detailing its extensive search efforts under way in the Indian Ocean, including the deployment of four naval warships and the new P-8I aircraft, all demonstrating the capabilities of the Indian Navy.
The search for MH370 is undoubtedly an entirely humanitarian exercise, and one that has become unprecedented both in scale and in terms of international cooperation - a dozen countries, including several embroiled in maritime disputes over the South China Sea, have put aside their spats as they have willingly followed Malaysia's lead in the search for the Boeing.
At the same time, the search has also served to demonstrate the new capabilities of the navies of Asia - navies that have been fast modernising at a time of record increases in military spending across the region.
China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has in recent days rapidly deployed eight vessels to scour the South China Sea. On Friday, warships were sent to search the southern Indian Ocean, where four Indian naval warships are also deployed in the search for debris.
Experts in India and China said this week the search has underlined an often ignored aspect of India-China relations.
While the long-running boundary dispute across the Himalayas has remained at the focus of attention for most observers, the fast-expanding engagement - and encounters - between their navies as they spread their presence across the Indian and Pacific Oceans has sometimes been ignored, said Lou Chunhao, a strategic affairs expert at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations in Beijing.
"Now, China under [President] Xi Jinping is paying more attention to 'going west', and as India 'looks east', there will be more interaction [in the Indian and Pacific oceans]," he said.
Mr. Lou was speaking at a rare event in Beijing highlighting India-China relations in the maritime domain. The event was being held to mark the launch of what is possibly the first ever Chinese translation of an Indian book on foreign policy, according to the Chinese publishers, authored by foreign affairs expert C. Raja Mohan on the growing India-China maritime rivalry.
"China's dependence on the Indian Ocean region is continuing to grow, for energy imports from the Gulf, resources from Africa, and trade with Europe," Mr. Raja Mohan said.
Since December 2008, China has been involved in Gulf of Aden anti-piracy operations. Earlier this year, the PLAN held its first-ever major exercise in the Lombok Strait in the southern Indian Ocean.
This year, President Xi Jinping also launched a new "maritime silk road" initiative aimed at boosting trade links and maritime engagement with littoral countries in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
With China's maritime presence in the Indian Ocean set to expand along with its economic interests, the question for India - and its strategic community - was how to engagement with this new reality.
"You cannot build a great wall against Chinese maritime presence," Mr. Raja Mohan said.
In India, most commentaries still highlight China's so-called "string of pearls", referring to port projects China is involved in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Bangladesh that some analysts suggest may later become military bases, although there is, as yet, no evidence to suggest so.
China has maintained these are purely commercial. "Chinese ships going to the Indian Ocean region and the only purpose is for security of energy supplies," said Ma Jiali, a senior South Asia scholar at the China Reform Forum. About the Hambantota project in Sri Lanka, he said it was to be remembered that the project was first offered to India, which turned it down.
Mr. Raja Mohan said Indian and Chinese strategic communities were "talking past each other for most of the time". He hoped the translation of his book would "begin a process of getting Chinese books translated into English, and Indian books into Chinese, and getting strategic communities to understand each other a lot better".
His book has been translated by the official China Publisher Group. Xiao Qiming, who heads the China Democracy and Legal System Publishing House, which is a subsidiary, said the idea was to begin direct interaction between both countries on strategic issues, rather than, as was the case at present, rely on third-party works from western sources.
"By publishing in China, this will given an opportunity for us to understand political and diplomatic ideas of India, and we hope this will add value to taking forward maritime cooperation between the two countries," he said.
While I see no reason for the Chinese Navy to ‘audit’ the Indian Navy’s search, I don’t understand what is so secret about the waters around the Andaman Islands that the Indian Navy seems to be so sensitive about. Time and time again the armed forces have come in the way of harnessing the commercial potential of the strategically placed islands. Learn from next-door Singapore, a tiny island country, which has used its location to develop into a regional economic powerhouse. And, ironically, that fact ensures its safety. Btw, it was rather sad to know that Indian radars in these ‘sensitive’ islands were found sleeping when the missing plane could have been passing by. Good surveillance job indeed!!
from: S salim
Posted on: Mar 23, 2014 at 15:10 IST
China never leaves any opportunity to show its growth let it be in Industrial sector or defence. The recent example of China's initiative for search operation in the MH370 is one more in the basket. India on the other hand specially at International arena lacks the leadership skill. Even She has failed at regioal level e.g. SAARC and BIMSTEC are struggeling for its survival.
from: ashwin
Posted on: Mar 23, 2014 at 09:36 IST
With its past aggression on territorial expansion, China seems to be doing more harm to its economic interests especially with India. Countries all over the world are now realising China's true style of international diplomacy – one that is ruthlessly opportunistic and selfish and misdirected by egotistic approach of their leaders.
Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace
UN General Assembly Resolution 2832 (XXVI) 16 December 1971
The item "Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace" was included in the agenda of the 26th General Assembly in 1971 at the initiative of Sri Lanka and, subsequently, the United Republic of Tanzania. It led to the adoption of Resolution 2832 (XXVI), by which the Indian Ocean, within limits to be determined, together with the airspace above and the ocean floor subjacent thereto, was designated for all times as a zone of peace. In 1972, the General Assembly established the Ad Hoc Committee on the Indian Ocean, to study practical measures to achieve the objectives of the Declaration. At the Ad Hoc Committee on Indian Ocean, 451st Meeting (PM) on 26 July 2005 the representative of China "called for common efforts for countries inside and outside the region to maintain peace and stability in the region and to establish the Zone of Peace at an early date.To that end, the major Powers outside the region should eliminate their military presence in the Indian Ocean region."
Text of Declaration
The General Assembly,
Conscious of the determination of the peoples of the littoral and hinterland States of the Indian Ocean to preserve their independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to resolve their political, economic and social problems under conditions of peace and tranquillity,
Recalling the Declaration of the Third Conference of Heads of State or Government of Non-Aligned Countries, held at Lusaka from 8 to 10 September 1970, calling upon all States to consider and respect the Indian Ocean as a zone of peace from which great Power rivalries and competition as well as bases conceived in the context of such rivalries and competition should be excluded, and declaring that the area should also be free of nuclear weapons,
Convinced of the desirability of ensuring the maintenance of such conditions in the Indian Ocean area by means other than military alliances, as such alliances
entail financial and other obligations that call for the diversion of the limited resources of the States of the area from the more compelling and productive task of economic and social reconstruction and could further involve them in the rivalries of power blocs in a manner prejudicial to their independence and freedom of action, thereby increasing international tensions,
Concerned at recent developments that portend the extension of the arms race into the Indian Ocean area, thereby posing a serious threat to the maintenance of such conditions in the area,
Convinced that the establishment of a zone of peace in the Indian Ocean would contribute towards arresting such developments, relaxing international tensions and strengthening international peace and security,
Convinced further that the establishment of a zone of peace in an extensive geographical area in one region could have a beneficial influence on the establishment of permanent universal peace based on equal rights and justice for all, in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,
1. Solemnly declares that the Indian Ocean, within limits to be determined, together with the air space above and the ocean floor subjacent thereto, is hereby designated for all time as a zone of peace;
2. Calls upon the great Powers, in conformity with this Declaration, to enter into immediate consultations with the littoral States of the Indian Ocean with a view to:
(a) Halting the further escalation and expansion of their military presence in the Indian Ocean;
(b) Eliminating from the Indian Ocean all bases, military installations and logistical supply facilities, the disposition of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction and any manifestation of great Power military presence in the Indian Ocean conceived in the context of great Power rivalry;
3. Calls upon the littoral and hinterland States of the Indian Ocean, the permanent members of the Security Council and other major maritime users of the Indian Ocean, in pursuit of the objective of establishing a system of universal collective security without military alliances and strengthening international security through regional and other co-operation, to enter into consultations with a view to the implementation of this Declaration and such action as may be necessary to ensure that:
(a) Warships and military aircraft may not use the Indian Ocean for any threat or use of force against the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of any littoral or hinterland State of the Indian Ocean in contravention of the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations;
(b) Subject to the foregoing and to the norms and principles of international law, the right to free and unimpeded use of the zone by the vessels of all nations is unaffected;
(c) Appropriate arrangements are made to give effect to any international agreement that may ultimately be reached for the maintenance of the Indian Ocean as a zone of peace;
4. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its twenty-seventh session on the progress that has been made with regard to the implementation of this Declaration;
5. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its twenty-seventh session an item entitled "Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a zone of peace".
Over the years, the Ad Hoc Committee on the Indian Ocean had not been able to reach agreement on the manner of implementation of the 1971 Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace, but the validity of the objectives and the vision of the Declaration remained unchanged, its Chairman Prasad Kariyawasam (Sri Lanka) told the Committee today.
The General Assembly declared the Indian Ocean a zone of peace by resolution 2832 (1971). It called upon the great Powers to enter into immediate consultations with the littoral States of the Indian Ocean with a view to halting the further escalation and expansion of their military presence in the Indian Ocean. The Declaration upheld the need to preserve the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the States of the Indian Ocean region and sought to resolve political, economic and social issues affecting the region under conditions of peace and security.
Speaking as the Committee met to adopt its report to the Assembly, Mr. Kariyawasam said that, since the adoption of the Declaration, the situation in the world, particularly in the Indian Ocean, had undergone a major transformation, including the end of super-Power rivalry which had prevailed in the context of the cold war. Today, there were a number of cooperative initiatives aimed at bringing about socio-economic development, such as the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). However, new threats, such as terrorism, were now affecting the regional stability and security. Also, disarmament and arms control efforts in the region had lagged behind. It was, therefore, clear that there was still ample room to develop measures to realize in general objectives of the Declaration.
The Ad Hoc Committee was the only United Nations body that had the capacity to address security issues in a broader sense involving all interrelated aspects, he continued. A possibility now existed of exploring a new approach to the scope of the Committee’s work and it might even become necessary to consider revision of the Declaration. There was a wide range of proposals, including that the Ad Hoc Committee should function as a forum for littoral and hinterland States, the permanent members of the Security Council and major maritime users to discuss their security interests. Regrettably, three permanent members, namely, France, United Kingdom and the United States, had not yet changed their position on non-participation.
He said, following consultation with Committee members, there appeared to be a general sense that further time would be needed before the Committee could embark on any discussion on practical measures to ensure peace and stability in the Indian Ocean. The Committee might, therefore, recommend that the General Assembly should allow further time for consultations on how measures in the Declaration could be considered in a more focused manner.
The representative of Indonesia said there was a need to develop a concrete and practical framework for regional cooperation and to establish a formal and pragmatic partnership. The tsunami tragedy had underlined the imperative necessity for such a partnership. The Asian-African Summit Meeting held in Jakarta in April had adopted a Declaration on Asian-African Partnership. That partnership would create a region at peace with itself and the world at large. The partnership was committed to strive for greater multilateralism and would promote a culture of peace and tolerance among religions and cultures. It would also promote cooperation in such areas as trade, industry, finance, energy, health, tourism, agriculture and water resources. Effective cooperation would require, among other things, capacity-building, technical assistance and joint efforts to mitigate natural disasters.
The representative of China called for common efforts for countries inside and outside the region to maintain peace and stability in the region and to establish the Zone of Peace at an early date. To that end, the major Powers outside the region should eliminate their military presence in the Indian Ocean region. All parties should observe principles such as non-aggression, equality and peaceful coexistence. States in the region should not seek any armament in excess of their legitimate national defence needs and avoid accumulation of weapons of mass destruction.
The representative of Australia said that, regrettably, the Committee had yet to find a productive direction for its work. The opportunity for substantive work in the Committee remained poor. Time and resources devoted to the Committee should remain limited, until such a time that a work programme was agreed upon and substantive work could begin.
The Ad Hoc Committee adopted its agenda (document A/AC.159/L.135) and the draft report to the General Assembly (document A/AC.159/L.136), which was introduced by its Rapporteur, Modeste Randrianarivony (Madagascar). The report recommended to the Assembly that the Chairman be requested to continue informal consultations with the members of the Committee and to report through the Committee to the Assembly at its sixty-second session.
In other action, the Ad Hoc Committee elected Mr. Kariyawasam (Sri Lanka) as its Chairman, and Ben Milton (Australia) and Adam Tugio (Indonesia) as vice-chairs. Filipe Chidumo (Mozambique) was re-elected as a vice-chair.
Current members of the Ad Hoc Committee are: Australia, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Thailand, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Nepal, South Africa and Sweden are observers.
The Ad Hoc Committee will meet again at a time to be announced.
9 hours ago - Santa Smriti is in Town Irani's ministry to schools: Provide videos of Dec 25 celebrations Anubhuti Vishnoi New Delhi, December 15, 2014 | UPDATED 09:25 IST ...
Irani's ministry to schools: Provide videos of Dec 25 celebrations
Anubhuti Vishnoi New Delhi, December 15, 2014 | UPDATED 09:25 IST
HRD Minister Smriti IraniThe Smriti Irani-led Union Human Resource Development Ministry may have strongly denied instructing schools to celebrate Good Governance Day on Christmas - December 25 - the birthday of BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee but in a circular issued last week the ministry even sought detailed reports and video recordings from schools on the activities undertaken on the day. While Irani's ministry on Monday claimed the whole exercise was voluntary and it did not ask schools to stay open on Christmas, in the December 9 circular issued by the ministry's School Education Department, it asked for "a detailed report on the activities undertaken along with photographs, video recording may be uploaded on your department's website and also be sent to MHRD". The circular further suggested that a range of activities may be held during the day apart from the CBSE's Expression series - an online and offline essay contest. Well before the the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) issued its controversial circular to its schools on the same, the Union HRD ministry shot off a circular on December 9, 2014 to bodies like the NVS asking them to celebrate Good Governance Day on December 25 and also sought detailed reports from schools. The circular - accessed by India Today - said clearly, "It has been decided to observe 25th December which is the birth anniversary of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the former Prime Minister of India, and also Shri Madan Mohan Malviya as Good Governance Day. Referring to CBSE's communication on its Expression Series on Good Governance, the circular sent out by the HRD ministry's School Education Department further 'suggested' several kind of 'celebrations during the day'. These suggestions were to hold declamation contests on topics related to Good Governance, quiz competitions, screening of documentaries and films on best practices in Good Governance organization and other innovative programmes on problem solving. In fact, the NVS circular on the issue literally reproduced parts of the HRD ministry communication. With the issue leading to an uproar in parliament, the HRD ministry on Monday issued a strong denial to reports on the issue and clarified, "CBSE has not directed any school to remain open on 25th December, 2014. The proposed instructions of the CBSE are to conduct an online essay competition on 24th and 25th December 2014, which is completely voluntary." It added that since Navodayas are residential schools, they may if they wish to - voluntarily - hold such activities.
Source: India Today
Smriti Irani slams TOI, says govt never ordered CBSE schools to remain open on Christmas
The HRD ministry appears to be embroiled in constant controversy these days. First it was PM Modi's speech on Teacher's Day which was aired after school hours, and made mandatory for students, then came the German-Sanskrit controversy in the middle of the term for Kendriya Vidyalayas and now the ministry has been accused of trying to ruin the Christmas holiday. The top headline in this morning's Times of India claims that the Union government wants Christmas to be celebrated as 'good governance day' by CBSE schools to mark the birthdays of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Hindu Mahasabha leader Madan Mohan Malviya. The report notes, "The BJP government wants CBSE to carry out various activities, like an essay competition, so that students' participation increases." According to TOI, the government-funded Navodaya schools in rural areas have already sent out a notice canceling the Christmas holiday. Commissioner GS Bothyal. TOI claims, has asked Navodaya schools "to conduct quiz competitions, screen documentaries on best practices in good governance and perform other related activities on Christmas."
HRD minister Smriti Irani. PTI
However HRD minister Smriti Irani had slammed the report on Twitter and said that no school has been asked to remain open on Christmas day. She tweeted saying that the essay competition is wholly online and added that the reporter did not check with officials. Read her tweets below: The TOI report claims that students will get the topic on 23 December, which gives them two days to get it written. Irani also did not weigh in specifically on the Navodaya circular. The report has sparked off strong reactions on Twitter with some airing disbelief that the government could jeopardise Christmas for children, while other criticised TOI for publishing a false report. Check out some of the reactions below:
For the Modi sarkar, this isn't the first time that it has faced criticism for taking over a school holiday. September 5 which is celebrated as Teacher's Day and usually meant a half-day or a holiday for kids was this year turned into Prime Minister speech day. Interestingly the government choose not to have the speech played during early school hours, but at around 3 o' clock and all schools in India had to ensure that students listened to the speech. Some schools such as Bal Bharti in Noida even went so far as to insist on a test on the speech in order to ensure that students didn't skip the lecture. The Times of India has not yet responded to Irani's tweets or demand for a retraction.
KANPUR: Unfazed by nationwide backlash, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, is all set to organise a series of 'Ghar Wapsi' (home coming) programmes in Fatehpur district from January 14 to February 16. Fatehpur happens to be the constituency of controversial BJP leader and minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti. The events, to be organised by Vishwa Hindu Parishad under its ongoing golden jubilee celebrations, are scheduled to be attended by firebrand VHP leaders Praveen Togadiya, Dineshji and Surendra Jain. "The events will be organised on January 14, February 5 and 16 at Jahanabad, Thaveshwar and in the town area of Fatehpur," state convener of Bajrang Dal Virendra Pandey said while talking to TOI. Pandey claimed that there are nearly 1,000 families, earlier `dalits', living in Joshiyana, Arabpur and Michki areas of Haswa block, Bilanada, Radhanagar, Fareedpur, Sheetla Nagar, Khambapur, Isai Mohalla, Ganga Nagar colony, Abu Nagar and Redaiya pockets of the district. A major chunk of them embraced Christianity from Hinduism, about 3 to 4 years ago. "Our workers have identified nearly 250 Christian families, out of which 80 were ready for 'home coming'. We don't lure or coerce anyone in the process," he said. The VHP leader said that there are plans to conduct 'Ghar Wapsi' of 170 other families as soon as this target is met. SP Fatehpur Vinod Kumar Singh said that so far, no one from the outfit has approached them for permission to hold the event. "However, even if such a request is made, we will do a proper scrutiny before giving permission to the organisers to hold the events," he said. Pandey said, "Why will we seek permission from anyone, as when people convert to Hinduism it is not 'conversion' but just `homecoming' and none can stop us from holding the events, slated to take place on January 14, February 5 and 16. The participants will be required to undergo a fire ritual, fast, bathe in a pond and chant Hindu prayers." In the next few days, VHP volunteers will work to spread its base in every such pockets of the district, he added. He said that all these families converted to Christianity from Hinduism in violation of the law on conversion that requires people to file affidavits affirming their consent to change their religion. Another senior VHP leader added that a Christian missionary by the name `World Vision' was taking advantage of division in Hindu castes and sub-castes and trying to promote Christianity in the country by setting up schools and hospitals in the name of charity. "We appeal to all our Hindu brothers not get trap by Christian missionaries as we are ready to support Hindus, who are poor, unemployed and uneducated," he said.
7 hours ago - Of Religious Conversion and Stupid Hindus VHP to hold 'Ghar Wapsi' in Fatehpur Faiz Rahman Siddiqui ,TNN | Dec 16, 2014, 09.55 AM IST READ MORE Vishwa ...
KANPUR: Unfazed by nationwide backlash, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, is all set to organise a series of 'Ghar Wapsi' (home coming) programmes in Fatehpur district from January 14 to February 16. Fatehpur happens to be the constituency of controversial BJP leader and minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti. The events, to be organised by Vishwa Hindu Parishad under its ongoing golden jubilee celebrations, are scheduled to be attended by firebrand VHP leaders Praveen Togadiya, Dineshji and Surendra Jain. "The events will be organised on January 14, February 5 and 16 at Jahanabad, Thaveshwar and in the town area of Fatehpur," state convener of Bajrang Dal Virendra Pandey said while talking to TOI. Pandey claimed that there are nearly 1,000 families, earlier `dalits', living in Joshiyana, Arabpur and Michki areas of Haswa block, Bilanada, Radhanagar, Fareedpur, Sheetla Nagar, Khambapur, Isai Mohalla, Ganga Nagar colony, Abu Nagar and Redaiya pockets of the district. A major chunk of them embraced Christianity from Hinduism, about 3 to 4 years ago. "Our workers have identified nearly 250 Christian families, out of which 80 were ready for 'home coming'. We don't lure or coerce anyone in the process," he said. The VHP leader said that there are plans to conduct 'Ghar Wapsi' of 170 other families as soon as this target is met. SP Fatehpur Vinod Kumar Singh said that so far, no one from the outfit has approached them for permission to hold the event. "However, even if such a request is made, we will do a proper scrutiny before giving permission to the organisers to hold the events," he said. Pandey said, "Why will we seek permission from anyone, as when people convert to Hinduism it is not 'conversion' but just `homecoming' and none can stop us from holding the events, slated to take place on January 14, February 5 and 16. The participants will be required to undergo a fire ritual, fast, bathe in a pond and chant Hindu prayers." In the next few days, VHP volunteers will work to spread its base in every such pockets of the district, he added. He said that all these families converted to Christianity from Hinduism in violation of the law on conversion that requires people to file affidavits affirming their consent to change their religion. Another senior VHP leader added that a Christian missionary by the name `World Vision' was taking advantage of division in Hindu castes and sub-castes and trying to promote Christianity in the country by setting up schools and hospitals in the name of charity. "We appeal to all our Hindu brothers not get trap by Christian missionaries as we are ready to support Hindus, who are poor, unemployed and uneducated," he said.
Disposing of the appeal, the Court HELD : 1.1. In view of the general functions of the Commission enumerated under section 9 of National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992 which are only illustrative and not exhaustive, the Commission cannot be said to have transgressed its authority in entertaining representation, demands and counter-demands of members of Jain community for the status of `minority' Keeping in view the provisions of the Act, the recommendation made by the Commission in favour of the Jains is in the nature of advice and can have no binding effect. The power under section 2(c) of the Act vests in the Central Government which alone, on its own assessment, has to accept or reject the claim of status of minority by a community. [465-D-E] 1.2. After the verdict in TMA Pai Foundation case, the legal position stands clarified that henceforth the unit for determining status of both linguistic and religious minorities would be `state'. Henceforth, before the Central Government takes decision on claims of Jains as a `minority' under Section 2(c) of the Act, the identification has to be done on a state-wise basis. The power of Central Government has to be exercised not merely on the advice and recommendation of the Commission but on consideration of the social, cultural and religious conditions of the Jain community in each State. Statistical data produced to show that a community is numerically a minority cannot be the sole criterion. The provisions contained in the group of Article 25 to 30 is a protective umbrella against the possible deprivations of fundamental right of religious freedoms of religious and linguistic minorities. [465-F-G; 466-D-F] 2. Commissions set up for minorities have to direct their activities to maintain integrity and unity of India by gradually eliminating the minority and majority classes. If, only on the basis of a different religious thought or less numerical strength or lack of health, wealth, education, power or social rights, a claim of a section of Indian society to the status of `minority' is considered and conceded, there would be no end to such claims in a society as multi-religious and multi-linguistic as India is. In a caste-ridden Indian society, no section or distinct group of people can claim to be in majority. If each minority group feels afraid of the other group, an atmosphere of mutual fear and distrust would be created posing serious threat to the integrity of our Nation. That would sow seeds of multi-nationalism in India. It is, therefore, necessary that Minority Commission should act in a manner so as to prevent generating feelings of multinationalism in various sections of people of Bharat. The Commission instead of encouraging claims from different communities for being added to a list of notified minorities under the Act, should suggest ways and means to help create social conditions where the list of notified minorities is gradually reduced and done away with altogether. [472-C-F] T.M.A.
Let the Commission gear its activities to keep them in right direction with the above constitutional perspective, principles and ideals in its view. With these observations and concluding remarks, this appeal stands disposed of as we do not find that any case is made out for grant of any relief to the appellants in exercise of writ jurisdiction of the High Court and hence, the appellate jurisdiction of this Court.
The Commission instead of encouraging claims from different communities for being added to a list of notified minorities under the Act, should suggest ways and means to help create social conditions where the list of notified minorities is gradually reduced and done away with altogether. These concluding observations were required after the eleven judges Bench in TMA Pai Foundation Case (supra) held that claims of minorities on both linguistic and religious basis would be each State as a unit. The country has already been reorganized in the year 1956 under the States Reorganization Act on the basis of language. Differential treatments to linguistic minorities based on language within the state is understandable but if the same concept for minorities on the basis of religion is encouraged, the whole country, which is already under class and social conflicts due to various divisive forces, will further face division on the basis of religious diversities. Such claims to minority status based on religion would increase in the fond hope of various sections of people getting special protections, privileges and treatment as part of constitutional guarantee. Encouragement to such fissiparous tendencies would be a serious jolt to the secular structure of constitutional democracy. We should guard against making our country akin to a theocratic state based on multi- nationalism. Our concept of secularism, to put it in a nut shell, is that 'state' will have no religion. The states will treat all religions and religious groups equally and with equal respect without in any manner interfering with their individual rights of religion, faith and worship.
The constitutional ideal, which can be gathered from the group of articles in the Constitution under Chapters of Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Duties, is to create social conditions where there remains no necessity to shield or protect rights of minority or majority. The above mentioned constitutional goal has to be kept in view by the Minorities Commissions set up at the Central or State levels. Commissions set up for minorities have to direct their activities to maintain integrity and unity of India by gradually eliminating the minority and majority classes. If, only on the basis of a different religious thought or less numerical strength or lack of health, wealth, education, power or social rights, a claim of a section of Indian society to the status of 'minority' is considered and conceded, there would be no end to such claims in a society as multi-religious and multi- linguistic as India is. A claim by one group of citizens would lead to a similar claim by another group of citizens and conflict and strife would ensue. As such, the Hindu society being based on caste, is itself divided into various minority groups. Each caste claims to be separate from the other. In a caste-ridden Indian society, no section or distinct group of people can claim to be in majority. All are minorities amongst Hindus. Many of them claim such status because of their small number and expect protection from the State on the ground that they are backward. If each minority group feels afraid of the other group, an atmosphere of mutual fear and distrust would be created posing serious threat to the integrity of our Nation. That would sow seeds of multi-nationalism in India. It is, therefore, necessary that Minority Commission should act in a manner so as to prevent generating feelings of multinationalism in various sections of people of Bharat.
We have traced the history of India and its struggle for independence to show how the concept of minority developed prior to and at the time of framing of Constitution and later in the course of its working. History tells us that there were certain religious communities in India who were required to be given full assurance of protection of their religious and cultural rights. India is a country of people with the largest number of religions and languages living together and forming a Nation. Such diversity of religions, culture and way of life is not to be found in any part of the world. John Stuart Mill described India as "a world placed at closed quarters". India is a world in miniature. The group of Articles 25 to 30 of the Constitution, as the historical background of partition of India shows, was only to give a guarantee of security to the identified minorities and thus to maintain integrity of the country. It was not in contemplation of the framers of the Constitution to add to the list of religious minorities. The Constitution through all its organs is committed to protect religious, cultural and educational rights of all. Articles 25 to 30 guarantee cultural and religious freedoms to both majority and minority groups. Ideal of a democratic society, which has adopted right of equality as its fundamental creed, should be elimination of majority and minority and so called forward and backward classes. Constitution has accepted one common citizenship for every Indian regardless of his religion, language, culture or faith. The only qualification for citizenship is a person's birth in India. We have to develop such enlightened citizenship where each citizen of whatever religion or language is more concerned about his duties and responsibilities to protect rights of the other group than asserting his own rights. The constitutional goal is to develop citizenship in which everyone enjoys full fundamental freedoms of religion, faith and worship and no one is apprehensive of encroachment of his rights by others in minority or majority.
Thus, 'Hinduism' can be called a general religion and common faith of India whereas 'Jainism' is a special religion formed on the basis of quintessence of Hindu religion. Jainism places greater emphasis on non-violence ('Ahimsa') and compassion ('Karuna'). Their only difference from Hindus is that Jains do not believe in any creator like God but worship only the perfect human-being whom they called Tirathankar. Lord Mahavir was one in the generation of Thirthankars. The Tirathankars are embodiments of perfect human-beings who have achieved human excellence at mental and physical levels. In philosophical sense, Jainism is a reformist movement amongst Hindus like Brahamsamajis, Aryasamajis and Lingayats. The three main principles of Jainism are Ahimsa, Anekantvad and Aparigrah. [See : 1) Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics Vol. 7 pg. 465; 2) History of Jains by A. K. Roy pgs. 5 to 23; and Vinoba Sahitya Vol. 7 pg. 271 to 284]. It is not necessary to go into greater details of philosophical and ideological beliefs and conduct of Jains. They have been dealt with in necessary detail in the recommendations of the National Commission for Minorities.
