Indian Elites: Stuck With Nostalgia; In Love With The Raj

While learning English is important, must we develop bhakti and loyalty to English?

he Anglo-Saxon Bloc (Britain, America, Australia, Canada) have been the dominant power for the last 200 years. Behind the rise of the Anglo-Saxon Bloc was India’s traditional gunpowder production system – the world’s largest gunpowder manufactory system. The Anglo-Saxon position has been challenged by France, Germany, Soviet Union – and now China proposes to do the same.

In such a situation, learning English is important. This is something that India has done – but in some parts of the Indian Mind, there is bhakti, even loyalty to the English – and their empty ‘heritage’.

Wonder why Indi’a English-using elites so love the Raj? | Old cartoon by Mario Miranda on the Bombay to Mumbai makeover in Mumbai Mirror published on December 15, 2012 again.

Back from Mumbai’s (which I always prefer to call Bombay) literary carnival, I have trouble with my hearing. There’s Axl Rose’s growling vocals in my left ear, Anita Desai’s gentle, precise whispers in my right.

In my admittedly warped book lover’s memory, Bombay had always been as much a city of books as of film. Friends who were writers themselves – Jerry Pinto, Naresh Fernandes – took me around the city’s bookstores on my first few visits to Bombay.

Bombay used to have a formidable set of bookstores — Strand, ruled by the intelligent taste of the late T N Shanbhag; Lotus Book House (above that petrol pump in Bandra), which had an unmatched selection of arthouse and aantel books; and Smoker’s Corner, a cross between bookstore and lending library.

The last few years were dark ones for Bombay’s bookstores. The 525 bookstores listed by TISS sounds like a healthy number, but it’s misleading — many of those “bookstores” are stationery shops, or textbook specialists who carry either no fiction or limited quantities of fiction. The chain bookstores are depressing places — you expect them to be commercial, but they are dully, boringly commercial, stocking only the most conservative of bestsellers. Lotus closed down in the mid-2000s; Strand and Smoker’s Corner remain, but Strand doesn’t have the range it once did.

The author Ann Patchett started her own large independent bookstore, Parnassus Books, in Nashville some years ago. She built it to recreate the stores that she missed, where “the people who worked there remembered who you were and what you read, even if you were 10”. In an essay for The Atlantic, she defined the kind of bookstore she wanted: “…One that valued books and readers above muffins and adorable plastic watering cans, a store that recognised it could not possibly stock every single book that every single person might be looking for, and so stocked the books the staff had read and liked and could recommend.”

Bombay has a bookstore like that — Kitabkhana in Fort runs according to the Patchett Principle. Like her store, it also functions as a community centre, a place where people will bring their children for book readings, and where authors can do their readings in the pleasant, cosy company of books. If you could combine the two and bring Kitabkhana to Mehboob Studios, where the literary carnival is held, you’d have the best of both worlds.

via Nilanjana S Roy: Cappuccino festivals.

Related Articles

• Colonial cooking (thehindu.com)
• Anglo-Saxon hall found in Kent is ‘tip of the iceberg’ (telegraph.co.uk)
• India Ink: Balasaheb K. Thackeray, a Look Back (india.blogs.nytimes.com)

Guns & Crime

Crime Stats - Top 18 countries (Source - http://www.nationmaster.com). Click for source interactive graph.

Anglo-Saxon systems

Interestingly, UK and USA, two countries with Anglo-Saxon system of jurisprudence, have the highest crime incidence.

But the surprise element is India.

India – with the largest number of poor people. More than in sub-Saharan Africa. With also the largest arsenal of firearms outside the US. Most of these guns are unlicensed – and logically, a number of these guns are with the poor. Another newspaper reported that the cost of these illegal firearms is less than US$100 or Rs.4500.

India had the world’s second-largest civilian gun arsenal, with an estimated 46 million firearms outside law enforcement and the military, though this represented just four guns per 100 people there. China, ranked third with 40 million privately held guns, had 3 firearms per 100 people.

Germany, France, Pakistan, Mexico, Brazil and Russia were next in the ranking of country’s overall civilian gun arsenals. (via U.S. most armed country with 90 guns per 100 people | Reuters).

Iceberg ahoy

India with the lowest police-to-population ratio and the highest police-to-illegal-guns ratio. Either crime levels must be high, or imprisonment levels have to be stratospheric.

Strangely, none of these ‘logical’ things are happening. Crime is at low-to-average levels, imprisonment is at a global low, police force is seriously undermanned – and firearms are common.

