The ICICI BANK Trouble

The ICICI BANK. One of the largest bank in India with a still largest network of ATM centers. When this bank first entered in common consumer market I was amazed by the quality of their service. The ATM service introduced by them was really a boon for consumers like us to get money anytime 24/7/365. This was new for us who are used to go to bank during working hours (taking a half day leave for the purpose), and then stand in long queues to submit withdrawal slips and to find that cashier have closed the counter for a lunch time, toilet break or just because he wants to take a nap. This all changed when ATM network is built up by banks which we never dreamed before though we new such thing exists in western countries, I thought it will not be possible in India this fast. ICICI proved it a reality by successfully operating it throughout the country.

Ever since the ICICI consumer base is gradually increasing and they are finding it difficult to cope up with them as their infrastructure is expanding with it. I am a customer of ICICI housing finance living in pune. I use their Apte road office here for my regular dealing with the company. I availed the loan some three years ago. The floor space and staff of the bank office is same today as it was three years ago but the customer base have increased ten folds. Now how can you expect the same number of staff to deal with ten times the number of customers with the same enthusiasm and efficiency? The result is clear, the overcrowded and chaotic office with a lot of unsatisfied customers because their work is not being done in time or error in their dealings. I was also a victim of this horrendous experience.

I go to this branch only once in a year to get a provisional certificate for income tax purpose. Every year I visit the bank, I find myself in deep trouble due one or other reason. The most common problem was change in my property address. Every year when I visit the bank I find my property address either totally changed or scrambled (like my bldg no. is shown as flat no. and vice versa). I complained the local branch manager times but every time he denied any malfunction of their system and insisted that I must have submitted wrong data to bank. Now I don’t understand why I should give a wrong data to bank? Each year I am asked to fill a form called customer address change form to correct the address and I get due confirmation letter from bank by post that my address is corrected with old and new address mentioned in it. But when I visit the bank next year to find my address changed again and this is going on since last three years without break.

Since branch manager and other people at Apte road branch were united together as team to save each others asses, I decided to approach some higher authority. But even after a relentless search on earth and on net I could not find any direct contact number or mail address of any ICICI top bosses. Only I could find was a customer support mail which is never answered (even the customer support people are also part of same system and they try to defend their colleagues from customer complaints instead of resolving the problem). I don’t know how such a customer unfriendly banking system is going to survive? Mr. K. V. Kamat should look at improving their banking system than being a mediator between ambanis. Otherwise this bank will not survive for the future. I think this is a common problem with all Indian enterprises and hence they are nowhere in global scenario. I always wondered how come American companies, Japanese companies are able become multinational any do their business worldwide and not a single Indian company is able to make its mark on global scale. Why McDonald is able to sell 50Rs. Burger in India and any Indian entrepreneur is not able to sell 5Rs. Wadpav in USA. I think I have found the answer.

Anti-Brahmanism should stop!

The first article published by rediff on Brahmins as an underprivileged community, brought a flurry of reactions, mostly of surprise: "What, Brahmins as toilet cleaners, coolies, rickshaw pullers, priests earning less than Rs 150 a month… How is it possible, we always thought that Brahmins were a rich, fat, arrogant community?"
Many Brahmins and other upper castes expressed online their relief that someone was speaking about their plight, that for once they were not attacked, made fun of, ridiculed. Of course there were also a few hostile e-mails, accusing the author of upper casteism, of anti-Dalits bias.
One would have thought however, that at a time when reservation was the hottest journalistic topic, the media would have seized this story and made it its own. After all, isn't impartial journalism to show both sides of the story?
Don't you think, for instance, that the discovery that all 50 Sulabh Shauchalayas (public toilets) in Delhi are cleaned and looked after by Brahmins — traditionally the task of the lowest of the lowest caste — and that this noble institution was started by a Brahmin, Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, makes a wonderful story, both for the print and electronic media?
That is what I believed, at any rate. So when I discovered that the Art of Living Foundation was conducting workshops for all coolies, irrespective of their religion and caste of the Delhi railway station — and that quite a few of them were Brahmins — I thought I could share this story and the Sulabh Shauchalayas scoop, with a few journalistic acquaintances, who would jump on it with glee. Unfortunately I was very wrong.
Initially, some young journalists were enthusiastic and joined us in our investigation. We expected the story to hit the headlines soon and be taken up by the entire press, hungry for something different than the strike of the medicos, or Arjun Singh's adamant attitude. But nothing happened.
We called them day after day, proposed some more data, but still no story came out. Then one of the young journalists, working for one of the largest media outfits in India told us off the record that the sub-editor, backed by the editor, had killed the story in true journalistic freedom.
The second scenario we encountered was stone silence: the star anchors, bureau chiefs, editors of national English newspapers whom I personally contacted, either did not return my calls or were evasive.
Third scenario: Downright hostility: "You're a right winger, a pro-BJP-RSS journalist" etc. What does truth and investigative journalism have to do with the BJP (who by the way did no more than the Congress for the Kashmiri Brahmins, for instance, when it was in power)? I don't know.
Some journalists, initially willing to do a story, backed out after some time under the pretext that the data was not solid enough. Not solid enough? Does flimsy and unchecked data ever stop the Indian media to publish slanderous stories in the recent past?
Then, I came to the conclusion that more than fifty years later, the Nehruvian culture which directly brainwashed two generations of Indians in certain thinking patterns, has survived today. Actually, you have to go farther back than Nehru. For Jawaharlal was a true end product of Macaulay's policy of creating Indians who would be Indians by the colour of their skins, but British in their thinking. Thus, the English outlook on India survives today in India's intellectual class, particularly the journalists, who often cast a Westernised, anti-spiritual, pro-minority, anti-majority, un-Indian, anti-Brahmins and other upper castes — look on their own country.
It is true that Nehru started from a positive volition: How to solve India's huge class and caste disparity? How to appease a Muslim minority which ruled India ruthlessly for ten centuries and was not ready to be ruled by those who were for a long time Islam's pliant subjects?
But Nehru went overboard. He made the paupers of yesteryear the saints of modern India, allowing some states to literally hound out Brahmins and other upper castes. He twisted history and thanks to docile historians, made of cruel Muslim invaders and rulers, the benefactors of medieval India.
He went to the extent of excusing the razing and sacking of thousands of exquisite temples all over India, by saying that Muslim invaders such as Babar did it because these temples were full of hidden gold and jewels, damning again indirectly the poor hapless Brahmins, who were beheaded by Muslim invaders, crucified in Goa by the Portuguese Inquisition, vilified by British missionaries, and morally crucified today by their own brothers and sisters.
It is true that Brahmins may be paying today for the excesses of yesterday. In ancient times, as Sri Aurobindo wrote: 'A Brahmin was a Brahmin only if he cultivated the spiritual temperament and acquired the spiritual training which alone would qualify him for the task.'
But once Brahmanism became hereditary, arrogance, complacency and casteism became rampant, ultimately bringing the downfall of Brahmins, a downfall which the Dalai Lama defines (for his own people) as Black Karma.
Thus, thanks to the lingering influence of Nehruvianism, 'Brahmins' remain today a dirty word, even in the face of reality: that Dalits have considerably come up since 1947 in Indian society, that no nation in the world has done so much for its underprivileged (India had a Dalit President — did the US ever have a Black President?). But the intellectual elite of India, which never mentions these facts, continues to hide its face in the sand like an ostrich, refusing to see the reality.
And rampant anti-Brahmanism and upper castes, first used by the Muslim invaders, then by the British colonialists and missionaries, is still in vogue at the hands of Nehruvians, Marxists, Indian Christians and politicians in search of the votes of Dalits and Muslims, which combined together make and unmake prime ministers.
Yet, Brahmins and other upper castes have played an invaluable role in Indian history, as Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, the founder of the Sulabh Shauchalaya Movement remarks: 'Society sustained the Brahmins and other upper castes earlier, who upheld the Hindu scriptures and Hindu culture. Today Hinduism is on the decline day-by-day. There is a lack of ancient knowledge. No political party has objected to reservation thanks to vote-bank politics. People have a very short memory. They have forgotten the contribution made by Brahmins to our society.'
And who says that Brahmins and other upper castes are anti-Dalits. Some of India's top avatars, saints and gurus were of low caste and are still worshipped today by all upper castes. Valmiki, the composer of the Ramayana, was a fisherman; Ved Vyasa, the epic poet of the Mahabharata, which also contains the Bhagavad Gita, the Bible of Future Humanity, was the son of a fisherwoman; Krishna was from the shepherd's caste. And are not today's Amritanandamayi or Satya Sai Baba of low caste birth? Don't they have millions of Indians, many of them from upper castes, bowing down to them?
Anti-Brahmanism has to be stopped!
This inter-caste war, triggered by the politicians' greed for votes, has to be defused.
FACT, my Foundation, which conducts exhibitions on persecuted minorities, whether the Kashmiri Pandits, the Christians, Buddhist Chakmas and Hindus suffering in Bangladesh at the hands of fundamentalists in Bangladesh, or the Tibetans facing a cultural and spiritual genocide in Tibet, decided to take things in hand.
We started, with the help of a few dedicated friends, a film on Brahmins and other upper castes as an underprivileged community. This film will lead to a photoexhibition and hopefully to a book. All testimonies and documents are welcome.
The future of this country lies in a unified India, where all castes will find their just place, where all will feel Indians first and belonging to this caste or that one, after.

डासांसमोर सपशेल लोटांगण

सध्या समस्त देशाला आखड्या (चिकुनगुण्या) आणि हाडमोड्या तापानं (डेंग्यू) म्लान करून टाकलं आहे. गाव-महानगर, गरीब-श्रीमंत, शिपाई-अधिकारी असल्या क्षुद्र भेदांना पार ओलांडणारे हे आजच्या युगातील वैश्‍विक रोग ठरत आहेत. कुठल्याही विचारांना अथवा शाह्यांना प्रस्थापित करता आली नाही ती समानता संधिपाद संघातील "ईडीस इजिप्ती' वंशाच्या डासांनी निर्माण केली आहे. ......
जात, धर्म, वर्ग, भाषा, प्रदेश अशा क्षुल्लक सीमांचं उल्लंघन हे कीटक करीत निघाले आहेत. टान्झानिया, मलेशिया, कंबोडिया, व्हिएतनाम, फिलिपिन्स, श्रीलंका, पाकिस्तान अशी विश्‍वभ्रमंती करणारा डास सध्या भारतवर्षाला गारद करत सुटला आहे. एप्रिल महिन्यात मराठवाड्याला "ईडीस इजिप्ती'ने पोचवलेल्या विषाणूनं आखडून टाकलं होतं. घरंच काय गावंच्या गावं ठप्प पडली होती. "चिकुनगुण्या'ची जबरदस्त दहशत पसरली होती. संसर्गाच्या भीतीनं कुणी मदतीला येत नव्हतं. एका घरात दोन-तीन रुग्ण असले, की साधारणपणे पाच हजार रुपयांपर्यंत फटका बसायचा. शिवाय शेतीची कामं करायला बाहेरून मजूर आणावा लागायचा, तो खर्च वेगळा! त्याच वेळी "ईडीस इजिप्ती'ची आगेकूच चकित करणारी होती. त्याने एका महिन्यात कर्नाटक, आंध्र, तमिळनाडूपाठोपाठ मध्य प्रदेश काबीज केला. त्यांचा "चलो दिल्ली'चा नारा कोणीही मनावर घेतला नाही आणि दिल्ली गाठल्याखेरीज राष्ट्रीय बातमीमूल्य प्राप्त होत नाही, हे सत्य जाणून त्यानं सहा महिन्यांत देशाची राजधानी सर केली.

सप्टेंबरअखेर चिकुनगुण्याच्या तडाख्यात देशातील १३ लाख रुग्ण सापडले होते. सध्या १८ राज्यांत डेंग्यूचा कहर चालू आहे. डासांमुळे पसरणाऱ्या साथीच्या रोगांनी राष्ट्रापुढे आपत्तिजनक परिस्थिती निर्माण केली आहे. सार्वजनिक आरोग्याचे धिंडवडे निघाले आहेत. आता आणीबाणीची परिस्थिती असल्यामुळे दे दणादण खर्च. धूर करणारी यंत्रं फिरवा, रसायनं फवारा, उघड्या पाण्यावर रसायनं ओता, यासाठी कोट्यवधी खर्ची पडतील; परंतु त्यातून स्वच्छता काही साधता येणार नाही. रोगाचं मूळ अबाधित राहील. ते घालवण्याची इच्छा तरी कुणाला आहे? तसं पाहता गावापासून महानगरापर्यंत सफाई यंत्रणा आहे. तार्किकदृष्ट्या स्वच्छतेचा प्रश्‍नच निर्माण होऊ नये; परंतु अस्वच्छतेची समस्या तर अक्राळविक्राळ रूप धारण करीत आहे. सर्व पातळ्यांवरचे राजकीय नेतृत्व, तसंच प्रशासन व समाज या सर्वांच्या सामुदायिक भव्य अपयशातून ही अवस्था साकारली आहे.

