Brajesh Mishra passes away

India's first National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra, who died at a private hospital in New Delhi on Friday night, will be cremated on Saturday.

Mishra was a pivotal figure in shaping foreign policy during NDA government and a troubleshooter of prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

As the news of his death just a day before his 85th birthday came, there was a buzz in the social online media, with several condolence messages pouring in.

"Brajesh Mishra RIP - a titan amongst Indian diplomats," tweeted Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Syed Akbaruddin.

"He (Mishra) died in a hospital," a government official told a news agency.

A career diplomat, he had served as India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and as ambassador to Indonesia. He retired as secretary in the External Affairs Ministry.

He had played a key role in India's diplomatic efforts to contain the adverse reaction from developed countries to India's testing of a nuclear device in May, 1998.

Born on September 29, 1928, Mishra's father Dwarka Prasad Mishra, former Congress chief minister of Madhya Pradesh and considered close to Indira Gandhi.

Mishra joined BJP in 1991 only to quit it seven years later to become Vajpayee's powerful principal secretary.

Mishra, as the principal secretary to the prime minister, wielded so much clout that he often almost eclipsed the status of cabinet ministers in Vajpayee government.

He played a key role on several issues relating to domestic and international policies, including forging closer ties with China and bringing thaw in Indo-Pak relations.

He was special representative for talks with China seeking to expedite a resolution of the vexed border problem.

In November 1998, he became the country's first National Security Advisor, a post he had held till May 23, 2004.

From Pokhran-2 to Kashmir and from Vajpayee's historic bus journey to Pakistan to engaging the US in a strategic dialogue, Mishra was a crucial figure in foreign policy and security initiatives.

Mishra was India's Permanent Representative to the UN from June 1979 to April 1981. He continued with the UN on deputation, till June 1987.

After NDA was voted out of power in May 2004, Mishra did not rejoin BJP.

Mishra crafted an important role for himself and was often seen present at all meetings on foreign policy matters held at Vajpayee's residence.

In July 2005, when the Manmohan Singh government first signed the Indo-US nuclear agreement, Mishra was one of the strongest opponents of the deal.

He is understood to have played a role in convincing the BJP to take an anti-nuke deal position but subsequently became a votary of the deal.

There is no democracy in India

The usual suspects made the usual speeches on August 15, mouthing the usual pure cant. But the sad fact remains that 60 years after the grasping imperialists left, India has comprehensively under-achieved on all fronts; all that has changed is the skin-colour of the looters.

Ten years ago, I was far more optimistic, and wrote about the coming Indian century; today, despite the obvious progress made on the economic front, I am overwhelmed by a sense of disappointment.

I have been discouraged by what I have observed in the last 10 years. The loss of heritage. The disdain for indigenous civilisation. The perversion of the discourse in the country by Stalinist 'intellectuals'. The regular terrorist attacks that cheapen Indian lives. The total non-reaction by government to oppression of people of Indian origin abroad.

And so I have come to realise that freedom is very different from mere independence. There is no freedom for the common man in India: not freedom from want, nor freedom of expression or thought, nor freedom to aspire to greatness, nor freedom from the ravages of endemic corruption. The State is so feeble that India can fairly be termed a failing State. The Indian State punches so far below its weight that it might as well not exist.

The failure is both domestic and global. Individual Indians are shackled, and the blunders of the past 60 years conspire to create a state of permanent slavery for the nation. That is the biggest disappointment of all: Indians aspire to mediocrity. Indians simply cannot imagine that they can recapture their historical primacy as the greatest innovators, the most prosperous nation on earth.

The facts are out there for anyone to read: For instance, economic historian Angus Maddison's World Economy: A Millennial Perspective, an official European Union publication, shows that during practically the entire period 0-1700 CE India was the world's richest nation. There is circumstantial evidence, too: The fact that every barbarian, from Alexander the Macedonian, to sundry Central Asians, to random Europeans, all invaded India. People intent on loot do not invade poor countries.

India is on the way to economic superpower-dom, according to the dramatic Goldman Sachs reports (Dreaming with BRICs and India's Rising Growth Potential). And indeed, in the last few years, the world has recognised that India will be an engine of the Asian century, hyphenated with China (much, incidentally, to the latter's chagrin).

But it is only foreigners who acknowledge India's potential. Indians themselves are still colonised. Having destroyed indigenous education, the colonialists put in place a system designed to suppress creativity and produce drones who would toil for the empire. It drums into the minds of children the idea that everything native to India is worthless.

This project has succeeded beyond Macaulay's wildest dreams (see his infamous Minutes) in creating a nation of the terminally confused. Exhibits A and B: India's finance minister opined recently that India was always a poor country; some time ago, his boss, the prime minister, complimented imperialists on the good they did! Aren't these people economists? All they have to do is to read Great Victorian Holocausts: El Nino and the Making of the Third World to understand the appalling war crime, including the genocide of at least 20 million people, perpetrated on India by the imperialists.