What gives?

Related articles

• Listing Gun Owners Might Help Criminals (economix.blogs.nytimes.com)
• The headache that is Pakistan (quicktake.wordpress.com)
• Soldiers find 88 guns in former Mexican mayor’s home (guardian.co.uk)
• Mexico wants to sue U.S. gun makers (cbsnews.com)

Europe sweeps all Top 10 Pickpocket Cities positions

Crime across Europe

A recent report that gained some level of exposure was on the global pickpocket scene. This report showed that Europe was the global leader in pickpocketing.

Europe takes Top 10 positions on pickpocket stats (Chart courtesy - livemint.com).

Europe takes Top 10 positions on pickpocket stats (Chart courtesy – livemint.com). A new study by the travel review site TripAdvisor shows the top 10 places its members tend to encounter the thieves. While pickpockets can strike anywhere, TripAdvisor found the most frequently reported places to be European cities with grand outdoor attractions. (via Top 10 Pickpocket Cities: Watch Your Wallet and Avoid Thieves When Traveling to These Destinations – ABC News).

Another report points out

The index is far from scientific – TripAdvisor, a leading travel booking and information site, culled the data by calculating the number of times travelers used the term “pickpocket” in TripAdvisor.com reviews over the past 12 months.

But the findings do suggest that theft seems to be on the rise in the cities on the list. Paris jumped from No. 5 in 2009 to No. 3 this year, while Athens went from ninth in ‘09 to fifth this year. And Madrid, Costa Brava, Lisbon, Tenerife, and London weren’t on the Top 10 last year.

Poster of Jamaica Inn (1939) Starring - Charles Laughton, Maureen O'Hara, Director: Alfred Hitchcock

When the State commissions crimes!

Behind every great fortune there is a crime – Honoré de Balzac.

For many centuries, piracy, slavery, were encouraged, licenced by European States. Balzac’s statement only be understood with that background.

A 1936 novel by Daphne Du Maurier’s was set in the Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, based on and named after the real Jamaica Inn, a Bolventor pub, that evolved from a coaching inn in 1750, and went onto become famous as a smugglers’ base. Her other book, was the The Frenchman’s Creek (1942), was based on the life of a pirate. Before du Maurier’s romanticization of crime, in the best Anglo Saxon propaganda tradition, books to ‘white wash’ slavery and piracy – like Mr.Midshipman Easy, by Captain Frederick Marryat (Retd. Royal Navy) in 1836, were published.

Coppola’s Apocalypse Now was inspired by Joseph Conrad’s The Heart of Darkness. A book examines this phenomenon tangentially – when a ‘licenced’ fighter goes ‘private’! In Asia. Like Britons did in India.

Remember O’Dyer and O’Dwyer!

Crime in The Great Recession

Some rather interesting crime stories have come out from the West in the last 2 years. Last year, January, saw a spate of bank robberies in New York – with 5 bank robberies in one day really giving the police some anxious weeks. July this year saw another report on the changing narcotics scenario in Europe. This latest report on Europe having high levels of petty crime are a part of that trend.

The vestigal remains of Bharat-tantra have ensured that India has low crime, small police force and low crime.

Commonwealth Games – Politics of Collusion

Why should only the Congress misuse CBI - let all parties misuse the CBI! (Cartoon by Kirtish Bhatt).

In the beginning

The Commonwealth Games (CWG) proves the point that democracy breeds a collusive polity. In the beginning was the BJP.

1. Why did Vajpayee Government bid for CWG? It defies all common sense. The Commonwealth is an idea that is long dead – and definitely irrelevant.

2. If it was persuaded by the Anglo-Saxon Bloc, what is the quid-pro-quo? What did India get from CWG? This Commonwealth benefits the British! Let them host it, pay for it, support it and ‘persuade’ us to attend.

3. Yesterday, Times Now TV debate tells that the Vajpayee Government paid out some thousands of dollars for each vote to ‘win’ the right to ‘host’ these games? Delhi beat Hamilton, New Zealand for this ‘privilege’?

Sorrier tale, I have not heard in many years. Even if the Vajpayee Govt paid nothing for this ‘privilege’?

We’ll walk hand in hand …

Coming to Kawngressis: –

1. If the Kawngress had an iota of honesty, they should have protested this bid in the first place. When the BJP /NDA was in power.

2. Having got this fait accompli, the Kawngress should have been determined to do this at least cost, minimum shosha, tamasha – like Mani Shanker Iyer has proposed.

