India: A billion aspirations
Perspectives on South Asian politics
An establishment stirred, but not shaken? The “G-14″ rails against corruption in India
An open letter from a group of 14 eminent citizens, quickly labelled the “G-14″ and blaming corruption as one of the biggest threats to India’s growth story, may be a case of a glass half empty, half full.
The letter was signed by leading industry figures, including Azim Premji, head of software giant Wipro, the chiefs of vehicle maker Mahindra & Mahindra, the HDFC mortgage lender and ICICI Bank. It also includes former central bank governors and senior judges.
They called on investigative agencies to clamp down on corruption and say a recent slew of graft scams, like the 2G scandal which may have cost the government up to $39 billion, have “deeply hurt the nation”.
Does Indian literature owe its global success to the Raj?
As close to 50,000 people prepare to celebrate India’s bulging roster of nationally and internationally renowned authors and poets at the seventh annual Jaipur Literary Festival, a public spat between its British organiser and an Indian magazine over allegations of perpetuating “a Raj that still lingers” threatens to ignite a decades-old debate over the role of colonial English in the country’s literary success.
As Delhi-based William Dalrymple and his fellow organiser stress the festival’s intent to showcase works from India’s array of states and dialects to thousands of book lovers, an article in India’s Open magazine this month claimed the festival matters “because of the writers from Britain it attracts”.
India’s literary elite has long wrestled with its complicated post-colonial legacy, sharpened by the huge international success of Indian writers such as Salman Rushdie, Vikram Seth and Kiran Desai, who have put the former British colony on the literary map, but live, sell more books and win more awards in the UK or the U.S.
My initial impression of Bal’s first piece was that Hartosh Singh Bal has a major chip on his shoulder and/or is a publicity-seeker.
My opinion, after his rebuttal, did not change.
As has been pointed pointed out by numerous commenters and Dalrymple himself, the nature of audiences, sessions and speakers at JLF destroys Bal’s claims. Pre-JLF, Indians complained that no-one was taking notice. Now, Bal has found a new grouse.
In terms of approval, I think there is a larger phenomenon at work here. When it comes to politics and diplomacy, successive Indian Governments always sought the approval of the US in the post-Cold War 1990s period. Registering complaints against what they perceived as ‘transgressions’ by Pakistan occurred regularly. This probably happened because the US was seen as the world superpower at the time.
Similarly, Indians have traditionally grown up on a diet of British literature, reading about well-established British literary awards. It is natural to think of Britain as a leading literary power.
Apropos ‘celebrity’ writers getting more attention than ‘great writers [from Europe]‘, doesn’t the celebrity culture pervade all aspects of public life? Who does Bal think would get more media attention during red carpet movie award/music events?
As for any ongoing need for British approval, more and more Indians in the middle-class see the US as their choice for higher education, etc. American television and cultural influences, American slang, trends are all more prevalent in India today. Gone are the days of domination of English public-school and Oxbridge-educated grandees in the Indian political and diplomatic circles. It therefore baffles me how Bal finds this particular kind of cultural cringe to be very strong in India….. And his tone in his first piece is shockingly offensive (as with most such offensive pieces, a result of his ignorance).
To me, Bal’s pieces suggest his refusal/inability to accept Dalrymple as an Indian writer. And refusal to accept that a British-born writer could head a major Indian literary festival without it having imperial-colonial implications.
Where has India’s hawkish stance on China gone?
India’s complex diplomacy with China became further muddled on Friday as the chief of the Indian army categorically denied any troop build-up on either side of the Asian giants’ shared border in response to recent reports of Chinese military incursions into Indian territory.
India’s civil government and army officials strike a delicate balancing act in their position on the country’s powerful neighbour, with a hawkish military stance traditionally tempered by more reserved – but domestically unpopular – rhetoric from New Delhi.
However that appeared to be out of date on Friday as General V.K. Singh, Chief of Army staff said neither side was bolstering its border troops, four days after trashing media reports of potential acts of Chinese aggression on Indian soil last September.
India may think China has forgotten the issue due to extending the hand of friendship to India and in turn swiftly took the hand and kissed it not knowing that the claws of the dragon is more dangerous than the cyanide poison.
Why because during the recent visit of the china’s President Hu Jintao made it clear to the American that China would request US not to interfere with the internal affairs of China as China considers Twain and Tibet as their internal affairs. This is enough to drive China’s point home that It will retaliate if any one interfere in China’s internal affairs and that also drives home the point directing to India Thus asking US and India both to keep off from it
After US visit of the China’s President when he is back home, things will take shape with Tibet and India and later with Twain. It seems India’s defense pacts with countries may end up in fiasco. It is becoming clear that India sooner or later is going for a big high jump and when it returns to earth its shape and size may have to be redrawn afresh.
It is because of these new developments India may be is in deep tension and thinking hard as what can be done to confront. It is supremacy over Pakistan seems to be taking a dive down to earth.
In addition it is reported that the eastern states and the countries are all anti-INDIA even yesterdays friendly people of Bangladesh is fast turning anti-India today, because of its border Atrocities. BSF killing Bangladeshi’s like birds, and the government is mum to protests by opposition of the country.
In the west is Pakistan, needs no elaboration, so no neighbor to help. This is what happens when people think it can walk alone in this world of uncertainty.
We well wishers of the west pray for India to learn to walk with friends instead of making enemies. It is known that out side enemies can be taken care of but home borne enemies are more ferocious and catastrophic in all respect. Now India is amidst the most ferocious and catastrophic self-created enemies. Only God alone can help it.
Think after having gone through the above why ‘India’s hawkish stance on China is gone with the wind?’
Has Congress lost the plot on inflation?