आपली स्वच्छता ही नेहमी निवडक आणि घरापुरती मर्यादित राहिली. घरातली घाण रस्त्याच्या कडेला फेकायची. घर साफ व गल्ली खराब, ही स्थिती सार्वत्रिक झाली. "आमची घाण तुम्ही उपसा' अशी सरकारला आज्ञा करायची, हा बाणा झाला. कुणीही कोणतेही नियम पाळायचे नाहीत. कायद्याचा धाक नाही. नियम पाळणाऱ्यांना बक्षीस नाही व मोडणाऱ्यांना शिक्षा नाही. मोकाट वागणाऱ्यांना राजकीय कवचकुंडलं मिळाली. "गाव स्वच्छ करा' असं सांगितलं तर कुणी जुमानत नाही. ग्रामपंचायत, नगर परिषदा धड कारभार करू शकत नाहीत. पिण्यासाठी स्वच्छ पाणी नाही. सार्वजनिक स्वच्छता नावाला नाही. अशा रीतीने सर्वांनी मिळून सार्वजनिक ठिकाणांना घाण करून टाकलं. ती घाण आपल्याकडे रोगराईची भेट देत आहे. (आपण बिनदिक्कतपणे नद्यांमध्ये सांडपाणी सोडत राहिलो, पुरामध्ये त्या नद्या घाणीसकट पाणी साभार परत पाठवत आहेत.) आपल्या असंस्कृत वर्तणुकीनं जोपासलेल्या विषवृक्षांना आलेली ही गलिच्छ फळं आहेत. शहरं व गावांमध्ये वाढत जाणारी घाण हे आपल्या बकाल सार्वजनिक आयुष्याचं व्यवच्छेदक लक्षण आहे. राजकीय जीवन उद्‌ध्वस्त झाल्याची खूण आहे.

२००१ मध्ये जोहान्सबर्ग येथील वसुंधरा परिषदेने २०१५ पर्यंत या शौचालयांपासून वंचितांची संख्या निम्म्यावर आणण्याचं उद्दिष्ट ठरविलं होतं. गेल्या पाच वर्षांचं प्रगतिपुस्तक पाहता श्रीलंकेने दक्षिण आशियाई राष्ट्रांमध्ये बाजी मारली आहे. तिथं ७६ टक्के (४० टक्‍क्‍यांवरून घेतलेली उडी) जनतेला शौचालयांची सुविधा मिळाली आहे. बांगलादेशाने ६० टक्के रहिवाशांना हगणदारीपासून मुक्त केलं आहे. भारतात केवळ ३८ टक्के नागरिकांना शौचालय उपलब्ध आहे. "लोकांची साथ सहज मिळू शकते. अडसर आहे तो राजकारण्यांचा!' सार्वजनिक स्वच्छतेचे जागतिक पातळीवरील सल्लागार डॉ. कमल कर सांगतात, ""राजकीय पुढाऱ्यांना अनुदान मिळवणं व लाटण्यातच अधिक रस असतो.'' ""गरिबांना शौचालय परवडत नाही. पाणी नाही तर शौचालय काय करायचं? या सबबी तेच पुढं करतात. राजकीय नेत्यांमुळे अस्वच्छता टिकून राहत आहे,'' असं सांगून ते भारतीय नेत्यांना आरोपीच्या पिंजऱ्यात उभं करतात.

मोडकळले गाव; कोसळत्या यंत्रणा :
गाडगेबाबा स्वच्छता अभियान असो वा निर्मळ गाव योजना, महाराष्ट्रात काही गावांत काही व्यक्तींच्या प्रभावामुळे गाव एकवटतं. शिक्षक, आरोग्यसेवक, सरकारी अधिकारी तर कुठं सेवाभावी व्यक्ती अशी किमया साधतात. भक्कम राजकीय पाठबळ लाभत असल्यामुळे अशा गावांच्या यशाचा विस्तार होताना दिसत नाही. (ही खंत पुरस्कारप्राप्त गावातील कर्तबगार व्यक्ती व अधिकाऱ्यांचीसुद्धा आहे.) महाराष्ट्रातील कुठल्याही नेत्यांनी सार्वजनिक स्वच्छता ऐरणीवर आणली नाही. सगळे पक्ष सत्तेत येऊन गेले तरीही उत्तम राजकारण रुजू शकलं नाही. राजकीय नेत्यांनी गेल्या साठ वर्षांत वैयक्तिक अथवा सार्वजनिक वर्तन सुधारण्याचा काडीमात्र प्रयत्न केला नाही. पतपेढ्या, बॅंका, साखर कारखाने ताब्यात असताना गाव घाणेरडं राहतं, याचा अर्थ ती बाब नेत्याच्या दृष्टीनं नगण्य आहे. सभांमधून गर्जना करणारे ते कैक वर्षांपासून सत्तेची पदं उपभोगणाऱ्या नेत्यांच्या गावात जाताना नाकावर रुमाल धरावा लागणं त्यांना शोभत नाही. एखाद्या मतदान केंद्रात कमी मतदान मिळाल्याचं लक्षात येताच पळापळ होते. रुसवेफुगवे काढायचे प्रयत्न होतात. प्रसंगी तंबी दिली जाते. तुमच्या घरात शौचालय नसल्यास तिकीट मिळणार नाही, असा संदेश पोचला तर तो टाळण्याची हिंमत होणार नाही. राजकीय पक्षाच्या प्रमुख नेत्यांनी सार्वजनिक स्वच्छतेला प्राथमिकता द्यायचा निर्णय घेतला तर राज्य साफ व्हायला आडकाठी उरणारच नाही. "गाव हगणदारीमुक्त झालं तरच मी तुमच्या गावात येईन' एवढा इशारा दिला तरी सफाई चालू होईल. "तुमची गल्ली शांत करा. मी उपोषण थांबवतो,' असं महात्मा गांधी भेटणाऱ्या प्रत्येकाला सांगायचे आणि पाहता पाहता गाव, शहर व देश शांत व्हायचा. असाही एक मार्ग आहे. साथीचे रोग व आपत्तीचं प्रमाण वाढत असतानाच आपत्तीचा भार सहन करणारी सार्वजनिक आरोग्य व्यवस्था कोलमडून प
डली आहे. (प्राथमिक आरोग्य केंद्र व सार्वजनिक रुग्णालयांची सहल केल्याशिवाय हे समजणार नाही.) आरोग्य, पाणी, वीज, शिक्षण, वाहतूक या मूलभूत सोयी ही ग्रामीण भागातील जनतेची क्रूर चेष्टा आहे. या वातावरणात कोण टिकोजीराव शांत राहू शकेल? परिस्थितीमुळे येणारं नैराश्‍य व असुरक्षितता यामधून अनेक सामाजिक अपघात घडत आहेत व कित्येक घडण्याच्या वाटेवर आहेत. चिकुनगुण्याने बेजार व्हिएतनाममध्ये सगळा समाज स्वच्छतेसाठी पेटून उठला. वर्षभरात व्हिएतनाममधील डासांचं निर्मूलन करता आलं. ग्रामीण भागात येणारं बकालपण केवळ आर्थिक नसून ते सामाजिकदेखील आहे. शंभर घरांच्या छोट्या गावात मंदिराकरिता लाख रुपये सहज जमतात. गणेशोत्सव व नवरात्रीसाठी हजारोंचा खर्च होतो; परंतु पिण्याच्या पाण्याची सोय, शाळा, वाचनालयासाठी वर्गणी देण्यास व्यक्ती व बहुतांशी समाजाचा नकार असतो. उघड्यावर बाहेर बसणं मुली व महिलांकरिता शरमेचं आणि धोक्‍याचं असतं. तरीही शौचालय ही त्या घरची वा गावाची प्राथमिकता होत नाही. निष्क्रियता अशी ठायी ठायी भरली असेल तर गावात काम करणं सरकार असो वा स्वयंसेवी संस्था, कुणालाही शक्‍य होत नाही. संस्था काढता पाय घेतात. सरकारी अधिकारी दुर्लक्ष करतात. समाजाची ही घडण कुठल्याही सुधारणेच्या आड येते. आपण भीषण अस्वच्छ आहोत, हे जाणवून दिलं तर लोक स्वतःहून कामाला लागतात. हा संदेश पोचवण्याकरिता आकाशवाणी व दूरचित्रवाणी या प्रभावी प्रसारमाध्यमांचा कल्पक उपयोग करून घेऊ शकतो.

येणाऱ्या निवडणुकीत सार्वजनिक सफाई, हा मुद्दा प्रत्येक राजकीय पक्षाच्या जाहीरनाम्यात असण्याचा आग्रह धरला पाहिजे. स्वच्छता न राखणाऱ्या अधिकाऱ्यांना व पुढाऱ्यांना माहितीच्या अधिकाराचा वापर करत जाब विचारला गेला तर वचक बसेल. "ईडीस इजिप्ती' हाच चिकुनगुण्या व डेंग्यू दोन्हींच्या विषाणूंचा वाहक आहे. कीटकांपासून होणाऱ्या रोगांना रोखण्यासाठी "नॅशनल व्हेक्‍टर बोर्न डिसिजेस' ही दिल्लीतील संस्था आहे. पुण्यामध्ये "राष्ट्रीय विषाणू संशोधन संस्था' आहे. कोट्यवधींचा निधी वापरणाऱ्या या राष्ट्रीय संस्थांमध्ये रक्ताचे नमुने तपासल्यानंतरचे निष्कर्ष काय आहेत? त्या वैज्ञानिकांचं निरीक्षण व संशोधनाची उपयोगितेची माहिती सामान्य जनतेला केव्हा समजणार? तिसरं महायुद्ध संभवल्यास त्यानंतर शेष काय राहील, याचा अदमास विज्ञान लेखक घ्यायचे. डास व झुरळ हे कीटक वगळता सर्व काही नामशेष होईल, असा होरा बहुतेकांनी व्यक्त केला होता. जगाच्या तापमानवाढीमुळे डासांच्या उत्पादनात वाढ होईल. हिवताप, डेंग्यूच्या साथी येतील. प्लेग पुन्हा उद्भवू शकेल, असा अंदाज जागतिक संघटनेनं व्यक्त केला आहे. डासांचं उच्चाटन ही सर्वांची प्राथमिकता झाली नाही म्हणून साथीचे रोग देशाला सहन करावे लागत आहेत, हा या आपत्तीचा धडा आहे. महासत्ता होण्याच्या वल्गना करताना डासांसमोर लोटांगण घालावं लागतं. देशाला झालेला आखड्या आणि हाडमोड्या रोग हा असा प्रतीकात्मक आहे.

- अतुल देऊळगावकर
(लेखक हे पर्यावरणविषयक पत्रकार आहेत.)

First test-firing of new Indian nuclear-capable missile fails

The first test-firing of a new Indian missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads across much of Asia and the Middle East was unsuccessful, the defense minister said. Although initially reported as a success by officials, the Agni III missile plunged into the Bay of Bengal short of its target, Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters late Sunday. The launch came as U.S. President George W. Bush is trying to push a civilian nuclear deal with India through a skeptical U.S. Congress. The deal would permit India to keep making nuclear weapons without ratifying the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, and critics say it could undermine the treaty.
Although the deal does not cover missiles, The Hindu newspaper reported Monday that American's top general, Peter Pace, gave Indian officials the green light to conduct the test when he visited India last month. The test had been reportedly delayed for two years by technical issues and fears of international condemnation. Mukherjee, who witnessed Sunday's test, said India would press ahead with the Agni III program. He termed the test failure a snag, but offered no other details. However, Indian media reported that the missile's second stage failed to separate after it was launched from Wheeler Island off the eastern state of Orissa. India's current crop of missiles have been largely intended to confront neighboring archrival Pakistan. The Agni III, in contrast, is India's longest-range missile, designed to reach 3,000 kilometers (1,900 miles) _ putting China's major cities well into range, as well as targets deep in the Middle East.
It's also said to be capable of carrying up to a 300 kiloton nuclear warhead."This is going to help in establishing the credibility of India's deterrent profile," said Indian defense analyst C. Uday Bhaskar. He dismissed speculation the missile was designed with China in mind. "Any strategic capability is not aimed at any particular nation. To say it is China-specific is misleading," Bhaskar said. India and China have shared decades of mutual suspicion and fought a 1962 border war. But relations have warmed considerably in recent years as the two Asian giants have boosted trade and economic ties. India's missile program, together with its nuclear program and drive for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, is part of its ongoing efforts to establish itself as a world power.
While past Indian missile test-firings were seen as attempts at saber-rattling with Pakistan, which would in turn test its own missiles, the Agni III test was seen as a routine step in furthering India's missile program, which aims at eventually producing a long-range ICBM. India's homegrown missile arsenal already includes the short-range Prithvi ballistic missile, the medium-range Akash, the anti-tank Nag and the supersonic Brahmos missile, developed jointly with Russia.India notified Pakistan ahead of the launch, in accordance with an agreement between the two nations, said Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam. India and Pakistan have fought three wars since they gained independence from Britain in 1947.