3. They should have put some good, honest bureaucrats on the job to achieve point no.2. Not allowed the likes of Mike Fennell and Mike Hooper to abuse Indian people, hospitality – and spend lakhs on them every month for this privilege. Rs.6.0 crore spent on them in the last few years.

A job so badly botched up, I have not seen in the last many years. Any way you look at it, the CWG is a case of collusive polity. And no one, but no one, comes out of this clean or decent. Not in my books at least.

Corruption has got more coverage - drowning out the other related issues. (Cartoon by by IRFAN; courtesy - cartoonistirfan.blogspot.com.).

Craving approval – without actions and achievements

This bit about promoting sports is another bad idea. Why is the State getting involved in the sports business. If it has to get involved, it must promote Indian sports.

Why is India building this huge infrastructure to promote Western sports. Why do we want to prove to the world that we can be good at Western sports. Like a columnist put it

Burning money on a gala sporting event does not make us a super-power

Anyway, what has sports got to do with nationhood. This nation-competition-sports is one bad idea, which must be killed.

Try as hard as anyone may, I just cannot be moved by this idea. No Indian can put up a good show of something as dishonest as CWG. I am not surprised that CWG is going to be a disaster! It will take a Great Disbeliever in the idea of India, to put up a good CWG.

Great Indian shows

Is it that Indians cannot put up a good show?

About ten years ago, India put up a great show. Unrivaled in the last 100 years, at least, by any country. It was called Y2K.

The Western world was at the cusp of an epic disaster – Y2K. Computer systems had used two-digit number to denote years. In 20th century, this was efficient use of computing power when raw computing power itself was expensive. Coming to the end of 20th century, when the number would go from 1999 to 2000, it was expected the logic used by computers would crash.

Posted by Shreyas Navare on Friday, August 6, 2010 at 10.35 pm (Courtesy - blogs.hindustantimes.com.). Click for larger image.

The West needed to rewrite the entire code for their industrial systems. And they had no spare programming capacity to do it. Enter India. In a matter of 7 years, desi, backward Indians obtained contracts, understood programming designs, deciphered the code, redesigned the new system, coded and tested their new systems, trained users and handed over fully working systems on D-date. It is 10 years now. These Indian systems continue to run the Western world.

Most recently, the corrupt and scam-tainted Satyam put up a faultless show at South Africa Football World Cup.

What has money got to do

Let us be clear – corruption has nothing to do with this fiasco. A highly corrupt China put up a great show at Beijing Olympics.

The CWG problem goes deeper. Even if the CWG were to go off smoothly,  I can’t be proud of this. Even if, this corruption allegations were poppycock! I have no answer to a simple question? Why are we doing the CWG? And there is no good answer to this question.

Write to me. If you have one reason. Just one, honest reason. Why should we host and promote this hoax.

Can you really motivate someone to do a good job on Commonwealth Games? I wonder ...

Related Articles

• Prince Charles row brewing at Commonwealth Games (independent.co.uk)
• It’s right to boycott the Commonwealth Games | Kapil Komireddi (guardian.co.uk)

Banana Republics – A 2ndlook

Robert Vadra called India a Banana Republic and signed off. So, who are and aren’t Banana Republics.

eorge Soros, the billionaire investor and philanthropist, plans to announce on Tuesday that he is giving $100 million to Human Rights Watch to expand the organization’s work globally. It is the largest gift he has made, the largest gift by far that Human Rights Watch has ever received, and only the second gift of $100 million or more made by an individual this year … (from Soros to Donate $100 Million to Rights Group).

Confusing

George Soros’ donation to Human Rights Watch NGO is perplexing.

Who will watch over whom?

What are these human rights?

Who are these people, who will be funded by George Soros?

Who will sit on judgment on whom?

Anyway, why is George Soros so bothered!

Free speech. To carry placards, shout slogans, mutter in your drawing room!

I had no answers.

I decided to take the help of St.PT Barnum, our Resident Propaganda Slayer, who can easily unravel these kind of ‘events’.

St.PT Barnum thinks that this donation is fuelled by Soros’ concern for democracy and ‘human rights’ in Third World Banana Republics.

So, that is what we need to understand!

St.PT Barnum answers

Q: – What is the difference between ‘banana’ republics and Anglo-Saxon Democracies?

St.PT Barnum ans. – None. People disappear. Anyway. They are both very good at making people disappear. US has made the maximum number of people disappear in the last 50 years.

Q: – How are Anglo-Saxon Democracies better than ‘banana’ republics?