“Government Plan To Tackle Prices Is Just Hot Air” screamed the front page of Friday’s Mail Today, as India’s political media lined up to belittle what was billed as a list of anti-inflationary remedies but was robustly rejected as “already failed measures and oft-repeated homilies.”
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s meetings this week with senior cabinet ministers to tackle year-high food inflation dragged on long into the night, keeping editors on tenterhooks and assuring Congress of front page headlines.
This morning, those headlines would have made for painful reading. After rumours of export curbs and future markets tweaks, what emerged to be a paltry list of recommendations was seen by many as nothing but ineffective band-aids for a broken economy requiring surgery.
Is Congress digging its own corrupt grave?
Telecom Minister Kabil Sibal’s attack on the competency of India’s independent state auditor appears to show Congress’s growing desperation at its inability to silence corruption charges, and the inevitable backfire may illustrate just how out of touch India’s ruling party has become with the current political climate.
Last week’s allegations by Sibal of the “utterly erroneous” calculations in a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) estimating a $39 billion loss to the exchequer during the 2008 2G spectrum sale have led to a barrage of criticism from opposition politicians and the CAG, and appear to have only resulted in increased pressure on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is reportedly mulling a breach of privilege motion against Sibal – a Congress heavyweight – for his insinuation of “serious errors” in the independent investigation, the CAG has suggested his remarks were “in contempt of the House” and the opposition, already riding high on the ruling party’s seemingly endless list of corruption-related woes, accused the minister of attempting to “overreach the Parliamentary process.”
LIVE BLOG: India vs South Africa
India and South Africa lock horns in a five-match one-day cricket series which should help finalise their World Cup squads.
Captains Graeme Smith and Mahendra Singh Dhoni plan to use the series to assess the fringe players who may be needed during the tournament in Asia which starts next month.
The Indian Express chugs in again
It was a victory long overdue and the reunion was perhaps destined to happen in no other tournament but the Chennai Open.
As India’s star tennis pair — Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes — clinched their fifth Chennai Open doubles crown in 2011, there was more than one reason to celebrate.
The victory came nine long years after their last triumph at Chennai. Their last ATP title win together was at the 2004 Toronto Masters.
Some are already seeing the duo as a potent threat for the upcoming Australian Open.
Does the Indian media overplay Indo-Chinese tension?
New Delhi’s flat-out denial of the most recent reports by state authorities of Chinese military incursions across its border with India in Jammu and Kashmir may show a tendency to gloss over such seemingly insignificant events — in favour of bigger strategic and trade interests — that the media appears to ignore.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (L) talks to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during a signing of agreements ceremony in New Delhi December 16, 2010. REUTERS/B Mathur/Files
On Monday afternoon, amidst a lull in the seemingly endless Indian news cycle, all major TV news channels flashed a breaking story of Chinese troops crossing the Indian border in the disputed northern state.
Local news providers in the state declared fears of a “hotting-up of the border”, and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah was moved to issue fiery rhetoric and even threats of retaliation, which the mainstream media duly published.
What do you expect when money is involved? Who wants to read headlines like ‘China did NOT cross the border today’?
If I was a journalist and I had to sell stories or starve, I would spend the entire day writing rubbish too.
Will the Congress bite the bullet on Telangana?
Almost a year after violent protests over demands for a Telangana state carved out of Andhra Pradesh, the Indian government has to grapple with the issue once again.
A report by a panel set up to examine the issue and suggest options to deal with the decades-old demand was made public on Thursday.
Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram, while releasing the B. N. Srikrishna report, urged an impartial consideration of its contents.
Give them Telangana, make Hyderabad capital of both states and a UT, just like Punjab and Haryana have a common capital Chandigarh. Whats wrong with that?? This current Congress govt is absolute pathetic and useless.
Has the judiciary been a let-down?
A former Chief Minister of Karnataka sparked off a controversy in the 1990s by comparing the country’s legislative, executive, judiciary and the fourth estate to four pall-bearers of India’s democracy.
Many would have disagreed with the cynicism the comments displayed, especially regarding the judiciary.
An activist judiciary in the 90s was seen as the moving force behind a range of public-service initiatives.
The legal system, seen by many as the last line of defence against a corrupt system, has recently attracted adverse attention for its perceived failures.
All the four have been let downs. We have lived with gov’t failure, Legislature failure for many years. Last three years have seen corrosion of the judiciary. At least media was OK, till the rash of ostensible news channels made their debut. Now media is also a let down with Radia tapes exposure. Still we have hope that MEDIA WILL CORRECT ITSELF unlike the other pall bearers.
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It is now proven that India is a deeply corrupt country both intellectually and morally. Morally in the sense that no nation can be intellectually corrupt until it is morally corrupt.
India has become an economical super is the license for corruption to also be upgraded to supper corruption level. What is the use of calling for investigation and depending on Anti corruption bureau is the worst corrupt department.
Had this department been non corrupt then there would be minor corruption but not like the ones reported..
It is however OK, when ministers and head of the states of all Super Powers are corrupt then what is the harm if Indian politician and public do corruption. Rather the government should encourage corruption at national level.
In addition, I am sure the situation in India should have already been pushed to national level after the corruption level had been raised to the super level. However, India should be proud of corruption. After all why should India lack behind the other super powers.
Financial Experts opines that India will top the list of corruption now and in future too. It is good that Pakistan will have at least a point to shake hand with India. However, 10% probably would be nothing compared to Indian secret Percentage even then.
Political Observers felt satisfied on the point that both these two countries have a point to agree with and be friends for ever in corruption.
Eminent economist and financial experts opines that if the trend of corruption in India continues then India will be the first to be down graded to non-standard Super Power, where by the nation will be embarrassed in front of the world forum.