India starts investing in Indian languages? – The Economic Times

On the ground, classical language status has meant substantial funds and awards. The solution to such vexed claims and counterclaims may rest in the central government giving up its partisan patronage of Sanskrit and Hindi, and providing the wherewithal for all languages. What languages are classical or not is best left to the scholars. (via Is classical language status meaningless?- Et Debate-Opinion-The Economic Times).

After 60 years …

It has taken India 60 years to start with some small investments in Indian languages.

The Indian education system excludes a vast majority of Indians from the higher education system – which is predominantly in English. This puts a premium on English – and discounts Indian languages in the educational sweepstakes. The disadvantaged students who have studied in Indian languages ensure that their children get the ‘advantage’ of English education.

The negative effect this on Indian self esteem is not even a point of discussion here.

The principle of exclusion (a colonial idea), is a dominant marker of the entire Indian education system – rather than inclusion. British (and before that, Islamic rulers’) colonial-imperial practices supported foreign languages on the backs of the Indian taxpayers’ contribution – and actively worked on destruction of local cultures.

So, why does contemporary India persist with this policy.

Because all the high and mighty, finally want their children to ‘escape to the West’, with a good education from India – at the cost of India’s poor. This vested interest makes this policy go around.

And a lot of propaganda.

Is recession behind spike in bank robberies? – CNN.com

Capital punishment

A rash of bank robberies in New York has the city’s police commissioner worried that criminals have turned banks into “virtual cash machines” and some wondering whether tough economic times are fueling the trend.

On Monday alone, robbers targeted five banks in the Big Apple, some striking in broad daylight and near famous landmarks. Police called the incidents unrelated, but they’re just the latest examples of the growing tally of hold-ups.

Bank robberies in New York have risen 54 percent compared with last year, with criminals committing more than 430 in the past 12 months, according to the New York police department. “As it stands now, they’ve turned [banks] into virtual cash machines,” New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said.

Bank robberies are also up in many areas across the country, including San Diego, California, and Houston, Texas, federal law enforcement experts told CNN.

It’s enough for some to link the trend to the rash of layoffs, the plummeting stock market and the bust in the real estate values, all of which have left many Americans in dire financial straits. (via Is recession behind spike in bank robberies? – CNN.com).

The root causes of high crime levels …

At different times, high crime levels are blamed on the following five elements. The theory in crime management is control these five and you are in control: -

1. Police to population ratio (increase police force).
2. Prison population (put more criminals behind bars)
3. Capital punishment (kill enough criminals to instil fear)
4. Poverty (it is povery which the root of all crime)
5. Gun ownership (more guns means more crime)

The Indian conundrum …

India has the low scores on the first three indices – low number of policemen, low prison population and low capital punishment number – and high on gun ownership and poverty.

Yet the crime rate in India is in the low-to-average range. How come? 4000 years back in history is the answer …

Crisis? Export it to the poor!

Trade Blockade by the West ...

current trade negotiations did not get off the ground till after the September 11 terrorist attacks of 2001 in the US. For almost a year before the Doha talks were launched, there was not much progress on kicking off the kind of negotiations that the poor countries wanted: a genuine focus on livelihood and growth with equity. For most of 2001, the intransigence of developed countries had made any progress impossible. Even on September 1, 2001, a WTO mini-ministerial that was held in Mexico failed to resolve the impasse. But within weeks of the terrorist strike on the World Trade Centre in New York, the US and EU, then represented by Pascal Lamy, the current WTO chief, were pushing for a new round to revive the world economy from recession.

At that time, a sceptical African trade negotiator had pointed out that a majority of African economies had been in recession for about 10 to 20 years. “Do you think the current ‘recession’ affects us? The new round isn’t the answer to our recession.” He was voicing the view of some developing countries who felt the situation was being used to manipulate them into accepting a new round of trade liberalisation.

Similar concerns are being voiced now, too. (via Latha Jishnu: Have a crisis? Export it).

Kamal Nath will surely have prickly and stony path – if he wants to continue knocking at Western doors! The other option is to do a Third World trade agreement.

Anyway, bloated Government spending systems, a welfare state, declining productivity, aging populations, the last thing that the Third World needs to look at is a trade agreement with the West.