St.PT Barnum ans. – They, Anglo-Saxon Democracies (ASD), are much better organized. ASDs will give you a 500 page ‘document’ to ‘prove’ that you have to disappear. Usually, it is all in public interest, you see. Just ask Julian Assange.

In ‘banana’ republics you never ‘know’ why you have to disappear. Plus, all disappearances in ‘banana’ republics benefit only the Ruling Class. Disappearances in ‘banana’ republics are never in public interest. Unlike Anglo-Saxon Democracies.

Anglo-Saxon Democracies Bonus – Sometimes, the ‘document’ can be bigger than 500-page – and may even be entertaining.

China has one party rule, USA has two-party rule! Little to choose! Click for larger image

Q: – Is it true that Anglo-Saxon Democracies are more efficient than ‘banana’ republics?

St.PT Barnum ans. – Of course, it is true. Do you know of any ‘banana’ republic that has such a large bureaucracy with: –

1. Legislatures – that create reasons why you must disappear. Reasons, also known as laws, statutes, ordinance, charters, licenses et al.
2. Courts – that will find the exact reason(s), that will fit your ‘case’, to make you disappear. Respect for the individual and all that, you see.
3. Police – who ‘objectively’ select people, choose ‘suspects’ for disappearances.
4. Lawyers – who will argue about reasons why you must (not) disappear.
5. Prisons – a convenient place where ‘you’ can disappear and a new sub-human is born.

Q: – Is it true that there is much more freedom in Anglo-Saxon Democracies than in ‘banana’ republics?

St.PT Barnum ans. – Trick question. Both true and false.

True. There is complete freedom in Anglo-Saxon Democracies to make the system more ‘efficient’.

Population planning annihilated entire populations in Austraia, North America, and partly in Africa! Click for larger image

Increase concentration of wealth, ensure that people are kept busy in ‘pursuit of happiness’ and ensure that enough people disappear in full public view.

These ‘open’ disappearances in full ‘public’ view creates greater fear than ‘secret’ disappearances that happen in ‘banana’ republics.

False also. Anglo-Saxon Democracies have installed

1. Millions of cameras
2. Thousands of phone and internet tapping servers
3. Hundreds of satellites in space to keep a watch, to ‘observe’ all those who have as yet not disappeared.
4. Many companies which track your every move. Where, when, what, which, how, who you

• Logged into your computer
• Sold, bought anything
• Read, wrote, said anything to anybody

Don’t for a moment think that the Anglo-Saxon Democracies will ‘ever’ give you respite.

Related Articles

• George Soros Gives $100 Million to Human Rights Watch (observer.com)
• Avaaz: Empire Propaganda Mill Masquerading as Grassroots Activism (empirestrikesblack.com)

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‘IT players failed us in financial inclusion drive’- says the RBI

The rich target the poor ...

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has accused IT giants of being indifferent towards the cause of financial inclusion in India. “The scale of business in financial inclusion is so big that we need participation from big IT companies,” said KC Chakrabarty, deputy governor, RBI, speaking on the sidelines of a financial inclusion seminar organised by Skoch, a consultancy firm. He added lack of interest and involvement by big IT companies was making banks’ endeavour of financial inclusion unsuccessful.

According to Mr Chakrabarty, involvement of big IT companies was important to bring down the transaction cost. (via ‘IT players failed us in financial inclusion drive’ – The Economic Times).

How India missed out …

Due to our well-cultivated tunnel vision about English language (amongst many other things), India missed out on Japanese investments, technology and business. Indian loyalty to English language exceeds the loyalty of the British themselves to their language – and we refuse to see how this affects us.

Reforming Indian education

India urgently needs to put more languages in lingual-education basket – instead of putting all our eggs in the English language basket. We can’t do business with the French or Germans, Spanish or the Arabic speaking world. The Chinese and Japanese are out of bounds to us – as are the Swahili and the Bantu.

The Indian language basket also calls for diversification. India needs to learn more foreign languages. But with our bankruptcy of ideas on restructuring Indian education system or the vested interest banging begging bowls in front of the Indian tax payer!

The Indian software ‘success’

The great ‘software’ success story is actually two countries – US and UK who give between 70%-80% of Indian software business! This is coolie labour! We are missing out on the massive Japanese, French and the Spanish markets because we have not invested in those foreign languages. Same story in Europe also – major opportunities overlooked and ignored. And we have missed out on computing in Indian languages, because we have not invested there either. So, RBI’s peeve is right – but the solution is somewhere else.

