Aseema Feb 2017

VOLUME: 1 8 | ISSUE 29 | PAGES 52 | FEBRUARY 2017 | KUMBHA SANKRAMANA | PRICE: ` 30
India s Middle Class
Biggest beneficiaries of Demonetization
MAMATA
RUINING
BENGAL
7
ALL
IMPORTANT
BUDGET

IN THIS ISSUE
15
COVER STORY
INDIA'S MIDDLE CLASS
The Biggest Beneficiaries
of Demonetization
32
CLEANSING INDIAN CRICKET
– SC SHOWS THE WAY
06
CRISIS IN MEDIA!
WE ALL SHOULD
WORRY ABOUT IT
23
WORLD'S EDUCATION CAPITAL
TO DEPTHS OF ILLITERACY –I
35
APPEASEMENT OR
INSTITUTIONAL DISEASE?
MAMATA'S INDULGENCE OF
RADICAL ISLAMISTS IS
DROWNING BENGAL
09
THE GREEN CRESCENT
26
ALIEN CURRICULUM!
MISSING ANCIENT INDIAN
SCIENCE IN OUR SCHOOL
SYLLABUS
12
WHAT IS SO CRUEL
ABOUT JALLIKATTU?
29
BANGALORE'S NIGHT
OF SHAME
38
SHIVAJI STATUE
SOURCE OF INSPIRATION &
A CATALYST FOR PATRIOTISM
20
BALANCING THE BUDGET
41
COUNTERING FIDAYEEN ATTACKS

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Path to Recovery
“Those who cry the loudest are NOT always the ones who are
hurt the most” said Aesop eons ago. While we may dither on
how common man was affected or benefitted by a government's
actions, the above proverb certainly applies to those
who cried the loudest over demonetization. The common
man on the street, the villagers in rural India and the middle
class understood the motive behind the demonetization
exercise and whole-heartedly welcomed it. Yes, they were
surely affected for some time and considerable change in
daily life had to be brought about. The long term goal of the
demonetization exercise was what millions of Indians
understood and absorbed the temporary hiccups. Same
could not be said about political minions and rabble-rousers
who tried to create anarchy in the name of the common man
but failed miserably. The credit of this goes to the common
man who understood such machinations and stood by the
government's decision.
Nearly 3 months since the demonetization exercise was
announced, doubts about the efficacy and purpose of the
exercise have remained in many minds. One of the aims of
the exercise was to propel the use of digital modes of
payments, remittances and business transactions. While
there have been exponential growth in digital payments over
the last 85 days, much needs to be achieved in terms of
becoming a less-cash economy. Driving the unaccounted
money from the system, increasing the tax net and nabbing
the tax evaders, plugging the leakage of white money, are
some of the long term effects of the demonetization effort and
will result in benefitting the middle, salaried and the
working class.
It is evident that forces inimical to the national interests try
to hijack any mass movements in the name of common man.
While prudent steps by the government and RBI thwarted
such efforts during the political rallies aimed to demonize
demonetization, such anti-national forces got a foothold in
the recent Jallikattu demonstrations in Chennai and
elsewhere in Tamilnadu. They infiltrated the movement and
attempted to polarize the people in the name of language,
caste and region. If left unchecked such forces will gain in
strength. The seemingly inactive Home Ministry under
Rajnath Singh will do well to send a strong message across to
rabid Islamists, Naxal sympathizers and violent communists
in Kerala, West Bengal and Tamilnadu before it is too
late.
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CRISIS IN MEDIA
Crisis in Media!
We all should worry about it
• Samrat
The mail announcing the
closing down of seven editions
and bureaus of the Hindustan
Times landed suddenly on
January 5th afternoon. The
editions will print their last
copies today. Not even the
editors of these editions had the
faintest clue on January 4 that
by January 10, less than a week
later, they would be jobless.
A lot of people from India to
USA have lost faith in big media
and journalists, calling us
“presstitutes” and “paid
media”. Yet it was only a very
small percent of journalists who
sold out. Most continued to do
their jobs as honestly as they
could, for modest or meagre
salaries, with zero job security.
It was the managements that
sold out. It was owners, who
exploited their workers to
maximise their profits, who sold
out.
It was the powerful network of
big money and political power
that turned journalism into
“paid media” and forced
journalists into “presstitution”.
To do this, they increased the
power of Human Resource and
Marketing departments, and
killed the institution of Editor.
Over a period of time, strong,
independent-minded journalists
largely disappeared from
the journalistic scene. They
were replaced by agents of
corporate or political entities.
These forces often called the
owners of newspapers to place
their chosen people in positions
of authority. Alternatively, yesmen
or women handpicked by
newspaper managements to
protect their own private
06
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NEWS & MEDIA
People see Left and Right in every situation. Since conspiracy
theories are the flavour of the times, let me suggest that this
division of honest folks into Left and Right on every issue is the
greatest conspiracy of our times. It prevents people from seeing
basic realities that surround them every day in their own lives.
interests got key positions.