There is a very serious debate and difference of opinion between religious philosophers and historians as to whether Jains are of Hindu stock and whether their religion is more ancient than the vedic religion of Hindus. Spiritual philosophy of Hindus and Jains in many respect is different but the quintessence of the spiritual thought of both the religions seems to be the same. The influence of Hindu vedic religion is quite apparent in the custom, style of living, belief and faith of Jains. Jains do not worship images or idols of Gods but worship their Tirathankars meaning their ideal personalities who have attained human perfection and excellence by a process of self-improvement. The literal meaning of the word 'Jain' is one who has attained 'victory'. It signifies a person who has attained victory over himself by the process of self-purification. 'Jain' is a religious devout who is continuously striving to gain control over his desires, senses and organs to ultimately become master of his own self. This philosophy is to some extent similar to the vedic philosophy explained by Lord Krishna in 'Bhagwat Geeta', where Lord Krishna describes qualities of a perfect human as 'Stithpragya'. Geeta has used the example of Tortoise to describe a balanced human-being as one who has gained full control over his organs like a Tortoise does which whenever needed, opens its limbs of body and when not needed, closes them.
The so-called minority communities like Sikhs and Jains were not treated as national minorities at the time of framing the Constitution. Sikhs and Jains, in fact, have throughout been treated as part of the wider Hindu community which has different sects, sub-sects, faiths, modes of worship and religious philosophies. In various codified customary laws like Hindu Marriage Act, Hindu Succession Act, Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act and other laws of pre and post- Constitution period, definition of 'Hindu' included all sects, sub-sects of Hindu religions including Sikhs and Jains. The word 'Hindu' conveys the image of diverse groups of communities living in India. If you search for a person by name Hindu, he is unidentifiable. He can be identified only on the basis of his caste as upper caste Brahmin, Kshatriya or Vaish or of lower caste described in ancient India as Shudras. Those who fall in the Hindu class of 'Shudras' are now included in the Constitution in the category of Scheduled Castes with special privileges and treatment for their upliftment. This was found necessary to bring them at par with upper castes in Hindu society. The aboriginals, who have no caste were considered as distinct from four castes or Varnas of Hindu society. They have been treated favourably in the Constitution as Scheduled Tribes. For them also there are provisions for special treatment and grant of special privileges to bring them on level with the other castes from the main advanced streams of Indian society.
"1.314. Azad passionately believed in Hindu-Muslim unity, but he found that from the mid-twenties Gandhi had lost interest in Hindu-Muslim unity and took no steps to secure it. Further, Azad had played a leading part in providing a framework for the Constitution of a free and united India on which the Cabinet Mission Plan was largely based, a Plan which offered India her last chance to remain united. However, Gandhi, Nehru and Patel destroyed the Plan, and accepted partition instead. Azad did his utmost to prevent the partition of India, but he failed to persuade Nehru and Gandhi not to accept partition." It is against this background of partition that at the time of giving final shape to the Constitution of India, it was felt necessary to allay the apprehensions and fears in the minds of Muslims and other religious communities by providing to them special guarantee and protection of their religious, cultural and educational rights. Such protection was found necessary to maintain unity and integrity of free India because even after partition of India, communities like Muslims and Christians in greater numbers living in different parts of India opted to continue to live in India as children of its soil. It is with the above aim in view that the framers of the Constitution engrafted group of Articles 25 to 30 in the Constitution of India. The minorities initially recognized were based on religion and on national level e.g. Muslims, Christians, Anglo-Indian and Parsis. Muslims constituted the largest religious minority because Mughal period of rule in India was longest followed by British rule during which many Indians had adopted Muslim and Christian religions. Parsis constituted a numerically smaller minority. They had migrated from their native State Iran and settled on the shores of Gujarat adopting the Gujarati language, customs and rituals thus assimilating themselves into the Indian population.
Many other revelations concerning competing claims for reservation of seats on religious basis can be gathered from the personal diary of prominent national leader late Abdul Kalam Azad. The diary was made public, in accordance with his last wish only after 25 years of independence. The publication of Azad's diary made it necessary for constitutional expert H. M. Seervai to re-write his chapter under caption 'Partition of India Legend and Reality' in his book on 'Constitutional Law of India'. Many apprehensions and fears were expressed and disturbed the minds of the Muslims. They thought in democracy to be set up in India, the Hindus being in majority would always dominate and retain political power on the basis of their voting strength. There were also apprehensions expressed by many prominent Muslim leaders that there might be interference with and discouragement to their cultural, religious and educational rights. Abdul Kalam Azad acted as mediator in negotiations between the national leaders of the times namely late Nehru and Patel on one side and late Jinnah and Liaqat Ali on the other. Nehru and Patel insisted that in the new Constitution, there would be one united India belonging to people of various religious faiths and cultures with all having full freedom of their social, cultural, religious and other constitutional rights. They advocated one single citizenship to every Indian regardless of his language or religion. The opposing group of Muslim leaders, in the interest of members of their community, insisted on providing to them participation in democratic processes proportionate to their ratio of population and thus counter-balance the likely domination of Hindu majority. They also insisted that separate electoral constituencies based on their population be formed and seats be reserved for them in different parts of India. Late Abdul Kalam Azad tried his utmost to find a midway and thus break the stalemate between the two opposing groups but Nehru and Patel remained resolute and rejected the proposal of Jinnah and Liaqat Ali. The tragic result was that provinces with the highest Muslim population in the erstwhile States of Sindh, Punjab and Baluchistan had to be ceded to form a separate theocratic nation - Pakistan. See the following paragraph 1.314 at pg. 153 of 'Constitutional Law of India' by H.M. Seervai, Fourth Edition, Vol.I :-
The history of the struggle for independence of India bears ample testimony of the fact that the concept of 'minorities' and the demands for special care and protection of their religious and cultural rights arose after bitter experience of religious conflicts which intermittently arose in about 150 years of British Rule. The demand of partition gained momentum at the time the Britishers decided to leave by handing over self-rule to Indians. The Britishers always treated Hindus and Muslims as two different groups of citizens requiring different treatment. To those groups were added Anglo-Indians and Christians as a result of large scale inter-marriages and conversions of several sections of communities in India to Christianity. Prior to passing of the Independence Act of India to hand over self-rule to Indians, Britishers in the course of gradually conceding some democratic rights to Indians, contemplated formation of separate constituencies on reservations of certain seats in legislature in proportion to the population of Hindus and Muslims. That attempt was strongly resisted by both prominent Hindu and Muslim national leaders who had jointly and actively participated in the struggle for independence of India. The attempt of the Britishers to form separate electorates and make reservations of seats on the basis of population of Hindus and Muslims, however, ultimately led to revival of demand for reservations of constituencies and seats in the first elected government to be formed in free India. Resistance to such demands by Hindu and some Muslim leaders ultimately led to partition of India and formation of separate Muslim State presently known as Pakistan.
Henceforth, before the Central Government takes decision on claims of Jains as a 'minority' under section 2(c) of the Act, the identification has to be done on a state basis. The power of Central Government has to be exercised not merely on the advice and recommendation of the Commission but on consideration of the social, cultural and religious conditions of the Jain community in each state. Statistical data produced to show that a community is numerically a minority cannot be the sole criterion. If it is found that a majority of the members of the community belong to the affluent class of industrialists, businessmen, professionals and propertied class, it may not be necessary to notify them under the Act as such and extend any special treatment or protection to them as minority. The provisions contained in the group of Articles 25 to 30 is a protective umbrella against the possible deprivations of fundamental right of religious freedoms of religious and linguistic minorities. The recommendation in favour of Jains by the National Minority Commission was made before the Eleven Judges' Bench of this Court in TMA Pai case (supra) had clarified the concept of 'minority' for the purpose of extending constitutional protection. It is not for this court to issue any direction or mandate on the basis of the claim of some members of the Jain community, which is opposed to by another section of the same community. Before parting with this case, this Court cannot resist from making some observations which are considered necessary in order to remind the National and State Commissions for Minorities, the scope and nature of their functions under the provisions of the Act and the role they have to play in constitutional perspective.
After the verdict in the eleven judges' Bench in TMA Pai Foundation case (supra), the legal position stands clarified that henceforth the unit for determining status of both linguistic and religious minorities would be 'state'. This position is doubly clear not only from the answer given in conclusion to question no. 1 quoted above but also the observations contained in paras 76 and 81 of the majority judgment quoted hereinafter. "76. If, therefore, the State has to be regarded as the unit for determining "linguistic minority" vis-`-vis Article 30, then with "religious minority" being on the same footing, it is the State in relation to which the majority or minority status will have to be determined. 81. As a result of the insertion of Entry 25 into List III, Parliament can now legislate in relation to education, which was only a State subject previously. The jurisdiction of Parliament is to make laws for the whole or a part of India. It is well recognized that geographical classification is not violative of Article 14. It would, therefore, be possible that, with respect to a particular State or group of States, Parliament may legislate in relation to education. However, Article 30 gives the right to a linguistic or religious minority of a State to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice. The minority for the purpose of Article 30 cannot have different meanings depending upon who is legislating. Language being the basis for the establishment of different States for the purposes of Article 30, a "linguistic minority" will have to be determined in relation to the State in which the educational institution is sought to be established. The position with regard to the religious minority is similar, since both religious and linguistic minorities have been put on a par in Article 30." [Emphasis added]
The main task of the Commission shall be to evaluate the progress of the development of minorities, monitor the working of the safeguards provided in the Constitution for the protection of the interests of minorities and in laws enacted by the Central Government or State Governments, besides looking into the specific complaints regarding deprivation of rights and safeguards of the minorities. It shall also cause studies, research and analysis to be undertaken on the issues relating to socio-economic and educational development of the minorities and make recommendations for the effective implementation of the safeguards for the protection and interests of minorities by the Central Government or State Governments. It may also suggest appropriate measures in respect of any minority to be undertaken by the Central Government or State Government." The Commission set up under the Act has several functions to perform, which are provided, in section 9. The functions entrusted are for ensuring progress and development of minorities and protecting their religious, cultural and educational rights. There is no specific function conferred under section 9 on the Commission to identify any community as a 'minority' and recommend to the Central Government that it be so notified under section 2(c) of the Act. On considering the general functions of the Commission enumerated under section 9 which are only illustrative and not exhaustive, the Commission cannot be said to have transgressed its authority in entertaining representation, demands and counter- demands of members of Jain community for the status of 'minority'. Keeping in view the provisions of the Act, the recommendation made by the Commission in favour of the Jains is in the nature of advice and can have no binding effect. The power under section 2(c) of the Act vests in the Central Government which alone, on its own assessment, has to accept or reject the claim of status of minority by a community.
The Minorities Commission with statutory status would infuse confidence among the minorities about the working and the effectiveness of the Commission. It would also carry more weight with the State Governments/ Union Territory Administrations and the Ministries/ Departments and the other Organizations of the Central Government. It has, therefore, been decided to give statutory status to the Minorities Commission by the proposed legislation. The National Commission for Minorities will consist of a Chairperson and six members.
In the background of constitutional scheme, the provisions of the Act therefore instead of giving definition of 'minority' only provide for notifying certain communities as 'minorities' who might require special treatment and protection of their religious, cultural and educational rights. The definition of 'minority' given under the Act in section 2(c) is in fact not a definition as such but only a provision enabling the Central Government to identify a community as a 'minority' which in the considered opinion of the Central Government deserves to be notified for the purpose of protecting and monitoring its progress and development through the Commission.
Learned counsel representing the claim of the members of the Jain community before this court further submitted that in accordance with section 2(c) of the Act, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Zoroastrians (Parsees) have already been notified as minority communities for the purpose of the Act and the Jains having substantiated their claim of being a religious minority, the refusal to notify them as such under the Act is unjustified and abdication of statutory powers of the Central Government. We have heard Learned Additional Solicitor General Shri B. Dutta, appearing for the Central Government who merely reiterated the stand taken in the affidavit filed on behalf of the government that in view of the judgment in TMA Pai case (supra), the Central Government henceforth will have no role to play. It is for the respective State Governments to take decision on the claim of Jains depending upon their social condition in the respective states. The expression 'minority' has been used in Articles 29 and 30 of the Constitution but it has nowhere been defined. The Preamble of the Constitution proclaims to guarantee every citizen 'liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith & worship'. Group of Articles 25 to 30 guarantee protection of religious, cultural and educational rights to both majority and minority communities. It appears that keeping in view the constitutional guarantees for protection of cultural, educational and religious rights of all citizens, it was not felt necessary to define 'minority'. Minority as understood from constitutional scheme signifies an identifiable group of people or community who were seen as deserving protection from likely deprivation of their religious, cultural and educational rights by other communities who happen to be in majority and likely to gain political power in a democratic form of Government based on election.
After the decision of the eleven judges' Bench case (supra), additional affidavit by the Central Government through its Joint Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has been filed. The stand now taken by the Central Government in this appeal before this court is that in accordance with the law laid down by the majority opinion in the TMA Pai case (supra), it is "for the State Government to decide as to whether the Jain community should be treated as a minority community in their respective states after taking into account their circumstances/conditions in that state". It is also informed that the State Governments of Chhatisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal have already notified Jains as 'minority' in accordance with the provisions of the respective State Minority Commissions Act. Learned Counsel U.U. Lalit, in the light of law declared in the decision of the eleven judges' Bench (supra) and the consequent stand taken by the Central Government, strenuously urged that for the purpose of notifying a community as 'minority' at the national level, the Central Government, which is empowered to consider the claim of a particular community for being notified as such under section 2(c), cannot shirk its statutory responsibility. It is argued that the legal position explained by the majority view in the eleven judges Bench case that State Governments can determine the minority status of a community in states formed on linguistic basis under States Reorganisation Act, 1956 does not render the power of Central Government under section 2(c) of the Act redundant.
"What is the meaning and content of the expression "minority" in Article 30 of the Constitution of India?" The answer in the opinion of majority in the Bench of eleven judges speaking through Kirpal, CJ (as he then was) is the following :- Ans: Linguistic and religious minorities are covered by the expression "minority" under Article 30 of the Constitution. Since reorganization of the States in India has been on linguistic lines, therefore, for the purpose of determining the minority, the unit will be the State and not the whole of India. Thus, religious and linguistic minorities, who have been put on a par in Article 30, have to be considered statewise.
This appeal stood adjourned on several dates awaiting the judgment in the TMA Pai Foundation case. In the counter affidavit filed the Central Government stated that they would abide by the judgment of the eleven judges' Bench in TMA Pai Foundation case and thereafter consider the claim of Jains to the status of minority community under the Act.
The High Court of Bombay by the impugned order simply disposed off the petition on the ground that the claim of varous communities to the status of 'minority' for purpose of seeking constitutional protections is one of the main issues pending before a bench of eleven judges of this court in the case of TMA Pai Foundation [2002 (8) SCC 481].
Supreme Court Of India JUDGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM Order CASE NO.: Appeal (civil) 4730 of 1999 PETITIONER: Bal Patil & Anr. RESPONDENT: Union of India & Ors. DATE OF JUDGMENT: 08/08/2005 BENCH: Chief Justice of India,D. M. Dharmadhikari & P. K. Balasubramanyan JUDGMENT: J U D G M E N T Dharmadhikari J. The appellant is an organization representing a section of Jain community. It approached by writ petition the High Court of Bombay seeking issuance of a mandamus/direction to the Central Government to notify 'Jains' as a 'minority' community under section 2(c) of the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992 (shortly referred to as the Act). Section 2(c) of the Act defines minority thus :- "Minority, for the purposes of this Act, means a community notified as such by the Central Government;"
Describing the passing of the amendment by the Gujarat Assembly as a "matter of great concern", the commission demanded an immediate reversal of the decision. The BJP government in Gujarat on Tuesday passed an amendment in the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act clubbing Jainism and Buddhism with Hinduism. Intimidated by the move by the Gujarat government, the Buddhist Parliamentary Forum said "Buddhism is one of the great religions of the world and has its adherence in many lands.""Any move to impinge upon the distinct identity of Buddhism and its adherents would have ramifications that are best avoided," said Lama Sodpa, a leader of the forum. Calling an emergency meeting on the issue, the All India Digambar Jain Mahasabha said it will launch a protest against the move. "Any government, as per there convenience and agenda cannot afford to curb our right of a religious identity," NK Jain, president of the All India Digambar Jain Mahasabha, said. The Jain Mahasabha has also written a letter to Gujarat governor Naval Kishore Sharma to intervene in the matter and stop the state government from going ahead with any such move. The All India Confederation of SC/ST Organisations has also reacted sharply to the move and has asked the state government to maintain right to religious freedom of an individual. "Every religion has its distinct identity. Religions like Buddhism and Jainism, have its origin dating back to more than two millenniums and this fact can in no way be negated," Confederation chairman Udit Raj said. Incidentally, one such statement by a top RSS leader few years ago suggesting Sikhs as a part of the Hindu fold had evoked widespread protest across the country.
Minorities protest against Gujarat’s conversion law AGENCIES Sep 21, 2006, 03.58am IST NEW DELHI: A day after Gujarat government passed a controversial amendment to include Jains and Buddhists as part of the Hindu community, the move evoked sharp reactions here with the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) demanding a reversal of the decision and concerned community leaders seeking "freedom of identity". "The commission would urge the government to re-examine the matter as it affects the rights of a religious minority," NCM officials said, adding the commission has already received representations from the Buddhist organisations in the matter.
I am least concerned if a person converts of his will but the hypocrisy of these politicians and Saffron organisations need to be exposed. Interestingly, for the saffron organisations who are against conversion, a change from Hinduism to Jainism never matters. As Jains are concentrated in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Marwar (Rajasthan) and Madhya Pradesh, people are not aware of the ground realities but Jains are undoubtedly the biggest proselytisers in India. And not an eyebrow is raised!
In Panchmahal disrict of Gujarat thousands of tribals have been converted. Similar conversion is going on in rest of Gujarat. In Malwa (MP), an entire community of Dharampals have been converted and in Bihar, the whole Sarak community spread over four states (Bihar, WB, Jharkhand and Orissa) that was for years told by Jains to be the lost ‘Shravaks’ have been converted. The VHP-BJP can’t afford to lose the prosperous Jain merchants in India, East Africa, Europe and USA who send enormous funds to the Saffron organisations. So no matter how many Hindus get converted to Jainism, it will not be illegal in Gujarat. Of course, the same VHP would not let the Dhamma Sammelan to occur (for mass conversion to Buddhism) and surely any such function would be disrupted by the Bajrangis–take my word. In the census report of 2001, growth rate of Muslims had gone down from 33% to 29% and also the Hindu growth rate had declined markedly but Jains not only increased but surprised everybody as it was an exponential growth. Numerous reasons were given like that Agarwals many of whom follow Jain religion earlier registering themselves under Hindus but the fact is known to everybody.
Gujarat Conversion Law Amended To Suit Jains! Posted on September 19, 2006 by Adnan Gujarat government has passed the amended anti-conversion law as per which Buddhists & Jains will now be treated as Hindus. It is aimed simply to please the prosperous Jains whose missionaries are converting tribals & other Hindus to Jain-fold. Saffronites don’t like conversion to Buddhism either but they have been added along with Jains to avoid further controversy as people could realise the deeper design then. Reality is that Jains dominate the VHP (Pravin Togadia is a Jain) that gets funds from Gujarati Jains and can’t afford to displease them. And the fact is that number of Hindu converts to all religions including Islam & Christianity are nothing compared to Jainism. From 1981-1991 growth of Jains was a mere 4.6% & it exploded to 26% in 1991-2001, which even census officials found strange.
The Gujurat Freedom of Religion Bill is a bill concerning religious conversions in Gujurat, India. Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill 2006 In order to regulate religious conversions, the Gujarat government is proposing an amendment[1] that will group Jainism and Buddhism along with Hinduism, and thus the adoption of any faith within the group will not be considered a conversion.[2] The bill passed by voice vote in the Gujarat assembly on September 29, 2006. All India Digambar Jain Mahasabha led by NK Jain opposed the move on September 20, 2006. He stated, "Any government, as per their convenience and agenda cannot afford to curb our right of a religious identity"[3] Bhartiya Dharma Rakshak Sena (BDRS), a small organisation said to be run by Jains, maintains that all religions in India are a part of Hinduism, "which is not a religion but a culture." In a press release, on September 22, 2006, Jasmin Shah, Piyush Jain and Abhay Shah of BDRS stated that the controversy is being promoted by forces who want to weaken Hinduism by creating minorities. They state that "Jainism is independent of Vedic religion, known as 'Hinduism'".[4] The BDRS members claimed that there four sub-sects in Jainism, out of which one, the Digambara sect, is demanding a minority status. On October 3, 2006 the predominant Jain sect in Gujarat, the Shwetambar Murtipujak Jain Sangh, held a meeting with state’s solicitor-general to assert that Jainism is a distinct religion and not a Hindu denomination. Shrenik Shah, Gujarat’s leading industrialist and president of the All India Shwetambar Murtipujak Jain Sangh, said that they had held a meeting with Gujarat’s solicitor-general and expressed their view to recognise Jainism as distinct religion. "We are not primarily concerned with the conversion aspect of the bill. But we have asserted our view that Jainism is a distinct religion," said Shah[5] Supreme Court of India's opinion In 2005, the Supreme Court of India declined to issue a writ of mandamus to grant Jains the status of a religious minority throughout India, and left it to the individual states to decide on the minority status of the Jain religion.[6] However, the Supreme Court had recently observed that "The Jain Religion is indisputably not a part of Hindu Religion".[7]
Suppose VHP wins some of the converted Christians and induces them to come back. Waht exactly has taken place? Ceremonial show is over. Regular day starts. Would any Hindu treat these poor, ignorant folks with love, admiration and fellowship? Hindus have enslaved their 'Shudras,' for as long as their Aryanism days. They are not even ashamed of the inhuman treatment meted out to a large section of their own society. Some even openly practice and justify their religious authoritarianism. The dogma of 'rebirth,''punarjanma,' was propagated because even pious Shudras could not find peace or social status, forget about those who never accepted Aryan cosmology, God-concept. On the contrary, foreign Christian missionaries helped them to rise above with secular education, better relationship among all converted Hindus. Helping them with social, moral and spiritual problems. VHP is a political front, not religious branch. I wonder if they can help. Roman Catholics met with the same problem in the new world but manage to keep their flock together by allowing converts to retain their past beliefs and practices. Sort of amalgamating old with the new. Degradation is part of the problem. I see no movement among quiet Hindus and vocal Hindus as to how soon they would drop their farcical acts and behave like normal human beings, when it comes to addressing real social problems. Not in million years. ...and I am Sid Harth
Humiliating conditions Whereas in the 1980s the concern was over conversion to Islam, conversions to Christianity have been the source of worry in the 1990s. Yes, forced conversions are wrong. (And in some cases the converts have admitted to ridiculous logic of conversion given to them). But, what is worse is forcing masses of people to accept their humiliating conditions without protest, when they seem to have made a conscious decision to opt out of the Hindu fold as a form of symbolic protest. The BJP's election manifesto in Gujarat speaks of enacting a similar law in the State that has now become infamous for its persecution of Christian and Muslim minorities. In a democracy, the majority will inevitably benefit from the principle of `majority rule.' What we hope for are discerning majorities, who will vote and strive for meaningful democracy. ARPITA ANANT Research Scholar, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi Source: Hindu ...and I am Sid Harth
Arguments of use of force and the indelible `foreign hand' in the conversion of low caste and poor people have been the impetus behind such enactments. In the case of the much agonised over Meenakshipuram conversion, the Home Ministry presented evidence of the extent of foreign support to these conversions. However there were several reports including one by the Regional Director of the SC/ST Federation that this conversion was a protest against the humiliation of untouchability suffered by the community. In Madhya Pradesh, one of the States in which the anti-conversion had been enacted decades ago, two priests and a nun were sentenced to imprisonment on the charge of forcible conversion by a Raigarh court. This despite a written communication sent to the District Magistrate, the SDM and the SO (Police) claiming they had changed their religion voluntarily and without any allurement (TOI, August 22, 2002). How valid are these concerns if it is true that in both Madhya Pradesh and Orissa, not a single case had been framed under this Act for more than three decades (Walter Fernandes, The Hindu, November 10, 1999). The true impetus for religious conversion will remain contested, and in all probability, it may never be established one way or the other, for the reality lies somewhere in between.
Meaning of propagation In a prominent case challenging the validity of the Madhya Pradesh and Orissa Acts, Chief Justice A.N. Ray in Reverend Stainislaus v. State of Madhya Pradesh (AIR 1977 SC 908) and Yulitha v. State of Orissa and others ruled that propagation is different from conversion. Adoption of a new religion is freedom of conscience, while conversion would impinge on `freedom of choice' granted to all citizens alike. After examining the different meanings of the word "propagate" in Article 25(1), Justice Ray expressed the view that "what Article 25(1) grants is not the right to convert another person to one's own religion by exposition of its tenets." On the question of legislative competence, the court was of the opinion that since any attempt at conversion was likely to result in a breach of public order affecting the community at large, the State legislatures would have the competence to enact legislation which is likely to avoid disturbances to the public order by prohibiting conversion from one religion to another in a manner reprehensible to the conscience of the community. Commenting on this judgement, Justice P. Jaganmohan Reddy opined that since the court did not comment on the definitions in the two Acts of the expressions, namely, allurement, fraud, force, inducement, fraudulent means, etc., it was not possible to say whether these definitions affected the fundamental rights of the minorities to propagate their religion. Moreover, the court significantly overlooked the freedom of religion of the person getting converted. Conversion is equally the right of the person who is sought to be converted, as such it is of no consequence to him if it is not a part of the freedom of propagation of the religious group to which conversion is made, provided he is not subjected to force/fraud and inducement. In the aftermath of the Meenakshipuram conversion of February 1981, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, is reported to have advised the State Governments and Union Territory administrations to enact laws to regulate change of religion on the lines of the existing Acts in Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Arunachal Pradesh (The Statesman, Delhi, November 16, 1982). Let us keep in mind that the ruling party then was not the BJP, but the Congress (I).
As early as 1967, it became evident that the concern was not just with forced conversion, but with conversion to any religion other than Hinduism and especially Christianity and Islam. In the Orissa and Madhya Pradesh Acts, the punishment was to be doubled if the offence had been committed in respect of a minor, a woman or a person belonging to the Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe community. These may be seen as further reinforcing the several statutory penalties for ceasing to be a Hindu such as the 1955-56 Hindu Law enactments namely Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act 1956 (Section 6), Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act 1956 (Sections 7, 8, 9, 11, 18-24), Hindu Marriage Act 1955 (Sections 13 (ii), 13 A) and the Hindu Succession Act (section 26). The picture is complete if we account for the fact that most of these laws are aimed to keep the low caste Hindus within the fold of Hinduism. And so while law prohibits conversion, `reconversion' of low caste Hindus is permissible. If a low caste Hindu who had converted to another faith or any of his descendants reconverts to Hinduism, he might get back his original caste (Kailash Sonkar (1984) 2 SCC 91; S. Raja Gopal AIR 1969 SC 101).
Legislative history The legislative history relating to the issue of conversion in India underscores the point that the authorities concerned were never favourably disposed towards conversion. While British India had no anti-conversion laws, many Princely States enacted anti-conversion legislation: the Raigarh State Conversion Act 1936, the Patna Freedom of Religion Act of 1942, the Sarguja State Apostasy Act 1945 and the Udaipur State Anti-Conversion Act 1946. Similar laws were enacted in Bikaner, Jodhpur, Kalahandi and Kota and many more were specifically against conversion to Christianity. In the post-independence era, Parliament took up for consideration in 1954 the Indian Conversion (Regulation and Registration) Bill and later in 1960 the Backward Communities (Religious Protection) Bill, both of which had to be dropped for lack of support. The proposed Freedom of Religion Bill of 1979 was opposed by the Minorities Commission due to the Bill's evident bias. However, in 1967-68, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh enacted local laws called the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act 1967 and the Madhya Pradesh Dharma Swatantraya Adhiniyam 1968. Along similar lines, the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 1978 was enacted to provide for prohibition of conversion from one religious faith to any other by use of force or inducement or by fraudulent means and for matters connected therewith. The latest addition to this was the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Forcible Conversion of Religion Ordinance promulgated by the Governor on October 5, 2002 and subsequently adopted by the State Assembly. Each of these Acts provides definitions of `Government', `conversion', `indigenous faith', `force', `fraud', `inducement' (and in the case of Arunachal, that of `prescribed and religious faith'). These laws made forced conversion a cognisable offence under sections 295 A and 298 of the Indian Penal Code that stipulate that malice and deliberate intention to hurt the sentiments of others is a penal offence punishable by varying durations of imprisonment and fines.