Is it due to the apparent Indian decision to tie its future to the sinking ship of the Anglo Saxon Bloc?

Global warming’s got me thinking …

Carbon credits ... anyone!

a call has been given by Al Gore that there should be an immediate moratorium on coal fired power plants. Look at how this will impact India. More than half of the 8,00,000 mega watts of power India plans to produce by 2030 are to come from coal fired plants. Simply because India has abundant coal resources.

What most western analysts don’t realise is nearly 600 million Indians do not have regular and formal access to any source of electricity. If comparison is to be drawn, it is a bit like the entire US population and half of the European Union going without any electricity.

Can you estimate the enormity of this problem? This is what Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told George Bush at the G-8 summit in Japan last year when America tried to force India to commit carbon emission cuts. India merely said it will keep its per capita emmissions at below the world average. (via Carbon emmisions and Democracy!:Wisdom by Hindsight:MK Venu’s blog-The Times Of India).

How oil is sapping the world

What if

The entire global warming debate is just a facade to keep up demand for oil from India and China. The opposition to coal fired power plants is to stop India and China from reducing the growth in oil consumption.

After all practically all of British GDP today is declining North Sea oil and British Petroleum. Apart from Chinese money, the other source of liquidity which keeps the US afloat is petro dollars.And the US future is so closely linked to Arctic oil.

If India and China were to reduce their reliance on oil, leading to a price collapse, the biggest losers will be the Anglo Saxon bloc.

Makes one think!

QED –

On 19th December, 2009, after the Copenhagen meet, alternet.org reported Bill McKibben of 350.org, saying how US President Barack Obama has

formed a league of super-polluters, and would-be super-polluters. China, the U.S., and India don’t want anyone controlling their use of coal in any meaningful way.

voiced his disapproval. Writing for Grist

G8 is dead, long live G14 – Europe – World – NEWS – The Times of India

The intimation of G8’s impending demise came from the host of the summit, Italian President Silvio Berlusconi. “We saw that G8 is no longer a suitable format to show a global economic way of doing. Instead, a consolidated G14 representing 80% of the world economy could help create a real dialogue. We want to see if the G14 is the best solution for debates which will bring to us unique results.”

Berlusconi was merely echoing the creeping realisation among the G8 countries that the steady decline of the developed nations, coupled with the rapid rise of developing countries like India and China, had rendered the rich club irrelevant. (via G8 is dead, long live G14 – Europe – World – NEWS – The Times of India).

Western Clubs

On 5th November 2008, Raghuram Raman was appointed as by the GOI as advisor to the Indian PM – to advise the Indian PM about the forth coming G-20 meetings. As ex-IMF man, if he is the ‘expert’ that he is touted as, by this time Raghuram Rajan should know that the IMF and World Bank are international only in name. They are Western Clubs – meant for the benefit of the West.

Sinking .. or saving ...

All G20 members were ‘invited’ to join another Western Club – the FSF. The Financial Stability Forum, another club, with the same G7 members. Just why does India join these rubber stamp bodies – and lend sanctity to the exploitative agenda of the sponsors. Does the world need another body, with the same Central Bank members, addressing the same monetary issues problems, with the same agenda?

G7 and OECD countries have created a club for themselves, by giving each other unlimited line of credit – while the developing world gets credit based on fast-depreciating dollar/euro foreign exchange reserves. Maybe this needs an inversion. The OECD and G7 should be asked to pay their purchases. In a new global reserve currency. And the BRICS need to start working on that.

Many of the regulatory bodies are actually a US-Euro Clubs – to fool the world, with token actions and steps to demonstrate inclusion and fairness of the developing world.

My feeling …

The BRIC leaders know well enough that the West will not let go of the IMF and the UN. The charade of UN /IMF /World Bank Reform is possibly required – and they are going through it.

Could you be loved ...?

Between ASEAN and IBSA, India needs to take Third World groupings from talk-fests to action-teams. Western clubs like UN, IMF, World Bank, G-7, P-5, etc are all heavily weighted against ‘outsiders’ like developing nations.

Join the gang

Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. And I will tell you why!

Trying to clean these Augean sales is a waste. India should engage with the BRICS countries – and focus on creating another institution without the West to start with.

Safe, Steady and Sure

We can keep banging our head against these Western altars, for another 60 years. It won’t work. We need to move – not necessarily fast, but surely and steadily. The Developing World (and India) can continue to knock at the doors of these Western clubs – and yet why would the West dilute their power and influence? And allow the Rest to take advantage of structures that the West has created for its own benefit?