These 'dalals' sold their souls at
high prices. Their salaries ran
into crores of rupees per annum.
They lived the lifestyles of the
rich and famous. To justify their
salaries, they had to kill stories
inconvenient to the owners or
their friends, push stories
beneficial to the owners or their
friends, and – regardless of the
political party in power –
implement a strictly neoliberal
agenda in journalism.
People see Left and Right in
every situation. Since conspiracy
theories are the flavour of
the times, let me suggest that
this division of honest folks into
Left and Right on every issue is
the greatest conspiracy of our
times. It prevents people from
seeing basic realities that
surround them every day in
their own lives.
Take any issue in the news…
say rape, assault and molestation
of women, for instance.
People across the political
spectrum broadly agree that
these are crimes that must be
ended, though they may differ
on how. The most extreme
opposing voices are carefully
curated and the entire debate is
focused around these voices to
generate a spectacle for TRPs,
and prevent any real, thoughtful
discussion.
What no one mentions is that
every day in every major city in
India there are many instances
of rapes, molestations and
assaults that do not find any
mention in print or on television.
They do not become news.
When is rape not news? When it
happens to poor people. In such
cases, it becomes news only if it
can be turned into a political
issue, with caste or communal
angles. The exception is the
visual story. Dramatic footage
that can be played on loop, will
be played on loop, because it
gets eyeballs.
Why are rapes of poor people
not reported? The logic for this
is that poor people are not our
readers or viewers, so we do not
cover them.
The obvious question then is,
who are our readers and
viewers?
Well, they are people who can
afford to buy the products
advertised in our newspapers
and on our TV channels.
The reason the newspaper or TV
channel exists, from the
perspective of the owners, is to
make money for them. In order
for it to do that, it has to make
money from ad revenues.
Advertisers want to reach
people who can buy their
products. They look at society
in terms of purchasing power –
more the better.
So, coverage is designed to
appeal to the people with the
most purchasing power.
When I first came to Delhi from
North-East India, I used to be
furious at the neglect of the
North-East in the supposedly
national media. Then I gradually
realised that forget North
East, even North Delhi was
relatively neglected compared
to South Delhi. Slums and
villages around Delhi simply
did not exist in the imagination
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07

CRISIS IN MEDIA
of the Delhi English media.
The map of India according to
the Indian English language
media is mainly South and
Central Delhi and Mayur Vihar
in East Delhi (many journalists
live there), South Mumbai and
the suburbs up to Andheri,
Bangalore Cantonment and the
new areas where the I.T. folks
stay, and a few pockets from
here and there. Other places
appear sporadically when truly
horrible things happen there.
This map happens to coincide
with the map of areas where
concentrations of 'good consumers'
live and work. It is the
map of places where maximum
products may profitably be sold.
All my Leftist friends, with pain
in their hearts for the poor and
oppressed, seem not to notice
the structural skew built into
this neoliberal media of which
so many of them are a part. It is a
media that denies equal humanity
to people who, for want of
money, are unable to consume
more.
All my Right-wing friends, with
pain in their hearts for the
nation, seem not to notice that
around 90 percent of the nation
is missing from the national
news. I wonder what could be
more anti-national than that.
Erasing 90 percent of the nation
from the national imagination is
not very different from wiping
off 90 percent of the country
from the map.
Profit and power may be the sole
objectives of the 'seths' who
own and run these businesses.
They are not the sole reasons
that the media exists.
The state extends many benefits
to media houses because they
are supposed to constitute the
fourth pillar of democracy. A lot
of idealistic young people come
into the journalism profession
because they want to contribute
to making a better world for all.
It is safe to say that at present,
the profit and power of a few
individuals is the raison d'etre of
the bulk of Indian media
companies. Media is no longer
the fourth pillar of democracy; it
is the central pillar of crony
capitalism. It exists to sell
products and influence to the
highest bidder.
This is a crying shame.
(The writer is a journalist and
author.)
08
www.aseema.net.in | aseema | February 2017

JAMMU & KASHMIR
THE GREEN CRESCENT
• Major Gaurav Arya (Veteran)
When did it exactly start? No one
knows. But it can be said with a
degree of certainty that in the
early nineties when the Pakistanis
decided that JKLF or Jammu
Kashmir Liberation Front, a “proazaadi”
terror outfit in Kashmir,
should cease to exist, it was the
beginning of Islamic Jihad in the
Kashmir valley.
JKLF wanted Jammu & Kashmir
to be 'free' from India. Pakistan
applauded it. But JKLF also
wanted Jammu & Kashmir to be
free from Pakistan. Suddenly,
JKLF leaders started getting
killed.
Look at the names of the terror
outfits operating in Kashmir
today. You have Lashkar-e-Toiba,
Jaish-e-Mohammad, Al-Badr,
Dukhtaran-e-Millat, Hizb-ul
Mujahedeen, Harkat-ulJehad al
Islami and many others. Do you
see a single name with Kashmir in
it? These are all Arabic names.
And all along Pakistan has
maintained that Kashmir
“freedom movement” is an
“indigenous” struggle for
freedom from Indian “oppression”.