Personally, I d not accept religious conversions of any kind. by force or by inducement. It is not easy for a grown up person to change his or her lifystyle, language, occupation or family and social beliefs/stigma. Islam and Christianity, both used inducement, yet could not prevent the newly converted folks to become caste-free. Not seen by all, the discrimination is obvious and gauling. Low caste members are not allowed to have anything to do with upper caste, not even eat together. No inter-caste marriages. Separate living accommodations, 'lattas,' sharing of village water well or common burial grounds. Anti-conversion laws The true impetus for religious conversion will remain contested, and in all probability, it may never be established one way or the other, for the reality lies somewhere in between. THE RECENT controversy concerning the enactment of the anti-conversion law in Tamil Nadu was characterised by two kinds of reactions. On the one hand there were those who proposed and voted for the legislation for political gains combined with concern that in the absence of such a law, `forcible' conversions would go unnoticed and unpunished. The opposing camp consisted of those belonging to minority communities who felt that such legislation was aimed at restricting the right to propagate religion, which is guaranteed by Article 25 of the Constitution. While these reactions tend to polarise masses of the communities concerned in particular instances, what is at stake here is the nature of Indian democracy, which provides the larger context for these arguments. It is therefore worth our while, whether we belong to the majority or the minority community, to ponder the issue historically, before we consolidate our opinions. Source: TOI ...and I am Sid Harth
6 hours ago - Vishva Hate Parishad, VHP Saffron brigade puts 'ghar wapsi' on hold Rajeev Dikshit ,TNN | Dec 16, 2014, 11.06 AM IST READ MORE Vishwa Hindu Parishad'...
Where do Indian Muslims come from: RSS' Ghar Wapsi rests on colonial history of conversion
The Sangh Parivar’s fervour for reconverting Muslims and Christians to Hinduism, euphemistically described as Ghar Wapsi programme, is linked to its narrow, even flawed, reading of history. It is ironical that the Sangh should be closer to colonial interpretation of India’s past than even the ‘sicularists’ whom they love to deride. In embracing this colonial interpretation, the Sangh has been inspired to attempt the impossible – convince or compel people to accept the myth that the past of Hinduism was not only glorious but also perfect and incomparable. Critics of the Sangh’s imagining of the idyllic past point to the presence of Muslims and Christians in large numbers to ask: If the past was perfect, then why did a large segment of India’s population leave Hinduism to embrace Islam or Christianity? The Sangh theory of conversion It’s a question that irritates the Sangh no end. In its imagining, a people bestowed with such knowledge as to write the Vedas and the Upanishads, and also master the science of plastic surgery and nuclear tests, could not but have organised their society harmoniously. For it, therefore, the four-fold varna system was merely a division of labour to maximize the efficiency of the social system. It did not segregate people, nor was it discriminatory and exploitative. But to impart credibility to this narrative the Sangh has to explain the conversion of Muslims and Christians as their presence in today’s India is an indelible blot on the picture of it having a perfect past. Thus they cite two reasons for their proselytization, reasons which do not indict Hindu society for evolving the exploitative caste system.
AFP
One, the Muslim rulers of India, zealots all but for a few exceptions, offered the Hindu subjects the stark choice between being slaughtered and converting to Islam. In such circumstances, who wouldn’t opt for conversion? Two, the Hindu were lured into converting to Islam, and later to Christianity, through the offer of state patronage – such as land grants or jobs or measures which could facilitate trade or craft they were engaged in. In other words, both fear and allurement were deployed as state policies to wean away the Hindus from their religion. Both these theories suffer from palpable weaknesses. If Muslim rulers were converting people ‘by the sword’, and had no qualms about shedding blood to fulfil their religious duties, why did they not covert all, particularly in those areas over which they enjoyed complete supremacy for centuries? Why did they not root out Hinduism altogether or substantially? Again, the theory of patronage may explain the conversion of some notable Hindu rajas and their followers, but can’t account for mass conversion. The colonial view of conversion These two theories – proselytizing by force and allurement – as well as the one which claims conversion was a consequence of certain social groups seeking liberation from the caste system were propounded during British rule. Colonial historians were then analysing the past to explain, as also justify, the advent of the British in India, besides harping on the inevitability of animosities between two religious communities – Hindus and Muslims. Thus, from the perspective of these writers, Hindu society was weak – and therefore susceptible to conquest – because it had been organised to suit the interests of Brahmins and other upper castes. Such a social system created an oppressive social context from which lower castes sought to escape as soon as Muslims became India’s paramount power. This was because, it was argued, Islam emphasised on the equality of all. Then again, since Muslims enjoyed power and unlike the new foreign rulers, the British, were barbaric, they used the sword to win new converts to their faith, believing proselytization was a noble act which endeared them to Allah. This theory had the inherent advantages of portraying British rule as benevolent as well as enabling it to harvest the past for the seeds of discord that could be sowed between Hindus and Muslims. As Indians began to transform themselves into a nation and, as elsewhere, sought to tailor the past for this project, the theories about conversion had their distinct appeal for different sections. For the Hindu Right, or the Sangh, conversion by force and allurement skirted around the problems of the caste system and didn’t challenge its imagining of the idyllic past. It also neatly dovetailed with the Sangh’s idea, articulated so often in the last few months, that every Muslim or Christian was in the past a Hindu and should therefore call himself or herself as one. So who became a Muslim? The tenability of any theory about the past is always difficult to prove. This is also true of the three theories of conversion, which Richard M Eaton, professor at the University of Arizona, tears apart. In his essay, Approaches to the Study of Conversion to Islam in India, he raises a seminal question: Why is it that there is an “inverse relationship between the degree of Muslim political penetration and the degree of conversion to Islam?” This question Eaton answers thus: “If conversion to Islam had ever been a function of military or political force (however these might have been expressed) one would expect that those areas of heaviest conversion would correspond to those areas of South Asia exposed most intensely and over the longest period to rule by Muslim dynasties.” Citing data, he says the opposite seems to have been the case: “Those regions of the most dramatic conversion of the population, such as Eastern Bengal or Western Punjab, lay on the fringes of Indo-Muslim rule, whereas the heartland of that rule, the upper Gangetic Plain, saw a much lower incidence of conversion.” Obviously, Eaton is talking of undivided, or pre-1947, India. Then the most densely populated Muslim areas were Eastern Bengal, Western Punjab, the Northwest Frontier, and Baluchistan. The bulk of the Muslim population in the Northwest Frontier and Baluchistan was not converted communities, but descendants of the immigrants from Iran. This means East Bengal and West Punjab witnessed the highest incidence of conversion, quite surprising as these two were the farthest from the epicenter of Muslim rule – the Agra-Delhi belt. The other interesting aspect of this phenomenon, according to Eaton, is that the communities which converted to Islam in these two regions were not fully integrated into the Hindu social system at the time of their contact with Islam. In East Bengal, such social groups he identified were Rajbansi, Pod, Chandal, Koch, etc. In Punjab, innumerable Jat clans converted. The Sangh should note what Eaton says, “Since the greatest incidence of Muslim conversions occurred among groups that were not fully Hindu in the first place, for the vast majority of South Asian Muslims the question of ‘liberation’ from the ‘oppressive’ Hindu social order was simply not an issue.” It may just be that the Sangh’s imagining of the past has been motivated by a fact it thinks is embarrassing and which it wants to camouflage, but which most likely wasn’t a significant factor in conversion. So why did these communities in East Bengal and West Punjab convert? As Muslim rule pushed from the Centre, or the Delhi-Agra belt, to the periphery, it sought to settle its frontiers, claim arable land and establish an agriculture infrastructure to extract surplus revenue from the land. These communities were largely pastrol or forest-dwellers and their integration into the Hindu social system was nominal. They were not converted to Islam in the sense we understand today. Moreover, their conversion was over centuries of socialization, brought about through Sufi saints, who were their immediate figures of veneration. For many of them, for centuries, Allah may have just an addition to the pantheon of deities endowed with supernatural powers. Thus, for instance, in Bengal, the Ganges silted and shifted course in the 16th century, making huge tracts of land available for cultivation. This was also the period in which the Mughals had established their rule over Bengal. With the colonizing power moved Muslims and Sufis from North India. Those who were pastoral became peasants and were subsequently incorporated into the socio-economic structure. Since they weren’t integrated into Hinduism, as peasants in Uttar Pradesh were, and as Islam was the ideology of the state, their conversion to the new faith, from which they stood to gain, gradually happened, spread over centuries. Much the same happened in west Punjab, where Jats migrated from Sindh. It appears they may have become agriculturists relatively quicker than their self-identity of being Muslim was formed and institutionalized. As Eaton notes, “In the early fifteenth century, 10 percent of recorded Sial (a Jat clan) males had Muslim names; for the mid-seventeenth century, 56 percent; for the mid-eighteenth century, 75 percent, and for the early nineteenth century, 100 percent. This is, I think, a most revealing index of the gradual process of group identity formation.” After laying out the broad patterns of conversion centuries ago, and pointing to the ecological, political, and cultural-religious dimensions of the phenomenon, Eaton declares, “To the extent that this was the case, Islam, in India at least, may properly be termed more a religion of the plough than a religion of the sword, as formerly conceived. (Italics mine)” But tell this to the Sangh activist and all that you will harvest are abuses. Indeed, there is no one history, but multiple histories; no one imagining of the past, but a bewildering multiplicity. The Sangh’s choice of a vision of the past is as self-serving, blinkered and unidimensional as that of the British.
VARANASI: Giving a hint to put 'ghar wapsi' campaign on backburner till the end of the winter session of Parliament, the saffron brigade will now focus on creating atmosphere to achieve its target of 're-converting' 10,000 people in east UP during events being organized as a part of Vishwa Hindu Parishad's golden jubilee year celebrations. Why the VHP is changing tone on its 'ghar wapsi' (home coming) campaign became clear on Monday when its Kashi Pranth unit organizing secretary Manoj Srivastava refused to talk on the issue. Sources in the saffron brigade revealed that in view of the uproar being made by opposition in both houses of Parliament, the top leadership wants to keep the campaign in pause mode till the winter session ends. The tightening of noose on saffron brigade's local units by the district administration and police in Ghazipur district has also compelled organizations like VHP and Hindu Yuva Vahini to go on backfoot. District magistrate of Ghazipur Narendra Singh Patel said that leaders of both organizations were called at Sadar Kotwali police station on Monday to provide details of their proposed programmes on December 17 and 18. The two organizations gave it in writing that 'Ghar Wapsi' is not the part of their events. After getting this declaration, the district administration and police allowed them to hold their meetings. Srivastava said that nobody can stop VHP from creating atmosphere for 'ghar wapsi' as it is a part of its agenda. The issue would also be discussed during Wednesday's `Dharm Sabha' being organized as part of VHP's golden jubilee programmes at Lanka ground in Ghazipur. For the preparations of 'Dharm Sabha' a senior office-bearer of VHP is camping in Ghazipur. "We have 370 ekal-vidyalaya (school with single teacher) in Ghazipur district and multi-member committees monitor these schools. The network of committees is mobilizing the people to take part in the proposed meeting at Lanka ground," he said. Making it clear that 'ghar wapsi' has been excluded from this meeting, VHP leader Sudarshanji said, "Our activities are not aimed at creating communal tension but the authorities will have to clear their stand on the missionaries that go for large-scale conversion from December 25 to 31 across the country, including Ghazipur." The VHP leaders are claiming that many Muslim families are in contact with them in this district, who know very well that their ancestors were Hindus. This brigade is focusing on those converted people who are being termed as Muslim backwards or Christian Dalits. He said that the converted people kept in these categories are really dissatisfied due to no change in their social status even after conversion. The HYV's Ghazipur unit chief Rasbihari Rai said, "We have given it in writing that Ghar Wapsi is not the part of our proposed meeting at Misirpur Gohna on December 18. But, we will keep eyes on district administration and police to see their action when conversion session would be organized by the missionaries." The DM said, "We have taken declaration from both organizations but extra precautions like videography of their meeting would be initiated. Apart from regular staff of intelligence wings, the revenue department employees are also being engaged for intelligence collection by keeping sharp vigil in the areas concerned." On the basis of inputs received so far by the officials they do not see possibility of huge participation in both the meetings of the saffron brigade.
The atrocity, about which the State government has not gone public, has outraged and terrified Christian organisations working in Kandhamal district. News of it was brought to the notice of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik by Raphael Cheenath, Archbishop of the Cuttack-Bhubaneswar diocese. Sister Nirmala wrote letters to the Orissa Chief Minister and the Prime Minister on this and other brutal attacks on Christians in Orissa. In her letter, dated August 28, 2008, to Chief Minister Patnaik, she took up “a very sad incident, soon after the eruption of the violence” of “one young sister, consecrated to God, who was administrator of an institute, being hunted out of her hiding place and stripped naked by the mob and her virginity grossly violated in public, without any help from the police present there.” In her appeal for protection to Christians, Sister Nirmala urged the Chief Minister to “ask the Central Govt. for as many extra forces from the Centre as they are willing to give and you need.” When contacted, Praveen Kumar, Superintendent of Police, Kandhamal district, told The Hindu that investigations into the episode by a Deputy Superintendent of Police were on and “the law will take its course.” He confirmed that no arrests have been made in connection with the incidents. Source: Hindu ...and I am Sid Harth
The brutalisation of the nun and the priest by a mob raising anti-Christian, Hindutva slogans took place around 1 p.m. at the site of the Divya Jyothi Pastor Centre. The church was burnt the previous day in reprisal against the murder of an RSS activist, Lakshmanananda Saraswathi, and four of his associates on August 23. The gang rape of the young nun, whose “virginity [was] grossly violated in public” (and whose identity is being withheld by this newspaper to protect her privacy) took place in front of a police outpost with 12 policemen from the Orissa State Armed Police present and watching, according to Father Thomas Chellan, the priest who was dragged out and badly beaten. “Around 1 p.m., a gang came and pulled me and the Sister out of the house where we had taken shelter and started assaulting us,” Father Chellan told The Hindu in a telephonic interview from Kerala where he is recuperating. “My appeals to the policemen who were standing nearby and watching only resulted in further beating. At one point the nun slipped away to plead with the police for help but she was dragged back by the mob and her blouse torn,” he said. The nun was gang raped in a nearby building, and he was doused with kerosene by the mob, which threatened to set him on fire. They were saved by a group of youth who took them to the police outpost where “one among the attackers was present with the police between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m.,” Father Chellan said. News of the K. Nuagaon atrocity was conveyed through mobile phones to several priests and nuns hiding in the forests, fearing for their lives as the anti-Christian hunt was on. The victims were taken to the Baliguda police station around 9 p.m. where they lodged First Information Reports. “I believe the Sister wrote in her complaint that she was raped,” Father Chellan said.
Today's Paper September 30, 2008 Nun was gang raped and priest brutally assaulted in Kandhamal Parvathi Menon FIRs lodged but no arrests by State government; no response from Centre; Sister Nirmala wrote to CM and PM appealing for protection to Christians Bhubaneswar: The Orissa government has failed to take any action, under the law of the land, against those who committed crimes — the g*** r*** of a 28-year-old Catholic nun and the brutal attack on a Catholic priest who courageously resisted their attempts to force him to participate in the atrocity. These incidents took place on August 25 at K. Nuagaon, 12 km from the Baliguda subdivision in Kandhamal district. Both victims filed First Information Reports at the Baliguda police station. Sister Nirmala, Superior-General of the Missionaries of Charity, wrote to the Orissa Chief Minister and the Prime Minister specifying the atrocities.
He alleged that these church groups have specifically chosen the border areas for conversions so that in future, once the converts gather strength as in North Eastern states, they could raise voice of separate nation with outside help. Khanna, while sensing a deep rooted conspiracy behind the conversion demanded that government should swing into action to look into the funds flowing to these groups and inquire whether they were being judiously used or not. Khanna said they would also be preparing a data base to know the rate of conversions , number of churches recently erected in villages of border areas of Punjab. Rakesh Madan, state vice president of Bajrang Dal alleged that these church groups propagate alleviating from their miseries of people if they embraces Christianity through their changiai sabha's. He said BD had prevented these sabha's to be held . Lajpat Rai another BD leader said that they would now be laying more stress on their dharma jagran and dharma parchar programmes besides going deep into the ground realities so that appropriate measures could be taken to check conversions. He said the conversions have also led to trade of cow slaughtering in the border areas.
VHP against conversions in Punjab Yudhvir Rana, TNN | Mar 31, 2005, 11.27PM IST inShare AMRITSAR: Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other Hindu organizations would intensify their missionary work to check the conversion of dalit and majhbi Sikhs to Christianity in the border areas of Punjab besides persuading for re conversions to those who had already embraced Christianity. VHP had already demanded to put a ban on conversions. A new strategy is being chalked out by local leaders of these organizations to step up their efforts especially after the visit of RSS's spokesperson Ram Madhav who had recently visited the border areas of Punjab from where dalit's and majhbi Sikhs have been reported to be converting en mass to Christianity. Notably SGPC had also advised Sikhs to not convert into Christianity after reports that a large number of majhbi Sikh's were embracing Christianity. Arun Khanna, joint secretary of Punjab unit of VHP while talking to TNN on Thursday said that certain church groups were targeting economically weaker sections for conversions either through enticements, helping them economically and also promising them of miraculous healings of diseases if they adopted Christianity.
Pradhan was arrested in October 2008 on several charges, including murder, rioting and arson. He fought the assembly elections in April 2009 from jail and defeated senior Congress leader Ajaynti Pradhan. Pradhan faced 14 criminal cases, including six cases of murder. He was earlier convicted by another fast tract court in the same district in another murder case June 29. The government has set up two fast track courts in the district to try criminal cases related to communal riots. IANS
BJP lawmaker gets jail for murder in Kandhamal riots September 9, 2010 | Accident / Crime / Disaster | Written by Kayanush 0 inShare Bhubaneswar, Sep 9 – A fast-track court in Orissa Thursday sentenced Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Manoj Pradhan to six years’ rigorous imprisonment for a murder during the 2008 communal riots in Kandhamal district, a lawyer said. Judge C.R. Das of the the fast-track court II at Phulbani, the district headquarters of Kandhamal, handed down the sentence to Pradhan for the murder of Bikram Nayak at Tiangia village under Raikia police station area Aug 25, 2008. ‘The court sentenced him to six years’ rigorous imprisonment. A fine of Rs.15,500 was also slapped on him,’ Pradhan’s lawyer Ajit Patnaik told IANS. Kandhamal district, about 200 km from here, witnessed widespread violence after the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides at his ashram Aug 23, 2008. At least 38 people were killed and more than 25,000 Christians were forced to flee their homes after their houses were attacked by rampaging mobs that held Christians responsible for Saraswati’s killing, although the police blamed the Maoists. Pradhan, who represents G Udaygiri assembly constituency, will appeal against the judgment in a higher court, Patnaik said. ‘His (Pradhan) name was not mentioned in the first information report (FIR). His name was added by the police later after the incident,’ he said.
But are things changing under his successor Anandiben Patel? A communal skirmish took place in Bhuj ahead of Eid, while a temple was allegedly desecrated in Idar in north Gujarat during Shravan leading to a tense situation.
Apart from this, on Eid day, the chief minister performed an aarti that had been organized by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation on the banks of the Sabarmati river. Religion seems to be gaining a bigger space in the public discourse in Gujarat after Modi's departure for Delhi, according to some observers.
A source in the BJP said that while it's too early to determine a wider trend, the efforts of the Sangh parivar to re-establish its grip over Gujarat is more than a possibility.
Modi dealt with the VHP with an iron hand in the last few years, rendering the international secretary of the outfit Pravin Togadia a political pariah. As a matter of fact, Modi ensured a split in VHP with the anti-Togadia faction supporting the chief minister. This cut the outfit to size in a state where it used to have immense political clout.
In 2009, when the temples were demolished, the state police even arrested a VHP leader from north Gujarat just ahead of Diwali and kept him behind bars for a long time. It will be recalled that a controversy broke out in April after Togadia exhorted an audience in Bhavnagar to harass the Muslim buyer of a building in a Hindu area to force him to abandon the purchase.
But the VHP, uncharacteristically, doesn't seem to be keen on making any public statements that could be seen as exploiting events to inflame opinion right now. Still, VHP state president Trivedi said, "Things are as it is getting bad." He also raised the issue of cow slaughter.
"There are regular reports of seizure of beef and cow slaughter too has not stopped," he said, adding that VHP will decide on its course of action after its leaders meet.
Raghava Reddy takes over as VHP International chief Dec 20 ,2011 15:18 PM Share on emailEmail Share on printPrint Share Share | Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on google Share on stumbleupon Share on digg Raghava Reddy takes over as VHP International chief
Hyderabad based sweets maker Mr G. Raghava Reddy was unanimously elected as the International President of the Viswa Hindu Parishad (VHP) at its Trust Board meeting at Kochi in Kerala on Monday.
Mr Raghava Reddy, owner of the internationally famous G. Pulla Reddy Sweets and son of the late Mr G. Pulla Reddy, arrived in Hyderabad last night after his election to the top post of the VHP.
Responding to a rousing reception at the Samshabad airport, Mr Raghava reddy said he would strive to discharge his responsibilities in the most befitting manner and vowed to protect the culture and traditions of the Hindus and the Hinduism world over.
Reports said Mr. Praveen Togadia, till now General Secretary, was appointed as the working president of the international wing of the VHP at the 3-day meeting of its Trust Board. Ashok Singhal, who worked as the International President of the organization for the last two decades, will now officiate as an advisor along with Mr Vedantam. (JUBS)
Back on the main road, the men were waiting. 'Put your notebook and your cameras away. You will take no pictures and record nothing,' the VHP man said. 'You want to know what is happening? Now I will tell you why this is happening.' He blamed the Christians for taking the jobs of Hindus, for the murder of the Swami. The only solution was for Christians to convert, he said. 'This is a Hindu community. Everyone can stay here, as long as they are part of that community. And now you should go.'
Before the violence started, Christians outnumbered Hindus in Minia: now 115 have converted, roughly half of their original number. The rest have fled.
Burn your Bibles, the men told Ashish Digal. He told them he had, but hid them instead. Every couple of days people come to his house to search, hoping to catch him out. Those people are not strangers; they are his neighbours.
They had been sitting idly in the main road when The Observer's car pulled up. Now the young driver, Sudhir, was rushing down the path that led to what remained of Sujata Digal's house, holding his head, visibly shaken. 'We must leave now,' he said.
He had been standing by the car when the men closed in around him. They left the talking to Prashant Digal, a teacher and organiser for the local VHP youth wing. 'Why did you bring these people here?', he demanded, punching Sudhir in the head. 'Take the vehicle and go. Leave them here for us.' They surrounded him, a young Hindu, and slapped him around again. No one came to his aid. 'If you stay, we will burn you with them in the car. You will all be killed. Just leave them,' they told him. But he did not, which was a decent thing for a frightened boy to do. He drove a little way down the road and parked around a corner, out of sight, and came back to raise the alarm.
A few miles down the road from Sankarakhole, in the village of Minia, Sujata Digal, 38, stood outside her own burnt-out home. The mob had arrived at 3am, she said. She and her husband Hari hid in the forest and watched the house burn. When they came out of the forest, the mob returned and told them to convert, and it was not a hard decision.
'They said, 'If you don't become Hindu, we'll burn your houses too and start killing you',' said Ashish Digal, the former Christian pastor. 'I've been forced to convert. Everyone is being converted. They beat us in the fields. I went to the temple. We had to say that we belonged to the Hindu state of Orissa, and that from this day we are Hindus.'
Sumani Naik, 18, stands beneath a torn Christian poster in her fire-damaged house in Kandhamal district after being forced to convert. Photograph: Gethin Chamberlain
Relations between the Hindu and Christian communities were already at a low ebb when the killing of VHP leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati on 23 August provided the trigger for the current wave of violence. The VHP blamed Christians and the mobs descended on the homes of neighbours and friends. Those who were too slow to get away were killed. Amid the savagery, two incidents stood out: a young Hindu woman working in a Christian orphanage was burnt alive and a nun was gang-raped.
Yet the VHP is unrepentant and appears to be involved, at least at grassroots level, with the campaign of forced conversions. One priest who converted 18 Christians in the village of Sankarakhole last week told The Observer that he had been approached by local VHP representatives to carry out the ceremony.
The priest had given them cow dung to eat during the ceremony, they said, telling them it would purify them. 'We were doing that, but we were crying,' Jaspina said.
The roads between the villages are rough and potholed, adding to the difficulties in accessing what is already a remote region, a six-hour drive from the state capital, Bhubaneshwar. The remoteness has undoubtedly played a part in the continuation of the violence, making it harder for police to move about quickly, even if they were minded to do so. Christian leaders, though, have accused the authorities of dragging their feet, claiming they are reluctant to antagonise the majority Hindu community in the run-up to parliamentary elections next year.
Standing in the ashes of her neighbour's house in the village of Sarangagada, Jaspina Naik, 32, spoke nervously, glancing towards a group of Hindu men watching her suspiciously. 'My neighbours said, "If you go on being Christians, we will burn your houses and your children in front of you, so make up your minds quickly",' she said. 'I was scared. Christians have no place in this area now.'
On her forehead, she wore a gash of vermilion denoting a married Hindu woman, placed there by the priest at the conversion ceremony she had been obliged to attend a day earlier, along with her husband and three young children. 'I'm totally broken,' she said. 'I have always been a Christian. Inside I am still praying for Jesus to give me peace and to take me out of this situation.'
She and her neighbour, Kumari Naik, 35, gazed forlornly at the charred remains of the house. The mob that arrived one evening in the first week of the violence, armed with swords and axes, had looted what they wanted before dousing the building with petrol and setting it alight. Kumari had fled into the nearby forest with her husband, Umesh, and 14-year-old son Santosh. A smoke-damaged child's drawing of Mickey Mouse pinned to one wall was all that remained of their former lives. Shattered roof tiles crunched underfoot as the women moved through the blackened rooms.
Convert or we will kill you, Hindu lynch mobs tell fleeing Christians As a fresh wave of sectarian violence is unleashed across the Indian state of Orissa, Gethin Chamberlain talks to homeless survivors in Kandhamal district who were forced to abandon their religion Kumari Naik Kumari Naik with her son Santosh amid the ashes of their home. Photograph: Gethin Chamberlain Gethin Chamberlain/Guardian
Gethin Chamberlain
Saturday 18 October 2008 19.01 EDT
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Hundreds of Christians in the Indian state of Orissa have been forced to renounce their religion and become Hindus after lynch mobs issued them with a stark ultimatum: convert or die.
The wave of forced conversions marks a dramatic escalation in a two-month orgy of sectarian violence which has left at least 59 people dead, 50,000 homeless and thousands of houses and churches burnt to the ground. As neighbour has turned on neighbour, thousands more Christians have sought sanctuary in refugee camps, unable to return to the wreckage of their homes unless they, too, agree to abandon their faith.