Western perceptions will decide Indian varsities ranking

The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), an autonomous (Indian) body established by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to assess and accredit institutions of higher education in the country… has formed an executive committee to devise a framework and is also studying various university ranking models from China’s Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s (SJTU) Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), the UK and Australia in order to develop its own grading scales.

HA Ranganath, director, NAAC, said: “We intend to introduce our own rankings, based on world class indicators, something on the lines of Shanghai’s ARWU. Such an Indian ranking formed by NAAC should be respected by institutions across the world.”

In its rankings, for instance, SJTU uses indicators like number of alumni who have earned a Nobel Prize or Fields Medal since 1901, number of researchers who earned a Noble Prize in physics, chemistry, medicine or economics and/or the Fields Medal in mathematics since 1911, number of highly-cited researchers in the fields of life science, medicine, physics, engineering and social sciences, number of articles published in Nature and Science between 2003-2007, and number of articles listed in Thompson Scientific’s Science Citation Index Expanded and its Social Sciences Citation Index in 2007, among others. (via Indian varsities will be ranked).

This is another case where Western standards will decide Indian rankings and perception. Will India (like China) take the Nobel prize to be a gold standard? Are all other awards and recognition of no value? Are citations by Third world academics and scientists, which Thompson’s Citation Indices does not fully capture, without merit? More examination will finally be without meaning. Reductio ad absurdum.

These kind of rankings and measurements are ex nihilio – creating something out of nothing!

Piercing the Wall

Needham, almost single-handedly, not only altered the prevalent views about China, but also challenged (and changed forever) dominant Euro-centric convictions on the origins of human knowledge. Truly, by the end of his life, Needham had taught many more people than he realized, what it means to take the long view. India, too, needs such a champion. (via Piercing the Wall).

Ravi is showing off

Joseph Needham, Master of Caius College, Cambridge, is the subject of this pathetic book review. And the writer of this review is Needham’s ex-student, Ravi Bhoothalingam – ex-President of Oberoi Hotels and a Director at ITC & VST, India’s largest tobacco conglomerate, Head of Personnel at BAT Plc.

I would have little objection if his entire trip was to display his Cambridge alumni status. Or the fact that his ex-professor is the subject of a book.

Like me … love me …

It is sad, when in the closing line of his review, he says that India needs a Western ‘champion’ – like China. For one from the post-independence generation, Ravi’s craven need for Western approval, the banging of the head at colonial altars, is surprising, (at least to me).

Is the Indian nation so bankrupt, that it needs foreign help for others to recognise Indian achievements in the past, present or future? How does it help India if a few Westerners admire Indian achievements? Should modern India focus on achievement, here and now – or focus on obtaining Western admiration for past achievements of Indians in history?

Indians are the 2nd largest gun owners in the world

With more than 4 crores (40 millions) gun, why is India is not the murder capital of the world.

Tamanchas (also known as desi katta, a locally made gun) are … illegal and indigenous weapons that are … Priced anywhere between Rs500 and Rs1,000, depending on the quality, … can be bought easily in the grey markets in UP, Delhi and Mumbai …

Tamancha, panchfera (that fires five bullets), desi rifle, revolver—all are available locally for a fraction of the price of the real thing. Their clients seek them out through special agents and they are paid money in advance … These were craftsmen whose forefathers had crafted daggers and firearms for the Syeds, Lodis, Pathans and Moghuls, and knew all there is to know about smelting, welding and forging weaponry.

The villagers are … buyers of firearms in this region. Everyone here who must guard his crops and share in irrigation waters and travel to cities every now and then carrying cash, sports a tamancha. And having a gun under your pillow is considered a style statement in villages.

Most criminal acts, according to the police in western UP, are committed with this weapon. In case of police raids and during chase, it is easy to abandon this unlicensed weapon since it cannot be traced back to the owner. Occasionally, the police may also procure kattas or tamanchas from these factories. These are then “planted” during raids.

Meerut Kotwali, Sohrab Gate, Islamabad, Sardhana, Ganeshpur, Khurja, Dadri, Ghaziabad, Muzaffarnagar, Budhana, Shamli and Saharanpur areas are said to have thriving factories. In 2008, the police apprehended 2,213 people in Meerut, 3,369 in Ghaziabad, 1,700 in Bulandshahar, 2,165 in Gautam Buddha Nagar, 592 in Baghpat, 1,571 in Saharanpur and 1,604 in Muzaffarnagar for keeping illegal arms.