पानिपत - विश्वास पाटील (दर्जा *****)

विश्वासरावांचे गाजलेले पुस्तक पानिपत जेव्हा हातात आले, तेव्हा त्याबद्दल बरीच उत्सुकता लागून राहिली होती. लहानपणापासून मी पानिपतच्या तीन लढायांबाबत ऐकत आलो. शाळेत असताना इतिहासाच्या पुस्तकातल्या सनावळ्या पाठ करताना मला बराच कंटाळा यायचा. वाटायचे की या घटनांच्या सनावळ्या पाठ करुन काय साधणार आहे. प्रत्यक्ष व्यवहारात त्याचा काही उपयोग आहे का?, असा सवाल मी करायचो. परंतु करणार काय, म्हणतात ना, आलीया भोगासी असावे सादर. कीतीही कंटाळवाणा असला, तरी मी काय थोडाच अभ्यासक्रम बदलू शकणार होतो.

मला आता नक्की आठवत नाही पण आठवी ते दहावी इयत्तेत असताना कधीतरी मराठीच्या पुस्तकात “भाऊसाहेबांची बखर” या कादंबरीवर आधारीत, “आपेश मरणाहून ओखोटे” हा अगदी पहिलाच धडा होता. त्याची भाषा प्राचीन मराठी भाषेवर आधारीत होती, त्यामुळे समजायला अतिशय कठीण होती. पहिलाच धडा असा कठीण पाहून मी हादरलोच. त्या धड्यातील एकही शब्द मला समजत नव्हता. पण त्यानंतर आमच्या शाळेतील मराठी विषयाच्या शिक्षिकेने तो धडा जेव्हा अतिशय सोप्या भाषेत समजावून दिला, तेव्हा कुठे हायसे वाटले. त्यानंतर भितीची जागा उत्सुकतेने घेतली. पानिपतच्या लढाईबद्दल प्रथमच इत्यंभूत माहिती मिळाली. त्या धड्यातील काही वाक्ये आम्हा विद्यार्थ्यांत अतिशय लोकप्रिय झाली होती. दत्ताजी शिंद्यांच अजरामर झालेले वाक्य “बचेंगे तो और भी लढेंगे”, “सिर सलामत तो पगडी पचास”, “भडभुंज्याने लाह्या भाजाव्यात तसे लोक भाजून निघाले” इत्यादी.

१९८५-८७ दरम्यानच्या या अनुभवानंतर २००६ साली विश्वास पाटील यांनी याच विषयावर लिहीलेले “पानिपत” हे पुस्तक वाचण्याचा योग आला, आणि गतस्मृतींना उजाळा मिळाला. आतापर्यंत मी वाचलेल्या सर्व पुस्तकांत हे पुस्तक सर्वोत्कृष्ट होते असे मी म्हणेन. विश्वासरावांची भाषाशैली आणि लेखनकौशल्य अतुलनिय आहे याची हे पुस्तक वाचताना प्रचिती येते. संपुर्ण पुस्तक वाचताना कुठेही कंटाळा येत नाही. युध्दासारखा हिंस्त्र आणि बिभत्स प्रसंगही त्यांनी कौशल्याने हाताळला आहे आणि वाचकाला त्याची फारशी कीळस वाटणार नाही याची त्यांनी काळजी घेतली आहे. तरीही माझ्या अनेक मित्रांनी ज्यांनी पानिपत वाचले आहे, त्यांनी हे पुस्तक वाचताना अंगावर काटा येतो असा अभिप्राय दिला. संपुर्ण पुस्तकात युध्द आणि युध्दच असल्यामुळे हिंसाचाराचे वर्णन असणे साहजिकच आहे.

पुस्तक वाचताना काही ठीकाणी वर्णन अवास्तवरीत्या वाढल्याचे आढळते. विशेशकरून भाऊसाहेब आणि अब्दाली यांना पडणाऱ्या स्वप्नांचे वर्णन अवास्तव आणि आणि विनाकारण घुसविल्यासारखे वाटते. इतिहास कथारुपात सादर केल्यामुळे त्यात मनोरंजकता आणण्यासाठी लेखकाने असे केले असण्याची शक्यता आहे. केवळ इतिहास वर्णन या उद्देशाने हे पुस्तक लिहीण्याचे ठरविले असते तर ५०० पानांचे हे पुस्तक २५० पानांतच आटोपले असते.
पानिपतच्या युध्दात मराठ्यांचा दारुण पराभव झाला हे जगजाहिर आहे. हे पुस्तक वाचताना या पराभवाची कारणे जी माझ्या लक्षात आली ती खालील प्रमाणे आहेत.

१. मराठी लष्करातील यात्रेकरुंचा आणि बुणग्यांचा भरणा लष्कराला भोवला. १००००० हुन अधिक लोकांत फक्त ४०००० लढाऊ सैनिक होते. इतर बिनलढाऊ लोकांच्या बोझ्यामुळे लष्कराची उपासमार झाली आणि वेगवान लष्करी हालचाली करता आल्या नाही.
२. लढाईत स्त्रियांना, आप्तांना सोबत घेऊन जाण्याची परंपरा घातक होती. लढाईत राजा, सरदार मेला तरी त्यांचा वंश पुढे चालवण्यासाठी पुढे तरतुद करण्याचे शहाणपण त्यानी दाखविले नाही.
३. लष्करात शिस्त आणि नियंत्रणाचा अभाव होता. एकदा भाऊंनी गोलाची लढाई खेळण्याचे ठरविल्यावर, त्यांचे न ऎकता गोल तोडणारे विठ्ठल विंचूरकर आणि दमाजी गायकवाड हे सर्वात मोठे युध्द अपराधी होते.
४. लढाई संपायच्या आतच मैदान सोडून पळणारे मल्हारराव होळकर हे दुसऱ्या क्रमांकाचे युध्द अपराधी होत. अशा युध्दातुन पळून आलेल्या लढाऊ लोकांना मराठी शासनाने जबर शिक्षा करणे आवश्यक होते. त्याने इतरांवर जरब बसली असती. पळपुटेपणा हे पानिपतच्या लढाईतल्या पराभवाचे मोठे कारण आहे.
५. संपुर्ण लढाईत यमुना नदी ओलांडता न येणे, अब्दालीचा नायनाट न करता कुंजपुऱ्यावर हल्ला करणे, आजुबाजुच्या राजेरजवाड्यांकडुन सहकार्य मिळण्यात अपयश, लष्करात शिस्त राखण्यात अपयश, आधीच्या लढायांत मुलूख जिंकल्यानंतर त्याचा योग्य नागरी आणि लष्करी बंदोबस्त न करणे यांसाठी भाऊसाहेब आणि संबंध पेशवाई जबाबदार आहे.
६. लढाईत मराठी लष्कराचे हाल होत असताना त्यांना त्वरीत कुमक करण्याचे सोडून, लग्नकार्यात गुंतलेले नानासाहेब पेशवेही या प्रचंड नरसंहारास कारणीभूत आहेत.

इतिहास बदलता येत नाही, पण त्यातून बरेच काही शिकता येते. या युध्दकथेतुन मराठ्यांचा गर्विष्ठपणा, शिस्तीचा अभाव आणि दुरदृष्टीचा अभाव प्रामुख्याने दिसुन येतो. त्यामुळे या कथेचा अंत पराभवात न झाल्यासच नवल वाटेल. आजही परिस्थिती फारशी बदललेली नाही. आज अब्दालीची जागा पाकिस्तान, चीनने घेतली आहे. अशा वेळी नाहक गर्विष्ठपणा सोडून हुशारीने, दुरदृष्टीने शिस्तबध्द हालचाली करुन शत्रुचा पराभव केला पाहिजे. अन्यथा आणखी एका पानिपताची पुनरावृत्ती होणे अटळ आहे. तसे न होवो आणि ईश्वर सर्वांना सद्बुध्दी देवो.

असेही धक्के!

या शतकामध्ये जगातील सर्वच समुदांची सरासरी पातळी लक्षणीय प्रमाणात आणि अत्यंत नाट्यपूर्ण रीतीनं वाढेल, आणि त्याचा परिणाम म्हणून हिमनद्यांच्या पट्ट्यांत 'भूकंप' होतील, असं भाकित एका नवीन अभ्यासाच्या आधारानं करण्यात आलं आहे. याबाबतचा अभ्यासअहवाल 'सायन्स' या विख्यात नियतकालिकामध्ये अलीकडंच प्रसिद्ध करण्यात आला आहे. या अहवालानुसार 2100 सालापर्यंत पृथ्वीचं तापमान चांगलंच वाढलं असेल. त्यामुळे ग्रीनलँडमधील बर्फ वितळू लागेलच; पण उत्तर ध्रुवावरील बर्फही झपाट्यानं कमी होऊ लागेल.

यापैकी एक अहवाल अरिझोना युनिव्हसिर्टीच्या अभ्यासकांनी तयार केला आहे. त्यासाठी त्यांनी आतापर्यंत हवामानविषयक करण्यात आलेल्या अभ्यासांचाही आधार घेतला आहे. ते अभ्यास आणि ताजी निरीक्षणे यांच्या आधारे हे अभ्यासक असं म्हणतात की या शतकाच्या अखेरीस समुदाची सरासरी पातळी काही मीटर्सनी वाढेल. परिणामी अनेक भूभाग पाण्याखाली जातील. त्याचं कारण अर्थातच पृथ्वीवरील वाढतं तापमान हेच असेल. या वाढत्या तापमानाचा आणखी एक परिणाम दुसऱ्या एका अभ्यासामध्ये नमूद करण्यात आला आहे. त्यानुसार अमेरिकेतील मॅनहॅटन भागाच्या आकाराच्या हिमनद्या आपल्या स्थानावरून अचानकपणं सरकतील. त्यालाच हे अभ्यासक 'हिमनद्यांचा भूकंप' असं म्हणतात. या सरकण्यामुळे बसणारा धक्का 'हालचालीची तीव्रता' या परिणामात सांगायचा तर तो 5.1 तीव्रतेचा असेल. 'हालचालींच्या तीव्रतेचा धक्का' हा भूकंपाची तीव्रता मोजण्यासाठी वापरण्यात येणाऱ्या 'रिश्टर परिणामा'सारखाच असल्याचंही हे अभ्यासक सांगतात. अशा प्रकारचे धक्के गीनलँडमध्ये अधूनमधून बसतच असतात; परंतु सन 2002पासून त्यांच्या संख्येमध्ये वाढ झाली आहे.

या धक्क्यांची उकल करताना हे अभ्यासक सांगतात की हिमनद्या आणि त्यावरी बर्फ वितळू लागला की त्यापासून निघणारं पाणी हळूहळू हिमनदीच्या तळाला जाऊ लागतं. अशा पाण्याचा पुरेसा साठा हिमनदीच्या तळाला जमा झाला की तो हिमनदीच्या मोठाल्या हिमखंडांच्या हालचालींसाठी चांगला आधार ठरतो. त्याचाच आधार घेऊन प्रचंड आकाराचे हिमखंड आपल्या स्थानावरून हालतात आणि समुदात जातात. यातील महत्त्वाचा भाग असा की ग्रीनलँडमधील या हिमामध्ये ताज्या गोड्या पाण्याचा मोठा साठा आहे. तोच समुदार्पण होणार असल्यानं त्याचे गंभीर परिणाम सर्वांनाच भोगावे लागतील. एकतर समुदाची पातळी वाढेल आणि दुसरे म्हणजे पृथ्वीवरील गोड्या पाण्याचे साठे कमी होतील. आणि त्याचा फटका मोठा असेल. या अभ्यासकांनी आणखीनही एक महत्त्वाचं निरीक्षण नोंदवलं आहे. भूगर्भातील हालचालींमुळे होणाऱ्या भूकंपांसाठी ग्रीनलँड हा भाग काही प्रसिद्ध नाही. परंतु 1993 ते 2005 या काळामध्ये असे 182 धक्के या भागात बसल्याचे सिस्मोमीटर्सवरून दिसते. यातील 136 धक्के 4.6 ते 5.1 रिश्टर तीव्रतेचे होते. त्याचा परिणाम या भागातील बर्फ कमी होण्यात झाला आहे, असंही या अभ्यासकांनी म्हटलं आहे. थोडक्यात, हवामानातील बदलाचे गंभीर दृश्यपरिणाम आता जाणवू लागले आहेत. त्यामुळेच त्याबाबतचा अभ्यासही अधिक प्रमाणात करण्यात येत आहे.