Last week, in the worst-affected Kandhamal district, The Observer encountered compelling evidence of the scale of the violence employed in a conversion programme apparently sanctioned by members of one of the most powerful Hindu groups in India, the 6.8-million member Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) - the World Hindu Council.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad is active in many countries outside of India. United States
Known as VHPA, the VHP in the United States advocates for human rights for Hindus around the world. They also offer Hindu Pandits to serve the Hindu community, and usually hold rituals around the nation where members are invited. The VHPA has also organised many charitable causes, such as raising money for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, and the Fiji flood victims of 2012.[40] United Kingdom
The VHPUK, is the British branch of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, which has held demonstrations in London for the rights of Hindus in Bangladesh and Pakistan. It offers many Hindu services such as priests and matrimonial services. VHPUK has been vocal advocates of the pro-life movement, and stands against abortion.[41] Germany
Vishwa Hindu Parishad has a temple in Frankfurt, offers Bhagavad Gita classes and recites the Ramayana.[42][43][verification needed] Canada
The VHP is active in Vancouver, Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa and other major Canadian cities.[44] Australia, New Zealand & Fiji
The Vishva Hindu Parishad is gaining popularity in these countries. The Australia wing of Vishva Hindu Parishad conducts activities such conducting weekend schools, language classes, cultural workshops, festivals. The festivals are also organised for open to all communities promoting Unity in Diversity.[45] The press release from city council of Holroyd state that Vishva Hindu Parishad is active in supporting multiculturalism in the same region.[46] In March 2014, the VHP had its first National Hindu Council in Fiji and New Zealand. The VHP has established a Vedic school in Sydney, has temples and organised 3 National Hindu conferences in 2014.[47]
VHP organises programmes to reconvert Hindus who had previously converted to Christianity or Islam through their trained missionaries called Dharma Prasaar Vibhag (Dharma Propagation Unit), some of them were sent to remote villages and tribal areas which have substantial Christians and Muslims population. On 4 March 2004, more than 200 Christians were reconverted in a ceremony organised by the VHP in the state of Orissa, part of its plan to reconvert 400,000 tribal Christians.[citation needed] According to them, the tribal folk were lured for monetary benefits and Christian missionaries were there to convert them under the pretext of community service. They claim that Vanvasis (Tribals) are part of Hindu culture.[25] The Christian community denied this and six women were beaten for refusing to reconvert to Hinduism. Religious conversions is a debated topic in Orissa.[26]
In Punjab, the VHP has played an active role to prevent conversions of Sikhs. Majority of them are low caste Sikhs converting to Christianity. This may be a result of oppression by high caste Sikhs but there are considerable free will conversions among the higher class Sikhs too; however, the VHP have forcibly stopped Christian missionaries from converting Sikhs.[27]
The VHP collaborated with Christian Association for Social Action and played an active part in providing relief to both Hindu and Christian families affected by the Love Jihad activity in Kerala during 2003 – 2013 period.[28]
The then vice-president[29] of VHP Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati was killed in 2008 in his Ashram. The VHP accused Christians for the murder of Swami Lakshmanananda,[30] Maoist militants had claimed responsibility for the killing. Later the VHP engaged in reconversion program, involving both voluntary and forced reconversion.[2][26] In the resulting disorder, Christian settlements were set on fire,[31] and 250 Christians were forced to flee their villages.[32] A Catholic nun was raped during the violence and Roman Catholic Church said that at least 7 Christians were killed.[30][33][34][35] A judicial commission probing the violence said that conversion and re-conversion were among the major factors that led to the disorder, without blaming any religious groups or the CPI (Maoist).[36] All the seven accused in the murder case were found guilty and awarded life imprisonment.[37][38][39]
Child organisations Local office of Vishva Hindu Parishad, at Haridwar
The Bajrang Dal is the youth wing of the VHP, and it is organised in many states in major training camps called shakhas, where thousands of young men simultaneously train in various activities, receive sports, education in Hindutva and cultural education. The Durga Vahini, founded in 1991 under the tutelage of Sadhvi Rithambara as its founding chairperson and the support of the VHP, is described as the "female arm of the Dal". Members of the Vahini contend that the portrayal of their group as a branch of the Bajrang Dal is an oversimplification, and that their goals are to "dedicate ourselves to spiritual, physical, mental and knowledge development".[22] The VHP also have divisions made up of women. VHP secretary Giri Raj Kishore charted out highly visible roles for women in the group. He charted out two "satyagrahas" for women during their demonstrations.[23]
The VHP has been a prime backer of the World Hindu Conference in which issues such as casteism, sectarianism, and the future of Hindus were discussed. Prior Conferences have included Hindu Groups such as Parisada Hindu Dharma.[24]
Ayodhya dispute Main articles: Ayodhya debate, Ram Janmabhoomi and Babri Mosque
The VHP had been involved in the dispute over the Ram Janmabhoomi, or Babri Mosque, for twenty years before its demolition. This activity involved demonstrations, petitions and litigation. According to the VHP and its affiliated organisations, the Babri Mosque was built by demolishing the temple at the birthplace of Rama (Ram Janmabhoomi) by the Mughal Emperor Babur in the 16th century. It further stated in Allahabad court documentation that the building was in a dilapidated condition. It was in ruins and could not be used for worship or any activities .[20][21]
Vishva Hindu Parishad is active in social welfare work[14][15]
Medical - People are trained in villages to provide primary health care and referral services. The organisation also conducts Medical check-up camps.[15] Vocational training - Organisation is running self-employment training camps in Bihar, Punjab, Rajasthan, Maha Kaushal, Assam, Brij Pradesh, Orissa and Maharashtra. The training areas involve farming techniques, bee-keeping, agriculture, horticultural techniques, animal husbandry and sewing.[16] There are 959 training centres currently operating.[15] Education - It tried to provide educational facilities in remote area. It supports 3266 educational facilities.[15] Social welfare - Organisation runs 45 Orphanages, Marriage Bureau, Help Centres, Rescue Centres, Working Women Hostels. VHP is also active in environmental causes such as Tree Plantations. Social Services are provided in religious pilgrimages, emergency help during natural calamities and rural development.[15][17] Relief services - Vishwa Hindu Parishad has provided emergency Relief services. In 2014 Jammu and Kashmir floods, Vishwa Hindu Parishad organised medical and relief camps. These services provided relief via medical camps to 1400 patients.[18][19]
The world has been divided to Christian, Islam and communist. All of them view Hindu society as very fine rich food on which to feast and fatten themselves. It is necessary in this age of conflict to think of and organise the Hindu world to save it from the evils of all the three.[12]
Its main objective is "to organise, consolidate the Hindu society and to serve, protect the Hindu Dharma."[1] It has been involved in social service projects and in encouraging the construction and renovation of Hindu temples. It is against the caste system, opposes cow slaughter and conversions to other religions. Defending Hindus around the world and Hindu rights has been one of its stated objectives.[13] The other main objective which it has been involved with is the Ayodhya dispute.[1]
The organisation acts under the guidance from Dharma Sansad a religious parliament of Gurus.[10] The VHP is associated with the Sangh Parivar, an umbrella of Hindu nationalist. Its slogan is Dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ, which means "Dharma protects its protector" and its symbol is the banyan tree. The current international president of VHP is Raghava Reddy,[3] while its executive president is Praveen Togadia.[3]
The VHP was founded in 1964 by RSS leaders M. S. Golwalkar and S. S. Apte in collaboration with the Hindu spiritual leader Chinmayananda.[8][9] The delegation of the founders included Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan founder K. M. Munshi, Gujarati scholar Keshavram Kashiram Shastri, Sikh leader Master Tara Singh, Namdhari Sikh leader Satguru Jagjit Singh and eminent politicians such as C. P. Ramaswamy Iyer.[10][11] Chinmayananda was nominated as its founding President, while Apte was nominated as its founding General Secretary. It was decided at the meeting that the name of the proposed organization would be "Vishva Hindu Parishad" and that a world convention of Hindus was to be held at Prayag (Allahabad) during Kumbha Mela of 1966 for its launch. It was further decided that it would be a non-political organization and that no office bearer of any political party shall be simultaneously an office bearer in the Parishad.[11]
The VHP, which considers Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs as well as native tribal religions as part of the greater Hindu fraternity, officially mentions that it was founded by the "Saint Shakti of Bharat". The VHP was first mooted at a conference in Pawai, Sandipani Sadhanalaya, Bombay on 29 August 1964. The conference was hosted by RSS chief M. S. Golwalkar. The date was chosen to coincide with the festival of Janmashtami. Several representatives from the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist and Jain faiths were present in the meeting, as well as the Dalai Lama. Golwalkar explained that "all faiths of Indian origins need to unite", saying that the word "Hindu" (people of "Hindustan") applied to adherents of all the above religions.[12] Apte declared:
With a malice in mind, Golwalkar, one Pillay, S S Apte-RSS, ....The Vishva Hindu Parishad (pronunciation: /vɪʃv(ə) hɪnd̪uː pərɪʃəd̪/, English: World Hindu Council), abbreviated VHP, is an Indian right-wing Hindu nationalist non-governmental organization based on the ideology of Hindutva. It was founded in 1964 by M. S. Golwalkar and S. S. Apte in collaboration with Swami Chinmayananda. Its main objective is "to organise, consolidate the Hindu society and to serve, protect the Hindu Dharma."[1] It belongs to the Sangh Parivar,[4][5] an umbrella of Hindu nationalist organisations. It has been involved in social service projects,[6][7] construction and renovation of Hindu temples and in issues such as cow slaughter, conversions to other religions, the Ayodhya dispute and its role in the Babri Masjid demolition. The VHP has been involved in reconverting Hindus who had previously converted to Christianity or Islam.
Modi's tough talk to MPs: Don't cross 'laxman rekha' in speeches HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times New Delhi, December 16, 2014 First Published: 12:32 IST(16/12/2014) | Last Updated: 12:34 IST(16/12/2014)
HONG KONG: SpiceJet’s woes are all too familiar. India is cajoling banks to lend to the country’s second largest single-brand carrier when the debt-ridden airline needs more equity. The government’s hope is to save jobs and prevent a repeat of the embarrassing high-profile failure of Kingfisher Airlines which was grounded in 2012. Even if the rescue works, exorbitant fuel taxes and the lack of a bankruptcy law will keep the industry stuck in an air pocket.The government is doing what it can to keep SpiceJet flying without directly putting taxpayers on the hook. The civil aviation ministry said on December 16 that it may “request” banks to lend up to $94 million to the carrier in loans guaranteed by the company’s chairman, Kalanithi Maran.Together with related parties, the tycoon owns 58 per cent of the struggling airline. State oil companies and airport operators are also being asked to play a part by extending credit or giving SpiceJet longer to make payments. Finding an outside investor at this late stage may depend on Maran’s willingness to put his own money to work. Swapping debt into equity would make more sense. Even after efforts to trim costs, the carrier made a net loss of $49 million in the quarter that ended Sept. 30 and its net debt is almost five times as large. READ ALSO: DGCA asks SpiceJet to limit advance booking to a month Losses may be worse in the current quarter after the airline regulator banned SpiceJet from taking advance orders beyond 30 days — a restriction which the government now wants to relax. Struggling airlines are not unique to India, but there are significant unfavourable local factors. Sales taxes on aviation turbine fuel vary from state to state but currently average around 24 per cent, according to consultancy CAPA. That’s a major burden. The lack of a comprehensive bankruptcy law also means there is no market-based solution when companies get into financial trouble. Local airlines can’t copy their peers in the US and elsewhere by seeking bankruptcy protection. An air pocket is the result. SpiceJet could arguably have been better managed but the government-led rescue is no fix for India’s aviation woes. READ ALSO: Kid with medical condition among those affected by SpiceJet cancellations Some key developments: — India on December 16 said that banks and other financial institutions could be asked to lend up to Rs 6 billion ($94 million) to SpiceJet. — The civil aviation ministry said any loan to India’s second-largest single-brand airline would be backed by the personal guarantee of SpiceJet chairman Kalanithi Maran. — In addition, the ministry said that regulator would be asked to allow SpiceJet to sell advance tickets until March 31, 2015. — Airport operators would be asked to give the carrier up to 15 days to make payments and state oil companies would be asked to give credit for up to 15 days, Reuters reported. READ ALSO: Oil companies begin fuel supply to SpiceJet SpiceJet chairman Kalanithi Maran (right). — The airline reported a net loss of $48.7 million for the quarter ended September 30. Net debt stood at $234.8 million at the end of the same period. — Maran has already invested at least $400 million into the airline which needs at least a further $300 million to get back on its feet, consultancy CAPA estimates. — Maran and related parties own 58.5 per cent of SpiceJet shares, according to Eikon. — SpiceJet shares have fallen 20.8 per cent so far this year.
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Of SpiceJet and Modi’s Political Play mysistereileendotorgga/ ?p=3530 When comments are censored, where do they go? PMOH Eaven or buddhibai’s CST oven? Bunch of idiots! …and I am Sid Harth
Modi is making a political play at government initiative and Kalanithi Maran’s personal guarantee. Shame on you, Modi, Jaitley, et al. …and I am Sid Harth
25 It is interesting to note that both Northwest and D elta airlines, which drastically cut their rental aircraft numbers in 20 04-2009, were either in the middle of bankruptcy or just emerging from bankrupt cy. United Airlines was also in trouble during those years, and they too sl owly decreased their rental aircraft. One reason for this decrease in aircraft rentals is because during Chapter 11 bankruptcy, creditors frequently take th eir planes back as airlines avoid obligations to their creditors. However, in the cases of both Delta and United, General Electric’s leasing division willing ly helped out both airlines by offering loans and deferrals on lease or loan pa yments, enabling them to keep their rental aircraft in operation (75). Amer ican Airlines is the only major carrier to avoid filing for bankruptcy, and i t has increased its rental aircraft over the years. As the economy begins to pick up, and airlines see increased demand, one would expect to see another u ptick in rentals as airlines seek the benefits leases provide.
24 Aircraft are very expensive – for example, the 2010 list price for a 777-300ER is upwards of $287 million – versus a cost of $10-15 million annually to lease a 777 (33). A common misconception is that leasing is often an expensive solution to purchasing. However, airline leases ar e often cheaper because “major leasing companies enjoy the benefit of bulk pricing, low margin financing and higher debt/equity ratios than an air line can or should maintain” (44). Another cited advantage of leases, in addition to the financial aspect, is the flexibility provided to airlines thr ough leasing. As discussed earlier, the market changes rapidly, and airlines c ompete for popular routes and the latest aircraft innovations. For example, if a certain route, due to market changes, experiences a great increase in dem and, an airline can quickly change aircraft to a larger plane to accomm odate that demand. On a similar note, leasing provides airlines with an abi lity to mitigate obsolescence risk, as the typical 10-year lease enables an airli ne to update aircraft efficiently to satisfy the ever-changing desire of customers to fly on the most technologically advanced planes. Below, one can se e that some legacy carriers have increased their aircraft rentals over the last 14 years while others have decreased their ratio of rentals to own ership.
23 the lease term (86). Below, one can see the journa l entry related to the lease, including how an airline recognizes a sale by removi ng the asset from its balance sheet, replacing it with a receivable (86). Lessee Lessor Leased Asset xxx Leased Rece ivable xxx Lease obligation xxx Asset xxx Another benefit to a capital lease is the depreciat ion expense relating to the asset over the economic life of the asset (86). Ho wever, because airlines try to limit their long-term liabilities, which negatively impact their capital structure, operating leases are preferred by airlin es. With respect to an operating lease, the accounting treatment is entire ly different, as neither the asset nor the lease liability are included on the b alance sheet (86). Rather, the lease payments are treated as an expense on the inc ome statement over the term of the lease (86). Lessee Lessor Lease Expense xxx Cash xxx Cash xxx Lease Income xxx
22 recognizing that such leases provide greater flexibi lity in updating equipment while keeping upfront costs down. Leasing is defin ed as a contract between a lessor and a lessee where the lessor provides the l essee with the right to use assets owned by the lessor (86). There are two typ es of leases that airlines must decide between: operating leases and capital l eases. The primary difference is the title transfer of the aircraft, w hich effects the accounting treatment of the lease. The Financial Accounting S tandards Board (FASB) issues the regulations that specify how leases shou ld be accounting for (86). According to FAS 13, if a lease meets one or more o f the following 4 criteria, the lease should be classified as a capital lease ( 86). 1.) The lease transfers ownership of the property t o the lessee by the end of the lease term. 2.) The lease contains a bargain purchase option. 3.) The lease term is equal to 75 percent or more o f the estimated economic life of the leased property. However, if the beginn ing of the lease term falls within the last 25 percent of the total estimated e conomic life of the leased property, including earlier years of use, this crit erion shall not be used for purposes of classifying the lease. 4.) The present value at the beginning of the lease term of the minimum lease payments, excluding that portion of the payments re presenting executory costs such as insurance, maintenance, and taxes to be paid by the lessor, including any profit thereon, equals or exceeds 90 percent of the excess of the fair value of the leased property to the lessor at the inception of the lease over any related investment tax credit retained by the l essor and expected to be realized by him. Source: (86) These conditions are flexible though, and any good legal team can twist the terms to take advantage of the benefits operating l eases provide. If a lease is recognized as a capital lease, an airline records th e asset and a lease liability generally equal to the sum of the present value of the lease payment during
21 it is fairly typical for high-fare passengers to co ntribute around 30 percent of total passengers but generate as much as 70 percent of total revenue” (36). Understandably, airlines focus on filling their fir st and business class cabins, which more than covers the cost of their lowest far e economy class seats. One critical component of yield management is the u se of overbooking, which airlines employ to try and compensate for no-show p assengers. Rather than fly an empty seat if a customer does not show up, a irlines overbook flights based on a historical rate of no-shows (38). Howev er, there is a chance that most passengers show up for their flight, in which case the airlines are forced to “bump” patrons to different flights. Airlines t ake a financial penalty for bumping passengers in the form of compensation to t he bumped customer, as well as any lost goodwill (38). It is clear that y ield management is a complex process that is not a perfect science, as airlines strive to reap maximum revenue from each flight. Chapter 2 – Managing Cost Structure Capital-Intensive In stark contrast with other service businesses, a irlines today need more than storefronts and a few employees to start up. Rather, airline operation includes in extensive range of expensive equipment, from the airplanes to flight simulators to maintenance hanga rs, aircraft tugs, airport counter space and gates, and call centers (32). Co mpanies traditionally have financed their costs through loans or public stock offerings, but recently, airlines are leasing equipment such as aircraft, ba ggage vehicles, and hangars,
20 there are clear differences between first class and economy, the variability of prices within economy class is sometimes substantia l. Source : Airline book At the extreme ends of the economy class spectrum, the least expensive seat is 4 times less than the highest economy class fare . One should note that the service and seat are identical, and the destination is the same; the only difference is in the restrictions placed on the tic ket, which essentially is the ability to choose exact travel dates and change you r plans without penalty. But the contribution to airline revenue is truly fo und in their premium cabins, where an airlines margin is highest. “For major international airlines
19 times more than the exact same flight over the week end (15). This capitalizes on the fact that leisure travelers are more price-s ensitive and likely to alter their travel schedules around price, whereas busine ss travelers are time pressured and therefore have inelastic demand to pr ice. Profitability in the Airline Industry The ultimate challenge for airlines is selling the most tickets at the highest price and targeting the right consumers, le ading to price discrimination where passengers pay different price s for the exact same route and service. Airlines face additional pressure to fill seats because empty seats are considered perishable goods, with the aircraft flying even when seats are still available. Robert Crandall, the former Ameri can Airlines CEO of 13 years, once said, “I believe that revenue managemen t is the single most important technical development in transportation m anagement since we entered the era of airline deregulation in 1979” (3 7). Mr. Crandall followed up on this belief through action, as American Airli nes now credits yield management techniques as generating a revenue incre ase of $500 million per year (39). Striking an ideal balance between price and demand is undoubtedly difficult, and airlines resort to copious amounts o f market research to segment their customers. In the most binary form, there are 2 distinct segments; there are the business travelers and thos e travelling for urgent personal reasons that are price-inelastic, and then there are the leisure travelers who are price sensitive, and can alter de mand to fares (36). While
18 on airline revenues” (10). The likes of Kayak.com, Orbitz.com, Expedia.com, and numerous other websites have placed significant downward pressure on airfares by allowing the general public to easily c ompare prices across airlines, in essence increasing price transparency (20). This in essence fosters competition, as consumers are able to instantly com pare prices, travel times, and dates. Source: Gadling (21) While the airline companies might not enjoy the grea ter transparency in their pricing, they too receive some benefits in the sign ificant cost savings recognized through direct bookings as well as the ab ility to further gauge consumer preferences and demand patterns (15). Air lines also recognized that they could leverage the Internet’s ability to provi de instant capacity feedback, enabling both day-dependent and time-dependent pric e discrimination. For example, the average fare on a Monday or Tuesday fl ight can be as high as 3
17 closing of European air space for 6 days. Undoubte dly, passengers were furious as they spent nights in airports unable to depart, but perhaps a greater impact was absorbed by the airlines. The I nternational Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates that during those 6 da ys, airlines lost a total of $1.7 billion in revenue while stranding 1.2 million passengers a day (13). This type of disaster, one completely out of control of the airlines, is virtually impossible to budget for. In addition to the lost revenue, airlines also faced regulations requiring compensation for stranded pas sengers, in which airlines must provide accommodation and meal vouchers. Unfo rtunately, the industry was already forecasting losses of $2.8 bil lion for the 2010 fiscal year and being forced to cover passenger expenses was de vastating (13). The severity of the crisis became apparent when the Fin ancial Times reported that “some carriers warned European Commission officials in Brussels that there could be airline bankruptcies this week” (14). In retrospect, no airline filed for bankruptcy as a direct result of the volcano cr isis, but the eruption stands as a clear example of just how vulnerable airlines are to external shocks. Internet The rise of the Internet led to a paradigm shift i n the travel industry as the growth of travel websites and direct access to airline websites essentially cut out the middlemen, the travel agents. “The tra nsparency of pricing facilitated by the Internet and online travel distr ibution channels have all contributed to a precipitous decline in average far es and a significant impact
16 As business travel demand plummeted, the hub airpor ts filled with idle aircraft and excess capacity. Legacy carriers, hav ing invested billions in their hub airports, found themselves unable to quickly sh ift demand to other routes. Low-cost carriers, who did not face the sa me sunk costs, capitalized on this opportunity and dominated the point-to-poin t routes. Two factors, however, affected the entire industry related to 9/ 11 that transcended both the hub and spoke model and the point-to-point model . Following the terrorist attacks, demand for air travel dropped st eeply, as travelers feared flying. Secondly, flying was recognized as an incon venient mode of travel, since long delays persisted as a result of the tigh t security which discouraged many people from traveling. International airlines faced similar challenges, as Cathay Pacific Airways, whose hub is located in Hong Kong, faced an extreme drop in traffic during the severe acute res piratory syndrome (“SARS”) outbreak in 2002 and could not easily alter routes. The health outbreak forced Cathay, who primarily operates international flights, to cut its normal weekly schedule by 45% as passenger books plunged 8 0% (11, 12). In comparison, low-cost airline Dragonair, based out o f Hong Kong, dropped 36% of its flights and adapted to demand, transferring aircraft to operate more flights to Mainland China. While both 9/11 and SARS drastically effected legacy carriers and had less of an impact on LCC’s, there are external shocks that effect the entire industry and severely impact airline’s bottom lines. On April 15, 2010, the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjall ajökul violently erupted, spewing ash several kilometers into the at mosphere, leading to the
15 congestion. These issues brought light to the true flaw in the hub and spoke model: its inability to adapt quickly to external s hocks, leaving airlines with deserted flights and costly equipment and staff idl ing at hubs. The hub and spoke model is extremely vulnerable to external shocks. These shocks include momentous events such as the t errorist attacks of 9/11, medical pandemics such as the severe acute respirat ory syndrome (SARS) outbreak of 2002, the recent Iceland volcano erupti on, increases in fuel prices, and even smaller-scale events such as bad w eather or a security breach. Following the dot-com bust in 2000, 9/11 t riggered financial catastrophe for the susceptible airline industry. “In the United States alone, the industry posted cumulative net losses of over $ 40 billion from 2001 to 2005 […] and there were immediate layoffs and cutbac ks of almost 20% in total system capacity” (10). Source: IATA (31)
14 tariffs were based on the country of origin, and th ere was no code sharing between airlines (46). The opening of the skies tr anslated into improved services for travelers, who now faced a copious amo unt of choice when flying certain routes, as well as lower prices because of competition. Networks Post 1978, legacy airlines architected and thrived on what famously became knows as the hub and spoke model. The idea is relatively simple, and revolutionized the industry at the time; an airline selects an airport with a central geographic location, relative to major traf fic flows, and operates flights in-and-out of this central hub enabling mor e cities, or spokes, to be reached. The benefits to the airline are numerous and can ultimately percolate down to consumers. One such example that effects both parties is the possibility for “larger aircraft to be used, gi ving access to lower seat- kilometer costs. This may in turn result in lower fares” (7). Airlines also can leverage the hub and spoke model to decrease labor and equipment costs. Rather than having support staff across many cities , airlines can centralize their operations, lowering costs (8). “Hub-and-spok e systems decreased unit costs but created high fixed costs that required la rger terminals, investments in information technology systems, and intricate re venue management systems” (9). So while there are benefits to the h ub and spoke model, there are also clear negatives. On a consumer facing fro nt, the hub and spoke model was widely unpopular with passengers because of increased delays and
13 potentially provide 420 connecting and direct fligh ts, or 210 distinct services (with outbound and return flights counted as one se rvice). If the airline forms an alliance with a partner also operating at 21 air ports (with one common airport), the number of possible connections increa ses to 1,640” (30). The benefits to consumers are clear: more destinations, lower prices, more departure times, access to more lounges, faster mil eage rewards, and around the world tickets (29). This is a result of the a irlines sharing facilities, cooperating on sales, and making investments in dif ferent regions around the world. Open Skies Agreements Following deregulation in 1978, the U.S. “open mar ket” was hailed as a liberalization of the airline industry. However, t here were a few critical features of the open market bilateral agreements th at impeded a full liberalization. In the 1980’s, many of the U.S. leg acy carriers, seeking to obtain larger market shares in the international ar ena, pushed for further liberalization for 2 primary reasons. First, as maj or domestic carriers who were relatively new to the international space, the y recognized long-term opportunities for expansion in the international ma rkets as opposed to a more mature domestic market (46). Secondly, they argued that they could have more success in a fully liberalized open skies envir onment than their international counterparts because they could lever age their large U.S. domestic networks (46). Some of the features imped ing this liberalization included a full opening of route access, meaning no t all destinations are open,
12 consumers and the airlines benefit by the advent of loyalty programs. Airlines enjoy a faithful consumer base while charg ing more for airfare; passengers seek to earn free tickets and other rewa rds. The frequent-flyer loyalty programs will only increase in size as airli ne alliances grow. Alliances With the airline industry catering to a global audi ence, it is critical for airlines to be able to reach all areas of the world . Unfortunately, hardly any single airline, no matter its size or scope, is able to efficiently provide service to destinations around the world. To counteract th is fault, airlines form alliances with one another, thereby increasing thei r market presence and expanding their network. “An airline alliance is a code-sharing agreement between two (or more) airlines to offer a broader a rray of services to their customers than they could individually” (27). Thes e agreements are the opposite of pre-regulation times, as airlines now p artner with one another to access more routes, enabling them to issue tickets for flights operated as if they are its own (27). While larger airlines have a greements with regional carriers, the concept of alliances has now spread i nternational, with U.S. airline’s partnering with foreign airlines to offer an expansive network that reaches all axis of the globe. The three largest a lliances are the Star Alliance, SkyTeam, and OneWorld (29). Price Waterhouse Coopers ran a study on “Airline Alliances and Competition in Transatlantic Airline Markets” and found that “A single airline serving 20 airports fr om its main hub can
11 Source: Global airlines (36) The original demand curve, before incurring marketi ng expenses, is represented by the line D1. As a base, if the fare charged is P1, the number of passengers carried will be Q1 at point A. Followin g a marketing campaign, such as advertising a loyalty scheme, the demand cu rve shifts right and the slope becomes steeper along D2, representing a more inelastic demand to price. As a result of this rightward shift, the ai rline’s benefits are twofold: 1.) It increases its number of passengers at the origin al price at point B, while 2.) It can raise the fare and still having a substantia l increase in passengers, represented at point C (36). From this example, we can glean that both
10 American Express recently teamed with Delta Air Lin es to earn one mile for virtually every dollar spent, as well as offering a bonus of 20,000 miles just for getting the card (28). These companies are in terested in partnership agreements because of the extensive membership roll s the airlines possess and the marketing opportunities as a result of thes e lists (27). American Express is able to advertise its new credit cards d irectly to Delta SkyMiles members because of their partnership. In essence, “FFP’s raise passengers ‘switching’ costs, making it relatively expensive, in terms of lost rewards, to transfer their patronage from one airline to anothe r” (36). American Airlines pioneered loyalty programs in 1981, and was soon th ereafter followed by major carriers such as United Airlines, Delta Airli nes, and others in introducing FFPs (27). After the introduction of F FPs, airlines found that loyalty programs were often more profitable than ot her forms of marketing, such as comparing services, routes, and price (36). In addition to lower marketing expenses, FFP’s provided airlines with gr eat revenue, as evidenced by the figure below.