Yet, in an example of undeserved tolerance towards rapacious foreigners, Indians shut their eyes to the dangers of Economics 101: choosing to only make butter, and no guns. We need guns to protect our butter. Thus the great dangers in the sustained and inexplicable efforts recently to make India for all intents and purposes a nuclear vassal of the United States.

Brought up to believe they are worthless, Indians aspire to be second-best. Only Indians go to the Olympics to be sporting losers, not to win. Nobody else chants the meaningless mantra that what matters is participation; no, Virginia, the only thing that matters is winning. India seeks to play second fiddle to somebody, be it Americans, Chinese, Arabs -- somebody, anybody. This is a disease that may have to be excised by large-scale lobotomies; or perhaps by burning down a certain university that is its epicentre.

India has been a hectoring busybody on the global stage, lecturing everybody on morality and virtue. It is also easy prey: A nation that can be induced to commit collective suicide through the expedient of buying off its media and politicians for chump change. The number of fifth-columnists in India has reached record proportions. India has 'friends of America', 'friends of China', 'friends of Saudi Arabia', 'friends of the Vatican' in high places, but hardly anyone is a friend of India.

Yes, there is formal independence, but there is no freedom. There is, for instance, no respite from the State religion, some baffling animal called 'secularism', which basically means total apartheid against large groups of people.

The State excels in perpetuating the most ridiculous system ever invented: A chimera that combines all the vices of Communism and Capitalism and none of the virtues. The idiocies and inefficiencies of the first and the thievery and inequities of the second; but not the iron discipline and will nor the unshackled flair for getting ahead. The State has interfered in everything it has no business being in: running airlines, hotels, and so forth; and it has been practically invisible in everything it is the one and only provider of: infrastructure, defence, social programs, human rights. Crony capitalism and the license raj run rampant.

The State has also failed to provide basic human necessities: the infamous 'bread, clothing and shelter' that every government has promised loudly but never delivered. People in many parts of India are opting for privatized education, water supply and road-maintenance -- fed up with State incompetence, indifference and inefficiency, a testament to how badly the State has performed.

It is obvious that wherever the State exited -- or never interfered in, not realizing that here was yet another opportunity to screw up royally -- the native genius of the people has enabled India to thrive: for instance, in telecommunications, in information technology.

The Indian State, in sum, is predatory. It preys on the very people it is sworn and duty-bound to protect and nurture.

Nor is there democracy in India, other than some strange beast that has the paraphernalia and form, but not the substance of rule of, by and for the people. Instead it is of, by and for the brown sahib, who is only interested in self-aggrandisement.

There is little to cheer about 60 years after power has been grabbed by Macaulay's children, the said brown sahibs, almost every one of them a crook willing to sell the national interest down the river. They have perpetrated a crime against humanity by preventing 400 million Indians from climbing out of poverty and by creating a personality-cult-ridden, corrupt, failing State.

Author - Rajeev Srinivasan
Source - http://www.rediff.com/india60/2007/sep/10rajeev.htm
Author's Blog - http://rajeev2007.wordpress.com

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.

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.

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.

Public Transport in Pune

During Internet surfing I found link to this site http://www.gopetition.com/online/8517.html which is collecting signs from general public to file a petition against Pune Municipal Corporation to improve public transport system in Pune. I think every citizen in Pune should sign it.


Public Transport in Pune 716 Signatures
Category: Roads & Transport
Region: India
Description/History:May 5, 2006

Pune is amongst the most polluted cities in India. Due to growing wealth within the low/middle-income groups, the number of cars, two and three wheelers plying on the roads have increased substantially. Pune traffic has become increasingly unruly and dangerous.
Individuals could easily consider giving up on their 2 wheelers and cars, provided an efficient public transport was available. There may be a need to cut down on the number of rickshaws as well.

This petition is aimed at solving some of these difficulties.

Petition:

Pune needs an efficient and a safe rapid public transport system in place. We need not look too far for inspiration. Bombay can serve as an example.
We request Civic & State Transport Authorities to implement the following

1) Allow private public transport system within Pune.

2) Existing PMT buses should not only be increased in numbers but replaced with modern energy efficient vehicles.

3) Further all major parts of Pune should be linked with each other.

4) PMT should function more like a Corporate providing detailed information on bus frequencies, time-tables & ensuring bus-stops of high standards (but not occupying entire width of pavements).

5) To ensure a rapid transport system, create dedicated bus lanes on major roads.

6) Encourage use of Public Transport by introducing competitive fares (including season & annual passes).

7) Discourage use of personal vehicles (2 wheelers and cars) by introducing a road tax collected as a percentage of the amount of petrol used/bought. This way road tax cannot be evaded and will be proportional to amount of use of cars.

8) Restrict rickshaws to periphery of Pune. If there is fear of job losses, rickshaw drivers should be given an opportunity to re-train and become a part of expanding PMT or any private public transport enterprise.

Jai Hind, Jai Maharashtra