Just why?

What is on the table

Bankrupt welfare state

2 out of the G-7 countries are bankrupt – US and Britain. Their industrial base was supported by raw materials and captive markets – acquired by genocide, and the loot of centuries.

France, Germany Canada and Australia (not in G7) and Italy are tethering on the brink – under the weight of their social security system, and most of their business in the public sector. A geriatric Japan is dependent almost entirely on these declining seven. Japan’s investment in India and China has been negligible.

What Do We Bring To The Table

India, China and South Africa on the other hand, bring growing economies, young populations, lower welfare state burdens, expanding industrial base – and above all, a record of non-aggressive history.

These dubious clubs depend on victims to approve and finance their own slaughter – and these memberships don’t appeal to India.

G7, you are welcome to join us at our terms. We dont want to be a part of your ‘blood soaked history.’

BRIC demands more clout, steers clear of dollar talk – Yahoo! Philippines News

Change is indeed on its way

“The summit of the so-called BRIC nations of Brazil, Russia, India and China ended with a short statement by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and a communique that demanded more power for developing nations in international financial institutions and the United Nations.

‘We are committed to advance the reform of international financial institutions, so as to reflect changes in the world economy,’ the BRIC countries said in a joint communique.

‘The emerging and developing economies must have a greater voice and representation in international financial institutions,’ it said. ‘We also believe that there is a strong need for a stable, predictable and more diversified international monetary system.’

“We will not do without additional reserve currencies,” he said, adding that a new supranational reserve currency was also an option as the IMF’s SDRs gained a bigger role.

The initial response from the developed world to Russia’s initiative came from Japan, where Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano reiterated his view that the dollar will remain the world’s key reserve currency. (via BRIC demands more clout, steers clear of dollar talk – Yahoo! Philippines News).

This was predictable

The 2ndlook posts and the Quicktakes on the events in the unfolding global financial crisis have been pre-casting these developments. This meeting was good news. This meeting could not have happened earlier – with elections in India being the delaying proposition.

The meeting has happened. Some old and tired cliches have been shopped out for waiting media. Greater role for BRIC in UN and IMF … is not even old wine (turned vinegar) in a old cracked bottle.

What’s gonna happen

The Chinese and Russian decision to increase holdings of their each others currencies was good development. The greater role for ‘IMF-SDR’ is eye wash. The BRIC leaders know well enough that the West will not let go of the IMF and the UN. But the charade is possibly required – and they are going through it.

The real developments will happen more quietly. After all, the final outcome is something that they, The BRIC nations would like to reveal with fanfare and celebration.

We live in exciting time … or is this a dangerous time?

Hand-over English education to the private sector

The reason we’ve driven all the way to Neemrana … is the NIIT University that is taking shape in the shadow of the Aravallis here, a 100-acre campus that though still under construction, will, insists Pawar, be ready to welcome its first students — for courses in BTech, MTech and PhDs in computer science and engineering, educational technology, and bioinformatics and biotechnology — in September this year. “We grew from a two-week course,” says Pawar — this was in 1981when NIIT was launched — “to a year-long course in 1989 as a need-based response and franchising model to grow HR practices, innovation and breaking fresh ground.” It rode the IT boom, creating opportunities for skill-sets in, besides IT, banking, finance, insurance and management. “The path to higher education was always clear,” Pawar now nods. (via Breakfast with BS: Rajendra Pawar).

Backdoor privatization

The Vedanta industrial group is setting up a University in Orissa. From a campus at the new Lavassa township, Oxford is going to start offering courses. These and other represent the quiet backdoor ‘privatization’ of Indian higher education.

Hidden subsidies

Large tracts of lands are being acquired by the Government, and handed over for a pittance to the private sector. Soon, we will have competition between State Sector subsidized English education – and private sector subsidized education.

Who will help Indian languages get back on their feet

While Indian language Universities are struggling – for funding, respect, status, support, foreign Universities, using paper money, backed by the Bretton Woods fraud, will impose their ideas, culture, etc in India.

While the English speaking economic bloc is struggling, India is not focussing on the French, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese Blocs which are large, excellent opportunities.

This can be a way out …

This actually is a good way out. There is a significant demand for English language education – at least currently. This demand can be met by the private sector. In the meantime, misdirected State subsidies can be gainfully used to help Indian language education get back on its feet.

In the not very long run, the state must get out of making up the minds of its citizens.