9 to a more efficient workforce and lower costs, but also would increase passenger satisfaction. As a result, the cost-cutt ing measures implemented during the recession by LCC’s did not negatively im pact their reputations, and the LCC’s were able to take advantage of the legacy carrier’s weaknesses. Frequent-Flyer Programs Facing increased competition, the legacy carriers, fighting to retain customers, introduced frequent-flyer loyalty progra ms (FFP) which reward customer loyalty with tickets, cabin upgrades, prio rity check-in, priority boarding, lounge access, and other benefits (27). These innovative programs allow customers to enroll in an airline’s program, after which passengers accumulate mileage points according to distance tra veled and travel class, with first and business class passengers receiving multiples of the base rate (36). Passengers can then redeem those miles for r ewards such as free or discounted tickets and cabin upgrades. This is cri tical to brand loyalty as customers may choose airlines based on their award status with the airline rather than a slight price difference. For example , if a passenger has a certain flight status on United Airlines, but American Airl ines is offering a cheaper flight, it may be worth it to fly United to gain mi les if the price difference is not substantial. One recent development has increa sed the speed at which consumers accumulate frequent-flyer miles. Nonairl ine companies, particularly credit card companies, are now partner ing with the airlines to offer awards and miles for nonairline goods and ser vices. For example,
8 controlled fares and set routes. The effects of de regulation include increased competition, lower fares, new carriers, frequent-fl yer loyalty programs, alliances, and networks (27). Whereas prior to 1978 the airlines competed more through advertising and onboard services than fares, the so called “legacy” carriers now faced stiff competition from new low-cost carriers (LCCs) who leveraged the advantages granted under t he deregulated market (4). One freedom granted under the new rules was t he opening of routes, enabling the low-cost carriers to pioneer the point -to-point service model. This model allows for greater efficiency, as the ai rlines can achieve shorter turnaround times, better fuel efficiency, and high aircraft utilization (5). From a consumer standpoint, travelers benefited as well, with passengers having a choice of two or more carriers on routes ( 27). Another advantage the low-cost carriers exploited was their ability to ne gotiate favorable terms with their unions, enabling such benefits as cross-utili zation of employees, further enabling them to offer lower fares while maintainin g margins. This starkly contrasts with the legacy carriers who carried over their cost structures from the pre-regulation era, in which they faced a highl y unionized labor force (4). As a result, LCC’s possess a substantial cost advan tage over legacy carriers simply because they are able to generate more outpu t per employee (10). “In 2004, Southwest produced 3.2 million available seat -miles per employee, as compared to 2.2 million at American. By this measur e, the productivity of Southwest employees was 45% higher than at American […]” (10). Southwest recognized that focusing on employee happiness first would not only translate
7 the United States Government in 1938. “The Civil A eronautics Act of 1938 applied to interstate operations of U.S. airlines a nd gave the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) authority to regulate which airlines op erated on each route and what fares they could charge” (25). This set the s tage for an industry comprised of a few major players who controlled spe cific regions. CAB strictly enforced routes, granting only 1 airline p er route unless demand was sufficient to support more carriers (25). In addit ion, CAB set the fares for each route, ensuring the airlines a fixed rate of r eturn, but giving them little incentive to lower costs (25). Unfortunately, the CAB’s oversight became a “textbook case of how the regulatory process can ov erwhelm substance and how regulation protected the airlines from competit ion at the expense of consumers and competitors” (26). For example, airl ines seeking to add additional service between two given cities often f aced extensive hearings, only to result in denied service or acceptance with restrictions (26). While this regulated structure gave birth to large airlin es like Pan Am and Eastern who dominantly controlled regions, it stifled compe tition, resulting in higher fares and frustrated travelers. Starting in 1976 a nd through 1978, the CAB heard calls for change, and policymakers began to r ealize that airlines could better serve consumers with an opening of the skies (26). In 1978 the American government deregulated its dom estic airline market under the Airline Deregulation Act. This le gislation drastically changed both the structure of the industry and indi vidual airlines as market forces took over the duties of the Civil Aeronautic s Board, which previously
6 the number of bankruptcies continues to pile up, as airlines seek protection from creditors in Chapter 11 filings, using such me asures as a means to ease liquidity pressures and restructure costs. In the U.S., the major airlines that have filed for and come out of Chapter 11 bankrupt cy are: US Airways, United Airlines, Delta Airlines, Northwest Airlines , and Continental Airlines, which recently merged with United Airlines on Octob er 1, 2010 (72). That leaves American Airlines as the only major US airli ne to avoid filing for bankruptcy in the past decade. Unfortunately, Chap ter 11 bankruptcy is not a cure-all for airlines as many fail to successfully exit (4). Notably, Pan American World Airways (Pan Am), Trans World Airline s (TWA), and Eastern Airlines did not emerge from Chapter 11 and filed f or Chapter 7 bankruptcy, or liquidation. I will first provide a history of the airline industry, comparing and contrasting the landscape both pre and post der egulation. Following the industry overview, the paper looks at an airline’s cost structure, highlighting the major revenue and expense factors. Lastly, I a pplied industry specific performance metrics to a case study of Trans World A irlines (TWA) and American Airlines (AA), seeking to determine underl ying causation factors before filing for Chapter 11. These two airlines w ere chosen because of the availability of financial data and SEC filings duri ng the time period leading up to TWA’s bankruptcy filing. Chapter 1 – The Economics of the Airline Industry Following decades of growth after that first fligh t in 1903, the aeronautical industry became subject to industry-wi de regulation passed by
5 2.5B passengers per year, the high-growth industry is truly global (2, 6). However, even with the industry’s continued growth, there have been numerous major airline liquidations. Prior to 1978, the competitive landscape lent itsel f to carriers dominating certain markets, which led to monopolizing behavior from the largest domestic airlines, the legacy carriers, with respec t to fares, routes, and schedules (24). The deregulation in 1978 of the US airline industry led to a paradigm shift in the market as routes opened up, f orcing the legacy carriers in the industry such as Pan Am and Eastern into a h ighly competitive, low- fare environment. Since the tragic terrorist attac ks of September 11, 2001, global airline’s performance has been particularly dismal, losing a total of 53.4 billion in net profit (3). When looking at the industry from a macro level, one cannot be surprised to hear these numbers. The airline industry is structurally challenged by its very nature, facing high fixed costs, cyclical demand, intense competition, and vulnerability to e xternal shocks. As such,
If a capitalist had been present at Kitty Hawk back in the early 1900s, he should have shot Orville Wright. He would have saved his progeny money. But seriously, the airline business has been extraordinary. It has eaten up capital over the past century like almost no other business because people seem to keep coming back to it and putting f resh money in. You’ve got huge fixed costs, you’ve got strong labour unions a nd you’ve got commodity pricing. That is not a great recipe for success. I have an 800 (free call) number now that I call if I get the urge to buy an airline stock. I call at two in the morning and I say: “My name is Warren and I’m an aer oholic.” And then they talk me down.” – Warren Buffet, 2002. The year is 1903 and 2 young brothers from Ohio tri umph as their aircraft, the Wright Flyer I, takes flight for the f irst time. Little did the Wright brothers know that their breakthrough innovat ion would revolutionize the world’s largest industry, travel a nd tourism. Commercial aviation catalyzes economic growth, world trade, in ternational investment and tourism, therein expediting the globalization of other industries (1). Now boasting 230 airlines representing 125 different co untries and transporting
3 Chapter 6: Recommendations ……………………………………………………….. 62 Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine what t he critical factors are to an airline’s financial turmoil, leading ultimate ly to a bankruptcy filing. Over the past decade, the airline industries’ perfo rmance has been dismal, leading to 20 bankruptcy filings. As competition i ncreases, it is crucial for airlines to know which core business areas are esse ntial to success. This paper identifies 8 specific industry metrics that a re used to compare airlines, revealing where certain airlines falter and others shine. Some of these metrics are later applied to a case study examining Trans World Airlines (TWA) and American Airlines (AA), highlighting the factors leading to TWA’s bankruptcy filing during the same time period Ameri can Airlines remained profitable. The results show that the labor ineffi ciency, operating inefficiencies, unsuccessful fuel hedging programs, and high long-term debt are critical factors leading to an airlines bankrup tcy. Four recommendations for airlines are provided, namely: 1.) The cross-ut ilization of employees, 2.) 4 Maintain Cost Discipline, 3.) Focus on Breakeven Lo ad Factor, and 4.) Do not neglect the intangibles such as brand reputation.
C l a r e m o n t C olle g e s Sc h ol a rs hi p @ C l a r e m o n t C MC S e nior The s e s C MC S tude n t S cho l a r ship 2010 Air line B a nkr upt c y: The D et e r minin g F a c t ors Le a din g t o a n Air line ‘ s D ecline J a son T ol k in C l a r em o n t M cKen n a Co lle ge Source: TOI …and I am Sid Harth
"Picture With a Circle" (1911), part of a major retrospective of this Russian visionary that fills the rotunda of the Guggenheim.
The Russian avant-gardist Wassily Kandinsky — who dressed like the college professor he had trained to be and sounded like a mystic when he wasn’t thinking like a scientist — is the central god in the Guggenheim pantheon and genesis myth. The museum owns more of his work than of any other major Modernist and mounts some form of full-dress Kandinsky show like clockwork every 20 years or so. It’s that time again. The Guggenheim’s last excursion into Kandinsky occurred in the early 1980s with three context-heavy exhibitions that examined his activities in all mediums, including his Art Nouveau embroidery and works by contemporary artists and designers. This one takes the opposite tack. It distills Kandinsky’s momentous career to about 100 paintings, with a large side order of works on paper displayed in an adjacent gallery. The canvases and almost nothing else fill Frank Lloyd Wright’s great rotunda from bottom to top, sometimes at the magisterial rate of one painting per bay. This looks sensational. Organized with the Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus in Munich and the Pompidou Center in Paris — sites of the world’s other major Kandinsky collections — it contains stupendous loans from all over. The 1911 “Picture With a Circle” from the Georgian National Museum in Tbilisi has never been in this country. A big, gorgeous blur of resonant blues, greens and purples electrified by a few black lines across the top, it is said to be the artist’s first completely abstract painting. But this is only relative: Kandinsky is so pertinent to the present because he tended to ignore the distinctions between abstraction and representation. In all, this show is the perfect cap to the Guggenheim’s yearlong birthday celebration of Wright’s building, which opened 50 years ago on Oct. 21. Lots of museums have foundational artists. The Museum of Modern Art has Picasso and Matisse; the Whitney Museum of American Art, Edward Hopper. But Kandinsky is the angel in the architecture at the Guggenheim; he’s part of the bedrock. The circling ramp of Wright’s rotunda was surely designed with that Russian’s swirling, unanchored abstractions in mind. Kandinsky’s precarious, ever-moving compositions suggest that he never met a diagonal he didn’t like; Wright obliged with a museum on a perpetual tilt. Wright might deny the connection, but he was chosen by Hilla Rebay, a German painter and the museum’s founding director, and she had Kandinsky on the brain. Solomon R. Guggenheim, her patron, caught the fever, and between 1929 and his death in 1949, he acquired scores of works by the artist. All were given to the Museum of Non-Objective Painting, which he and Rebay founded in 1937. (It was renamed in Guggenheim’s honor in 1952.) The purity of the present show limits Kandinsky’s immensity a bit. It simplifies a vision that held music, painting and language as part of a continuum and relegates his activities as theoretician, essayist, poet and (arts) community organizer to the show’s informative, discreetly placed wall texts. In both of his best-known books — “Concerning the Spiritual in Art” (1912) and “Point and Line to Plane” (1926) — he displays a remarkable ability to reconcile the redemptive power of art’s “inner pulsations,” meant to be experienced “with all one’s senses” and exacting diagrams of the formal effect of different colors, shapes and lines, each of which he felt had a distinct sound. There are formalist possibilities in these pages that Clement Greenberg never imagined. The impact of his thought on his contemporaries was tremendous. It is always startling to learn, for example, that Hugo Ball and the Zurich Dadaists revered Kandinsky, included his paintings in their exhibitions and read his poetry at their soirees. Some of these poems are virtual prescriptions for performance art. For example, “Not,” in his collection “Sounds” (1912), describes a “jumping man” who “dug a small very round depression” in the ground and “jumped over it without stopping every day from 4 o’clock to 5.” More than a few gallery receptionists of the moment have witnessed things like that. Kandinsky was alternately propelled by ambition and history itself. By 1901, barely six years after the combined experiences of a Monet“Haystack” and Wagner’s “Lohengrin” jolted him, at 30, to leave Russia for art study in Munich, he had rebelled against the academy and organized like-minded colleagues into the Phalanx. He would go on to become the founding president of the New Artists Association in Munich in 1909. Two years later, when that body chafed at his abstract tendencies, he left to form the Blue Rider group with, among others, the painters Franz Marc, Alexej von Jawlensky and Gabriele Münter, for whom he had left his first wife in 1907. The outbreak of World War I forced him back to Russia, where he joined the Constructivist experiment, as well as the government bureaucracy. In 1921 he and his new wife, Nina, repaired to Berlin, pushed by physical privation and the rejection of Kandinsky’s teaching ideas. By 1922, he was teaching at the Bauhaus and living next door to his great friend Paul Klee. But this idyll ended when the Nazis closed the school in 1933. Then it was on to Paris, the last stop, where he worked, despite increasingly scant art supplies, until his death in 1944. The Guggenheim’s lean, clean presentation makes the show as much a Kandinsky-Wright reunion as a retrospective. After Kandinsky’s early chivalric fantasies and landscapes with their vivid stained-glass colors on the rotunda’s first level, the compositions explode into centrifugal abstractions and semi-abstractions that echo Wright’s plunging space-for-space’s-sake rotunda. Nearly each of the exploratory works from 1909 to 1914 — there are more than 40 here — is a hole in the membrane of observable reality that reveals a nonobjective cosmos defined by tangles of line and colored shapes and shadings. Each is a brave new crowded world in free fall, full of more forms, colors and agitation than any single painting needs. But mainly the show offers an unencumbered view of Kandinsky’s painting career and a style that he adjusted with every change of setting, tending toward Constructivism in Moscow, toward Klee at the Bauhaus and toward a Surrealist-tinged biomorphism — for which he had laid the groundwork 20 years earlier — in Paris. Not surprisingly, he bristled at the suggestion that he had been influenced by Arp and Miró. Kandinsky’s stature is always a bit wobbly in New York, where the Modern’s heavy-duty Francophilia has had such a long run. This show allows reassessment of the conventional wisdom that his art went into fairly steep decline after 1921, or even 1914. I think one problem is that Kandinsky did not make cleanly resolved masterpieces. He never painted a perfect picture. His Munich abstractions, which contain hints of landscapes and of his mounted knights, in particular defy resolution. They try to catch art’s transformative powers in the act and are in essence Process-Art narratives. But the surprise of this show is the strong case it makes for Kandinsky’s long-disparaged Paris paintings, where his colors fade to delicate pastels, his brushy surfaces tighten up, and he catalogs biomorphic form to an extent unmatched by any of his colleagues in that city. Unlike the Munich pictures, which for all their wonderfulness are somewhat repetitive, these paintings are different every time out. The view that these works are finicky, designy period pieces doesn’t recede entirely here. But with time, the notion that a great artist’s late phase has once more been seriously underestimated could prevail. Kandinsky, the most well-rounded and compleat of Modernist prophets, always had more ideas than he knew what to do with. At the end of his hectic, productive life, he finally began to lay them out one at a time. This marvelous show starts settling the dust. “Kandinsky” opens on Friday and continues through Jan. 13 at the Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Avenue, at 89th Street; (212) 423-3500, guggenheimdotorgga.
Art Review
Back in the Blue Saddle, for a Gallop to Abstraction
Neue Galerie Examines 15 Years of Kandinsky
Musée National d'Art Moderne. Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; 2013 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris
Kandinsky’s sketch of a panel for a 1922 art show in Berlin. The mural has been recreated for the exhibition at the Neue Galerie.
By KAREN ROSENBERG
Published: October 3, 2013
New Yorkers might be forgiven for greeting “Vasily Kandinsky: From Blaue Reiter to the Bauhaus, 1910-1925,” at the Neue Galerie, with a shrug and a distinct feeling of déjà vu. Wasn’t it just three years ago now that the Guggenheim mounted a full retrospective, a delirium-inducing helix of Kandinskys?
A sortable calendar of noteworthy cultural events in the New York region, selected by Times critics.
This, however, is a different kind of show: a boutique Kandinsky exhibition at a boutique museum. (Surprisingly, it’s the first all-Kandinsky affair in the Neue’s 12-year history). And it centers on a rich period — also the purview of the Museum of Modern Art’s recent “Inventing Abstraction, 1910-1925” — that saw Kandinsky moving from the prismatic Expressionism of Der Blaue Reiter, the Munich-based artist group named for the motif of a blue horse and rider, into pure abstraction and from easel paintings into set designs and decorative murals.
The exhibition is further distinguished by a reconstruction of one of those mural projects, first made for the 1922 Juryfreie Kunstschau (Jury-Free Art Show) in Berlin: a total Kandinsky immersion, with brightly colored lines and circles and wobbly little forms glowing against black and dark-brown walls.
Elsewhere the installation is choppy, as is often the case in these galleries. Walls have been color-blocked in shades of lavender, ivory and plum, as if viewers could not be trusted to distinguish between, say, Kandinsky’s woozy Blaue Reiter paintings and the clean-edged geometry of his Bauhaus phase. The inescapable soundtrack of Mussorgsky and Schoenberg does not help to smooth things over.
But over all, the show’s fits and starts feel true to Kandinsky’s growing pains during these formative years for abstract art. They also make clear that his philosophies, codified in his famous book “Concerning the Spiritual in Art,” did not always mesh with the more pragmatic approaches of his colleagues and collectors.
As an instructor at the Bauhaus, for instance, where he taught from 1922 until it was shuttered by the Nazis in 1933, he chafed at the school’s idea of painting as an applied art. “Many demand that we should serve industry, that we should supply patterns for materials, ties, socks, crockery, parasols, ashtrays, carpets,” he wrote. “Or that we should leave off painting pictures once and for all.”
Organized by the art historian Jill Lloyd, the show stresses networks and associations over chronology. It moves from the Blaue Reiter years of 1911-14 to the Bauhaus, but then backtracks to a gallery of larger paintings made for American collectors around the time of the 1913 Armory Show. From there it skips to the experimental theater and mural work, concluding with the Jury-Free project of 1922.
All of this back-and-forth can make the show feel a bit unmoored. Fortunately, it’s stabilized by some judicious loans, among them Franz Marc’s mystically intense painting “The Large Blue Horses” from the Walker Art Center and such Kandinsky works as “Fugue” from the Fondation Beyeler in Basel, the Guggenheim’s “Painting with White Border,” and several abstractions from the Yale University Art Gallery’s important “Société Anonyme” collection.
Yale’s “Improvisation 7 (Storm),” from 1910, for instance, hangs next to two early Kandinsky streetscapes (1908 and 1909) from the Neue’s collection; together, these works show him making a transition out of Post-Impressionism, melting down its forms without changing the acidity of the palette.
And in the next gallery, four works from MoMA reveal Kandinsky’s deep ambivalence about the decorative possibilities of abstract painting. Titled “The Seasons,” these brushy, densely patterned panels were painted in 1914 for the foyer of the auto magnate Edwin R. Campbell’s Park Avenue apartment.
The collector Arthur Jerome Eddy, who knew Campbell and helped Kandinsky secure the commission, had suggested that the panels be modeled on an earlier painting in his own collection, one “so brilliant in color that it makes a beautiful wall decoration.” In three of the Campbell panels, Kandinsky complied, but the remaining one is noticeably darker and muddier — signaling, perhaps, a level of discomfort with the appreciation of his paintings as a kind of benign wallpaper.
For him, expanding painting from easels to walls was part of a larger mission to bring the Wagnerian concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk, or total artwork, into the 20th century. As the catalog essayist Rose-Carol Washton Long points out, that mission was as political as it was aesthetic; Kandinsky advocated clashes of sound and color, “multiple dissonant stimuli,” the better to disrupt complacency.
With the murals for the Jury-Free show, he had a chance to practice environmental painting on his own terms. The setting, an octagonal entrance hall for a modern art museum, was ideal for a wraparound artwork. Directing a team of students from the Bauhaus mural workshop, Kandinsky had them paint a scattering of geometric and biomorphic shapes on large canvas-covered wood panels. The originals were dismantled at the close of the 1922 Show and subsequently lost, but process photographs and a complete set of sketches survive.
One peculiar problem plagues the Neue’s re-creation, which has been executed by Daedalus Design and Production and is accompanied by recordings of atonal piano pieces by Schoenberg: the paintings have been reproduced exactingly from Kandinsky’s sketches, as if they had been enlarged, so that each wobble of the brush or hastily filled-in area is magnified. Ms. Lloyd said she was trying to distinguish this reconstruction from a tidier, more interpretive one presented at the Pompidou Center in Paris in 1976, but it’s nonetheless a distracting curatorial choice.
If you are able to look past it, however, you’ll be rewarded with the rare sensation of floating around inside a Kandinsky — one that merges the rigid geometry of his Bauhaus period with the wavy lines and kaleidoscopic clusters of his earlier abstract canvases. It connects the Gesamtkunstwerk to more contemporary multisensory installation art, and is as good an excuse as any for yet another Kandinsky show.
“Vasily Kandinsky: From Blaue Reiter to the Bauhaus, 1910-1925” runs through Feb. 10 at the Neue Galerie New York, 1048 Fifth Avenue, at 86th Street; (212)628-6200, neuegaleriedotorgga.
Jules Maeght, right, with Clovis Prévost, left, and the photographer Eric Alexandre at the Maeght Foundation in France.Credit Jules Maeght Gallery
In 1945 the dealers Aimé and Marguerite Maeght opened the first Galerie Maeght in Paris with a show of wartime drawings by Henri Matisse. It soon became a locus for the postwar avant-garde, showing everyone from Marcel Duchamp to Joan Miró and becoming so successful that, at one time or another, it had a second Paris branch, and outposts in Barcelona, New York and Zurich.
The family still runs a print shop and a publishing house for editioned prints, and its museum, the Marguerite and Aimé Maeght Foundation in St. Paul de Vence, France, has been a highlight of the Côte d’Azur since it opened in 1964. As Miró once told The New York Times, Maeght has “a personality that will leave its mark on the artistic world of the 20th century.”
Now the couple’s grandson, the third-generation dealer Jules Maeght, hopes to make his mark on San Francisco, too. On Nov. 14, he will open the Jules Maeght Gallery, in Hayes Valley, a newly fashionable neighborhood that lies just west of the San Francisco Opera House and Twitter headquarters.
Photo
Work by Mr. Prévost (a photograph documenting “8500 Tons of Iron”), left; and Joan Miró.Credit From left: Clovis Prévost; Joan Miró/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
The gallery’s inaugural show, “Art in Motion,” will focus on kinetic art — often described as sculpture that moves, ideally with a machinelike aesthetic. It will mix the work of European and American masters like Miró, Wassily Kandinsky and Alexander Calder with that of contemporary San Franciscans mining a similar vein, like Kal Spelletich, a pioneer of San Francisco’s machine-art scene.
Organized by Mr. Maeght and a childhood friend, Natasha Boas, a French-American curator associated with San Francisco’s so-called Mission School, the show aims to link the anarchic spirit that once animated Dada and Surrealism with that of San Francisco’s experimental art scene.
One reason Mr. Maeght wanted to open with kinetic art was that his family had embraced it since the beginning. The Paris gallery’s second show, “Le Surréalisme,” was organized in 1947 by André Breton and Marcel Duchamp, whose 1913 “Bicycle Wheel,” mounted on a stool, is generally regarded as the first kinetic artwork, as well as the first ready-made, an everyday object selected and designated as art. Mr. Maeght said he saw in the idea “a way to include every kind of media,” from drawings and videos to performance and installation.
As for Ms. Boas, who grew up in San Francisco and spent time as a teenager in the 1980s hanging out with the robot art collective Survival Research Laboratories, she felt it made perfect sense to showcase “the very strong relationship between Silicon Valley and San Francisco’s creative culture,” she said, while “opening up the aesthetic conversation around motion and kinetics and robotics.”
Underlining that connection, the gallery itself is housed in a Gough Street building thought to have once served as a studio for the San Francisco artist-inventor Rube Goldberg, known for devising wacky contraptions and machines.
The heart of the show is the 14-minute film “8500 Tonnes de Fer” (“8500 Tons of Iron”), made in 1971 by two longtime Maeght artists, the Belgian kinetic sculptor Pol Bury and the French photographer Clovis Prévost. To create it, they put a 6 1/2-foot-high fun house mirror in the elevator of the Eiffel Tower: Bury wiggled it as they rode up and down, while Mr. Prévost filmed the Industrial Revolution marvel reflected in its surface. This transforms the tower’s carefully calibrated cross-bracings and arches into mind-bending swirls.
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Work by Pol Bury, left, and Kal Spelletich.Credit From left: Pol Bury/Artists Rights Society(ARS), New York; Kal Spelletich/Jules Maeght Gallery
“It’s very much a period film insofar as it’s psychedelic,” Ms. Boas said. “But there’s also this idea that they’re contorting this technologically groundbreaking machine with all these optical tricks.” It will be accompanied by about two dozen photographs by Mr. Prévost that document the production.
The show also includes machinelike sculptures by Bury and Miró, represented here by a 1974 bronze that’s part cannon, part man. Among the other kinetic “old masters,” as Mr. Maeght calls them, are a 1926 suite of geometric drawings by Kandinsky and works on paper and a rare standing mobile from Calder, made in the early 1970s when the sculptor was spending much of his time in France. (All come from the personal collections of Mr. Maeght and his father, Adrien; none have been shown in America before and about half will be for sale.)
Galerie Maeght in Paris is also sending work by the contemporary British performance artist Kirstie MacLeod: a video documenting a 2007 event in which the artist’s glamorous evening gown is gradually nailed to the floor, rendering her immobile; and photographs of another from 2009 in which she entangles herself underwater in a hand-woven web and then fights her way free.
Much of the San Francisco work is more focused on technology and multimedia. Marshall Elliott, a recent master’s graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute, will contribute three constructions that use motorized elements, as well as light and shadow, to create kinetic installations, like “Ghost Bike” (2013). A robotic bicycle that circles the gallery ceaselessly, ringing a bell at each revolution as it traces a ring and casts shadows on the floor, it suggests a homage to Duchamp.
Also in the show is work by the Oakland-based artist Tracey Snelling, whose diorama-like installations of buildings and towns are often brought to life with lights, sound and video. The largest piece she will show here is “Bridge,” a 2012 mixed-media assemblage that depicts another engineering marvel, the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s made with an inkjet print on wood, but one tower is inset with flickering video footage of the road, taken from a traveling car, which creates the illusion of depth and movement.
Then there is Mr. Spelletich, whom Ms. Boas jokingly calls the “elder statesman” of the group. In the 1990s he became known for building interactive fire-breathing robots, made from welded metal and computer parts; he also helped found bacchanalia like the Nevada arts festival Burning Man and the annual flash mobs of naughty Santas known as Santacon. Recently, however, his work has taken a more abstract and spiritual turn, as in the two small “Locally Euclidean” constructions he will show here. Made this year from found wood and scrap metal, they bristle with rough sticks that undulate gently like tree branches when touched, “triggered by sensors that read your aura,” Mr. Spelletich said. He calls them “mystical machines.”
But Mr. Spelletich has something more chaotic in mind for the first night of the show, where he may bring out what he calls his “more celebratory” pieces, like his hugging machine or his whiskey-pouring robots. “They’re always a huge hit,” Mr. Spelletich said. “But I think it’s more appropriate to build a champagne-sabering robot and honor the French. So I’m working on that.”