Six tamanchas could be produced, … in under 2 hours in his factory. He had learnt the art some 25 years ago and was now so experienced in crafting firearms that given a sample, he could create a copy of any sort of gun within two weeks.

It may be a crime in the eyes of some, masterji said philosophically, but he considered himself an honourable man who was bringing up a family on his hard-earned wages. (via Uttar Pradesh: the land of la tamancha – Economy and Politics – livemint.com).

Gun proliferation in India, now?

Crime theory

Some very interesting points come out from these reports.

1. These guns cost Rs.1000-1500 (US$20-US$30). At these costs, rampant criminalization of Indian population is very possible – and probable. So, why has that not happened?
2. Most of these gun smiths are Muslims – and if the myth of the ‘oppressed Indian Muslim’ was true, then these guns would have been used for a mayhem, terror and crime.
3. One report states that UP alone has 900,000 licensed fire arm holders and India has 4 crores (40 million) guns. Another report estimates more than 3 lakh illegal firearms in New Delhi alone. Estimates of the national stock of guns in the US varies between 40 million to 50 million households which own 200 million guns.
4. Interestingly, UP, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh were at the heart of the British Raj – and the land grab from the peasants to the zamindars first happened here – especially, after 1857. Is that the reason for the lawlessness in this region?
5. This was also the theatre of the 1857 War by Indians against the British Raj, which raged on for about 4-5 years. Obviously, guns were not imported – but produced locally. Were these the gunsmiths that had supplied the Indian armies with guns and munitions?

So, how come India has lowest prison population, low-police-to-population ratios and low-to-average crime rates?

Obama is the perfect man to let Cuba in from the cold| Comment is free | The Guardian

Fidel Castro (L) with Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara in the 1960s

The Cuban revolution began 50 years ago … with its charismatic and bearded leadership descending from the hills, young men in their 20s brandishing guns and seizing the cities, and calling for land reform …

Castro began his epic quarrel with the United States – through the US abolition of the sugar quota, the arrival of Soviet oil, the CIA invasion at the Bay of Pigs, and the missile crisis of 1962 … Faced with the implacable hostility of the United States, Fidel decided that he had no alternative except to ally himself with the Soviet Union.

What struck me most was to find an island full of black people. The revolutionary leadership could hardly have been more white … Fidel’s enlistment of the black population was his astutest move, being echoed in the United States (where he stayed in Harlem on a visit to the United Nations) … The only political movement in Cuba that had enrolled black people … was the Communist party, and Fidel (long before his move towards the Soviet Union) had turned to the local communists for help in reaching out to the urban population, both poor and black. The white racist element in the Cuban population had tolerated a black president such as Fulgencio Batista, who had kept the black population under control; they were alarmed by a white man like Fidel who appeared to be mobilising the black people against them. (via Richard Gott: It’s time to let Cuba in from the cold, and Obama is the perfect man to do it | Comment is free | The Guardian-ellipsis mine).

Elephants in the room …

Richard Gott (the writer of this post) claims that he is a history student … which makes this post very remarkable.

In the entire post of 1150 words, he mentions the word slave only once – while the entire history of Cuba for the last 200 years has been about slavery. He is surprised by the number of Blacks in Cuba – which was the largest slave colony in the Spanish Empire – after the fall of Haiti.

The Cuban revolution began in Haiti more than 200 years ago – and Fidel Castro has but been one, in a long line of revolutionaries who tried to break free from their enslaved past.

For a history student, can this be ignorance or a more likely attempt at ‘whitewash’ …?

US antagonism …

The hostility of the US has its roots in this struggle – when US refused to recognize Haiti for a 60 years after the overthrow of the colonial Spanish Government which used the Haitians as slaves. US ‘bought’ Cuba from Spain – and hence this hostility. The US feels that they ‘own’ Cuba – and, of course, other and large parts of the world.

For more than two centuries now, the US has been actively working with an agenda of ‘racial superiority’ which has resulted in slavery and then repeated interventions and manipulation in South America. They have used force and power to derail economies and politics of emerging countries. The example of Haiti’s failure and Cuba’s desperate struggle to survive drove Fidel Castro into the arms of Soviet Russia.

Is that so surprising, Mr.Gott …?