Islam does not recognize nation
states. The overriding belief is
that of the “Ummah”, the global
Islamic brotherhood, that all
Muslims irrespective of the
country they inhabit, are brothers
bound by a common faith. The
nation is incidental. Faith is
supreme.
From the Pakistani perspective,
'azaadi' for Kashmir would be the
legitimate cover. That would help
lend credibility in the eyes of the
west. But the soul, deep inside,
would always be violent Islamic
Jihad.
When a Pakistani head of state
goes to the United Nations, the
speech is always about the
'freedom struggle' in Kashmir.
Recently, Burhan Wani has been
dragged out of his grave to bear
witness to India's blatant violation
of all things fundamentally
human. But go on the streets of
Srinagar and you see something
very different. During violent
stage-managed protests, there are
no Kashmiri flags being waved.
Incidentally, Kashmir is the only
www.aseema.net.in | aseema | February 2017
09

SPREAD OF TERRORISM
Indian state with its own flag,
constitution and penal code. It has
more 'azaadi' than all the other
Indian states combined. What you
see is a sea of ISIS flags with a
black background and Quranic
inscriptions. And, you see the
flags of the chief sponsor,
Pakistan.
Where is the Kashmiri flag?
The truth is that the first Kashmiri
who waves the Kashmiri flag will
be floating in the Jhelum, face
down. That is what happened to
the JKLF.
Increasingly, what you hear from
the loudspeakers in mosques after
Friday prayers is a script, which is
more Arabic in spirit, than
Kashmiri. The sermons discuss
what is happening in Syria,
Palestine, Myanmar and Yemen.
There is an incessant one-way
flow of disinformation, which
thrives on those two factors so
popular in the world of political
Islam – victimhood and conspiracy.
Tarek Fateh and I were panelists
on a discussion at a TV studio and
the show went on air, the voice in
the background informing
viewers about how a Lashkar-e-
Toiba terrorist Bahadur Ali had
been charge sheeted by the NIA.
The terrorist's confessional
statement was played. For a few
seconds, Bahadur Ali's face was
still, and then he started speaking.
The terrorist, who had come into
Kashmir to “kill as many Hindus
as I could”, started confessing in
chaste Punjabi, the lingua franca
of much of Pakistan.
Almost all infiltrating terrorists
caught by security forces in
Kashmir speak mostly Punjabi.
Some speak Pashto. A terrorist
speaking in Kashmiri is yet to be
our guest.We have killed
Sudanese, Lebanese and Afghan
terrorists in Kashmir. This is a
multi-national Islamic terror
franchise.
These terrorists have scant
knowledge of the Kashmir
'dispute' or the local ebbs and
flows. This is important because
what else could be the motivation
of a young man who hails from
rural Pakistan, to infiltrate into
India? He enters India with the
certain knowledge that he will
come face to face with the Indian
Army, and the encounter will be
entirely brief and one-sided.
These young men trained and
equipped by Lashkar and Jaish,
come not to 'free' Kashmir. They
come to die for the supposed glory
of Islam. This is amongst the two
large-scale scams perpetrated by
the Pakistan Army, the other being
real estate.
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JAMMU & KASHMIR
Young men trained
and equipped by
Lashkar and Jaish,
come not to 'free'
Kashmir. They come
to die for the
supposed glory of
Islam. This is
amongst the two
large-scale scams
perpetrated by the
Pakistan Army, the
other being real
estate. Pakistan also
knows that if the
Kashmir issue
becomes pan-
Islamic, it will
automatically be
internationalized.
Pakistan knows that if the
Kashmir issue becomes pan-
Islamic, it will automatically be
internationalized. The
Organization of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC), that suboptimal
and geriatric body of 57
Muslim states, most of them tin
pot dictatorships and sundry
kingdoms, will need little
persuasion to raise the Kashmir
bogey at every turn of the road.
They cannot give freedom and
democracy to their own people.
The least they can do is give
opium. And what better opium
than religion? Karl Marx was
right.
When was the last time you heard
a Kashmiri politician on TV
discussing anything else apart
from the “Kashmir issue”? When
the last time roads, education,
health and electricity were
important to the Kashmiri
politician?
Kashmir will continue to burn
because the local leaders and their
sponsors in Pakistan want it to
burn. A burning Kashmir means
money, fame and instant celebrity
hood. It is a cash cow. If a burning
Kashmir means personal profit,
the last thing they would want is
Kashmir to be peaceful. I know
it's cruel. But it's also logical.
Kashmir ticks all the boxes –
money, religion, fame and
leadership. Peace? Who wants
peace in a state where blood is
profit?
Winters in India always bring the
sad news of people dying in 'cold
waves' in UP, MP and Rajasthan.
But no one dies of a cold wave in
Jammu & Kashmir, the coldest
state in India. Farmers commit
suicide in Maharashtra because of
their inability to pay back loans
and famine. But in spite of
frequent “shutter-downs” and
'hartals' in Kashmir, almost a
weekly feature when business is
totally shut down, no one
commits suicide.