ART REVIEW; Kandinsky and Schoenberg, Seen and Heard on Canvas
By ROBERTA SMITH Published: October 24, 2003
When it comes to ''Schoenberg, Kandinsky and the Blue Rider'' at the Jewish Museum, we can be grateful on two counts. First, in a time when recorded music often wafts through museum exhibitions, the organizers of this show have refrained from making us listen while we look -- even though they might have claimed every right to do so. The show examines a historical intersection of art and music: the friendship between the Viennese Modernist composer Arnold Schoenberg and the Russian Modernist painter Wassily Kandinsky. But fortunately, musical accompaniment has been limited to the Acoustiguide, which in this case is a valuable aid that I recommend listening to -- at least the musical selections -- with eyes shut. Kandinsky's roiling paintings, radical in their time, may have lost much of their ability to shock, assuming a secure place in both the history of art and public consciousness. But Schoenberg's tumultuous music, like Malevich's ''Black Square,'' remains relatively unassimilated, emblematically modern. It demands your complete attention and is not about to fade quietly into any easy-listening background. (A related article appears on Page 1 of Weekend.) The second cause for gratitude is that Schoenberg was himself a painter, a genuine if somewhat capricious hit-and-miss one. His efforts, usually small and often wan, center on self-portraits and are variously outsiderish, nearly abstract and conventionally representational. The last category includes a series of full-size portraits of friends, which he painted on commission in an attempt to support himself. The 36 Schoenberg paintings here outnumber all else and add a wonderful emotional weight to the visual firepower of the rest of the show: 13 paintings by Kandinsky, as well as 12 by other members of the German Expressionist Blue Rider (Blaue Reiter) group, which flourished briefly just before the First World War -- among them Franz Marc, Alexi von Jawlensky, August Macke, Albert Bloch and Gabriele Münter, Kandinsky's companion. Flitting in and out among more professional, fully committed visual statements, Schoenberg's images both disrupt and pull together the exhibition's visual narrative in an essential way.
This exhibition, organized by Fred Wasserman, the museum's associate curator, and Esther da Costa Meyer, an art historian at Princeton, concentrates on a thin slice of history to the exclusion of much -- maybe too much -- else; but it is a relatively unexamined slice, centering on two giants in the history of Modernism. Their sensibilities crossed paths in January 1911, when Kandinsky heard Schoenberg's controversial atonal music for the first time at a concert in Munich. Inspired, he painted ''Impression III (Concert),'' now in the collection of the Lenbachhaus in Munich. This work, at the beginning of the show, is visiting the United States for the first time. In this context, at least, the grand piano and the attentive audience that the painting loosely depicts are startlingly recognizable, but it is still an unusually raw, unfussy work for Kandinsky. Mainly through letters, the painter and the composer established an immediate rapport as kindred Modernist soul mates. Probably taking a swipe at Cubism, Kandinsky wrote, ''Our own modern harmony is not to be found in the 'geometric' but rather in the anti-geometric, anti-logical way'' based on ''dissonances.'' Responding, Schoenberg located their common ground ''in what you call the 'unlogical' and I call the 'elimination of the conscious will in art.''' Both were trying to move beyond traditional composition to works that put their audiences in a kind of free fall, where nothing could be taken for granted. They saw and professed to like each other's paintings. By the fall of 1911, Kandinsky and Marc were planning to include Schoenberg's scores in the first and only Blue Rider Almanac -- a publication surveying modern, folk and children's art -- along with scores by other Viennese composers in Schoenberg's circle, like Alban Berg and Anton Webern. But in December, the supposedly forward-looking NKVM (Modern Artists Society of Munich), barely two years old, rejected Kandinsky's submission to its annual show. The Blue Rider Almanac was hastily upgraded to an exhibition. Its 48 works by 14 artists included 4 paintings by Schoenberg. The centerpiece of the Jewish Museum's show is a big gallery devoted to that Blue Rider exhibition. Excepting a blazing little Münter landscape, the high point of the gallery display is Kandinsky's ''Sketch for Composition V'' (1911), the work rejected by the NKVM and on loan here from the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia. With black whiplash lines and its landscape forms riled to the point of dynamic near-abstraction, this work is noticeably more liberated than the pre-Schoenberg Kandinskys, which are hung in a preceding gallery, although the color is more muted. The earlier works are full of chunks of jewel-like color and hints of fairy tale landscapes, figures and horseback riders; they reflect the artist's infatuation with Persian miniatures and Russian folk art. Hints of figures would remain in Kandinsky's paintings until the 1920's, by which point his friendship with Schoenberg was mostly over. Paradoxically, it is these late works, with their crystalline geometric shapes and almost scorelike compositions, that seem closest to painted music.
The sharp focus of this exhibition may distort the importance of Schoenberg's music to Kandinsky's development. After all, it was part of an intellectual and emotional support system that included Marc, Münter and their work, as well as the cultural environment of Munich, where Kandinsky had lived since 1896. But for purely competitive reasons, artists can often feel emotionally closest to artists working in other mediums, and other cities. It can't have hurt their relationship that Schoenberg had made nearly all his paintings by 1911, the year they met. Occupying two small galleries at the Jewish Museum, Schoenberg's paintings move in and out of Kandinsky and company's push for Modernism like a double agent -- moving ahead, then dallying behind, and either way providing both emotional and comic relief. (One image, a caustic caricature titled ''Critic,'' shows a bearded, slightly Mesopotamian face, with huge black ears.) They make explicit the Expressionism that lurks within both Schoenberg's discordant but highly structured music and Kandinsky's more intuitive free-form paintings, revealing a basic primitive force that assumes a tamer but still essential form in the works that earned the two men their places in history. Many of his self-portraits underscore Schoenberg's vision of the suffering artist pilloried by a philistine society with a maudlin, indulgent crudeness that rarely appears in his music. Yet other works feel strikingly advanced, and more accessible than his music. In one, a large, goofy hand reaches down to grasp a balding head -- Schoenberg's -- that features a single enormous eye staring straight into the ground. The work is pure Philip Guston.
In the most astounding images, the face is reduced to a floating eye or two embedded in pale, gently shaded monochrome grounds. Even better is a small, pale gold square, titled ''Thinking''; it seems completely abstract, until you realize that the curving mound of pink and dark brush strokes obtruding into the painting from the bottom edge is undoubtedly Schoenberg's own shiny pate. Looking somewhat like a painting by the midcentury American outsider Forrest Bess, it zeroes in on the composer's pulsing brain. It is interesting to remember that Kandinsky's favorite paintings by Schoenberg were the more conventional, full-faced self-portraits, rather than these pared-down, flayed little images. You wonder if Kandinsky ever suspected that Schoenberg's maverick paintings might be every bit as daring as his own. ''Schoenberg, Kandinsky and the Blue Rider'' is at the Jewish Museum, Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street, (212) 423-3200, through Feb. 12. Photo: A detail from Kandinsky's study ''Watercolor With Red Spot.'' (Photo by $; 2003 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris)
By MICHAEL KIMMELMAN Published: September 25, 1992
"THE GREAT UTOPIA," the survey of Russian and Soviet avant-garde art opening today at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, intends to overwhelm the viewer, and unfortunately it does. With more than 800 paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, textiles, ceramics, furniture and architectural models, occupying almost the entirety of the newly renovated building, it must surely be, as the museum boasts, the largest show in the history of the Guggenheim. At least, it feels that way. One retreats from it like Napoleon from Moscow, bedraggled and confused. It includes compelling works, many of which have been extracted for the first time from provincial Russian museums, where these objects languished for the better part of this century because of the indifference, if not outright hostility, of the Soviet authorities. Yet the impact of the many remarkable things on view is hopelessly diluted by the exhibition's sheer size, seesawing quality, and its gimmicky and self-indulgent installation. The opposite impression is made by a related display of Marc Chagall's 1920 murals for the Jewish Theater in Moscow at the Guggenheim's SoHo outlet. A small show of what may well be the artist's crowning achievement, a suite of delicate, witty, fanciful paintings, accompanied by text panels that put them in a clear context, it is precisely what "The Great Utopia" is not: a focused, manageable, lucid presentation. The period under review in "The Great Utopia" encompasses the years 1915, when Suprematism was introduced to the Russian public in the exhibition called "0.10," through 1932, when Stalin prepared to bring artistic experimentation in his country to a violent and irrefutable end. The principal figures of those years, including Kasimir Malevich, Vladimir Tatlin, El Lissitzky, Liubov Popova, Varvara Stepanova and Aleksandr Rodchenko, have long been known in the West; and especially during the last several years, with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the opening up of its archives, the works of these artists have been frequently and widely exhibited.
But these works form only part of a far larger, and more complex, story; the avant-garde included numerous adherents who divided themselves among competing factions, which today can be hard to distinguish visually and which the exhibition, although it includes dozens of lesser-known artists, does an inadequate job of sorting out and defining. The show does make all too apparent, with so many similar works in gallery after gallery, that the avant-garde could be as doctrinaire and authoritarian as the old guard against which it was reacting. Change, yes, but only within the boundaries established by the new artistic leadership. Chagall was driven from his post as commissar of art in the city of Vitebsk by the Suprematists. And not long after Wassily Kandinsky organized an institute in Moscow for the study of art, he was also run out of town, by the Constructivists who considered his paintings too subjective, too spiritualistic. A very beautiful group of Kandinskys, with their soft, swimming, brilliantly colored shapes -- like Suprematist paintings submerged in water -- stand out in this context for their unmistakable and inspiring individuality. It was not on the individual but rather on the multitude that the avant-gardists concentrated their energies. Yet they failed to win over the Soviet masses, and despite their claims to the contrary, remained an elite. Even the marvelous geometric designs for textiles that artists like Popova and Stepanova conceived as symbols of the new classless society, to replace the old floral prints, found few takers. Likewise, it was partly in response to the public's attachment to realism that many artists by the early 1920's had abandoned abstraction and returned to figuration. The story of the avant-garde may be one of tremendous creativity, intense energy and lofty aspirations, but it is also one of misguided ideas and contradictory impulses. "The Great Utopia" is at its best when it does not merely celebrate the avant-garde or rehash the standard events, like "0.10" or the later "5 x 5 = 25" exhibition, but instead when it points up the unsteadiness and factionalism of the era. The last part of the show, particularly the final gallery with its figurative works, is the most remarkable because it is the least familiar, even though, like the rest of the exhibition, it is in serious need of trimming. To see the crisp, dark, brutal works of Aleksandr Deineka, the George Grosz-like watercolors of Yuri Pimenov, and even the pathetically painted fantasies of Aleksandr Tyshler is to get a broader feel for the period than is typically served up. There are other highlights in the show. One of them is the work of Lev Yudin, whose Cubist canvases and drawings are remarkably subtle and alive. Another is the work of Pavel Filonov, the best of whose crystalline compositions, derived from nature, are seemingly illuminated by an inner light. They are interestingly juxtaposed with the later figurative paintings of Malevich, with which they share a certain otherworldliness and spiritual intensity.
The section on photography is memorable for its description of the conflict between the so-called October group, which favored fragmentary, disorienting images, and the Revolutionary Society of Proletarian Photographers, whose more straightforward pictures conformed to the realist tastes of the Soviet rulers. The photographs of El Lissitzky, and especially those of Boris Ignatovich, with their vertiginous views of Leningrad harbor, seem to capture perfectly the avant-garde's idea of a world of dynamic forms and rhythms. Still, these are isolated works in an exhibition that overall fails to hang together. A team of 14 not always like-minded curators from three countries put together "The Great Utopia," and it shows. There is no clear unifying vision or purpose, no obvious reason why yet another examination of the subject was necessary. The event seems ultimately to be about nothing so much as its own intimidating size and the museum's diplomatic wheeling and dealing in obtaining lots of obscure works from lots of obscure places. The installation by Zaha Hadid, a kind of avant-garde theme park, is clever in the single case of a red zig-zagging wall that divides part of the museum ramp, but otherwise underscores the impression of superficiality. Time after time, as when Rodchenko's black-on-black paintings are hung on black walls, the design vies for attention with the art. The show's grandiosity and its insensitivity to what is on view inevitably reinforce persistent doubts about the Guggenheim's direction. Once more, the notoriously overcrowded and underedited survey of contemporary German paintings, organized several years ago at the museum, comes to mind. The Chagall exhibition suggests something else. It not only highlights the murals but also tells in extensive text panels about the Jewish Theater itself, which in the early years after the Revolution thrived under Government support as a place of raucous comedy and political satire.
Chagall's blend of Jewish imagery and modernist forms, influenced as they were by Cubism, is nowhere more sensitively and intricately realized than in these paintings. They are complemented by a room of preparatory sketches and other works, including later canvases done in Paris, which demonstrate how much his art, despite its lightheartedness, dealt in cultural memory and loss. Between this modest show and "The Great Utopia," there is surely a satisfying middle ground for ambitious exhibitions. The Guggenheim has yet to find it. "The Great Utopia: The Russian and Soviet Avant-Garde, 1915-1932," remains at the Guggenheim Museum, 88th Street and Fifth Avenue, Upper East Side, through Dec. 15. The show is supported by Lufthansa. Chagall's murals for the Jewish Theater remain at the SoHo Guggenheim, 575 Broadway, at Prince Street, through Jan. 17. Photos: A 1932 lithograph, "The Victory of Socialism in Our Country Is Guaranteed," by Gustav Klutsis, at the Guggenheim Museum.; Detail from one of Chagall's 1920 murals for the Jewish Theater in Moscow, at the Guggenheim in SoHo. (1992 Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation)
"Of all the arts, abstract painting is the most difficult. It demands that you know how to draw well, that you have a heightened sensitivity for composition and for colors, and that you be a true poet. This last is essential."
WASSILY KANDINSKY SYNOPSIS
One of the pioneers of abstract modern art, Wassily Kandinsky exploited the evocative interrelation between color and form to create an aesthetic experience that engaged the sight, sound, and emotions of the public. He believed that total abstraction offered the possibility for profound, transcendental expression and that copying from nature only interfered with this process. Highly inspired to create art that communicated a universal sense of spirituality, he innovated a pictorial language that only loosely related to the outside world, but expressed volumes about the artist's inner experience. His visual vocabulary developed through three phases, shifting from his early, representative canvases and their divine symbolism to his rapturous and operatic compositions, to his late, geometric and biomorphic flat planes of color. Kandinsky's art and ideas inspired many generations of artists, from his students at the Bauhaus to the Abstract Expressionists after World War II.
WASSILY KANDINSKY KEY IDEAS
Painting was, above all, deeply spiritual for Kandinsky. He sought to convey profound spirituality and the depth of human emotion through a universal visual language of abstract forms and colors that transcended cultural and physical boundaries.
Kandinsky viewed non-objective, abstract art as the ideal visual mode to express the "inner necessity" of the artist and to convey universal human emotions and ideas. He viewed himself as a prophet whose mission was to share this ideal with the world for the betterment of society.
Kandinsky viewed music as the most transcendent form of non-objective art - musicians could evoke images in listeners' minds merely with sounds. He strove to produce similarly object-free, spiritually rich paintings that alluded to sounds and emotions through a unity of sensation.
Artwork Description & Analysis: This breakthrough work is a deceptively simple image - a lone rider racing across a landscape - yet it represented a decisive moment in Kandinsky's developing style. In this painting, he demonstrated a clear stylistic link to the work of the Impressionists, like Claude Monet, particularly evident in the contrasts of light and dark on the sun-dappled hillside. The ambiguity of the form of the figure on horseback rendered in a variety of colors that almost blend together foreshadow his interest in abstraction. The theme of the horse and rider reappeared in many of his later works. For Kandinsky this motif signified his resistance against conventional aesthetic values as well as the possibilities for a purer, more spiritual life through art.
Oil on canvas - Private collection
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WASSILY KANDINSKY BIOGRAPHY
Childhood
Wassily (Vasily) Wassilyevich Kandinsky was born in 1866 in Moscow to well educated, upper-class parents of mixed ethnic origins. His father was born close to Mongolia, while his mother was a Muscovite, and his grandmother was from the German-speaking Baltic. The bulk of Kandinsky's childhood was spent in Odessa, a thriving, cosmopolitan city populated by Western Europeans, Mediterraneans, and a variety of other ethnic groups. At an early age, Kandinsky exhibited an extraordinary sensitivity toward the stimuli of sounds, words, and colors. His father encouraged his unique and precocious gift for the arts and enrolled him in private drawing classes, as well as piano and cello lessons. Despite early exposure to the arts, Kandinsky did not turn to painting until he reached the age of 30. Instead, he entered the University of Moscow in 1886 to study law, ethnography, and economics. In spite of the legal focus of his academic pursuits, Kandinsky's interest in color symbolism and its effect on the human psyche grew throughout his time in Moscow. In particular, an ethnographic research trip in 1889 to the region of Vologda, in northwest Russia, sparked an interest in folk art that Kandinsky carried with him throughout his career. After completing his degree in 1892, he started his career in law education by lecturing at the university.
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WASSILY KANDINSKY LEGACY
Kandinsky's work, both artistic and theoretical, played a large role in the philosophic foundation for later modern movements, in particular Abstract Expressionism and its variants like Color Field painting. His late, biomorphic work had a large influence on Arshile Gorky's development of a non-objective style, which in turn helped to shape the New York School's aesthetic. Jackson Pollock was interested in Kandinsky's late paintings and was fascinated by his theories about the expressive possibilities of art, in particular, his emphasis on spontaneous activity and the subconscious. Kandinsky's analysis of the sensorial properties of color was immensely influential on the Color Field painters, like Mark Rothko, who emphasized the interrelationships of hues for their emotive potential. Even the 1980s artists working in the Neo-Expressionist resurgence in painting, like Julian Schnabel and Philip Guston, applied his ideas regarding the artist's inner expression on the canvas to their postmodern work. Kandinsky set the stage for much of the expressive modern art produced in the twentieth century.
"Colour is the key. The eye is the hammer. The soul is the piano with its many chords. The artist is the hand that, by touching this or that key, sets the soul vibrating automatically."
"The true work of art is born from the 'artist': a mysterious, enigmatic, and mystical creation. It detaches itself from him, it acquires an autonomous life, becomes a personality, an independent subject, animated with a spiritual breath, the living subject of a real existence of being."
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India's heaviest rocket GSLV Mark III blasts off successfully HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times New Delhi, December 18, 2014 First Published: 09:35 IST(18/12/2014) | Last Updated: 10:09 IST(18/12/2014)
The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) launched its heaviest rocket GSLV-Mk III on Thursday at 9:30am from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
This comes less than three months after Isro successfully launched Mangalyaan – a spacecraft orbiting Mars – catapulting India to the elite league of nations who have successfully sent missions to the red planet.
GSLV Mk III is conceived and designed to make India fully self reliant in launching heavier communication satellites of INSAT-4 class, which weigh 4500 to 5000 kg. It would also enhance the capability of the country to be a competitive player in the multimillion dollar commercial launch market.
“It is an experimental mission of GSLV MkIII towards launching heavier satellites,’ Isro chairperson K Radhakrishnan told HT.
It is designed to be a three stage vehicle, with 42.4 m tall with a lift off weight of 630 tonnes.
“This is a suborbital flight, carrying a crew module which will go up to a height of 120 km and then descend,”
Space Applications Centre director Dr Kiran Kumar said: "There will be a crew module as a dummy payload and cryogenic engine for weight simulation. The experimental flight with the crew module in a spacecraft will test whether its heat shield can survive very high temperatures during its re-entry into the atmosphere.”
The MkIII will also test the recovery of a dummy crew module from sea. The success of the module will be the core for a future Human Space Project
A few years back Isro had carried out a similar experiment on a smaller scale in which the module had orbited around the earth for 15 days before entering back.
8 comments HindustanTimes coggocog
coggocog • 5 minutes ago
How many geosychronous satellites India needs? Railways are planning to stop concessional railways passes. Mostly students use them. Railways make four paisas per rupee. ISRO scientists, work for pittance. The best talent available for space science has been used for a long period of time. The final stage of manned mission, may take several years from now. Till that time, budgetary allocations, meager as they are, cannot sustain any gains achieved so far. Modi likes India to shine but he has no money after his defense spending. Add to that the cost of building one hundred smart cities, bullet trains serving only very rich and very connected folks of Mumbai and Ahmedabad, Gujarati-friends of Modi, Modi needs to rob banks. PSBs?
Something is wrong. I want to know. Don't you?
Hare Daridri Narayan!
...and I am Sid Harth
coggocog • 21 minutes ago
12 Financial Performance, 2013-14 38. Given the promising trend of loading, th e target has been scaled up to about 1052 million tonnes from th e budget target of 1047 m illion tonnes. However, the average lead of freight traffic is falling, an d is likely to be 622 km against budgeted 644.5 km. Yet, we are confid ent of surpassing the freigh t earnings target which has been increased to Rs 94,000 crore from Rs. 93,554 crore in Budget Estimates. Considering the trend of passe nger earnings, the revised target has been kept at Rs 37,500 crore. 39. There has been continuing strong inflationary pres sure on the input costs, especially the cost of fuel, both HSD Oil an d electrical energy. There has also been a higher than expected burden on account of significant fresh recruitment in many safety categories, additional dearness allowance for Railway employees and dearness relief for Railway pe nsioners. Yet, as a result of stringent and close monitoring, the increase un der Ordinary Working Expens es has been kept at a modest Rs 560 crore only. However, pensi on allocation requireme nts have gone up by a more significant Rs 2,000 crore. Dividend payment to General Revenues has also gone up by Rs 1,591c rore with the increase in the rate from 4% to 5%. 40. Considering the trend of earnings and expenditure, the revised plan outlay stands at Rs 59,359 crore. Operating Rati o of Railways is likely to be 90.8% as against budgeted target of 87.8%. 41. I would like to assure the House that continuing the ha ppy trend of 2012- 13, and in a marked improvement from the two earlier years, Rail ways will end the current year with surplus, and fund balances would increase from Rs 2,391 crore at the beginning of current fiscal to Rs 8,018 crore at the end of March, 2014. This is primarily attributable to strict fiscal discipline enforced by the organisation. Budget Estima tes, 2014-15 42. Madam, I shall now deal with the Budget Estimates for 2014-15. 43. Anticipating a healthier growth of economy, the fr eight traffic target is proposed at 1,101 million t onnes, an increment of 49.7 million tonnes over the current years’ revised target of about 1052 million tonnes. 44. The Budget Estimates for goods, passe nger, other coaching and sundry other earnings have been ke pt at Rs. 1,05,770 crore, Rs. 45,255 crore, Rs 4,200 crore and Rs. 5,500 crore resp ectively in 2014-15. The Gross Traffic Receipts have been projected at Rs. 1,60,775 crore. • Edit • Reply • Share › Avatar coggocog • 33 minutes ago
Budget at a Glance (Rs. in Crores) Sl. No AREA BE 2013-2014 RE 2013-2014 BE 2014-2015 1 Space Technology 3869.65 2964.96 4339.62 2 Space Applications 686.47 593.02 794.45 3 INSAT Operational 1580.21 1035.8 5 1448.21 4 Space Sciences 521.29 404.50 418.30 5 Direction & Administration and Other Programmes 134.38 173.67 237.42 Grand Total 6792.00 5172.00 7238.00
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in the Rajya Sabha today, but the ruling BJP has decided that it will not "not give an inch", said sources, on the opposition's demand for a statement from him on religious conversions.
Top leaders in the government decided not to give in to the opposition's demand after an assessment that the repeated calls for an intervention by the PM is an attempt to build a perception that he is not in control of members of his party and the government.
There are four working days left of the Winter session of Parliament and the government needs to push a number of key legislation, including major economic reforms. For days now, a united opposition has disrupted proceedings in the Rajya Sabha or Upper House of Parliament over various issues - including the repatriation of black money, hate speech by a BJP lawmaker and lately, the conversion issue.
It has rejected statements made by senior ministers, demanding that the PM come to the House and speak.
The BJP-led NDA government is in a minority in the Rajya Sabha and needs the support of other parties to push through Bills in that House. It expects a showdown on its key reform, the Insurance Bill, which 105 of the 250 lawmakers in the Upper House are opposed to, including the Congress' 66. Less than 70 support it.
The government, said sources, is even looking at the option of pushing the Insurance Bill, which seeks to raise a cap on foreign direct investment in insurance from existing 26 per cent to 49 per cent, as an Ordinance or executive order after the session if the logjam does not end.
Ahead of the session, the government had detailed 37 bills - most of which remain pending, including the Goods and Services Bill and the one to replace the Coal Ordinance.
The Goods and Services Bill is a major tax reform that requires a constitutional amendment to be approved by Parliament. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has worked long hours to bring states on board on the measure so that he can get Parliament's go-ahead in this session.
The union cabinet approved the GST bill last night. The government is expected to take the bill first for introduction to the Lok sabha where it is in majority.
The Opposition had made it clear at the start of the Winter session that it planned to block the government's efforts to move key legislation. It has managed to show rare unity in doing. The session ends on December 23, and most of the 22 sittings have been marred by opposition protests especially in the Rajya Sabha.
Source: NDTV
Cong blames it all on Modi's 'arrogance'
Sanjay K. Jha
New Delhi, Dec. 17: The Congress today blamed Narendra Modi's "ego and arrogance" for the continuing deadlock in the Rajya Sabha where key reform bills, including one on the insurance sector, are lined up for consideration. Sources said the government this morning had unambiguously conveyed to the Congress that the Prime Minister wouldn't participate in the debate on communal harmony as "he doesn't like to be repeatedly questioned on issues on which he has already clarified his stand". The Congress, on its part, told the government the upper House couldn't function unless the Prime Minister gave an assurance that the constitutional scheme on religious freedom would be respected. "The Opposition's demand for the Prime Minister's assurance to Parliament is reasonable. If he doesn't respond, the Opposition will not relent," Congress deputy leader in the House Anand Sharma said. The Prime Minister is not under any obligation to participate in a debate. But following the controversy over the recent "reconversion" of 350-odd minority slum-dwellers, the Opposition has decided to use the sensitive issue of harmony to mount pressure on the government and tell Modi that he would have to offer himself to parliamentary grilling. Congress leaders said Modi would have to understand that he could not treat Parliament the way he had treated the Gujarat Assembly. "Modi entered Parliament for the first time after becoming the Prime Minister and gave an emotional speech saying this was a temple for him," Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh told The Telegraph. "Now he does not want to even commit in Parliament that he will ensure constitutional principles are honoured. He never answered any question in the Gujarat Assembly and had his way by suspending the Opposition. This will not be possible here." Sharma said the government's "arrogance and obduracy" were "solely responsible" for the "stalemate" in the Rajya Sabha. "The Prime Minister believes in one-way communication. He doesn't like to be questioned. But the democratic narrative is never one way. He is the PM because there is a parliamentary system of governance and he will have to be answerable to Parliament," Sharma said. "We want to make it clear that the government should not and must not expect the Opposition will salute if he comes and speaks." Asked if the Opposition wouldn't allow the Rajya Sabha to function till the Prime Minister responded, he said: "I think we have made it abundantly clear." Sharma, who is leading the Opposition charge in the Rajya Sabha, referred to provocative statements by BJP MPs and ministers on conversions and other issues. "We know the statements are deliberately being made to create communal disturbances to divert the nation's attention from non-fulfilment of promises and mismanagement of the economy. The Prime Minister is complicit. This is happening by design, not default. We are worried things could worsen and hence we want a commitment and some demonstrable action by the Prime Minister before the (winter) session ends (next week)." Congress members debated Modi's record in the Gujarat Assembly after party MP Hanumantha Rao was suspended for the day for protesting in the House. They virtually challenged the Chair's ruling, arguing that the member was not even in the well when he was named. "I was only asking why couldn't the PM come to the House as he was very much in Parliament," Rao said. "There is no question of apology. The allegation that I used foul language is false." Modi will have to come to the Rajya Sabha tomorrow as Thursday's Question Hour relates to the Prime Minister's Office. The Opposition is determined not to allow the Question Hour till he speaks on communal disturbances first.
'Governance day' rider
- What can we do if Atalji was born on Xmas, asks Naidu
Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi, Dec. 17: The Centre today said Christmas would be celebrated along with Atal Bihari Vajpayee's birthday as "Good Governance Day" on December 25 and hit out at the Opposition for trying to politicise the issue. "What can I do if my great former Prime Minister was born on Christmas Day, which is a holiday? Can I change it?" an agitated parliamentary affairs minister Venkaiah Naidu said in the Lok Sabha after the Opposition accused the Centre of overshadowing Christmas with Vajpayee's birthday. Naidu was replying on the government's behalf despite the presence of HRD minister Smriti Irani, who sat looking upset. At one point, she rose and shouted at the Opposition as it accused the Centre of lying and misleading the House. "Christmas will be celebrated and Vajpayeeji's birthday will also be celebrated as 'Good Governance Day'. There is no question of changing any of these two programmes," Naidu said, reading from a circular. He asserted the government was in no way disrespecting Christmas. "There is no contradiction, there is no disrespect for Christmas." The Opposition, however, staged a walkout, alleging that the Centre was "lying" about earlier circulars asking its educational institutions to observe "Good Governance Day". Before that, Naidu and Mallikarjun Kharge got into a spat when the Congress's House leader alleged that the government was driven by the "RSS's" agenda, prompting a swipe from the minister at the Gandhis. "Sangh ka saath, parivar ka vinaash (Going with the RSS will spell disaster for the family)," Kharge said, perhaps alluding to the BJP as a "family". Naidu shot back saying: "Family ka saath, Congress ka vinaash, desh ka vinaash (Going with the family leads to the Congress' destruction, the country's destruction)." The Congress later threatened a privilege motion against Naidu and Smriti for misleading the House over the earlier HRD ministry circulars. Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia said the circulars were sent to the Navodaya Vidyalayas, Kendriya Vidyalayas and institutes like the IITs and IIMs, and accused the Centre of lying about them now. The Lok Sabha functioned normally after the walkout, unlike the Rajya Sabha which could not, stalled by the rows over conversions and Christmas.