या अभ्यासाचा एक भाग म्हणून नासानं अलीकडंच दोन उपग्रह अवकाशात सोडले आहेत. 'क्लाऊडसॅट' आणि 'कॅलिप्सो' अशी नावं असलेले हे उपग्रह पृथ्वीपासून 705 कि.मी. अंतरावरून पृथ्वीभोवती फिरतील. या उपग्रहांचं काम ढगांची निमिर्ती नेमकी कशी होते आणि हवेतील सूक्ष्म कण कसे तयार होतात, याचा शोध घेण्याचं असेल. आता या दोन्हींच्या निमिर्तीचा वेध कशासाठी घ्यावयाचा, असा प्रश्ान् पडू शकेल. परंतु वातावरण तापणं किंवा ते थंड होणं यास विविध प्रकारचे ढगच जबाबदार असतात. त्यामुळेच त्यांचा अभ्यास आता महत्त्वाचा ठरत आहे. आपल्याला ढग दिसतात ते आडवे पसरलेले. परंतु त्यांच्या उंचीचा आपल्याला काहीच पत्ता नसतो. या उपग्रहांमुळं ढगांच्या उंचीचा अंदाज येईलच; पण त्या उंच आकाराची नेमकी रचना कशी आहे, तेसुद्धा समजू शकेल. या ढगांचे वरपासून तळापर्यंतचे निरीक्षण संशोधकांनी करता येऊ शकेल; कारण हे उपग्रह त्यांची तशाच प्रकारची छायाचित्रं घेतील. या ढगांचा आणि सूक्ष्मकणांचा वातावरण तप्त होण्यातील वाटा किती आहे, तेसुद्धा समजू शकेल. महत्त्वाचं म्हणजे पाऊस पाडणाऱ्या ढगांचं प्रमाण किती आहे, तेसुद्धा कळू शकेल. पृथ्वीभोवतालच्या ढगांमध्ये किती पाणी आणि बर्फ आहे, त्याचा वेधही क्लाऊडसॅट हा उपग्रह घेणार आहे. तर कॅलिप्सोमुळं हवेतील सूक्ष्मकणांचं प्रमाण समजू शकेलच; पण डोळ्यांना दिसणारे अतिशय पातळ अशा ढगांचाही वेध हा उपग्रह घेणार आहे. या ढगांमध्ये ऋतुमानाप्रमाणं बदल होतो का आणि होत असल्यास काय होतो, त्याचा शोध हा उपग्रह घेईल.

थोडक्यात काय, तर आता हवामानाचा सर्वांगीण वेध आणि अभ्यास करणं सुरू झालं आहे. परंतु त्यामधून हाती येणाऱ्या माहितीचा उपयोग करून घेऊन आपण आवश्यक ते धोरणात्मक बदल केले नाहीत, उष्णताशोषक वायूंचं प्रमाण आटोक्यात ठेवलं नाही, तिवरांसह इतर वनस्पतींच्या तोडीस आळा घातला नाही, प्रदूषणावर नियंत्रण ठेवलं नाही, तर हे सारे अभ्यास अर्थशून्य ठरतील. याचं कारण असे बदल जागतिक पातळीवर होत नाहीत, तोपर्यंत बदलणाऱ्या हवामानाचा आणि त्याच्या दुष्परिणामांचा मुकाबला करणं अवघडच आहे.

Malegaon Blasts put spotlight on Muslim Ghetto Towns of India

The day after the deadly blasts in Malegaon which killed more than 30 people all Muslims and injured over a 100 the spotlight has been turned on the Muslim Ghetto that Malegaon had become over the years. The BBC's Zubair Ahmed visited what he called the Taleban town to obtain some very astounding remarks from angry Muslims which go to reflect the deep radicalization of this non-descrpit town in interior Maharashtra. Some of the comments captured by Zubair Ahmed

"What goes around comes around," said a local police officer.

"If a needle is pierced in any part of your body the whole body hurts, doesn't it? The Muslims all over the world are like a human body."

"It's an obligation by Islam to support Muslims and we do our Islamic duty."

The above remarks were made by Muslim residents of Malegaon when queried about why the Taleban government of Afghanistan had enjoyed immense support in Malegaon. The background to this ghettoization of Malegaon can be traced back to the declining political fortunes of one Nihal Ahmed , a controversial Janata Dal MLA who's won six times from Malegaon who was was blamed for inciting the worst riots in Malegaon in 2001 by mobilizing pro-Afghanistan and pro Bin Laden mobs. The economic decay of Malegaon over the years meant more recruits for radical Islamic politics of Nihal Ahmed.

Malegaon epitomizes how treating Muslims as vote banks and conducting politics on pan-Islamic issues can foment terrorism. Offstumped had earlier pointed out that condoning Muslim Fundamentalist violence over Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan Cartoon Issues and Pan Islamic Political Mobilization over these issues contributes to the creation of an environment where it is ok to encourage, shelter and patronise those whose loyalties to a Global Islamic cause are stronger than their respect to the Laws of their Motherland. This creates Institutional Safe Havens where Islamic Terrorism can germinate and flourish with no fear of consequences because there are many layers of Secular Cover that they can operate under. Nothing exemplifies this better than the incidents of May 10 2006, when in a huge haul, 30 kgs of RDX was found in Ellora, near Aurangabad. A few days later, a smaller quantity was recovered in Malegaon from a local doctor's residence. Several people were also arrested in this connection.

Malegaon is a classic test case confirming Offstumped's hypothesis that Islamic Vote Bank politics portends ominously for India. While Malegaon is in the news on account of the dastardly bomb blasts that claimed many Muslim lives, from Coimbatore to North Kerala to Telangana to Maharashtra to Bihar, ghetoissation of muslim majority towns is radicalizing muslim youth who have fallen behind on economic opportunities. While the fifth economic census released earlier this year showed that rural India saw free enterprise flourish it is clear that this growth has not created sufficient workforce mobility to de-ghettoise muslim majority towns of rural India.

The Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi lead UPA Government while swearing by secularism and fostering Minority interests is doing a great disservice to the religious Minorities of India and Muslims in particular. While to its allies like the CPI-M, RJD and Samajwadi Party protecting Minority or Muslim interests starts with exploiting Muslim sentiments on Pan-Ismalic issues and ends with Haj Subsidy and Wakf Board politics, the Manmohan Singh Congress attempted a few policy initiatives which while novel were both misguided and counterproductive. The first being the national commission to study the economic and social conditions of Muslims which while being a meaningful academic exercise acquired perverse overtones when it went on a Muslim headcount fishing expedition in public services and armed forces. The second initiative around reserving development funds out of Central Government initiatives specifically for religious minorities also acquired a perverse political overtone with its focus on prevention and control of communal riots.

Unless the government's policy focus is firmly on de-ghettoization and workforce mobility any initiatives targetting religious Minorities will be mere lip service and will lead to further institutionalization of vote bank politics which we have seen fuels radicalization and shelters terrorism. When one looks at an Azim Premji heading WIPRO, an Abdul Kalam heading India, an Azharudding heading the Indian Cricket Team, an Aamir Khan or Shahrukh Khan captivating minds and hearts, one sees a succesful Indian professional not a Muslim. One has to only travel to Hyderabad to see how scores of Muslim I.T. professionals have done well for themselves in a Microsoft or a Infosys rendering religious identity irrelavant.

By bringing in religion into development the so called secular parties have violated the basic tenets of the Indian Constitution - Secularism by giving institutional credibility to myths that the Majority religion has grabbed a lion's share of development funds and that the Minority religions have suffered in the areas of development on account of their smaller population share. By constantly pandering to local politicians like Nihal Ahmed of Malegaon who attempt to protect so called Minority interests these secular parties have only deepend the insecurity of the Minority religion as the victim.

Offstumped Bottomline: This brand of secularism that preserves religious identities and exploits them to political advantage has lead to vote bank politics and radicalized ghettoes. India needs to reject this brand of secularism and focus firmly on policies and politics that will de-ghettoize the Muslim Community and foster social mobility in the pursuit of economic opportunities. That is the only way forward for Malegaon and its sister towns across India.

Deception Point by Dan Brown (दर्जा : ****)

“When a NASA satellite discovers an astonishingly rare object buried deep in the Arctic ice, the floundering space agency proclaims a much-needed victory. A victory with profound implications for NASA policy and the impending presidential election. To verify the authenticity of the find, the white house calls upon the skills of intelligence analyst Rachel Sexton. Accompanied by a team of experts, including the charismatic scholar Michael Tolland. Rachel travels to the Arctic and uncovers the unthinkable : evidence of scientific trickery. A bold deception that threatens to plunge the world into controversy. But before she can warn the President, Rachel and Michael are ambushed by a deadly team of assassins. Fleeing for their lives across a desolate and lethal landscape, their only hope for survival is to discover who is behind this masterful plot. The truth, they will learn, is the most shocking deception of all.”

मी सहसा इंग्रजी पुस्तके वाचत नाही. मराठी माध्यमातून शिक्षण झालेले असल्याने इंग्रजी भाषेत मी फारसा पारंगत नाही. इंग्रजी भाषेतील पुस्तके समजत असली तरी त्यांचा रसास्वाद घेता येत नाही. परंतू अनेक वर्ष इंग्रजी भाषेचा संपर्क आल्याने आता हळूहळू त्या भाषेचा आस्वाद मला घेता येतोय. याचे श्रेय मला टाईम्स ऑफ इंडीया या इंग्रजी दैनिकाला द्यावीशी वाटते. या इंग्रजी वर्तमानपत्राच्या सातत्यपुर्ण वाचनाने आपला इंग्रजीचा शब्दसंग्रह समृद्ध होतो. याशिवाय इंग्रजी भाषेतून घेतलेले संगणकाचे ज्ञान आणि तदनंतर इंटरनेटची मुशाफीरी यांनीही माझी इंग्रजी सुधारण्यात चांगलाच हातभार लावला.

पुस्तक वाचनास सुरुवात केल्यानंतर मी प्रथमच प्रसिध्द लेखक डॅन ब्राऊन यांची डिसेप्शन पॉइंट ही कादंबरी वाचण्यास घेतली. हे पुस्तक वाचायला घेण्यापुर्वी त्यामध्ये काय आहे, अथवा डॅन ब्राऊन यांची लेखनशैली कशी आहे, याबद्दल मला यत्कींचीतही कल्पना नव्हती. परंतू हे पुस्तक हातात घेताच अगदी पहिल्या पानापासूनच मी त्याच्या प्रेमात पडलो. विषय माझ्या आवडीचा अर्थात विज्ञानकथा अधिक अमेरिकन राजनीती असा होता. त्याचबरोबर डॅन ब्राऊन यांच्या सहजसुंदर आणि उत्कंठावर्धक भाषाशैलीने मला खिळवून ठेवले आणि हे पुस्तक पुर्णपणे वाचण्यास भाग पाडले.