Where is all this money coming
from? It is not just simply our
central government giving funds
to Kashmir. The central government
gives funds to every state.
Today, there are more men with
skullcaps in Kashmir, than ever
before. Girls riding scooters have
been threatened with acid attacks.
Say “Khuda Hafiz” in downtown
Srinagar, and you stand to be
ticked off. The correct greeting,
we are told, is “Allah Hafiz”.
Khuda is secular. Allah is the God
of the Ummah.
Fading memory takes me back to
Lucknow, where as a child I met
an old Muslim man who said to
me “Al-hamdulillahirabbil
'alamin”. All praise be to God, the
Lord of the worlds. Allah is the
“rabb” of all the worlds. He is not
“rabbil' Muslimin”, or “rabb” of
the Muslims alone.
The word Allah predates Islam.
Before Islam was revealed, the
pagans who inhabited Mecca
worshipped Allah. The word
“Allah” was carried forward after
Archangel Gabriel revealed the
Quran to Prophet Mohammad
(PBUH).
The word Allah itself is not a
Muslim word. It is a secular word,
which simply means God in
Arabic. It was co-opted by the
Muslim clergy later to mean God
of the Muslims alone. It was coopted
by force.
They are now doing the same with
Kashmir.
www.aseema.net.in | aseema | February 2017
11

BANNING JALLIKATTU
What Is So Cruel About Jallikattu?
• Anup Vittal
It is said that what beauty is to
women, valor is to men. Many
may out rightly show disdain to
my ensuing words. I would like to
make it clear at the outset that I am
not justifying cruelty in the name
of valor or superstition. I am only
proposing to dispel certain
misconceptions as to what is
animal savagery and what is
compassion or tenderness.
Before going to what “Jallikattu”
actually is, let us take a look at
other animal sports in India to get
a brief background. Kambala is
one he-buffalo race sport in
Udupi, Karnataka; “Jallikattu” in
Tamil Nadu is another; besides
many animals viz. Elephants,
horses, etc. are part of many local
traditional carnivals in India;
Pooram in Kerala, Dasara of
Mysuru, to name a few. Basically,
animals were and are a part of all
festivities in India. Ours is a land,
where it is taught to revere
animals. Even during the times of
Mahabharata, we hear the stories
of valor of Emperor Bharatha. He
used to ride on tigers in the forest.
Now one may call his ability to
tame tigers as “infringement of
animal rights”, the other may call
it “valor”. To view animal
sporting in the lens of animal
rights, barbarism, etc., first of all
one has to understand what the
animal is. Anyone who has
visited the Mysuru Dasara will
know – Elephants are made to
carry loads of weight, and are
made to move around in loud
noises of musical instruments.
Same is the case with Pooram in
Kerala with the 'panch vadyam'
echoing all around the elephants.
All this to a superficial eyes seems
to be barbarism and cruelty. If one
reads the news at the end of
Dasara or Pooram, or if anybody
bothered to ask the mahouts of
The bulls that are
part of Jallikattu are
strong and hefty
ones.Their health is
well taken care.
These bulls are the
responsibility of the
entire village. If at
all anybody is
injured, it is the
men. The bull is
never injured in this
event. Men display
their valor and the
fittest and the
strongest wins the
game.Then why hell
was this event
banned for cruelty
on animals?
those elephants which participate
in these events, one will come to
know of the bondage between the
animal and the mahout. Elephants
are reared with love and with
compassion. These animals are
but part of the families of the
localities. The bondage is such
that these animals sense the
arrival of these festivals and their
feelings and expressions are felt.
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CULTURE AND TRADITIONS
Only those who “live” with these
animals will know how happy the
animals feel to be part of these
festivities. Those who see
animals in pictures and on their
plates as “dead” ones will never
understand this bondage and love.
Coming to Jallikattu. It is a
sporting event in the western
sense. Yet, if you closely observe,
it is nothing but festivity for the
local people. In many places in
Tamil Nadu this carnival is in
vogue since many years. Some
even believe that this tradition is
as old as 2000 years. Let me tell
you on the face of it, not one bull is
killed or even injured to the least
in this festival. I am purposefully
using this word “Festival”. I do
not want to equate local traditions
with sports. That is when the
prejudices arise. That is when the
question of barbarism arises.
The bulls that are part of Jallikattu
are strong and hefty ones. They
are fed handsomely. Their health
is as well taken care. These bulls
are the responsibility of the entire
village. Many rich and well off
people look after these bulls like
members of their families. Even
before these bulls are let loose in
Jallikattu, their health and
condition are examined by
certified Veterinary Doctors. This
event is also overlooked by
Government officials under the
provisions of “Jallikattu Act” by
the officials of the Tamil Nadu
Government. The bulls are
trained fervently, and with
dedication Jallikattu is carried
out. Even the athletes who
participates in the Jallikattu event
will undergo medical tests and
will be tested for alcohol. These
athletes will observe 10 days of
austerity before the event which
includes eating vegan food, no
smoking, no alcohol consumption
and not even sex. Many
youth have given up smoking,
alcohol, and sex on account of
“Jallikattu”. Youth have been
averse to addictions to keep
themselves fit and healthy. For the
people who raise these bulls, their
bulls are alleged to be sacred to
them. In the actual event the bull
is let loose and the participants
will have to hold on to the hump of
the bull. If a participant is able to
hold on to it till the finish line, he is
declared victorious. Else, the Bull
is declared as the victor. Now,
anybody will laugh at this. Why
the hell was this event banned for
cruelty on animals? If at all
anybody will be injured, it is the
men. The bull is never injured in
this event. Men display their valor
and the fittest and the strongest
wins the game.