Sycophants or coteries, not Modi's cup of tea
Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi, Dec. 17: The Prime Minister has made plain his distaste for sycophants and coteries. Addressing BJP MPs yesterday, Narendra Modi - known to be forthright with party colleagues - said he had no favourites, did not believe in encouraging hangers-on or in playing one against another, and preferred to meet people in "large" groups than in one's and two's. Modi made it clear he was against those who were using their alleged "proximity" to him to foster their ambitions. Nobody quite figured out who he was referring to or in what context he was speaking. Those who have worked with him for long confirmed he was a "transparent" person. "He has clear likes and dislikes and makes them obvious with just one glance," a source said. In 2010, when the RSS began to promote the BJP's regional heavyweights as potential central leaders, one of its objectives was to undermine the "power" of an entrenched Delhi cabal helmed by veteran L.K. Advani. For the decade or more that he headed the BJP, although with small breaks, Advani put together a team that once included Modi. But Advani denied the regional leaders the space they sought in the national arena. The RSS first experimented by anointing Maharashtra's Nitin Gadkari as party president. But he was done in by the Delhi lobby. Modi, who had worked for a while in Delhi and was familiar with its power dynamics, proved a different kettle of fish. He held his own against Advani, Sushma Swaraj and others and it fell on him to take the place of the cabal. In many interviews before taking over as Prime Minister, Modi said he would break the "status quo" of "vested interests" controlling Delhi. A source said Modi probably intended embarking on his "mission" with his own party.
PM peps up team to do 'image control'
- BJP arms to stub out rival 'theories'
Radhika Ramaseshan
(From left) BJP MPs Niranjan Jyoti, Sakshi Maharaj, Savitri Bai Phoole, Yogi Adityanath and Uma Bharati. Pictures by Prem Singh
New Delhi, Dec. 17: Narendra Modi today told some of his senior ministers "we have done nothing wrong" in a pep talk that sources said was aimed at spurring them into action to counter the Opposition's "propaganda". The meeting came in the wake of controversies over "reconversions", abusive comments about minorities and calls to declare the Bhagvad Gita a "national text" that, the sources said, had coalesced to foster a perception that the BJP-led regime had allowed sectarian issues to overwhelm governance. The Rajya Sabha, where the ruling NDA is in a minority, remained paralysed today as the Opposition insisted the Prime Minister make a statement that constitutional freedoms would be respected. The morning meeting of the BJP and the Centre's core political group came in this backdrop. "We have not committed a sin. We have done nothing wrong, so we need not worry," Modi was quoted as telling Arun Jaitley, M. Venkaiah Naidu, Sushma Swaraj, Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari - the ministers who heard him out. BJP sources privy to the interaction - that routinely takes place every morning before Parliament starts - said they were "given to understand" that Modi appeared "concerned" about the potential damage to his image as well as that of his government's and, therefore, their political reflexes ought to kick in. "The Opposition is making a concerted effort to project a picture that India is obscurantist, that communal forces have gained an upper hand after the regime change," a minister said. The sub-text of the collective anxiety that a number of BJP seniors and ministers shared was that the international press, particularly the western media, would lap up such "negative" projections "to vindicate the half-truths and lies it had peddled about the BJP and Modi all these years". Sources said what the government fears more is that the "soft power", disseminated through the "Left-Liberal" portrayals of the government, particularly in its ramped-up social media posts, might eventually revive the "biases" of western establishments against Modi after they had "just about warmed up" to him. In the prelude to the summer elections, Modi's fans had created hash-tags on Twitter that pitched him as India's only hope to save the country from the Congress's "ruinous" clutches. The tables have turned since. Modi's cheerleaders, such as author activist Madhu Kishwar, have become defensive and even combative over certain ministerial appointments while his foes have a field day on social media. Coupled with the Hindutva themes, gingered up with disputed statements from saffron-clad "sadhus" and "sadhvis", Modi's neo-converts from a space that was anti-Congress but uncomfortable with the RSS-VHP's "extremism" have been getting increasingly restive with the government's "lethargy" on implementing big-ticket economic reforms. A recent in-camera meet of industry body CII heard many business leaders complain how their expectations weren't even close to being met. With the insurance, GST and coal bills hanging in mid-air because of the Opposition's and the ruling party's intransigence over breaking the deadlock in the Rajya Sabha, the view of a go-slow on reforms could gain strength, sources said. Among the government's first moves was persuading the RSS's Dharam Jagran Samanwaya Vibhag to call off its "reconversion" ceremony on December 25 when the Sangh offspring had planned to "reconvert" Aligarh's Christians to Hinduism. Sources said the government asked senior RSS officials to prevail upon the Samanwaya Vibhag's organisers to cancel their show. "We had no choice but to obey the orders from the top," Aligarh convenor Brajesh Kantak said. "We erred in not presenting our arguments properly. We are not people who trample over the Indian Constitution, we are patriots who hold the book on our heads." On Monday night, the outfit decided to call off the programme.
Written by Shikha Sharma | New Delhi | Posted: December 16, 2014 11:09 am
An administrative officer of St Stephen’s College, who has been suspended, has filed a petition in the High Court contesting that it was beyond the powers of the college principal to suspend an employee without the authority and approval of the college governing body. The officer, Subha Kumar Dash, in his petition also accused Principal Valson Thampu of trying to convert him to Christianity. Without going into the details of the alleged conversion attempt, Dash produced copies of the correspondence between him and Thampu and alleged that he was harassed and victimised by the principal. Dash claimed that this has caused a lot of mental agony to him and his family. Thampu has denied the allegations. Pointing out that he has been working with St Stephen’s College since 1973, Thampu said, “I have not converted anyone or discussed religion with anyone. He is being coerced by certain parties to do this. My stand on conversion is in the public domain.” The principal claimed that Dash has been suspended for “gross misconduct” and was an “alcoholic”. Thampu said he was playing the communal card to obfuscate the issue. According to sources, the college governing body has also decided to advance its meeting to December 19 from January 16 to look into the matter and take appropriate action. Many believe that the meeting was advanced so that the governing body could approve Dash’s suspension before the case comes up in court. Refusing to divulge details about the advancement of the governing body meeting, Thampu said he has full faith in the governing body to take the right decision. On December 10, Thampu had issued the suspension order, citing “gross misconduct that includes sending derogatory and defamatory SMSes to the administration, to the college community and those outside; making wild and baseless allegations of a serious nature against administration; and refusing to comply with the instructions given to you…”.
- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/stephens-official-in-hc-seeks-to-revoke-his-suspension/#sthash.WJG2mgWt.dpuf
26 mins ago - Subha Kumar Dash Conversion Story Stephen's official in HC, seeks to revoke his suspension 0 Google + 0 0 Comments Email Print Keystone XL Support ...
NEW DELHI: Suspended administrative officer of St Stephen's College, Subha Kumar Dash, moved Delhi high court on Monday after he was barred from campus. He challenged the suspension order, saying it was illegal as it had been passed without the approval of the college's governing body, and also sought an injunction against any action by the college's governing body.
Incidentally, the governing body is meeting on December 19. A member said it was originally scheduled for January 15 next year, but principal Valson Thampu pre-poned it. "Once the principal got to know of the petition, he managed to advance the date. Now an emergency meeting has been convened on December 19 to discuss the matter related to the AO, and in case the GB upholds the suspension, the matter in the court will be rendered infructuous," the member said on condition of anonymity. Thampu couldn't be reached for a reaction. Dash was served a suspension notice by Thampu on December 10. A day earlier, he had alleged that there were financial irregularities in the college and that principal Valson Thampu had tried to convert him to Christianity.
In another letter to the college administration on Saturday, Dash alleged that non-Christian administrative staffers have been replaced by Christians whose irregularities are being deliberately overlooked despite being pointed out.
The letter also alleged that Thampu gave his own example of converting to Christianity despite coming from an Iyengar Brahmin family, and that Thampu's wife pleaded with his wife not to make the conversion issue public fearing that would tarnish the image of her husband.
Stephen’s official in HC, seeks to revoke his suspension
Written by Shikha Sharma | New Delhi | Posted: December 16, 2014 11:09 am
An administrative officer of St Stephen’s College, who has been suspended, has filed a petition in the High Court contesting that it was beyond the powers of the college principal to suspend an employee without the authority and approval of the college governing body.
The officer, Subha Kumar Dash, in his petition also accused Principal Valson Thampu of trying to convert him to Christianity.
Without going into the details of the alleged conversion attempt, Dash produced copies of the correspondence between him and Thampu and alleged that he was harassed and victimised by the principal. Dash claimed that this has caused a lot of mental agony to him and his family.
Thampu has denied the allegations. Pointing out that he has been working with St Stephen’s College since 1973, Thampu said, “I have not converted anyone or discussed religion with anyone. He is being coerced by certain parties to do this. My stand on conversion is in the public domain.”
The principal claimed that Dash has been suspended for “gross misconduct” and was an “alcoholic”. Thampu said he was playing the communal card to obfuscate the issue.
According to sources, the college governing body has also decided to advance its meeting to December 19 from January 16 to look into the matter and take appropriate action. Many believe that the meeting was advanced so that the governing body could approve Dash’s suspension before the case comes up in court.
Refusing to divulge details about the advancement of the governing body meeting, Thampu said he has full faith in the governing body to take the right decision.
On December 10, Thampu had issued the suspension order, citing “gross misconduct that includes sending derogatory and defamatory SMSes to the administration, to the college community and those outside; making wild and baseless allegations of a serious nature against administration; and refusing to comply with the instructions given to you…”.
Conversion row hits posh St Stephen’s College in Delhi involving Principal Valson Thampu
Summary St Stephen’s College has revoked the suspension of an administrative officer, over a conversion row…
St Stephen’s College has revoked the suspension of an administrative officer, over a conversion row, after acting against him last week for alleged misconduct even as his plea challenging the order is pending before High Court. The officer, Subhash Kumar Dash, had moved High Court challenging his suspension and accusing St Stephen’s principal Valson Thampu of trying to convert him to Christianity. “I revoke the suspension order served in order to make room for college Governing Body (GB) to take independent view of the matter pertaining to you (Dash). You shall, hence, rejoin duty with immediate effect,” Thampu said in an official communication to Dash yesterday. The matter is scheduled to be discussed by the GB tomorrow. Dash was suspended by Valson on charges of engaging in “gross misconduct” and sending derogatory and defamatory SMSes to the administration and to the college community under the influence of alcohol. His petition in High Court, which was listed before Justice Hima Kohli, was yesterday transferred to another bench as the judge recused herself from hearing the matter since she was an alumna of St Stephen’s. “The suspension has been revoked so that the GB can examine the issue with an unbiased perspective,” Thampu said. However, he refused to comment on whether the revocation had come after Dash also sought an injunction against any action by the GB. Meanwhile, Thampu has posted a series of SMSes exchanged between him, Dash and other members of the governing body on the college’s website. “It does not take any special expertise to know that such SMSes cannot be sent by a man in his senses. To add insult to injury, he has now accused me of trying to convert him forcibly,” Thampu said. “This is clearly an attempt to communalise the issue and to intimidate me. Communalism is utterly incompatible with the liberal, catholic ethos of St Stephen’s College, which shall, in no wise, be compromised,” he added. Read Full Text of Principal’s Statement: WHY MR. SUBHA KUMAR DASH WAS SUSPENDED Now that the matter in a warped one-sided form has been taken to the public space- Mr. Dash has been conducting himself in a pathetic fashion for some time. He sends out SMS-es the contents of which, as per his own admission to the Principal, he has no control over. An SMS received from Mr. Deepak Mukarji, member of the Governing Body, after seeing the Hindustan Times report puts the matter in perspective. I quote- “Dash goes on “benders”. Drinks sporadically till he is senseless and then spews sms to one and all. The first time this happened I called him to check. He was so sloshed he could hardly speak. When he recovered, he called to apologies and sore ”never again”. He was on probation then. Since then I have received SMS only twice. And he doesn’t take calls after sending out rubbish. Happy to swear an affidavit to this if it helps, but don’t have specific date record. Also have changed mobiles.” Deepak Some of the SMS-es sent to me and to others are quoted below- SMS at 8. 34 pm Sir, due to tremendous mental pressure and depression caused by dre. Satis. The bursar of college and the agony caused which I have informed to you in writing also. No actions has been initiated. My family has gone to extremely depression. The onus will be on college authority in case something happened. Because my family is upset with abnormal behaviour by my superior. I pray you to think and advise the authority. Thanks pray for the life of me and my family. Mr. dash and family. To this I replied via SMS from Kerala on 1 November 2014, especially noticing that Mr. Dash has been sharing the SMS with others. Subha, you must learn to compose yourself. While are a good worker, you tend to fly off the handle for no reason whatsoever. I hope you are not sending senseless emails to all and sundry. The Bursar is a statutory authority appointed by the GB. He is also in charge of the college in my absence. All courtesies will be extended to him. Principal This evoked the following SMS response from Mr. Dash at 2. 20 pm on 1 November 2014 Sirs the confirmation has been received from hdfc that activation of gateway exists regarding online payment of teaching vacancies. Mr. Dash, AO. And also I was not at all expecting that with all humility I complained the harassment dohe in front of peons but instead me and my family were advised to continue with such harassment and respect the employee who is doing so. Thanks for the justice which is astonishing for an employee like me. AO. In view of the fact that the AO was copying his SMS-es to people outside the college also, I sent him the following advice via SMS from Kerala at 3. 02 pm on 1 November 2014. I didn’t say that. I disapprove your sending sms to anyone, complaining. If you have any grievance, it can be brought to me. You don’t know how people laugh at you because of your sms-es. I am advising you not to make yourself ridiculous. Principal. Mr. Dash responsed as follows, via SMS, at 3. 27 pm on 1 November 2014 Sir sorry to submit that I have done such work for college including personal works for head of institution without thinking about family till midnight. You know well. I have never asked any favour or remuneration in this regard. AT the same time few people laughs at my sms as they re compensated for it and few people also have compassion to me and my depressed family the way I have been harassed. I was not even now also assured that my life or my family disturbance will be taken care of. I only complained regarding misbehavior by the authority being the bursar. However I was directed to respect the harasser. I presume that asking justice from head regarding harassment will come as well planned weapons for me. Thanks for your advise. AO. This was followed by yet another SMS by Mr. Dash at 9. 12 pm on 1 November 2014. Sirs 2.5 crores was disinvested and others investment regarding scholarships was not taken care of being government money and they were clapped in governing body rather they should have been issued show cause notice but the reason best known to you they went on vrs. While others are given memo instructed to follow ms Sabyia ji to be a laughing stock. You know very well that I don’t allow any one to misappropriate government money or personal money. I have informed you regarding this that mr. moon has done this but you chose to be silent and I was reprimanded for this to disclose. If I am ignorant to point out all this then pl let me know what shoul I do. It is my duty to inform all such misappropriation. Thanks. Copy kept for ecw. In response these allegations, the Principal sent the following instruction via SMS to Mr. Dash at 11.04 am on 2 November 2014. Subha, the allegations you have levelled are very serious. You are hereby required to formulate the same in the form of a proper complaint, supported with documents and all relevant details. I propose to set up an inquiry into it. Treat this as urgent. Principal. To this Mr. Dash responded at 11. 14 am on 2 November 2014, via SMS. Yes, sir I have documents with me. I will abide by your instructions in this regard once I recover from mental tension for which I am visiting doctor tomorrow. AO. This was followed by another SMS at 2. 38 pm on 2 November 2014 Sir with reference to my communications regarding advt to be published I have not received any approval I am compelled to inform regarding ad as I am not the authority to go ahead with ad. I am under mental pressure and therefor without approval I cannot go with ad since it involved financial implications. I confirmed regarding ad thinking that I will be allowed in writing but till now I have not received any communications in writing. The blame should not come to me as I am bedridden due to depression. Even though I am vising doctor still I serve for college. Thanks. Sir, Me and my family are so oppressed by you and if something happened to our families you are responsible for the consequences because we tried dto give financial irregularities but write to you that we should go to inform you but we were informed to shut our mouth. If something happened to me and my families you are responsible for this. I tried to inform you but you choice to not to take my call beuase the reasons well known to you. God grae. AO. In response the Principal instructed the AO as follows at 11. 03 pm on 2 November 2014. You were instructed NOT to send any SMS to me. You are in willful defiance. You are once again strictly ordered not to send me SMS. Principal Thereafter Mr. Dash addressed the following SMS at 11. 35 pm on 2 November 2014 to the Principal’s wife with copy to the Principal Madam I am also facing the consequences since I open the financial irregularities of college. Instead I am victimized for this. Pl help me since me and my family are in distress. If something happened to me and my family the aggravating effect rest on the principal and dr. Satish kkumar. Mr. Dash and Ms. Alka. The SMS continued- Sorry to inform that you contacted me through message since u instructed me to look after your wife and married daughter and mr. Mathews families leaves behind my family and my ailing mother. Because you want to take care of yourself and ghosts who helped you in allowed misappropriation of government money. Since I point out I M blamed to point out I am deployed to look out all dirty wirk for your daughter marriage. Tell me ia Any ao is instructed to do so such work. Copy kept for gb. Nhrc. Police commissioner. To inform that you cannot escape from this fact. You used my personal car without any payment for your daughter to go to beauty parlour. Mr das. Copy to gb, mhrc, eow and all members of family. SMS received on 14 November 2014 at 9.04 pm Sirs, due to continued harassments by you and others involved including your office staffs Iand my family are constraint to be under extremely depression and to inform sir if anything happened to the onus and responsibilities goes to you. Dr. grace Valson. Dr. Sarh vason dr. Satish kumar. Mr. Deepak mukarji and other related to punishment without finding truth. I have pointed out the financial irregularities and I am facing action only because I pointed out irregular things and I should not have pointed out. I again submit that if something happened to me and my families to your life you and your family are responsible for this because youwant us to go to certain extent. I pray for college and for you not to aggravate. Ao. —————– It does not take any special expertise to know that such SMS-es cannot be sent by a man in his senses. To add insult to injury he has now accused the Principal of trying to convert him forcibly. This is clearly an attempt to communalize the issue and to intimidate the Principal. Communalism is utterly incompatible with the liberal, catholic ethos of St. Stephen’s College, which shall, in no wise, be compromised. It is a pity that the situation is being distorted out of recognition and, if the indication in Mr. Dash’s claims are right (which well be not the case), those encouraging the delinquent employee to walk the path of self–destruction through alcohol is an embarrassment to the College. The Chairman of the Governing Body has approved the action taken by the Principal. PRINCIPAL
NEW DELHI: In a sudden and unexpected turn of events, the principal of St Stephen's College Valson Thampu revoked the suspension order of administrative officer Subha Kumar Dash stating that the matter will now be discussed by the governing body on Friday. Meanwhile, the petition in Delhi high court challenging the suspension and alleging conversion attempt by Thampu was transferred to another bench of the court on Wednesday. The matter will be heard on Thursday.
The petition, which was listed before Justice Hima Kohli, was transferred as she recused herself from hearing the matter since she was a student of St Stephen's.
Thampu said, "I revoked the suspension order so that the governing body can take an independent and unbiased view on the matter. If I don't revoke the suspension, the body may feel obliged to honour it. Also, I won't attend the meeting scheduled for December 19."
Earlier in the day Dash lodged a protest with Thampu for sending cops to his house to "persuade" him for a "compromise". College sources said Dash wrote the letter to the principal asking him to desist from misusing police to intimidate him.
Thampu, however, refuted the allegations and said he never wanted to take disciplinary action. "But my hands are tied. I wrote a letter to the police on November 17 to help him in de-addiction and also counsel him because my advice went unheeded. A senior teacher, Ashutosh Mathur, from Sanskrit department also counseled him without any results," he said.
A section of teachers and college staff believe the suspension was revoked deliberately to negate a possibility of an injunction by the HC on Thursday against the government body meeting. Thampu has put out two detailed notes regarding the issue on the college website, including some SMSs exchanged between him and other members of the governing body regarding Dash.
Dash refused to comment on whether he will withdraw his petition and said his legal counsel will decide on action to be taken before the HC.
The Delhi gang rape protests looked like anarchy. Initially the protests were peaceful but later it became violent, protesters even killed one police man. 99.5% Non-Muslim people were protesting against Congress government and asking for the rapists to be hanged. But government doesn't have the power to hang anyone. It is the job of the judiciary. They even demanded changes in rape laws which again is not in the hands of the government and cannot be done overnight, its in the hands of the parliament. So the logical thing would have been to protest outside the parliament and Delhi high court. Every country no matter how democratic it may be tries to suppress protesters. USA and countries of Europe are very harsh on such protests. The congress government was very patient and lenient that they allowed protests to continue for so many days in spite of the protests causing law and order problem, disrupting transportation, death of police man etc... The rape victim and her boy friend were wounded and unconsciously lying on the road side for hours. People who saw them did not do anything, they just watched them and moved ahead. So people who saw them didn't even call an ambulance, for hours they were lying on the road side. That was precious time for the victim, the rape victim could have survived had any one called the ambulance instantly. Why didn't the protesters protest against those people ? Hypocrisy isn't it. They protested against the Congress government as if the government was god like and controlled everything. Congress government handled the situation very well, their hands were tied government can never punish any one its the job of judiciary and congress doesn't control judiciary, its a separate institution but those goons were protesting and threatening the government to hang the rapists, how absurd when government doesn't have the power to do so. Protesters should have attacked the parliament, overthrown the constitution and then hang the rapists instead of protesting against the Congress.
Honestly these Hindu girls just need a reason to show their body. They just find a reason to expose their skin and get some attention.
This is extremely unacceptable she didn't get any other piece of cloth, using Indian flag in such a way is highly objectionable . Totally disrespecting our Indian flag. Protesting against rape or provoking rape ?
See that Hindu girl in the middle. Did you notice what she has written on her poster ? "Just because I show my legs doesn't mean I spread them" This girl has proved us right that Hindu girls love to show their body. Using such obscene language shows her characterand lack of good family values and morals. In a moment of grief using such language wont do any good to anyone except spreading vulgarity.
The girl above is concerned about skirt and defending short and revealing clothes. First these girls willingly wear revealing clothes to expose their skin and to attract men then say my clothes are not responsible. Truly European and American culture has overshadowed Indian culture.
Look at her she is saying - "Ignore my lipstick and listen to what i am trying to tell ......" . I never paid attention to your lips but you made be look at them by saying so. Isn't it stupid first you are dressing to show and seek attention then saying don't look. Is she protesting, does it look from her face that she is sad ? In a sad moment she is smiling away and using that platform to seek attention, having a happy photo session, this is Hindu girl for you.
Flipping the middle finger, such an indecent gesture which is unacceptable in any civilized society. Clearly as we have said before and say it again western and European culture has replaced the Indian culture. Non-Muslim girls totally adopting western culture and kicking Indian values.
The girl with that big poster says -"If I am a woman and if I walk nude on the road then also you dont have any right to rape me". Wearing indecent clothes is not enough to grab attention now they are considering roaming naked on the road. Now if you roam naked on the road and if something happens to you then you can't say, it was't my fault, even if legally you are not guilty morally you will be and that's exactly what they have forgotten 'morals'.
So the girl is justifying drinking. Mini skirts to expose more body, looks concerned short clothes doesn't get banned. Being out at night- Who wants to go into lions den? This is actually stupid when you know in most cases Indian streets are not safe at night all kinds of junkies, criminals and drunken people roam at night, knowingly why e.do you want to get into trouble If the streets were safe at night like they are in places like UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar then who is stopping you from roaming at night and it is impossible for the police to secure every inch of the city but the problem is that these girls want to copy European and American girls in each and every sphere of life.
In fact there are many girls like her who justify drinking. This is what they need to see. These are statistics of USA, the country which they try to copy. Drug use, especially alcohol, is frequently involved in rape. A study reported detailed findings related to tactics. In 47% of such rapes, both the victim and the perpetrator had been drinking. In 17%, only the perpetrator had been. 7% of the time, only the victim had been drinking. Rapes where neither the victim nor the perpetrator had been drinking were 29% of all rapes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_statistics#United_States So even in a country like USA most of the time rape occurs when either the victim or the perpetrator or both the victim and the perpetrator are drunk.
"Kapde Nahi Soch Badlo" Kapdo ki kitni chinta hai. Pehle ye apna jism dikhati hai, aise kapde pehanti hai jisme mard inki taraf nazar dale unko dekhe aur fir bolti hai sooch badlo wah wah wah. Rape victim ki chinta karne k bajaye kapdo ki chinta kar rahi hai.
"Telling us what to wear ask your sons not to rape" Yet another girl instead of condoling the rape and protesting against it concerned about clothes.
"Don't tell me how to dress" Another Hindu girl concerned that no one lays objection on her clothes, her revealing clothes doesn't get snatched. Again in a moment of grief just concerned about clothes.
Looks very raged concerned about her body basically indicating she has the right to wear anything she wants, she has the right to expose her body. Again lack of good family values.
Buddhist girl saying - "don't look at me with pervert eyes". If you are so concerned then why don 't you wear something modest put on hijab and dump the jeans.
Final words:
This is an ambivalent attitude of women, they amble wearing skimpiest of dresses but don't expect to be watched by unpleasant person but they want to be ogled by selected men whom they like. Everybody will see the chicken with same eyes, its like showing a red rag to a bull and expecting it to be calm and composed, its the nature no one can control, ask yourself ,don't you feel amorous when u see an extraordinary handsome guy, if its not happening seriously its time for medical checkup.
Its funny, saying we will wear anything we want but don't stare at us is biggest paradoxical statement I have ever heard. You think men are feeling-less eunuchs, when they see a woman in figure revealing clothes, they don't feel anything or get provoked? The word “provocative clothes” can you think into why it was named so?
You are trying to confront a basic feeling with which people are born with – hunger, thirst, a need to be recognized, carnal pleasures etc.. are needs of a man. You cant say I will put an aromatic Biryani in front of a hungry person and yet expect him to move over and blame him entirely for trying to have at least a spoon of it. The blame is shared, men for trying to have something not his, and the person who put it in front of him to have incited the act.
While wearing clothes, for both men and women, as per the very natural instincts they will always think that how the opposite sex would find them- attractive, beautiful, hot etc. Now here is the point, if the opposite sex would not find them attractive they would be highly disappointed. So subconsciously or consciously they would want the Men to look at them. Its obvious that the men would look at the revealing body parts as it attracts them. Thinking is something which we cannot predict, as both men and women sometimes may have wrong notions about each other by seeing the appearance, for example; a guy wearing sleeveless t-shirt or an undershirt outside, would be considered by lots of women as showing off his body or a hoodlum. which may not be the case. thinking inside the brain we cannot change. There is a lot of hypocrisy in India.
Non-Muslim girls surely wear clothes to please themselves and also to attract the attention of other men, no girl can ever deny that (except for those who are lesbian or homosexual), but still if men look or feel aroused, they will quickly judge them, paradoxical. Knowingly sometimes they would arouse or provoke men but then as per women, men should not look or pass comments. Its a fact that sometimes some non-Muslim women really like to show off their body same as like some men. Here women can look pass comments and have fun and even tease, but if a man looks then its an insult for them and as per women, men should not do that, this is really contradictory.
So this is the logic of Indian non-Muslim women - "I will wear a micro mini skirt even to the extent that u can see my undergarment but you will not get aroused, its not meant for you, I can dress up the way i want." So does she dresses up like that to please herself or her female friends? See how hypocrite, double standard and contradictory Indian non-Muslim women are.