या पुस्तकाची कथा वर इंग्रजीत दिल्याप्रमाणे अस्तीत्वासाठी झगडणारी अमेरीकन अंतराळसंस्था नासा आणि राष्ट्रपतीपद मिळवण्यासाठी चाललेली उमेदवारांची जीवघेणी चढाओढ यांची आहे. महत्वाच्या मोहिमांत सातत्याने अपयश आल्याने हतबल झालेली अमेरीकन अवकाशसंस्था नासा कुठल्यातरी जोरदार यशाच्या शोधात असते. या हतबलतेतून मार्ग काढण्याठी एक उच्चपदस्थ अधिकारी एका नव्या शोधाचा बनाव रचतो. तो बनाव उघड होऊ नये म्हणून त्याला अमेरीकेच्याच सैनिकी कमांडोंचा उपयोग अमेरीकी नागरीकांचेच हत्यासत्र सुरु करावे लागते.
हा बनाव उघडकीस आल्यास विद्यमान अमेरीकेचे अध्यक्ष, जे नासाचे कट्टर समर्थक असतात, त्यांची पुनर्निवडणूक धोक्यात येऊ शकते. आणि त्यांचे विरोधक जे नासाला अमेरीकेचे निरर्थक उधळपट्टी करणारे बाळ समजतात, ते निवडून येऊ शकतात. हे टाळण्यासाठी कुठल्याही थराला जायची त्या अधिकाऱ्याची तयारी असते. या जीवघेण्या संघर्षात नायक मायकेल टॉलंड आणि नायीका राचेल सेक्सटन हे दोघेही सापडतात. व कथेच्या अंती तेच या रहस्याचा उलगडा करतात. एकंदरीत यापुस्तकाची कथा एखाद्या देमार इंग्रजी चित्रपटाला साजेशी आहे. भविष्यात या कादंबरीवर आधारीत चित्रपट आल्यास आश्चर्य वाटू नये.

पुस्तकाची कथा छान आहे. शेवट पर्यंत खलनायक कोण हे वाचकापासून लपऊन ठेवण्यात लेखक यशस्वी ठरला आहे. लेखकाची लेखन शैली उत्कृष्ट आहे. त्यानी या पुस्तकाचे लिखाण अत्यंत सोप्या इंग्रजी भाषेत केले आहे, त्यामुळे इंग्रजी कच्चे असलेल्या वाचकांनाही ते पचवण्यास अवघड नाही. संपुर्ण पुस्तकात लेखकाने क्लिष्ट वैज्ञानिक माहीती दीली आहे, ती सर्वसाधारण वाचकाला जड जाण्याची शक्यता आहे. परंतु त्याकडे दुर्लक्ष केल्यासही चालू शकेल. वाचकाला अमेरीकन समाज, त्यांची विचारसरणी, त्यांचा इतिहास, त्यांची वैज्ञानिक आणि लष्करी प्रगती, त्यांच्याकडे अध्यक्षांना देंण्यात येणारे अनन्यसाधारण महत्त्व याची माहिती असल्याच हे पुस्तक अधिक समजेल व त्याचा पुर्ण रसास्वाद घेता येईल.

मी वाय. सी. - यादवराव पवार (दर्जा *****)

“मुंबईच्या गुन्हेगारी विश्वातील बेताज बादशहा वरदाभाई उर्फ वरदराजन मुदलियार याचे साम्राज्य उध्वस्त करणा़ऱ्या वाय. सी. पवार नावाच्या पोलीस खात्यातील झंझावाताची ही आत्मकथा. संकल्प पक्का असेल आणि ध्येय निश्चित असेल तर साध्या कुटुंबात जन्म घेतलेला एक पोलीस अधिकारी गुंडगिरी, भ्रष्टाचार आणि दंगली यांच्यावरही अंकुश ठेवू शकतो. चांगुलपणाचे, कर्तव्यनिष्ठेचे आणि कठोरतेचे जिवंत प्रतिक असलेल्या या सच्चा पोलीस अधिकऱ्याचे वादळी आत्मचरित्र एकूणच खचलेल्या समाजजीवनाच्या अंध:कारात आशेचा किरण ठरेल.”
माझा जन्म मुंबईत झाला. १९७२ पासून ते १९९६ पर्यंतचा काळ मी मुंबईत काढला. मुंबईत असताना या महानगराचे फायदे जसे झाले तसेच त्याच्या समस्यांचीही जाण झाली. भारतभरहून येणाऱया नशिब आजमावणाऱ्यांचे लोंढे आणि त्यांना आश्रय देणाऱ्या येथील झोपडपट्ट्या. ह्या झोपडपट्ट्या म्हणजे गुन्हेगारांचे आगार झाले होते. पोलीसही त्यांना हप्त्यासाठी साथ द्यायचे. अशावेळी वाय. सी. पवार या कर्तबगार पोलीस अधिकाऱ्याचे आगमन झाले. त्यांनी आपल्या कारकीर्दीत मुंबईतल्या गुन्हेगारीचा पुरता बिमोड केला. तो मी स्वत: अनुभवला होता. त्यामुळे त्यांच्याबद्दलच्या उत्सुकतेपोटी हे पुस्तक मी वाचायला घेतले.
लेखन अतिशय सुरेख झालेले असून धावते आहे. त्यामुळे कुठेही रटाळपणा आलेला नाही. वाय. सींचे आयुष्य प्रसंगांनी भरलेले असल्यामुळे ३६८ पानांचे पुस्तक लिहूनही बऱ्याच गोष्टी त्यांनी थोडक्यात आवरत्या घेतल्या आहे. बऱ्याच ठीकाणी व्याकरणाच्या चुका असून एखाद्या भाषातज्ञाकडून प्रूफ तपासावयास हवे होते. एकंदरीत पुस्तक अतिशय सुंदर असून वाचक ते वाचताना भारवून जातो. सध्याच्या परीस्थितीत जेव्हा इमानदार पोलीस सापडणे दुर्मिळ झाले आहे, वाय. सी. पवारांच्या कारकीर्दिकडून बरेच काही शिकण्यासारखे आहे.

मराठीतील निवडक विज्ञानकथा संपादन : निरंजन घाटे दर्जा (****)

“विज्ञानकथा हा प्रकार मराठीमध्ये तसा नवा नाही. इ.स.१९०० पासून मराठीत विज्ञानकथा लिहिली जात आहे. तेव्हापासूनच्या गेल्या शंभर वर्षातील प्रातिनिधिक विज्ञानकथा एकत्र आणण्याचा हा प्रयत्न आहे. या निमित्ताने एकत्र केलेल्या ह्या विज्ञानकथा वाचताना विज्ञानकथेचे स्वरुप कसे बदलत गेले तेही आपल्या लक्षात येते.
मराठी विज्ञानकथेच्या गेल्या शंभर वर्षाच्या वाटचालीत अनेक मोठमोठ्या लेखकांचा हातभार लागला आहे. मराठी विज्ञानकथेच्या अभ्यासाच्या दृष्टीने ह्या संग्रहातील कथा जशा उपयोगी आहेत त्याच बरोबर एकविसाव्या शतकात जाताना मराठी विज्ञानकथेचे साहाय्यही वाचकाला होईल यात शंकाच नाही.”
विज्ञानकथा हा पुर्वीपासून माझा आवडीचा विषय आहे. विज्ञानाधिष्ठीत दृष्टीकोन असल्याकारणानेही त्यातली तांत्रीक क्लीष्टता मला त्रास देत नाही. या कथा वाचण्यापूर्वी विज्ञानातील काही पायभूत नियम आणि माणसाची वैज्ञानिक प्रगती आणि भविष्यकाळातील अपेक्षा वाचकाला माहित असणे अत्यंत आवश्यक आहे. अन्यथा या कथा पुर्णपणे काल्पनिक असुन अतिशयोक्तीपुर्ण आहेत असा समज होण्याची शक्यता आहे. विज्ञान कथा म्हणजे सध्याच्या प्रचलीत विज्ञानाच्या पायावर उभारलेली परंतु भविष्याच्या संभाव्य वैज्ञानिक प्रगतिचा कळस असलेली काल्पनिक कथा असते. ती काल्पनिक असते पण कपोलकल्पित मात्र नसते.
ज्यांना जुन्या काळातील एच. जी. वेल्स, जुल्स व्हर्न या लेखकांनी लिहिलेल्या विज्ञान कथांचा परिचय आहे, त्यांना हे निश्चितच पटेल की विज्ञानकथा म्हणजे अतिशय कल्पक आणि कुषाग्र बुध्दीच्या लेखकाने भविष्याचा घेतलेला वेध असतो. या लेखकांनी एकोणिसाव्या शतकात, ज्यावेळी माणूस उडू शकतो असे म्हणणाऱ्या माणसांना वेडे समजले जायचे, विमानांची आणि अवकाश यानांची कल्पना केली होती आणि त्यावर विज्ञानकथा लिहिल्या होत्या. गंमत म्हणजे त्यानी केलेला कल्पनाविलास आज बऱ्याच अंशी खरा ठरलेला आहे. विज्ञानकथा माणसातील वैज्ञानिक जागा करतात आणि त्याला भविष्याचा वेध घ्यायला लावतात, म्हणून त्यांचे महत्त्व अनन्यसाधारण आहे. आपल्या मुलाचा बौधिक आणि वैज्ञानिक विकास घडविण्यासाठी प्रत्येक पालकाने त्याला विज्ञानकथा, कादंबऱ्या पुरविणे आवश्यक आहे.
या पुस्तकात श्री निरंजन घाटे यांनी विसाव्या शतकातील मराठी विज्ञानकथा आणि विज्ञानकथाकारांवर दीर्घ संशोधन करुन वेगवेगळ्या कालखंडातील वेगवेगळे विषय आजमावणाऱ्या १८ अतिशय सुंदर विज्ञानकथांचा संग्रह पेश केला आहे. त्यांचा या विषयावरील अभ्यास दांडगा आहे. स्वतः एक विज्ञानकथाकार असल्याने या विषयाची त्यांना चांगली समजही आहे. यापुस्तकासाठी त्यानी २० पानी लांबलचक प्रस्तावना लिहीली आहे, ती काही मला आवडली नाही. प्रस्तावना कधीही एक-दोन पानांपेक्षा जास्त लांब नसावी असे माझे मत आहे. या प्रस्तावनेत त्यानी विज्ञानकथा म्हणजे काय, ती कशी असावी आणि बऱ्याच लोकांनी विज्ञानकथेच्या नावाखाली हिन दर्जाच्या साहित्याचा कसा बाजार मांडला आहे याचे प्रदिर्घ विवेचन केले आहे. माझ्यामते याविषयावर वाद घालण्यासाठी एखाद्या पुस्तकाची प्रस्तावना ही योग्य जागा नव्हती.
या पुस्तकातल्या सर्व १८ कथा अप्रतिम आहेत यांत काही शंका नाही, परंतु अनु. क्र. १ आणि २ च्या जुन्या काळातील “चंद्रलोकातील सफर” आणि “बायकांना उजव्या डोळ्याने दिसत नाही” या कथा काहिशा सुमार दर्जाच्या आणि रटाळ आहेत. कथा जुन्या काळातील असल्याने आणि बहूतेक, संपादकांच्या म्हणण्याप्रमाणे त्या विदेशी साहीत्यांचे स्वैर अनुवाद असल्या कारणाने, लेखकांना निटशा हाताळता आल्या नाहीत. दुर्दैवाने पुस्तकाच्या आरंभिच दोन कथा रटाळ असल्याने निरस होतो. परंतु बाकीच्या सर्व कथा मात्र उत्तम दर्जाच्या आहेत. संपुर्ण संग्रहात “गिनिपिग” “कनेक्शन” आणि “कालदमन” या कथा मला सर्वात जास्त आवडल्या. प्रत्येक विज्ञानप्रेमीने अवश्य वाचावे असे हे पुस्तक आहे.