Let us now come to this very
interesting discussion. The sheer
hypocrisy surrounding the
controversy of this ban on
“Jallikattu”. Since childhood we
were taught the lessons of Rome
and Colosseum. People there
were raised like sheep and pig to
be slaughter in a fight of madness.
For the King's “entertainment”,
men had to become slaves and be
slaughtered as per the whims and
wishes of the barbaric king. This
stupid sport is justified as valor
and Jallikattu is cruelty? Praises
for the sport of the white men and
condemnation for the traditions
of the east. There is this another
practice of“Halal” food among
our Muslim brethren. In this
practice, the animal's throat is slit
so that the blood spills completely
out of its body before it dies an
agonizing death. Killing animals
cruelly is pure love towards
animals and rearing bulls with
“love and compassion” is
barbarism! How is this logic
justified? Why are the hypocrites
not ready to point their fingers at
actual cruel practices? This only
points to one thing: All the acts of
“Pro-Animals Rights Activism”
is just limited to curtail and
criticize local Hindu traditions
and customs.
I would like to now look into the
observations of the Honorable
Supreme Court of India on its
judgement on the ban of
“Jallikattu”. The Supreme Court
judgment cited a number of
doctrines like the right to life,
doctrine of necessity, compassion,
humanism and repugnancy
to rule that Jallikattu was a nonessential
activity, in which the
welfare of the “bulls was ignored
solely for human pleasure”. I
would not wish to comment on the
veracity of the judgment. What
Supreme Court decides is the law
of the land. But something is
missing in this entire story. Is not
slaughtering of animals also
cruelty? Animals are butchered
for “Pleasure, taste, and money”.
What is this then, “love and
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13

BANNING JALLIKATTU
compassion”? I do not want to
make this a debate of “Vegetarianism
v/s Non- Vegetarianism”. All
I wish to say is this: When it
comes to ethnic traditions it is
cruelty, whereas when it comes to
fulfilment of one's pleasure or
making money by running
slaughter houses it is not cruelty.
This is veritably double standards.
Now the political parties would
always like to reap their harvest
out of this. What better occasion
than the “Sankranti” or “Pongal”
itself? This is the time to harvest.
For the farmers it is the crops, and
for the politicians, it is the vote
bank. The Central Government
took a bold step to reverse the ban
on“Jallikattu”. But with the
pressure from “Animal Rights
Activists” and from the opposition
the situation worsened.
Supreme Court finally hit its
baton and all was over.
This Pongal, in Tamil Nadu, there
will be many questions to be
answered. These questions shall
not be raised by any political
party, media, or the supreme court
of India. These questions shall be
raised by the “Bull” that participates
in Jallikattu. Yes this Pongal
the bull shall ask questions and all
shall stand mum,
Where is the love? Where is the
compassion?
Where are my people? Where are
the festivities?
Where is the Pongal? Where are
the sweets?
Where are the races and the
display of valor?
------
Fie on your activism; fie on your
law;
Fie on the political game; fie on
the hypocrisy;
Oh Lord! The Protector of the
world.
Where is my life? Where is my
Jallikattu?
Finally among all the clamor the
Jallikattu bull asks the God,
“Why have you taken away the
love, in the name of 'protecting'
me, and why have you taken
away my life in the guise of
'safeguarding' my life?” And in
reply the god stays mum……….
(The author is Writer/ commentator
on current affairs and a
Yoga expert.)
People will reclaim their culture by breaking the
law - this is the expected outcome of unnecessary
activism by the judiciary. Some 'secular'
judgements are hugely unpopular and are clearly
dividing our society. The breaking of law and the
unpopularity of judgements are both disturbing
news for a democracy.
I hope Tamil Nadu people understand that public
sentiment across India is with them. The
#Jallikattu ban has nothing to do with North
versus South or Rational versus Irrational or even Animal Rights. This is simply Indian
culture/pride versus Foreign-funded activism.
The netas have failed to safeguard people's interests and our culture.
Also, at this time we need an overhaul of the judicial system. A combination of a jury-judge
system should be considered. Jurors, who are random ordinary voters, can ensure
cultural/societal values are not compromised while arbitrating cases.