It seems as if now Indian men before leaving their homes everyday should pray to God that please don't show me girls in less clothes as it diverts attention and causes hormonal tides which could get us in trouble. Its not easy for a decent person to control his amorous thought, he has to fight really hard to avoid spiking testosterone and adrenalin level. Its a humble request to non-Muslim women that please let us live peacefully by wearing decent clothes.
These non-Muslim girls say that they can do what ever they want, they can go to night clubs, pubs, bars even at 12'o clock at night, they can even drink consume alcohol but no men has the right to stare at them or say anything to them. So basically they want to do all kinds of dirty activities and still expect men to not even look at them.
These girls say that they are very open minded but actually they are closed minded because they don't want to change themselves they say they can do anything they want they can even roam naked on the road and wear anything its their choice. They can do all the immodest and dirty activities like drinking going to pubs etc . They don't want to change themselves and even if someone advises them to dress decently and be modest they get raged and on the other hand they want men to entirely change themselves, shows how closed minded they are. Its like 'you do everything and I will do nothing and still I will get all the salary'.
Even if the police or anybody else tells them don't roam on roads after 11'o clock they get fumed. See the closed mindedness here. This is not Europe this is India and Indian roads are not safe at night, all kinds of criminals and junkies roam on roads at night and its impossible for police to secure each and every inch of the city. These girls are trying hard to copy western culture. In Europe and USA I have seen there is very little difference between day and night as opposed to most Indian cities which remains totally shut at night and looks like ghost cities.
The blame is shared, men for trying to have something not his, and the person who put it in front of him to have incited the act. They are fighting against the basic human nature and can never win. This is where Islam is such a great religion. In Islam women are not allowed to dress indecently like non-Muslims girls do. Muslim women cover themselves and live with dignity. Even more than 1400 years ago Islam rightly suggested women to cover themselves and dress modestly which is the need of the hour even today in India.
Non-Muslim girls in India carry out indecent protests, Slut Walks are on a rise. These kind of protests are not going to solve the problem except spreading indecency. Slut Walk is useless, it started from Canada and USA and it couldn't the problem there how can it solve the problem in India, USA is still a country where highest number of rapes occur. In such protests they only blame others like hypocrites using vulgar comments and fail to put forward any kind of solution, blaming others is not going to solve the problem. Rape hypocrisy is not going to solve the problem. The only solution is that they learn some modesty and decency in dressing and dump all the Western activities like night clubs, discos, drinking liquor etc. They should shape themselves according to India, live accordingly and not try to copy the west. If this doesn't stop then Sharia law would be the only solution. http://indianmuslimpost.blogspot.in/2013/01/sharia-law-can-stop-rapes-and-crimes.html
that girl who is saying ust because I show my legs doesn't mean I spread them. Seeming like she likes she takes care of her legs and spread them to take big muslim tools just as most hindu girls do. She is acting like bch
Not surprised concerning this is coming from someone whose final messenger is proved to be a narcissist, a misogynist, a rapist, a paedophile, a lecher, a torturer, a mass murderer, a cult leader, an assassin, a terrorist, a mad man and a looter. Source: US $50,000 challenge from alisina.org http://www.faithfreedom.org/?page_id=49 https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1UAkwfGX4ZQTQhYz5YmAFTn6YO-QmEr3vgMIa_t5XIR8
why do muslim have perist while having sex with virgin wifes.just because girls are said as sins of men in islam and do muslim respect their mom! why muslim mens hate to let girls to study and hesitate to questions raised aganist them like why muslim girls alloed to have sex slave. Im a muslim toooo...
What these girls say is 100% right. What will you do idiot if someone cuts your dick or castrate you...Likewise rape is imposed on to a girl cause of people with shit and ghatiya mentality like yours... Be reasonable always thinking about sex and fuck is what is problem of you people. And let me tell you that no culture is being devalued in my country although clothing and all do change with time. You should adapt to these changes and I am dead sure that most of these girls are more cultured and much more decent than you. What they are pointing out is just and what you are pointing out shows your values and how much you people respect women. Its sorry to state that your education is completely wasted as it could not teach you about human nature and the rights of girls and women to do as they want as much as you fucking do what you want. And what if a girl exposes herself. Its because she is comfortable in that attire not because she seeks attention from perverts like you people. And if people like you will come out moral policing and again subduing women of this country let me tell you that you will be flushed out of society like a worm. Just dont forget that 45% of our population is young and open minded like these girls above... you better not mess with them...
Being a girl, I admire the first picture shown above. Here on the left a dark girl exposing her body is shown. She is sexiest girl. I envy her. Although I am also dark,but did not get an opportunity to expose like her. I would like to know her name. My bfs also want to know her name. Sexiest girl. Miss Shubha
Hindus in India only try to copy dress & night club culture from western civilization but do not want be educated, disciplined & laborious like western people...Thats the major problem...Hindus have become half western and half Indian...Secondly these medieval minded muslims in India do not want to progress in life & always blames west for everything on Earth..Stick to Indian culture and adopt western work culture....
Why do you criticize Hindus. Yes we are open minded and working hard towards progress. Why are Muslims so backward in all segments in India. Why they lack education. While Sikhs and Christians are doing amazing. India holds you in regard and Muslims often shame this humanity with terrorism and such stupid comments.
Hate to say. This blog shows a primitive male supremacist thinking which is backward. Indecent - moreover the 1 picture you have posted is a model. You Muslims crush women and hold them back. You Muslims kill women in name of honor killings - 'just based on suspicion'. How convenient. I think you should get some education. And keep this post here. It only displays your disgusting narrow minded thinking. Any ways how do you know these women are Hindus. I have a friend who is Muslim and she was in one of these marches.
Never read anything more ridiculous?! This is not a Muslim Vs Hindu Vs 'any other religion' issue either.
I think the other of this article and anyone who supports his view or beliefs need to do some research into the term "Rape apologist".
There is never an excuse for rape and these women who have been protesting on the streets of India are not Hindu women, RAPE does not discriminate. Women and children (men too)are being raped or sexually molested all over our country everyday.
I would like to ask how much more enraged you would be if some goon decided to grab your private parts or even simply went to the extent of invading your private space. IF possible you would have chosen to respond with the at-most violence if possible.
Are you claiming that muslim women never get raped? Women are Burkhas are raped there are even reported cases of Muslim children (boys and girls) who are raped and molested within their own families or by Muslim clerics. (Again this is not exclusive to just Muslim communities it happens with other communities too)
What I find frustratingly amusing is how the other and his supporters have chosen to label every girl that has protested as being Hindu or Buddhist etc. IF you really were present at the demonstrations, this was a sentiment and protest women from all walks of life have participated in irrespective of their religion or lack of one.
RAPISTS and SEXUAL abusers are the criminals and it DOES not matter what a person wears or what that persons sexual orientation or social lifestyle is there is NO EXCUSE for rape.
This article is the most redicules and stupid thing I have read in yaers! The protesting women are absulutely right!!! Don`t you dare accuse any women to want to be sexually assaulted!!! "Decent" clothing won´t protect anyone from rape!!! This isn´t about Hindu or Moslem, this is about women standing up to stop sexual violence against women!!! DONT GIVE UP SISTER WOMEN, GO ON FIGHTING !!! You wrighter of this "article" go and f**ck yourself
Bhosdike .. lodu ..tumko 1947 me hi bola tha ki apne mohammed or uske rapist followers ko pakistan le ke jao .. tab tum nahi maane .. ab kut kut ke manoge kya .. ya JAL JAL ke. Jaise gujarat me kiya tha.
I am hindu guy and i agree with this post hinduGirls are becoming slutz not modern..and they only blame others they don't have answers to solve the problem.
Hey 'Pal'. Yeah. So I am a slut. Big deal. And I'm Hindu. Just to remind you, in our 'culture' - Draupadi, by definition she is a slut too. It still gives you no rights to force your dick down my orifices.
I really don't get what the blogger here wants to specify the religion of the person holding the placard. I do not intend to question your faith or what your religion has taught you, but whatever they have on the placards, they are protesting for a reason. And the reason is for a noble cause that women in our society need security. I totally agree that women are of different sorts, some are darlings and some are complete bitches. Whatever they are, the need of the hour is to ensure their security irrespective of what they want to do do later.
If clothing is the main culprit, why don't you take a walk along the beaches of Europe, North America and particularly South America? Going by your take on things they should probably be the rape capitals of the whole damn world.
Look Mr. Blogger, you might be pissed off with some worthless bastards raping women. However, if you are looking at solutions for it from a religious perspective, please learn to respect other faiths as that is the essence of whatever you mention as the "Indian" culture. Not recommending women to wear a hijab and think that they are totally safe, how DUMB can you possibly be man? So do you mean to say that all Muslim women are saints and they don't get a piece of all the action that is going on?? GO GET A DAMN LIFE!!!
Now to the "educated""free thinking" women folk. You may continue to be educated and continue to think freely and exercise your freedom to dress the way you like. However, what you need to understand is that although the people who spent their hard earned money to "educate" would have butterflies in the stomach and shitting bricks when you walk out of your homes with your skimpy whatever, please spare a minute to think that out on the streets, the sort of people who would be eyeing you and slurping is not so "educated" or "free thinking" as you might be. So nobody is dictating you on what to wear, rather please have some sense that you are living in a country where cops are reluctant to take down criminals, they are reluctant to even take note of a written complaint. Try to get this to your head that in the law and order department nothing much has changed since the 1800's and we are still a barbaric country that is brimming with crime at every nook and corner. Try to understand that your personal security is completely based on how you carry yourself in this lawless land. I feel ashamed to say that but ladies like the lady with the placard that reads "Just because I show my legs doesn't mean I spread them" well what is your perception of a rape then? They will spread it themselves and do whatever they want with you.
I am not asking your to cover yourself up in a blanket and walk around. But if you understand the sort of world of unruly people that walk around you, please dress appropriately.
And for the religious retard who wrote this article, may be the faith that you believe in has many things to offer you personally. But don't think that this is the only religion out there and other people who believe in other faiths and religious are fools. Please learn to respect other religious and when you discuss about general topics please write the same in such a way that it makes sense.
fucking idiot ...USA and Europe highest Number of Rapes occur ass hole.
A 2007 government report in England says "Estimates from research suggest that between 75 and 95 percent of rape crimes are never reported to the police."
Typical of Pindus believing westernization in the name of modernization.
Now non-muslim girls in India Justify Drinking. Many rape victim in India also come out to be Drunken girls. You wanna justify drinking see in USA too ,,,,,,,,,
Drug use, especially alcohol, is frequently involved in rape. A study (only of rape victims that were female and reachable by phone) reported detailed findings related to tactics. In 47% of such rapes, both the victim and the perpetrator had been drinking. In 17%, only the perpetrator had been. 7% of the time, only the victim had been drinking. Rapes where neither the victim nor the perpetrator had been drinking were 29% of all rapes.[70] Contrary to widespread belief, rape outdoors is rare. Over two thirds of all rapes occur in someone's home. 31% occur in the perpetrators' homes, 27% in the victims' homes and 10% in homes shared by the victim and perpetrator. 7% occur at parties, 7% in vehicles, 4% outdoors and 2% in bars.[70] From 2000–2005, 59% of rapes were not reported to law enforcement.
The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics states that 91% of rape victims are female and 9% are male, and 99% of rapists are male.[61] Some types of rape are excluded from official reports altogether (the FBI's definition, for example, used to exclude all rapes except forcible rapes of females), because a significant number of rapes go unreported even when they are included as reportable rapes, and also because a significant number of rapes reported to the police do not advance to prosecution.[62] According to United States Department of Justice document Criminal Victimization in the United States, there were overall 191,670 victims of rape or sexual assault reported in 2005.[63] Only 16% of rapes and sexual assaults are reported to the police (Rape in America: A Report to the Nation. 1992 and United Nations Populations Fund, 2000a).[64][65] Factoring in unreported rapes, about 5% of rapists will ever spend a day in jail.[66]One of six U.S. women has experienced an attempted or completed rape.[67] More than a quarter of college age women report having experienced a rape or rape attempt since age 14.[68] The U.S. Department of Justice compiles statistics on crime by race, but only between and among people categorized as black or white. The Uniform Crime Reports classifies most Hispanics into the "white" category.[69] There were 194,270 white and 17,920 black victims of rape or sexual assault reported in 2006. According to Anthony Walsh, "Gary LaFree's rape data for the 45-year period revealed that blacks were arrested for rape an average of 6.52 times more often than whites."[69]
hindu/atheist pseudo intellectual haha Top 10 Nations where RAPES occur
See the stats: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/quick-click/which-country-has-the-highest-reported-incidents-rape-data
USA is at NUMBER #1 Spot Followed by India #2 then Followed by some american or European Country. NO MUSLIM country LIKE UAE, Saudi arabia, Qatar is in top 10..........In countries saudi arabia women cover themselves and are governed under the blanket of SHARIA which is the safest.
YOUR so called Modern Western country USA that you try to COPY, the country which you say has a lot of freedom and EQUALITY for women, has far more rape occurrences than India.
Indian non-muslim women are hypocrites they can just create Hype about it Carrying out 'Slut Walks' they just blame others unlike western women. They only blame others but don't take responsibility for anything. They can only blame but they fail to put forward a SOLUTION.
why muslim ladies are fucked by back holes .The hindu boys are raped to muslim girls and many HINDU Boys are married to muslim girls so i fuck muslim muslim muslims i will appreciate to Christians i Fuck muslim girls .
Women do not wear denim pants (jeans) to appear sexually attractive. They wear them because they are comfortable, durable and functional. They are resistant to stain and can be used many times. So when you say women are attempting to attract men's attention through the way they dress, you are mistaken.
Evey young women dress keeping in mind how men would opposite sex find her. I have met many women who wear tight jeans to show their ass. And net me tell you tight jeans the least comfortable if you compare it to other clothes
Utter waste of an entire blog space. As if people care for your opinion. Maybe there are a few who do but then to hell with you too. I believe every religion in this world tells us "NOT TO COMMIT ADULTERY". If some pea brained citizens have a explanation for the shit that is going on in this country and it is as f*&^ed up as this maybe it is time for them to grow up or kill themselves. Either way nobody gives a shit.
a sule munde nim amman if you have a fucking brain stop talking about religions and do something to help humanity you are so fucking backward , it reflects on your community but I have many Muslims friends and they don't have thoughts like your shitty posts or this blog so this might be your shitty family upbringing , I can imagine you sitting in gutter or drain of a slum saddist bugges you are
lol Even I have so many hindu friends and they say I am good :D . Now the fact is that most of the people in real life WEAR a MASK. People have more than one faces. Now real Face and the real inner opinions and thoughts of people Come out on the Internet. My hindu frnds think i have good but i have fked one of my friends hindu sister she is so milky and she fell for me when i stared at her in my frnds home and i secretly fckd her giving her pleasure of real muslim dik and now she has become slut ofMuslimStuds. My hindoo frnd doesnt know this and never will haha :xD
Aisf, you are dirt on the society, and just to show yourself you are telling so....fuck yourself....Just FUck yourslef, most of girls wont like any guy like yours.....even a muslim girl wont like you...fuck yourself you pervert.... A Hindu girl
If you bindu have guts give me ur number and address i will come to your home and fck and ravage ur all female family members pusy and make them whore and they will moan wen out toos will go inside their cunts
why dont you give your number and address here, so I can come with all female family members and chop of dicks and balls of all your male family members and free your female family members along with the goat, sheep, camel, cow and pig. Give me your number and address.
You Muslim bastards always talk abt sex with hindu women now let me tell you the reality of ur muslim women with our hindu men.
Hindu/Sikh men are vegetarian they have good blood circulation and are youthful with glowing skin and good looking features. Good blood circulation makes the penis erect hard.
Muslim men eat too much meat so they become impotent and grow older faster.
Hindus/Sikhs do yoga so they can do sex in all sorts of position.
Hindus are experts in sexuality. They pray to Kama Dev and are good lovers.
Muslims are not allowed to perform oral and anal sex.
Hindu men can please Muslim women in their mouths, vagina and anus.
Muslim men are over protective of their women. They abuse their women and only care about their own short lasting orgasm.
Hindu men treat their wifes like angels with love. Thats why many Muslim women have Hindu lovers.
Muslim women are not allowed to marry non-Muslim men. So Muslim women have sex with Hindu as secret lovers but keep the fat, bald ugly Arab Muslim as financial provider.
I love the owner of this blog he is soooo straight forward.....muslim men have guts issiliye hindu ladkiya unke saath sorahi hain.....mujhe bhi muslim ladke bahut zyda pasand hai aur sex mein tho bhagwaan hote hai
Sorry ppl I read this non-sense article written by some scoundrel very late ... It's clear She/He is NOT against moral values of Human being, But is against Hinduism and keep on commenting all the girls as Hindus and what they are doing is against moral values. How many of them are Muslims ? Guess He is a Muslim and in His Family brought up / Religion, Rape is far acceptable than other things. If that was the fact, Bloody Idiot, You get Your religion corrected first, don;t even dare to open your scum thought towards Hinduism. Just because You have a stupid blog, doesn't mean, You can write whatever non-sense, you feel like. Bury Your Hypocratic thought and wake up to the need of the day and environment. Get Your facts right first: In Saudi or your 'so' called culture, they don't allow Women to step outside alone anytime or in the evenings or to participate in sports or to grow in the artistic talent, because You don't trust Muslim Women (source: Yahoo), You feel they can easily involve in wrong acts. Which is not the case with others and even Your own thoughts are absolutely chauvinistic and jealousy. In any Religion or Caste or Country or Province, these kind of vulgar acts are prohibitive and needs harsher voice against it. Just stick onto that and don't extend your hatredness towards Hinduism ... Be sensible ...
I think the writer has gone totally mad. I have never seen such a rubbish article. First of all writer come out of the 7th century and start respecting girls its their choice what they want to do. We live in India and we have the freedom.
Arre behen ke lode .. Hindu or Muslim? does it matter? Now am not speak about how muslim girls expose there body coz that will be sinking down to your level.. Tere ko kya problem hai if they show their body or not? itni problem hai toh close your eyes and sit down coz nobody gives a rat's ass about what you think but stop writing such bullshit about hindu girls.Ass sucker!
Well I just like Muslim skin...........I have taken 7 in my record..........first they showed me fear of allah n rasool.......later wo gyi bhool aur fir humne chataayi use dhool............mazaa aa gya...........!!!
End of preview. 
Seeming like she likes she takes care of her legs and spread them to take big muslim tools just as most hindu girls do. She is acting like bch
Better Spread your mom legs .. i will show how big we are...
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http://www.faithfreedom.org/?page_id=49
https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1UAkwfGX4ZQTQhYz5YmAFTn6YO-QmEr3vgMIa_t5XIR8
Yes we are open minded and working hard towards progress. Why are Muslims so backward in all segments in India. Why they lack education. While Sikhs and Christians are doing amazing. India holds you in regard and Muslims often shame this humanity with terrorism and such stupid comments.
This blog shows a primitive male supremacist thinking which is backward.
Indecent - moreover the 1 picture you have posted is a model. You Muslims crush women and hold them back. You Muslims kill women in name of honor killings - 'just based on suspicion'. How convenient. I think you should get some education. And keep this post here. It only displays your disgusting narrow minded thinking. Any ways how do you know these women are Hindus. I have a friend who is Muslim and she was in one of these marches.
JUST ONE WORD
You are a fool!
I think the other of this article and anyone who supports his view or beliefs need to do some research into the term "Rape apologist".
There is never an excuse for rape and these women who have been protesting on the streets of India are not Hindu women, RAPE does not discriminate. Women and children (men too)are being raped or sexually molested all over our country everyday.
I would like to ask how much more enraged you would be if some goon decided to grab your private parts or even simply went to the extent of invading your private space. IF possible you would have chosen to respond with the at-most violence if possible.
Are you claiming that muslim women never get raped? Women are Burkhas are raped there are even reported cases of Muslim children (boys and girls) who are raped and molested within their own families or by Muslim clerics. (Again this is not exclusive to just Muslim communities it happens with other communities too)
What I find frustratingly amusing is how the other and his supporters have chosen to label every girl that has protested as being Hindu or Buddhist etc. IF you really were present at the demonstrations, this was a sentiment and protest women from all walks of life have participated in irrespective of their religion or lack of one.
RAPISTS and SEXUAL abusers are the criminals and it DOES not matter what a person wears or what that persons sexual orientation or social lifestyle is there is NO EXCUSE for rape.
Don`t you dare accuse any women to want to be sexually assaulted!!! "Decent" clothing won´t protect anyone from rape!!! This isn´t about Hindu or Moslem, this is about women standing up to stop sexual violence against women!!! DONT GIVE UP SISTER WOMEN, GO ON FIGHTING !!!
You wrighter of this "article" go and f**ck yourself
wanna have some fun
If clothing is the main culprit, why don't you take a walk along the beaches of Europe, North America and particularly South America? Going by your take on things they should probably be the rape capitals of the whole damn world.
Look Mr. Blogger, you might be pissed off with some worthless bastards raping women. However, if you are looking at solutions for it from a religious perspective, please learn to respect other faiths as that is the essence of whatever you mention as the "Indian" culture. Not recommending women to wear a hijab and think that they are totally safe, how DUMB can you possibly be man? So do you mean to say that all Muslim women are saints and they don't get a piece of all the action that is going on?? GO GET A DAMN LIFE!!!
Now to the "educated""free thinking" women folk. You may continue to be educated and continue to think freely and exercise your freedom to dress the way you like. However, what you need to understand is that although the people who spent their hard earned money to "educate" would have butterflies in the stomach and shitting bricks when you walk out of your homes with your skimpy whatever, please spare a minute to think that out on the streets, the sort of people who would be eyeing you and slurping is not so "educated" or "free thinking" as you might be. So nobody is dictating you on what to wear, rather please have some sense that you are living in a country where cops are reluctant to take down criminals, they are reluctant to even take note of a written complaint. Try to get this to your head that in the law and order department nothing much has changed since the 1800's and we are still a barbaric country that is brimming with crime at every nook and corner. Try to understand that your personal security is completely based on how you carry yourself in this lawless land. I feel ashamed to say that but ladies like the lady with the placard that reads "Just because I show my legs doesn't mean I spread them" well what is your perception of a rape then? They will spread it themselves and do whatever they want with you.
I am not asking your to cover yourself up in a blanket and walk around. But if you understand the sort of world of unruly people that walk around you, please dress appropriately.
And for the religious retard who wrote this article, may be the faith that you believe in has many things to offer you personally. But don't think that this is the only religion out there and other people who believe in other faiths and religious are fools. Please learn to respect other religious and when you discuss about general topics please write the same in such a way that it makes sense.
Cheers!
A 2007 government report in England says "Estimates from research suggest that between 75 and 95 percent of rape crimes are never reported to the police."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_statistics
Now non-muslim girls in India Justify Drinking. Many rape victim in India also come out to be Drunken girls.
You wanna justify drinking see in USA too ,,,,,,,,,
Drug use, especially alcohol, is frequently involved in rape. A study (only of rape victims that were female and reachable by phone) reported detailed findings related to tactics. In 47% of such rapes, both the victim and the perpetrator had been drinking. In 17%, only the perpetrator had been. 7% of the time, only the victim had been drinking. Rapes where neither the victim nor the perpetrator had been drinking were 29% of all rapes.[70] Contrary to widespread belief, rape outdoors is rare. Over two thirds of all rapes occur in someone's home. 31% occur in the perpetrators' homes, 27% in the victims' homes and 10% in homes shared by the victim and perpetrator. 7% occur at parties, 7% in vehicles, 4% outdoors and 2% in bars.[70] From 2000–2005, 59% of rapes were not reported to law enforcement.
The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics states that 91% of rape victims are female and 9% are male, and 99% of rapists are male.[61] Some types of rape are excluded from official reports altogether (the FBI's definition, for example, used to exclude all rapes except forcible rapes of females), because a significant number of rapes go unreported even when they are included as reportable rapes, and also because a significant number of rapes reported to the police do not advance to prosecution.[62] According to United States Department of Justice document Criminal Victimization in the United States, there were overall 191,670 victims of rape or sexual assault reported in 2005.[63] Only 16% of rapes and sexual assaults are reported to the police (Rape in America: A Report to the Nation. 1992 and United Nations Populations Fund, 2000a).[64][65] Factoring in unreported rapes, about 5% of rapists will ever spend a day in jail.[66]One of six U.S. women has experienced an attempted or completed rape.[67] More than a quarter of college age women report having experienced a rape or rape attempt since age 14.[68] The U.S. Department of Justice compiles statistics on crime by race, but only between and among people categorized as black or white. The Uniform Crime Reports classifies most Hispanics into the "white" category.[69] There were 194,270 white and 17,920 black victims of rape or sexual assault reported in 2006. According to Anthony Walsh, "Gary LaFree's rape data for the 45-year period revealed that blacks were arrested for rape an average of 6.52 times more often than whites."[69]
Top 10 Nations where RAPES occur
See the stats:
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/quick-click/which-country-has-the-highest-reported-incidents-rape-data
USA is at NUMBER #1 Spot Followed by India #2 then Followed by some american or European Country.
NO MUSLIM country LIKE UAE, Saudi arabia, Qatar is in top 10..........In countries saudi arabia women cover themselves and are governed under the blanket of SHARIA which is the safest.
YOUR so called Modern Western country USA that you try to COPY, the country which you say has a lot of freedom and EQUALITY for women, has far more rape occurrences than India.
Indian non-muslim women are hypocrites they can just create Hype about it Carrying out 'Slut Walks' they just blame others unlike western women. They only blame others but don't take responsibility for anything. They can only blame but they fail to put forward a SOLUTION.
Women do not wear denim pants (jeans) to appear sexually attractive. They wear them because they are comfortable, durable and functional. They are resistant to stain and can be used many times. So when you say women are attempting to attract men's attention through the way they dress, you are mistaken.
if you have a fucking brain
stop talking about religions and do something to help humanity
you are so fucking backward , it reflects on your community
but I have many Muslims friends and they don't have thoughts like your shitty posts or this blog
so this might be your shitty family upbringing , I can imagine you sitting in gutter or drain of a slum
saddist bugges you are
Now real Face and the real inner opinions and thoughts of people Come out on the Internet.
My hindu frnds think i have good but i have fked one of my friends hindu sister she is so milky and she fell for me when i stared at her in my frnds home and i secretly fckd her giving her pleasure of real muslim dik and now she has become slut ofMuslimStuds. My hindoo frnd doesnt know this and never will haha :xD
A Hindu girl
Apply the same logic to your tiny brain. you expose your pervert 6th century mindset but dont want people to piss on you and your mohammad.
why dont you give your number and address here, so I can come with all female family members and chop of dicks and balls of all your male family members and free your female family members along with the goat, sheep, camel, cow and pig. Give me your number and address.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/q71/7437_274100462729607_2056807030_n.jpg
Hindu/Sikh men are vegetarian they have good blood circulation and are youthful with glowing skin and good looking features. Good blood circulation makes the penis erect hard.
Muslim men eat too much meat so they become impotent and grow older faster.
Hindus/Sikhs do yoga so they can do sex in all sorts of position.
Hindus are experts in sexuality. They pray to Kama Dev and are good lovers.
Muslims are not allowed to perform oral and anal sex.
Hindu men can please Muslim women in their mouths, vagina and anus.
Muslim men are over protective of their women. They abuse their women and only care about their own short lasting orgasm.
Hindu men treat their wifes like angels with love. Thats why many Muslim women have Hindu lovers.
Muslim women are not allowed to marry non-Muslim men. So Muslim women have sex with Hindu as secret lovers but keep the fat, bald ugly Arab Muslim as financial provider.
Guess He is a Muslim and in His Family brought up / Religion, Rape is far acceptable than other things. If that was the fact, Bloody Idiot, You get Your religion corrected first, don;t even dare to open your scum thought towards Hinduism.
Just because You have a stupid blog, doesn't mean, You can write whatever non-sense, you feel like. Bury Your Hypocratic thought and wake up to the need of the day and environment.
Get Your facts right first: In Saudi or your 'so' called culture, they don't allow Women to step outside alone anytime or in the evenings or to participate in sports or to grow in the artistic talent, because You don't trust Muslim Women (source: Yahoo), You feel they can easily involve in wrong acts. Which is not the case with others and even Your own thoughts are absolutely chauvinistic and jealousy.
In any Religion or Caste or Country or Province, these kind of vulgar acts are prohibitive and needs harsher voice against it. Just stick onto that and don't extend your hatredness towards Hinduism ... Be sensible ...