जगाची मुशाफिरी - निरंजन घाटे दर्जा ****

आज मी जगाची मुशाफिरी हे निरंजन घाटे यांनी लिहीलेले पुस्तक वाचून संपवीले. निरंजन घाटे हे एक उत्कृष्ट विज्ञानकथा लेखक असून काही वेळा इतर किरकोळ लेखनही करतात. त्यांची लेखनशैली सुबोध असून ओघवती आहे, त्यामुळेच ते माझे आवडते लेखक आहेत. हे पुस्तक प्रवासवर्णन असल्याप्रमाणे वाटते परंतू लेखकाने कुठेही प्रत्यक्ष प्रवास केल्याचे म्हटलेले नाही. त्यात जागाच्या कानाकोपऱ्यातल्या वैशिष्ट्यपूर्ण स्थळांचे यापुस्तकात वर्णन असल्यामुळे त्यासर्व जागी प्रवास करणे लेखकाला अशक्य असल्याचे वाटते.
पुस्तकात एकूण ८८ पृष्ठे होती. ५ सप्टेंबर २००५ ला हे पुस्तक मी वाचावयास सुरुवात केली आणि १८ सप्टेंबर २००५ ला संपविले. नुकतेच सभासदत्व पत्करलेल्या सदाशिव पेठेतल्या मराठी साहित्य परीषदेच्या ग्रंथालयातून हे पुस्तक मी मिळवले होते. हे पुस्तक आणि आणखिन एक पुस्तक अनिल काळे यांनी अनुवादीत केलेले ट्रीनिटिज चाईल्ड मी साहित्य परीषदेतून सभासद झाल्यानंतर प्रथमच घेतले. वेळ न पुरल्यामुळे ट्रीनिटिज चाईल्ड हे पुस्तक पुर्ण वाचू शकलो नाही.
पुस्तकाचे लेखक निरंजन घाटे हे एक भूगोलतज्ञ असून पुण्यातच रहातात. विज्ञानविषयक दृष्टीकोन आणि ज्ञान यांचा सर्वसाधारण समाजामध्ये प्रसार करणे हा घाटे यांचा प्रमुख उद्देश आहे. त्यामुळे त्यांचे लिखाण सोपे आणि तांत्रिक क्लिष्टता टाळणारे असते. त्यामुळे माझ्यासारख्या विज्ञानप्रवीण माणसाला त्यांचे लिखाण अपुरे वाटण्याची शक्यता आहे. परंतू घाटे यांचा वाचकवर्ग सर्वसामान्य माणूस आहे हे लक्षात घेतल्यास ते योग्यच असल्याचे जाणवते.
या पुस्तकात लेखकाने जगातल्या विविध देशातल्या वैशिष्ट्यपूर्ण ठीकाणांची आणि तिथल्या लोकांची मनोरंजक माहीती दिलेली आहे. हे पुस्तक म्हणजे एक लेख संग्रह असून तो कुठल्या वर्तमान पत्रात प्रसिध्द झाला होता का याचा लेखकाने कुठेही उल्लेख केलेला नाही. पुस्तकात दिलेली माहिती संक्षीप्त आणि मनोरंजक आहे. पुस्तकात अनेक व्याकरणाच्या चुका असून प्रकाशकाने त्याकडे लक्ष पुरविलेले दिसत नाही.
पुस्तकात एकूण १९ लेख असून लेख क्रमांक ७ जो युरोप मधल्या प्रसिध्द कलाकृतींच्या चोऱ्यांच्या संदर्भात होता मला विशेष करुन आवडला. लेख क्रमांक १० मध्ये लेखकाने मध्य भारतात सापडलेल्या डायनोसॉरच्या अंड्याविषयी लिहीले आहे. त्यात स्थानिक भारतियांनी कसे या अंड्यांना शिवलिंग समजून त्याभोवती मंदीर बांधून त्याची पुजा चालू केलेली आहे याचे वर्णन आढळते. हा लेखही मला आवडला. लेखकाने हे सर्व लेख लिहिण्यासाठी अनेक संदर्भग्रंथांचा वापर केला असल्याचे दिसते. परंतू लेखकाने कुठेही त्यांचा उल्लेख केलेला नाही. ही एक मोठी चूक असून माझ्या सारख्या संशोधक वृत्तीच्या माणसाला अधिक माहीती साठी संदर्भ सुचीचा मोठा उपयोग झाला असता. परंतू आजच्या युगात इंटरनेटवर कुठल्याही गोष्टीचा शोध घेणे सहज शक्य असल्याने जाणकार माणसाला तशी काही अडचण भासण्याची शक्यता नाही.

China builds model of Indian border 2400 km away

The discovery of what is considered a military establishment in China’s Northern plains by a Google Earth user from Germany has kicked up a storm on the Net’s strategic forums. Here’s why: The establishment, snapped from Google’s free satellite imagery software, houses a startlingly accurate scale model of a highly sensitive stretch of the disputed Sino-Indian border.
A careful study of the model, located at a large military complex in China’s Huangyangtan province, likely used for training and familiarisation of troops, helicopters and infantry vehicles, shows that it is built to scale based on a stretch 2,400 km away along the Aksai Chin area bordering Ladakh, part of the stretch through which invading Chinese forces entered in the 1962 war.
The facility, full with uncharacteristic and man-made snow peaks, glacial lakes and snow rifts—ironically in the middle of an arid plain—is flanked by a large military depot with buildings and at least a hundred military trucks.
The Army did not confirm that it was aware of the facility, but officially told The Indian Express, “Militaries are always known to simulate potential conflict zones as a standard practice. There is absolute peace and tranquility on the border with China, a disputed border that the two governments are resolving through peaceful dialogue. It is nothing alarming, these are standard training methodologies.”
Off the record, though, an officer currently with the Quarter Master General branch, but who has served along the border with Aksai Chin, said, “We knew that they had some facilities for this purpose but the scale and detail is something new to us.”
The sense is that economic development near the border and a quiet, but progressive peace dialogue to end the border dispute notwithstanding, the PLA is keeping its forces well in touch with potential conflict zones— especially Aksai Chin, strategically important to Beijing since it houses crucial road heads and Demchok, one of the principally disputed zones.
The image could be anything between six months and two years old, proving that training on disputed terrain is still very much part of the PLA’s war doctrine.

What Makes Eurofighter fly?

Saudi Arabia is buying 72 Eurofighter Typhoon jets from the UK in a deal that could be worth more than £6bn.

The order is a huge boost to BAE Systems, and is the latest development in a saga that has lasted more than two decades.

Why is this defence order so important to the UK?

The entire project has come in for huge criticism and the Eurofighter has had to fight off ferocious competition from the US and France to win export orders. The Saudi deal is proof that Eurofighter can win large orders in a tough market. BAE Systems is one of the four main contractors building Eurofighter, with partners in Germany, Italy and Spain. Thousands of high-tech jobs in Lancashire, where BAE Systems has its military aircraft division, will be safeguarded by the order. The area is home to dozens of small specialist engineering companies that supply parts and expertise to the BAE Systems plant at Warton, just outside of Preston. When the UK sold Tornado fighters to the Saudi air force in the 1980s, subsequent contracts for support and airfield infrastructure generated massive business for other UK companies in the defence and construction sectors. The Eurofighter order may herald a similar bonanza for UK companies.

So who else is buying the planes?

Eurofighter's first export success was a small order from Austria for 18 aircraft. But the company subsequently lost out in a competition to supply jets to the Singapore Air Force, fanning fears that it would struggle to sell. Now the huge Saudi order means other customers will feel more confident about buying the aircraft. Norway, Greece and Turkey are all being mentioned as possible future customers for the Eurofighter.

Why has the Eurofighter been so controversial?

The aircraft was conceived during the 1980s as a counter to the latest Russian fighters, but technical challenges and the end of the Cold War led to calls for its cancellation. As a result, the testing programme was delayed and the first prototype did not fly until 1994. Costs rose dramatically during the project and the UK's bill for buying 232 has soared from £7bn to an estimated £15bn. Critics argue that the UK's Royal Air Force (RAF) and its European allies no longer need a top of the range fighter. They point out that conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan require infantry and helicopters, not sophisticated fighter jets that will take up a huge chunk of the hard-pressed defence budget. Also, the RAF has struggled to get the aircraft into service and the initial deployment with the air forces of the four partner nations was repeatedly delayed.

So why is the UK pushing ahead with the Eurofighter?

Simply put, because the four partner nations need a fighter to replace existing aircraft. The RAF must replace aging Tornado F3 fighters, which defend UK airspace, and elderly Jaguar fighter-bombers, which support the army. These aircraft were designed in the 1960s and 1970s and have been in service for 20-35 years. And while the military threat from the Soviet Union no longer exists, Russia is selling its top-of-the-range fighters to many countries. At the same time, China is increasing its presence in the international fighter export market.

So is the Eurofighter any good?

Critics have suggested that the Eurofighter is only useful for air-to-air combat, and not for supporting troops on the ground. And they have complained that it was not designed to evade radar, like the latest generation of US stealth fighters. In fact the Eurofighter was designed from outset to be a fighter-bomber that could switch from dog-fighting in the air to attacking targets on the ground all during the same mission. Some observers have claimed that many criticisms of the fighter plane have come from US aerospace companies alarmed at the prospect of losing customers to the Eurofighter. Also, designing a fighter to be stealthy brings its own set of problems not least because stealth aircraft cannot carry out tight dogfight manoeuvres at high speed.

What makes it special?

The Eurofighter's engines, made by Rolls-Royce, give enormous power in relation to the aircraft's weight. This allows the Eurofighter to fly at supersonic speeds without burning excess fuel, a revolutionary feature in a modern fighter. The fighter jet is controlled by computers that feed instructions into the wings and tail far faster than a human pilot could manage, allowing the pilot to throw the plane around the sky and use entirely new tactics.

So what will be the Eurofighter's main competition?

The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), which the US is developing in co-operation with the UK, is due to enter service after 2012. But this project has hit serious technical problems and is under threat in the US Congress. The US Air Force has already begun to take delivery of another superjet, the F-22 Raptor. This is very stealthy but costs twice the price of the Eurofighter, and reports suggest that RAF's Eurofighters have flown highly successful missions against the F-22 during recent exercises in the US. It also is competing with the French-made Rafale, which is very similar to the Eurofighter and may be on the UK's Royal Navy shopping list.

To What Extent Are Genetic Variation and Personal Health Linked?

Forty years ago, doctors learned why some patients who received the anesthetic succinylcholine awoke normally but remained temporarily paralyzed and unable to breathe: They shared an inherited quirk that slowed their metabolism of the drug. Later, scientists traced sluggish succinylcholine metabolism to a particular gene variant. Roughly 1 in 3500 people carry two deleterious copies, putting them at high risk of this distressing side effect.

The solution to the succinylcholine mystery was among the first links drawn between genetic variation and an individual's response to drugs. Since then, a small but growing number of differences in drug metabolism have been linked to genetics, helping explain why some patients benefit from a particular drug, some gain nothing, and others suffer toxic side effects.

The same sort of variation, it is now clear, plays a key role in individual risks of coming down with a variety of diseases. Gene variants have been linked to elevated risks for disorders from Alzheimer's disease to breast cancer, and they may help explain why, for example, some smokers develop lung cancer whereas many others don't.

These developments have led to hopes--and some hype--that we are on the verge of an era of personalized medicine, one in which genetic tests will determine disease risks and guide prevention strategies and therapies. But digging up the DNA responsible--if in fact DNA is responsible--and converting that knowledge into gene tests that doctors can use remains a formidable challenge.

Many conditions, including various cancers, heart attacks, lupus, and depression, likely arise when a particular mix of genes collides with something in the environment, such as nicotine or a fatty diet. These multigene interactions are subtler and knottier than the single gene drivers of diseases such as hemophilia and cystic fibrosis; spotting them calls for statistical inspiration and rigorous experiments repeated again and again to guard against introducing unproven gene tests into the clinic. And determining treatment strategies will be no less complex: Last summer, for example, a team of scientists linked 124 different genes to resistance to four leukemia drugs.

But identifying gene networks like these is only the beginning. One of the toughest tasks is replicating these studies--an especially difficult proposition in diseases that are not overwhelmingly heritable, such as asthma, or ones that affect fairly small patient cohorts, such as certain childhood cancers. Many clinical trials do not routinely collect DNA from volunteers, making it sometimes difficult for scientists to correlate disease or drug response with genes. Gene microarrays, which measure expression of dozens of genes at once, can be fickle and supply inconsistent results. Gene studies can also be prohibitively costly.

Nonetheless, genetic dissection of some diseases--such as cancer, asthma, and heart disease--is galloping ahead. Progress in other areas, such as psychiatric disorders, is slower. Severely depressed or schizophrenic patients could benefit enormously from tests that reveal which drug and dose will help them the most, but unlike asthma, drug response can be difficult to quantify biologically, making gene-drug relations tougher to pin down.

As DNA sequence becomes more available and technologies improve, the genetic patterns that govern health will likely come into sharper relief. Genetic tools still under construction, such as a haplotype map that will be used to discern genetic variation behind common diseases, could further accelerate the search for disease genes.

The next step will be designing DNA tests to guide clinical decision-making--and using them. If history is any guide, integrating such tests into standard practice will take time. In emergencies--a heart attack, an acute cancer, or an asthma attack--such tests will be valuable only if they rapidly deliver results.

Ultimately, comprehensive personalized medicine will come only if pharmaceutical companies want it to--and it will take enormous investments in research and development. Many companies worry that testing for genetic differences will narrow their market and squelch their profits.

Still, researchers continue to identify new opportunities. In May, the Icelandic company deCODE Genetics reported that an experimental asthma drug that pharmaceutical giant Bayer had abandoned appeared to decrease the risk of heart attack in more than 170 patients who carried particular gene variants. The drug targets the protein produced by one of those genes. The finding is likely to be just a foretaste of the many surprises in store, as the braids binding DNA, drugs, and disease are slowly unwound.