#Jallikattu #DahiHandi #Sabarimala #AntiSuperstitionLaws#TargettingHinduCulture
- Aparna Patwardhan on Facebook
14
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COVER STORY
BANNING JALLIKATTU
India's Middle Class
The Biggest Beneficiaries of Demonetization
• Narayan Ammachchi
Cashless payments are the way of future
s demonetization completes its full
Acourse and digital economy takes shape,
the middle-class Indians, the biggest
income tax payers but the least beneficiaries of
government subsidies, have begun to cheer.
Middle-class in India account for almost half the
size of the country's total population, and their
number has been rising by the day. According to a
study by two Mumbai-based economists, the
number of middle-class in India doubled in the
space ten years, between 2004 and 2012.
The note ban has left banks brimming with cash.
Therefore, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is
showing all signs of cutting interest rate drastically.
Another noteworthy impact will be the
increase in income tax slabs. In other words, the
government is most likely to free those earning less
than 5 lakh rupees annually from paying income
tax. Today, everyone earning more than 2.5 is
required to pay income tax.
Another advantage for the salaried class is that
there is possibility of the government exempting
tax on allowances such as conveyance allowance,
medical reimbursements etc. These moves will
increase the disposable income of the middle class
Historically, middle-class population is reputed for revolutionizing
both politics and economy. The industrial revolution, which
changed Britain's fortune hundreds of years ago, had in fact
thrived on middle-class values. With measures for
demonetization in place, India's middle-class appears to be
setting the tone for a new revolution.
www.aseema.net.in | aseema | February 2017
15

COVER STORY
POLITICS OF BLACK MONEY
household.
Third major impact from demonetization is the fall
in real estate prices. Skyrocketing property prices
were such a curse on the middle class was that, until
yesterday, those salaried people who bought
residential sites in urban neighborhoods had to
spend their lifetime to repay their home loans.
Today, if you have already bought a site, the loan
amount you are going to pay will be lessened. If
you have bought a site yet, then this will be the
ideal time. Not only the prices are bottoming out,
but there are also easy availability of loans at lower
cost.
The biggest beneficiary of digital economy will
always be the middle-class because digital
transaction pushes down the prices of consumer
goods. As inflation dips further, their buying power
will increase dramatically. In other words, they
will be able to buy more amounts of goods with the
same amount of money than in the past. If you had
to spend 50 lakh rupees for residential site, they
will soon find a similar site for half of that price.
The demonetization has now prevented people
from laundering money in real estate, NGOs and
educational institutions.They have been forced to
go online or pay up hefty charges in tax.
A combination of demonetization and digital
transaction puts an end to hoarding and inflating
prices artificially. Therefore, today you are seeing
a drop in the prices of most of the goods you
consume. Prices of dal, for an example, has almost
halved from their annual highs of 250 rupees per a
kilogram.
The retail inflation dropped to its lowest level of
3.63% in November. Digital economy will keep
the prices under control by keeping the hoarders at
bay. This is the biggest positive outcome of the
demonetization and digital economy.
Residential properties in urban neighborhoods
have not yet gone cheap, but they are certainly on
their way down, because there are hardly any
buyers in the real estate market. Some predict that
property prices may slide by 40 or 50 percent.
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DEMONETIZATION
e Growing Power of Middle-Class
India's middle-class are a powerful group, both politically and
economically. It is a common belief that if a child from a middle-class family
is freed from the shackles of money, he will achieve more than what his
peers from rich or poor families will achieve.
Of course, there is no universally accepted definition for middle class and it
is hard to define who can be categorized in middle-class and who is not. It
could be however true to say that those with APL cards (above poverty line)
are middle class and those with BPL cards (below poverty line) are poor.
But it is certain that the expansion of middle class is a sign of great
economic transformation to come. In his book, Farewell of Alms, economist
Gregory Clark argues that the spread of middle class laid the foundation for
the Industrial Revolution in Britain. It is this revolution that led to
economic transformation in the West.
World over, we have seen the rising share of middle class reshaping the
political discourse. After all, the French Revolution was not launched by
starving peasants but by the newly emergent middle classes who wanted a
seat at the table.
In India, too, the emergence of the neo middle class is fundamentally
altering the political landscape. The movement against corruption, which
did everything it could to tarnish the image of the previous Congress –led
government in the center, was in fact a middle-class movement.
With demonetization dealing a deathblow to corruption, middle class can
now get things done far easily. Cash is the root cause of corruption, because
it is the necessary lubricant for all black-market transactions.
In addition, high property prices had also pushed up house rent in urban
areas, increasing the living cost for millions of middle-class families. More
than anything else, it had directed capital from being invested in
manufacturing and services. Now, with little option to launder cash, the
rich will choose to reinvest their money rather than hide it in real estate and
gold. Such investments will create jobs and once again the biggest
beneficiary will be the middle-class.
www.aseema.net.in | aseema | February 2017
17

COVER STORY
POLITICS OF BLACK MONEY
As the note ban bites, every consumer price is going downwards,
from daal to housing rents and education fees to income tax. The
biggest winner is the middle-class, because their salary is not
going to go down. More jobs will be created for them in the days
to come, as the rich will be forced to invest in enterprises rather
hide money in real estate and gold.