Why is Richard Gott so surprised …

It is the ‘white wash’ of history – and the ‘tarring’ of protagonists which is a matter of concern. Haiti’s (and also Cuba’s) crime – they refused to accept the racial agenda of the US. They (including a ‘White’ like Fidel Castro) wanted to build a ‘free society’ for people – without colour being a factor. Perhaps all Whites are not like Richard Gott.

And that is, perhaps, why Richard Gott is so surprised.

No relief for Kandhamal churches on disputed land

The district administration, after a recent survey, has found that the Divyajyoti pastoral centre at K Nuagaon, where a nun was raped, and 134 other Christian institutions that were destroyed by rioters had been built up on disputed land. The pastoral centre, therefore, might not get the state’s financial aid for reconstruction.

“On the government order, the administration held a survey and found that of the 195 institutions, which were partly or fully desecrated, as many as 135 are on disputed land,” an official disclosed. “Disputed plot means land that belongs to forest or tribals,” he added. (via No relief for Kandhamal churches on disputed land).

In Kandhamal, from 70,000 Christians in 1991, the number increased to 117,950 (by 66%), by 2001. Of these 47950 conversions, only two were done after notifying the district collector, as required by the law.

These conversions went unreported – as these conversions would then disqualify the Panos converts to gain benefits meant for Hindu Scheduled Caste benefits and lose their allotment of reservations in government jobs. The Kandhas, who make up 52% of the population, own less than 10% of the district land. This figure is disputed and rival estimates go to as high as 60% – but exact figures are not available.

Blatant Proselytism

A web dictionary defines proselytism as “To induce someone to convert to one’s own religious faith.” This above quoted article details three interesting aspects of the Kandhamal uproar.

1. There has been a large scale demographic change in this area. Today, Christians in this area exceed 100,000 – and up from 60,000 to more than 100,000 in the last few years.
2. The bigger issue – is the misrepresentation of caste and religious denomination for obtaining undue benefits. Benefits for backward Hindus were being claimed by the Christians while declaring themselves as Backward Hindus.
3. The 3rd is land. Traditional landowners have been dispossessed of their land – and the new converts have become the new ‘rentier’ land owners.

Thus what is being given a communal and religious colour is more a case of dispensing and cornering of benefits. The fourth element that is now coming out is that these Church activities are being carried out on illegally occupied land.

Behind this …

But, who is funding this proselytizing activity? Recent data from the Government reveals that India receives about US$3 billion of charity to NGOs. The biggest donors are US, Germany, the UK, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada and France.

This US$3 billion is a huge amount of money. Pakistan went to the IMF for less than US$4 billion.

War clouds weigh down Indo-Pak trade winds- Foreign Trade-Economy-News-The Economic Times

Trade figures

The war rhetoric fogging South Asia is threatening to derail Indo-Pak bilateral trade, which is heavily skewed in India’s favour. While this may make Indians sit up and take notice, it could turn out to be a double whammy for our neighbour. (via War clouds weigh down Indo-Pak trade winds- Foreign Trade-Economy-News-The Economic Times).

This is the kind of opportunity that India should be looking for. Increasing trade with Pakistan can be the productive way to engage Pakistan – and make it behave. A billion dollars in trade can make Pakistan a different country. After all, they went to the IMF for some US$3 billion.

A trade embargo on Pakistan would be far more effective than troops movements can be.

Will Indian diplomats ever learn?

Muslims in India are under pressure, post-Mumbai – Economy and Politics – livemint.com

Leaders of India’s 140-million-strong Muslim community have denounced the 26-29 November Mumbai attacks and thousands of Muslims have marched in protests against the bloodshed. It has been the strongest rejection yet of Islamist violence by Muslims.

“We have lost our children in the Mumbai attacks too. And we, as Indians, share a common grief and demand justice,” said Maulana Mehmood Daryabadi, general-secretary of the All-India Ulema Council, one of the biggest groupings of Muslim sects.

In Muslim neighbourhoods in the capital, residents observed low-key celebrations during an Islamic holiday in December.

Imran Ahmed, a bookseller, did not buy any new clothes for his children during the festival and did not distribute kebabs to neighbours as he does each year.

“So many people were killed by the terrorists. How could I celebrate?” asked the bearded bookseller, sitting outside his shop in the narrow, congested streets of Old Delhi. (via Muslims in India are under pressure, post-Mumbai – Economy and Politics – livemint.com).