Diego Garcia : A real threat to Indian ocean countries

The US Naval Base Diego Garcia located in the center of Indian Ocean, is a real threat to the security of Countries around Indian Ocean. US created so much hue and cry when Russians established their military base near US mainland in Cuba, which is also known as "Cuban Missile Crisis". But why there is no cry heard when it is establishing its bases near other nations? US used this base to house B52's to attack Iraq during gulf war. Following is the article published in military.com giving its history.

Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory is located at 7 Degrees South Latitude, off the tip of India. Diego Garcia was discovered by Portuguese explorers in the early 1500s. It is the largest of fifty-two islands which form the Chagos Archipelago, located in the heart of the Indian Ocean. The island's name is believed to have come from either the ship's captain or the navigator on that early voyage of discovery.

A tropical footprint-shaped island just 7 degrees south of the equator, Diego Garcia is heavily vegetated. The island covers 6,720 acres in area with a maximum height of 22 feet and an average elevation of four feet above sea level. The shoreline is about 40 miles long and the island encloses a lagoon 6.5 miles wide and 13 miles long.

In 1965, with the formation of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), Diego Garcia was under the administrative control of the British government of the Seychelles. In 1976, the Seychelles gained independence from England and the BIOT became a self-administering territory under the East African Desk of the British Foreign Office. The Crown's representative on island, the British Representative (BRITREP), acts as both Justice of the Peace and Commanding Officer of the Royal Naval Party 1002.

Until 1971, Diego Garcia's main source of income was from the profitable copra oil plantation. At one time, copra oil from here and the other "Oil Islands" provided fine machine oil and fuel to light European lamps. During the roughly 170 years of plantation life, coconut harvests on Diego Garcia remained fairly constant, at about four million nuts annually. The plantation years ended with the arrival of the U.S. military construction.

On March 24, 1971 construction began on a U.S. Naval Communication Facility. This construction was accomplished by units of the U.S. Naval Construction Force (Seabees). Naval Communications Station Pre-commissioning Detachment arrived to prepare for operations in December of 1972 and on March 20, 1973 the U.S. Naval Communications Stations, Diego Garcia, was commissioned. The communications facility was later changed to Naval Computer and Telecommunication Station (NCTS) in October of 1991.

A major change to the island organizational structure occurred with the establishment of the Navy Support Facility (NSF) on October 1, 1977. Commanding Officer, NSF, assumed all duties and responsibilities previously assigned to the Island Commander. The nucleus for NSF came from the original Communication Station enlisted and officer allowances. All billets, other than those dedicated to communications support, were transferred to CO, NSF, who is responsible for maintaining and operating facilities and providing services and materials in support of several tenant shore activities and units of the operating forces. Following the overthrow of the Shah of Iran in 1979, Diego Garcia saw the most dramatic build-up of any location since the Vietnam War era. In 1986, Diego Garcia became fully operational with the completion of a $500 million construction program.

The 1990, Iraqi invasion of Kuwait marked the most intense operational period in Diego Garcia's history. From 1 August 1990 to 28 February 1991, NAVSUPPFAC Diego Garcia achieved and maintained the highest degree of operational readiness and provided levels of support which outstripped all contingency planning. As the base population doubled almost overnight, with the deployment of a Strategic Air Command Bombardment Wing and other aviation detachments, workload base-wide increased from 300-2000% over peacetime levels with no personnel augmentation. Diego Garcia became the only U.S. Navy base that launched offensive air operations during Operation Desert Storm and Diego Garcia remains a vital link in our defense structure.

India tests Trishul missile

The Trishul "quick-reaction" surface-to- air missile was again tested on 23rd July 2006, but just like its sister Akash missile it is still far from being inducted into the armed forces. The frequent time, cost, technical and operational slippages in the nine-km-range Trishul and 25-km-range Akash surface-to-air missile programs have meant that the country's air defence cover continues to have gaping holes.

Pakistan, in sharp contrast, has always accorded high priority to its air defence management, with its multi-tier surveillance cover, air defence fighters, quick-reaction, short-range missiles and an integrated control and reporting system. The Indian Armed Forces, however, continues to make do with its obsolete air defence systems, said an Asian Age report here today.

The IAF, for instance, has aging Pechora, Igla-1M and OSA-AK missile systems, and that, too, in woefully inadequate numbers. While Trishul was to replace its OSA-AK weapons system, Akash was meant as a substitute for Pechora. But both the Trishul and Akash air defence missile systems, which are part of the original Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme launched as far back as 1983, have been dogged by development snags in their "command guidance and integrated Ramjet rocket propulsion" systems.

Trishul, for instance, has been tested over 80 times so far without coming anywhere near becoming operational. It was, in fact, virtually given up for dead in 2003 after around Rs 300 crore was spent on it, before being revived yet again. Trishul's repeated failure, in fact, forced the Navy to go in for nine Israeli Barak anti-missile defence systems for its frontline warships, along with 200 Barak missiles, at a cost of Rs 1,510 crore during the 1999 Kargil conflict. The Navy is now inducting even more Barak systems due to Trishul's continued failure.

The Defence Research and Development Organization, for its part, contends the seven Trishul trials so far this year, including a flight test with enhanced range of 11.5km against a remotely piloted aircraft, have "met all mission objectives." Trishul can engage targets like aircraft and helicopter, flying between 300 meters and 500 meters, by using its radar command-to- line, of-sight guidance system, it says. The report card for Akash, tested 16 times since January 2005, is even better since it has completed all its development trials.

"On January 28 this year, interception of two moving targets by two Akash missiles with live warheads was successfully carried out," said an official. "Akash has multiple-target handling capacity with a digitally coded command guidance system. Its user trials are now in progress," he said. The missile's `Rajendra' radar, a multi-function phased array radar which carries out surveillance, target-tracking, missile acquisition and guidance, can simultaneously track several aircraft within a range of 40 to 60 kilometers.

India's space odyssey stalled as rocket explodes

Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh), (IANS) India's ambitious space programme suffered a blow Monday when a launch vehicle that was to put a communications satellite into orbit exploded moments after launch here but scientists pledged to come up with a new satellite within a year.
The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle GSLV-FO2 blew up into a huge ball of fire after deviating from its flight path while the INSAT 4C system plunged into the sea, causing despair among India's scientific community. The mission control at the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Sriharikota station gave the command to destroy the 2,168-kg satellite the rocket was carrying in order to prevent any disaster to populated areas.

'We had a mishap this evening,' ISRO chairman G. Madhavan Nair told the media at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on Sriharikota island, off Andhra Pradesh, describing the failure as 'a rare phenomenon'. He said one of the strap-on engines in the first stage of the launch vehicle under performed, causing the failure. Emergency measures were resorted to and the ISRO mission control gave the destroy command for its Rs.960-million satellite and Rs.1.6-billion launch vehicle, ending years of effort by hundreds of scientists, to ensure that the debris fell into the sea.

It was the first time an INSAT series satellite was launched from an Indian space station. It was the heaviest of ISRO satellites. 'The lift-off was normal. Within a few seconds, however, it was clear that the vehicle was not following the trajectory. After 60 seconds of the lift-off, parts of the vehicle were falling off,' the ISRO chief said. Nair did not rule out sabotage but said that he would not be able to anything definite unless he analysed more data 'on what happened this evening to INSAT 4C'. This, he said, would be available within the week. The INSAT 4C failure came a day after the Defence Research and Development Organisation's long-range ballistic missile Agni-III, capable of carrying nuclear warhead and travelling 3,500 km, failed in its test firing.

Nair said: 'In one of the four strap-on engines in the first stage of the launch vehicle, the pressure had fallen below zero.' This created an imbalance in the thrust to the lift-off. 'We could control this up to 45 seconds of the lift-off.' The vehicle's normal inclination was supposed to be about four degrees but by the time it was 60 seconds in the air it had tilted to 10 degrees or more. 'More telemetry data is required. The process to gather this data has been initiated,' Nair said. The launch, originally scheduled at 4 p.m., was postponed to 5.17 p.m. and then to 5.37 p.m. There was some fuel leak in the cryogenic third stage of the launch vehicle, which engineers had to put right at the last minute.

'This delay had nothing to do with the vehicle but was a ground-system problem,' Nair clarified. He described the failure as a 'setback' but noted 'ISRO had a success record for the last 11 missions' and promised to get another satellite up in a year's time. The third satellite in the INSAT-4 series - INSAT-4B - is to be launched from Kourou in February 2007. Nair said that those who had bought transponder services for the INSAT 4C would be accommodated in INSAT 4B transponders and with yet another new satellite later. The INSAT 4C satellite was to be placed 36,000 km from earth, by the 49-meter tall GSLV from the second new state-of-the art launch pad at the Sriharikota space station, 80 km north of Chennai.

The satellite contained the latest set of 12 Ku-band 36 MHz bandwidth transponders that were designed to provide direct to home (DTH) television services, transmit video pictures, assist digital satellite news gathering and support the National Informatics Centre for its VSAT link. The final orbit of the NSAT-4C satellite was to be geostationary, at 74 degrees East longitude. The launch vehicle, in its second operational flight already had two successful test flights. In April 2001 it put the 1500-kg GSAT-1 satellite into orbit, followed by GSAT-2 in May 2003.

Research and Analysis Wing

The Cabinet Secretariat Research and Analysis Wing [RAW], India's most powerful intelligence agency, is India’s external intelligence agency. RAW has become an effective instrument of India's national power, and has assumed a significant role in formulating India's domestic and foreign policies. RAW has engaged in disinformation campaigns, espionage and sabotage against Pakistan and other neighboring countries. RAW has enjoyed the backing of successive Indian governments in these efforts. Working directly under the Prime Minister, the structure, rank, pay and perks of the Research & Analysis Wing are kept secret from Parliament.

Current policy debates in India have generally failed to focus on the relative priority given by RAW to activities directed against India's neighbors versus attention to domestic affairs to safeguard India's security and territorial integrity. The RAW has had limited success in dealing with separatist movements in Manipur and Tripura in the northeast, Tamil Nadu in the south, and Punjab and Kashmir in the northwestern part of the country. Indian sources allege the CIA has penetrated freedom fighters in Kashmir and started activities in Kerala, Karnataka, and other places, along with conducting economic and industrial espionage activities in New Delhi.

In 1968 India established this special branch of its intelligence service specifically targeted on Pakistan. The formation of RAW was based on the belief that Pakistan was supplying weapons to Sikh terrorists, and providing shelter and training to the guerrillas in Pakistan. Pakistan has accused the Research and Analysis Wing of sponsoring sabotage in Punjab, where RAW is alleged to have supported the Seraiki movement, providing financial support to promote its activities in Pakistan and organizing an International Seraiki Conference in Delhi in November-December 1993. RAW has an extensive network of agents and anti-government elements within Pakistan, including dissident elements from various sectarian and ethnic groups of Sindh and Punjab. Published reports allege that as many as 35,000 RAW agents have entered Pakistan between 1983-93, with 12,000 are working in Sindh, 10000 in Punjab 8000 in North West Frontier Province and 5000 in Balochistan. As many as 40 terrorist training camps at Rajasthan, East Punjab, Held Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and other parts of India are run by the RAW's Special Service Bureau (SSB).

Throughout the Afghan War RAW was responsible for the planning and execution of terrorist activities in Pakistan to deter Pakistan from support of Afghan liberation movement against India's ally, the Soviet Union. The assistance provided to RAW by the KGB enabled RAW to arrange terrorist attacks in Pakistani cities throughout the Afghan War. The defeat of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan did not end the role of RAW in Pakistan, with reports that suggest that India has established a training camp in the town of Qadian, in East Punjab, where non-Muslim Pakistanis are trained for terrorist activities. Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has blamed India for funding the current upsurge of terrorism in Pakistan, and senior ministers have blamed the Research and Analysis Wing for the sectarian violence between Shias and Sunnis which has resulted in thousands of deaths every year.