Property owners will not give up in this game so
easily, but they may have no option but to get off
the market once Narendra Modi government starts
seizing benami properties.
Like or dislike, it is a fact that high real estate
priceshave long hampered the growth of entrepreneurship,
denting the country's competitiveness in
the global marketplace. Cheap real estate will
stoke business expansion, creating jobs for
millions of people.
(LESA), for an example, has seen its revenue grow
several fold after the note ban. It has reportedly
collected more than 100 crore for the month of
November. One consumer paid 45 lakh in cash to
pay off an outstanding bill.
A consumer in a VVIP division cleared his
outstanding bill of Rs 45 lakh, which he had been
contesting for years together while two others in
the old city area cleared dues of Rs 27 lakh and Rs
28 lakh, respectively, in cash.
Tax Burden
Digitalization paves the way to clean up the
economy, making it vibrant and transparent.
Therefore, in the days to come, you will hear more
stories about the increase in government revenue.
The more the government earns the lower will fall
the tax rates. That means, middle-class will soon
find its tax burden ease.
Before demonetization, some municipalities
would collect barely 5 crore in electricity bills.
Now they are collecting 15 crore.
Lucknow Electricity Supply Administration
School Fees:
Over the past two decades, poor and middle-class
people in towns and citieswere forced to spend
their hard-earned money for securing admission of
their children in schools. This practice is going to
stop in the months to come.
That's because all private education institutes have
been told to pay employee salary through bank
accounts. In addition, they now have to receive
tuition and other fees in electronic mode.
In this post-demonetization era, banks have been
told to levy a huge surcharge on cash deposits.
18
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INSTITUTIONALIZING HINDUPHOBIA
Similarly, they make mention of your pan card
number every time you withdraw more than
30,000 in cash. This makes elite educational
institutes, most of which are run directly by
politicians or their associates, transact in transparent
digital mode.
As more revenue draws more tax, educational
institutes will reduce fees on everything, from
tuition to donation.
Chit fund companies
In the past decades, thousands of poor and middleclass
Indians lost billions of rupees by chit funds
and private financiers. Digital economy will put an
end to this black business. Formal banks will now
take away the business from these shady financiers.
As private financiers cannot find hard cash to run
their operation, they will give up on their business
once and for all. Moreover, middle-class will find
formal bank loans cheaper than the exorbitant
interest rate that private financiers impose on their
loan.
In the past few years, there has been hundreds of
stories of private financiers making off with the
hard-earned money of depositors. Demonetization
has cured the menace of private financiers once
and for all. So, there will be lesser chances of
middle-class Indians getting duped by private
finances.
www.aseema.net.in | aseema | February 2017
19

BUDGET 2017
Balancing the Budget
• Raja Shekhar
Arun Jaitley will have various tough tasks
while presenting the union budget
The common man in
India has gone through a
lot in the last few
months. From standing in long
queues due to demonitization to
paying an additional 0.5%
'Swacch Bharat' cess on all
taxable services, he is merely
paying for the Achche Bharat
dream, promoted by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi. Will
the Union Budget, to be presented
by finance minister Arun
Jaitley, be a payoff for all these
hardships? Or will it be another
burden on a common man like
the previous decisions.
Well, we will have to wait till
February 1, 2016 to know that,
for that's the day when Arun
Jaitley will present his union
budget. But nevertheless,
Narendra Modi's bold moves on
demonitization have certainly
raised the expectations from the
budget this time around. People
of all classes, right from the
common man to the corporate
czars, everybody has expectations
from the budget.
Any common man will first look
at the tax structure presented in a
budget, as that will affect him
the most. This time around, it
will be hard for Arun Jaitley to
resist populist moves like
increasing the taxable income
limit 3 lakh rupees per annum.
But what they can do to our
economy is also a point worth
pondering about. In our country,
only 130 lakh people pay taxes
and if the taxable income limit is
raised to rupees 3 lakh per
annum that will take out 15-20
lakh tax filers out of the tax net
burdening those who pay their
taxes even more.
Arun Jaitley will sure have a
Arun Jaitley will sure
have a hard time
bringing in more
people under tax net.
Apart from greater
efficiency in bringing
in lucrative sectors
like real estate into
the tax net, the big
challenge is the low
compliance of those
earning between Rs
10-15 lakh. Bold
decisions to curb tax
evasion, improve
spending and
financial literacy of
common people and
institutions alike will
win the day for him
and the Modi
government.
hard time bringing in more
people under tax net. Apart from
greater efficiency in bringing in
lucrative sectors like real estate
into the tax net, the big challenge
is the low compliance of those
earning between Rs 10-15
lakh—tax compliance here is a
20
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FINANCE & ECONOMY
2017
Common man has lots of expectations from
Modi's budget after the hardships he has faced
mere 10% versus 20-25% in all
other tax brackets, based on a
comparison of the tax data with
a theoretical income distribution
of the country for that year.