Krittivas puts out some swill again

In an earlier article, Krittivas Mukherjee had written how Indian debtors were prostituting their wives to money lenders in rural India – with out any source or data or frequency of incidents.

In his latest story (now joined with another Westernized bhadralok brother, Bappa Majumdar), they write about how afraid Indian Muslims are after the 26/11 Mumbai attack. Does he have data on how many Indian Muslims were attacked by Indian Hindus after 26/11? To put that in perspective – after 9/11 in the US, more than 200 attacks occured in the US on 500,000 Sikhs in a US population of 30 crores (300 million). I am not even counting attacks on ‘guilty’ Arabs and other Muslims. Let us not even talk about the Afghan and Iraqi invasions by the US – after 9/11.

Muslims cannot be patriotic …

When Krittivas writes “That anger is mixed with fear of a backlash” he seems to imply that Indian Muslims cannot be reasonable, patriotic – and hence their anger against these attacks and subdued celebration were forced.

His source and authority for this statement – a general statement by a (possibly senile, nearly) 80 year old journalist, whose claim to fame was his imprisonment, more than 30 years ago, by Indira Gandhi during the emergency. What is the data? None.

Their view of India …

According to Krittivas, India is, after all, “a country where Hindu nationalists often whip up anti-Muslim sentiment after such attacks.” How many such incidents have occurred where anti-Muslim sentiment in India has been whipped up? How many Muslims have been affected? No data. Sweeping statements. Would he like to mention any other country where such a large minority Muslim population, has greater freedom and opportunity.

Minorities in India

Muslims in India are persecuted as “Official figures show Muslims are under-represented in government jobs and the judiciary.”

A simple marker for persecution Krittivas, is decline in populations. Has the Muslim population in India declined? Like the Native American population has or the African-American has? Or the Jewish and and Roma Gypsy populations has (ignoring the limited population recovery of Roma Gypsies in post WW2 West). Or the genocide of the poor Congolese by the Belgian emperor. Post colonial census started with a Indian Muslim population of about 11.2% – which has now crossed 15%. Is that persecution, Mr.Krritivas? Is the ‘perceived’ Muslim backwardness (as defined by the Sachar Committee report) an effect of Indian public policy or are social choices made by Indian Muslims the cause?

Would he also like to show that a few years ago, the richest Indian (Azim Premjee) and the highest political post (APJ Kalam) in the country were held by Muslims. Would he like to show any other country where Muslims have greater freedom – and comprise such a large population? Maybe France, where they are not allowed to dress as they please. Or Britain where 1 out of 200 Muslim (man, woman and child) is imprisoned – that is 0.6% of the British Muslim population is in prison.

Prison Population in India

Yet he does make a point how Muslims “are over-represented in the prison populations in many Indian states.” Yet does he give any comparative statistics? None! Does he mention that India anyway has the lowest prison population in the world. That Muslim prison population in India is about 75,000 from 14 crore Muslims – compared to 10,000 from 16 lakhs in Britain.

Divide et impera

His knowledge of history is further revealed when he writes how “Centuries of rule of Hindu-majority India by medieval Muslim invaders drove a wedge between the two communities”. Would he like to know how the Morley Minto reforms communalized India. How divide et impera was British state policy in India.

That the Deoband School, which he quotes earlier, which rivals the Al Ahram Mosque of Egypt in authority, was against the formation of Pakistan.

Who was responsible for the Partition …

He would however, not like to hold the British Raj responsible for “the blood-soaked birth of Pakistan, carved out from Muslim-majority areas of India in 1947.” The abdication by the Colonial British administration, its response to the communal riots, are conveniently ignored. These riots, managed by criminal elements, were given a free hand by the British administration, to ‘demonstrate’ to the world, that Hindus and Muslims could not live together. It took Gandhiji to disarm this population.

He however does not miss to write about “communal riots in Gujarat in 2002, when around 2,500 people, mostly Muslims, were hacked and burnt to death” - against 200 attacks across US of the Sikhs.

Well paid hacks …

This kind of propaganda does not wash in the West anymore – but when it lands on Indian shores, and carried by Indian media, this kind of glop makes me think of censorship …

Maybe there is some merit in Shariat! And flogging …