The Government of Pakistan frequently assigns responsibility for terrorist activity to the Indian Government, even when no evidence can be verified. It is evidently in the interest of the Pakistani government to blame terrorist actions on external rather than internal sources, just as it would be in the interest of Indian services to obscure their hand in such actions. Terrorist activities in Pakistan attributed to the clandestine activities of Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies include:

* A car bomb explosion in Saddar area of Peshawar on 21 December 1995 caused the deaths of 37 persons and injured over 50 others.
* An explosion at Shaukat Khanum Hospital on 14 April 1996, claimed the lives of seven persons and injured to over 34 others.
* A bus traveling from Lahore to Sahiwal was blown up at Bhai Pheru on 28 April 1996, causing the deaths of 44 persons on the spot and injuring 30 others.
* An explosion in a bus near the Sheikhupura hospital killed 9 persons and injured 29 others on 08 May 1996.
* An explosion near Alam chowk, Gujranwala on 10 June 1996 killed 3 persons and injured 11 others.
* A bomb exploded on a bus on GT Road near Kharian on 10 June 1996, killing 2 persons and injuring 10 others.
* On 27 June 1996, an explosion opposite Madrassah Faizul Islam, Faizabad, Rawalpindi, killed 5 persons and injured over 50 others.
* A bomb explosion in the Faisalabad railway station passenger lounge on 08 July 1996 killed 3 persons and injured 20 others.

RAW has responded to Pakistani arms and training for Muslim militants in the disputed region of Kashmir state. RAW allegedly executed a hijacking of an Indian Airliner to Lahore in 1971 which was attributed to the Kashmiris, to give a terrorist dimension to the Kashmiri national movement. However soon the extent of RAW's involvement was made public.

RAW has a long history of activity in Bangladesh, supporting both secular forces and the area's Hindu minority. The involvement of RAW in East Pakistan is said to date from the 1960s, when RAW promoted dissatisfaction against Pakistan in East Pakistan, including funding Mujibur Rahmanh's general election in 1970 and providing training and arming the Mukti Bahini.

During the course of its investigation the Jain Commission received testimony on the official Indian support to the various Sri Lankan Tamil armed groups in Tamil Nadu. From 1981, RAW and the Intelligence Bureau established a network of as many as 30 training bases for these groups in India. Centers were also established at the high-security military installation of Chakrata, near Dehra Dun, and in the Ramakrishna Puram area of New Delhi. This clandestine support to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), some of whom were on the payroll of RAW, was later suspended. Starting in late 1986 the Research and Analysis Wing focused surveillance on the LTTE which was expanding ties with Tamil Nadu separatist groups. Rajiv Gandhi sought to establish good relations with the LTTE, even after the Indian Peace Keeping Force [IPKF] experience in Sri Lanka. But the Indian intelligence community failed to accurately assess the character of the LTTE and its orientation India and its political leaders. The LTTE assassination of Rajiv Gandhi was apparently motivated by fears of a possible re-induction of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka and a crackdown on the LTTE network in Tamil Nadu.

The RAW and the Ministry of External Affairs are provided Rs 25 crore annually as "discretionary grants" for foreign influence operations. These funds have supported organisations fighting Sikh and Kashmiri separatists in the UK, Canada and the US. An extensive network of Indian operatives is controlled by the Indian Embassy in Washington DC. The Indian embassy's covert activities are reported to include the infitration of US long distance telephone carriers by Indian operatives, with access to all kinds of information, to r blackmail relatives of US residents living in India. In 1996 an Indian diplomat was implicated in a scandal over illegal funding of political candidates in the US. Under US law foreign nationals are prohibited from contributing to federal elections. The US District Court in Baltimore sentenced Lalit H Gadhia, a naturalised US citizen of Indian origin, to three months imprisonment. Gadhia had confessed that he worked as a conduit between the Indian Embassy and various Indian-American organisations for funnelling campaign contributions to influence US lawmakers. Over $46,000 from the Indian Embassy was distributed among 20 Congressional candidates. The source of the cash used by Gadhia was Devendra Singh, a RAW official assigned to the Indian Embassy in Washington. Illicit campaign money received in 1995 went to Democratic candidates including Sens. Charles S. Robb (D-Va.), Paul S. Sarbanes (D -Md.) and Reps. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.) and Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.).

Source : http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/world/india/raw.htm

India to offer military package to Maldives

As part of the overall strategy to provide military aid to Indian Ocean Region (IOR) countries, and prevent China from further spreading its influence in the region, India will hand over a small warship and other supplies to Maldives next month.

Defence minister Pranab Mukherjee will be travelling to Male in mid-April to "transfer" INS Tillanchang, a 260-tonne fast-attack craft commissioned in 2001, to Maldives.

The military package will also include Rs 6-crore for training, material and technical assistance. Moreover, an Indian Navy survey ship, INS Darshak, will conduct a hydrographic survey in the waters around Maldives.

INS Tillanchang, with a deployment range of 3,600-km, is designed for fast and covert operations against smugglers, gun-runners and terrorists. "Our country's central location within IOR makes us a major stake-holder in the security and stability of the region," said an officer.

India has taken several steps to build bridges with IOR nations, which range from joint patrols with Indonesian and Sri Lankan navies and exercises with Singapore and Oman to providing seaward security for international summits in Mozambique.

Maldives constitutes an important part of this strategy since China is making persistent moves in the region as part of its military diplomacy. China, in fact, plans to establish a full-fledged naval base in Marao, one of the islands of Maldives, by 2010.

India has always been willing to help Maldives in times of crisis. Indian paratroopers and naval warships, for instance, were rushed to Maldives in November 1988 by the Rajiv Gandhi government under Operation Cactus to thwart the coup attempt against the Abdul Gayoom government.

10 things I hate about India

I liked this article published on Rediff.com website. The author have pointed out exact points where India need to improve. Please remember that this author is a foreigner and written this article with his point of view.


Original Author - Claude Arpi

Many years ago a friend of mine wrote a book, The Wonder that IS India. Both of us have lived more for than 30 years in the Land of the Bharatiyas and share a love for this nation. When he showed me the manuscript of his book, I had pointed out that his representation of India was too rosy and suggested one more chapter -- 'The Horror that is India'. I think he did.
I have the same feelings for India today: 95 per cent is good, but there are some aspects that I am still not able to swallow, even after all these years. I have listed ten of them. Even if it does not change anything, at least some of my frustrations will be released while penning them down.
Before I begin, I must first say that during a recent visit to France, it was a pleasant surprise to see that India's image is fast changing in the West. When I left France in the early 1970s to settle in India, my family and friends considered it a shocking decision. To leave France, a 'developed' country and emigrate to the end of the world to a 'land of misery' populated 'by elephants and cobras' was unimaginable!

I was told that for a student in France today, it was of great added-value on his CV, if he had undergone training or internship in India. This 'Indian' wave has been reinforced since Mittal Steel tried to purchase Arcelor, the jewel of the French steel industry.
Though the nation has grown and matured over the last few decades, unfortunately not all domains have followed the same evolution.

Here is my list of the 10 things I still can't 'digest' about India:

1. Power cuts: While typing this article, the electricity board cut off the power supply. The reason -- a storm last night which lasted for 15 to 20 minutes. 'As a precautionary measure' the officials very compassionately disconnected vast areas from the network in the night and the following morning.
Being in rural Tamil Nadu, these officials want to protect us from broken wires due to fallen trees (it could electrocute passersby, they say). While I appreciate their reasoning, I was surprised to see that during the cyclonic rains in New Orleans last year, though thousands perished, electricity was not switched off. Indian officials will tell you that the US is a rich and developed country, not comparable to India. Where is the connection?

2. Indian babus: One could write volumes on the famous babus of India. They run one of the largest bureaucracies in the world, but have not been able to change their mindset.
A particularly bothersome aspect is that their laws often come from antiquated rules and regulations that nobody knows of. The consequence is what we call red-tapism, though for them it is 'implementing the letter, the law of the land'. But what about its spirit? In any case, the law has always to 'follow its own course'.
A few years ago, a diligent minister found hundreds such laws and regulations dating back to the British. In the era of modern technology and communications, this is preposterous.
Another aspect that irritates me about the bureaucracy is that babus never respond to letters. Probably they consider themselves to be the government's servants, not 'civil' servants and therefore find no need to reply to ordinary citizens.

3. No access to historical documents: Though a better understanding of the history of the subcontinent could be one of the keys to disentangle difficult problems such as the Kashmir issue, today nobody can access primary sources. They are locked away in the vaults of the Nehru Memorial Library or the almirahs of South Block.
All those who have tried to access historical documents since India's independence will tell you that till the end of babudom, one bureaucrat or another will ensure that you do not access the dusty files. Without fail, you will be courteously informed that India's security and integrity will be endangered if these precious documents are opened to the public. It is sad that Indians are not entitled to study their past (though they can always visit archives in the West to know more about India!)

4. Discrimination against the white tourist: Something particularly irritating for a 'white man' is that wherever he goes in India, he has to pay a special rate. Whether he visits the Taj Mahal where the 'white' tourist has to cough up Rs 750 to see the mausoleum, or a national museum, or even hotels or airlines, there is a true racial discrimination.
Rates are often ten times higher for those who have a 'white' or 'yellow' (Japanese) skin. Those who have made these rules do not understand that this policy harms India's image.
The desire to make a quick buck from the so-called rich tourists leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of the visitors who in any case would have spent their budget during the stay in India. To my knowledge, India must be the only nation in the world implementing these separate rates.

5. Paranoia about maps: Another strange thing in India is the paranoia about maps. Several years ago I visited the Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh. One day I was invited to the office of a local tahsildar. To my astonishment, the poor babu did not have a map of the area under his jurisdiction. He only had a vague sketch of the district. When I expressed surprise, he explained that maps were 'classified' and only the army was authorised to use them.
Is it not foolish to believe that the Chinese do not possess detailed maps of Arunachal? And what about Google Earth which is now available the world over?
One can only be surprised by this 'official' paranoia about maps. India is today a great power; technological advancements have occurred in the world during the past decades and will undoubtedly continue to occur and India has no choice but to accept them and make the best use of them.
A year ago, the Union Cabinet approved a new National Map Policy, but unfortunately, the mindset of the implementers remains the same.

6. And photographs: The paranoia is not about maps alone, it extends to photos, particularly of the sites under the Archeological Survey of India. A friend told me of her nightmarish experience while doing research in Chennai and the number of forms she had to fill to take some photos in a museum. Though one pays in hard currency, one has still to justify why one needs a particular photo. The poor researcher is looked upon as someone trying to 'steal' the national patrimony.
In contrast, a few weeks earlier, I visited the Louvre museum in Paris which receives tens of thousands of visitors every day. All of them were happily clicking away at statues, paintings, art artefacts (it is only prohibited to photograph the Mona Lisa for security reasons) and amongst them, a great number of Indians, perhaps the most frenetic clickers. This is understandable, as they have to compensate for their frustration at home!
A French television crew told me about their adventure while trying to shoot in a fort once occupied by Rajaji (C Rajagopalachari). Before leaving Paris, they had planned a short sequence at the fort. They dutifully applied to the Indian embassy for permission. After paying a hefty Rs 5,000 they were given a stamped and signed permission. When they arrived on the spot, the local official told them: "No way, as your permission does specifically mention it, you are not authorised to shoot with a stand. You have to go to Chennai (150 km away) and get the permission duly modified. No problem, it will take you a day only!" They left disgusted, the fort will not appear in their film.

7. Politicians: The topic of politicians is an easy one. Everything appalling and more can be said of them and one will still remain below the truth. In their defense, they are part of a system which is uniquely based on votes.
To win votes, one needs money and all compromises are permissible to get the required funds 'to serve the people'. It is true the world over, but here like in many other domains India excels.

8. Neglect for the environment: Another frustrating aspect for me is the lack of care for the environment (though it has been recently improving). While Indians are the most conscious people as far as personal hygiene goes, there is very little civic awareness or concern for the environment.
Education could help (for example for disposal of garbage or plastic bags), but it is often government policies such as free electricity for farmers, incentives for asbestos sheets (one of the most carcinogenic material) or chemical pesticides which harm the environment the most.

9. Traffic: I hate the Indian traffic (with its absence of rules). Each time I return from a visit abroad, it is a terrible shock. It is difficult to comprehend how there are not more casualties on the road. A friend explained to me that the multitude of gods in India probably protect their flock. The fact is that there are no law enforcement authorities (most of the police force is busy with VIP duty).
In France and elsewhere if the cops were not around, very few would follow the traffic rules. Extremely severe punishment for breaking traffic rules has a strong dissuasive effect. Here in India, you can always get away with a few rupees.

10. Corruption: It is better to not comment.

Please allow me to add a last point: the number of 'holidays' taken for a myriad of family 'problems', (marriages, engagements, funerals, etc.), cultural, local or religious festivals (of all faiths: India is secular), then you have bandhs, hartals, riots, strikes (India is the only place in the world where the government sometimes calls for a strike), etc... The worst are 'French leaves', absolutely unknown in France.

Apart from the above, India is an incredible place and I have never regretted, even for one day, to have settled here.