For other inspirations on his
budget, the finance minister can
look at the unlikeliest of places,
Jammu and Kashmir. The
Jammu and Kashmir (J&K)
government became the first to
commit to a Universal Basic
Income for all citizens living
below the poverty line by
providing direct benefit
transfers. This has set a cat
amongst the pigeons and many
expect Arun Jaitley to follow
suit when he presents his
budget.
Universal Basic Income is a
social security fund and provides
a basic income to all those
living below the poverty line.
This will happen through a
direct benefit transfer system.
The J&K government expects
this move to not only eliminate
all the leakages, but it also
expects that to dramatically
reduce the cost of delivery. But
interestingly, although the J&K
government has kicked off an
ambitious scheme, it will not be
able to implement that scheme
without substantial monetary
assistance from the central
government.
So far, the center has been
giving positive vibes about the
possible implementation of this
scheme on a nationwide scale.
Chief economic adviser in the
finance ministry Arvind
Subramanian in September had
said that the UBI is an “exciting
idea”, promising to further
elaborate his thoughts in the
upcoming Economic Survey
scheduled to be presented on 31
January.
While the reasons for providing
UBI in Western countries,
where the idea was originally
developed, are stagnant wages
and an effective demand
collapse, in India, the issue at
hand is providing financial
security to the poor. Switzerland
recently rejected a proposal in a
referendum to guarantee every
adult citizen and long-term
resident 2,500 Swiss francs
(around Rs1.7 lakh) per month,
while Finland is set to experiment
with the idea on a pilot
basis.
In his speech on the eve of New
Year, the Prime Minister
Narendra Modi had promised
cheap housing for the poor
people. The Modi government
could reduce the interest rate on
home loan between 5 and 6 per
cent. In its first budget in 2015,
the government had made
provisions for cheap housing.
Since the announcement was
made in the midst of financial
slump, the builders did not show
much interest in it.
People below poverty line are
facing the hardest times after the
fresh initiative. Their job
opportunities have shrunk. The
poor are forced to leave cities
and go back to their villages.
Financial experts are of the
opinion that unemployment
could rise for some period. The
government could significantly
enhance the budgetary allocation
of MNERGA to counter the
impact. A big announcement
could also be made for the direct
benefit transfer scheme to
connect this section of the
population to cashless economy.
www.aseema.net.in | aseema | February 2017
23 21

END OF AN ERA
And then, a cash withdrawal tax
Post the demonetisation exercise in early November last year, the Modi
government has been pushing hard with its objective to boost digital-based
transactions in the country and curb lesser usage of cash in the system.
To give a leg up to its cashless economy agenda, the government also
introduced several incentive measures of late. Taking it further, the government
is also mulling bringing in 'cash tax', which will be levied on withdrawal of cash
from the bank beyond a threshold limit. The proposal could be made in the
forthcoming Union Budget for scal year 2017-18, which is mainly aimed at
getting hold of black money holders and lower cash transactions in the
economy.
Previously, between 1 June, 2005 and 1 April, 2009, the UPA government under
nance minister P Chidamabaram had introduced the banking cash transaction
tax (BCTT) to curb black money transactions in the country. The rate of 0.1
percent of cash withdrawal was levied under BCTT, other than from savings
accounts. This tax was levied on any individual or Hindu undivided family
towards withdrawal of Rs 50,000. For entities, the tax was imposed on
withdrawal of Rs 1 lakh in cash.
The current Modi government now wants to tweak the previous cash transaction
rule and get more people to embrace digital technology and reduce cash
transactions. The aim of the new tax is to shrink the scope of cash economy and
encourage digital transactions. As a part of the proposed move, the Special
Investigation Team (SIT) on black money has recommended to the government
asking it for a ban on cash transactions above Rs 3 lakh and a Rs 15 lakh limit on
individual cash holding.
After the demonetisation move,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
had indicated in Goa that the
government could take a pathbreaking
step against benami
properties. The agricultural land
could be linked with
AADHAAR. Further, the
immoveable properties could be
linked to PAN card. These two
steps could prove decisive in the
government's war against
corruption.
Come February 1, it will be
interesting to see whether Arun
Jaitley will succumb to populist
demands or will carve a new
path on to economic
sustainability of the country.
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ANCIENT INDIAN EDUCATION
World's Education Capital to Depths of Illiteracy –I
• Sahana Singh
hen Tagore started an open-air school at
WShantiniketan in 1901, which later went
on to become a famous university, he
was one in a long line of educators from India, who
believed that holistic learning could only be
obtained in the midst of nature under the close
supervision of a parent-like guru.
India's earliest teachers were the gurus, who taught
in gurukulams and ashrams located far away from
the hustle and bustle of towns in what could be
called forest universities. It is no surprise that the
Vedas, which are the earliest known oral books
containing the thoughts of a highly civilised society
are replete with exquisite references to nature and
the concept of inter-dependence of living organisms.
To these gurus, it was important for humans to
realise their humble status in the infinite universe
before embarking on the long journey of learning.
Over time, the systems of transmission of learning
to newer generations got institutionalised and gave
birth to famous universities such as Takshshila,
Nalanda and many famous temple universities of
which the remains are still found in southern India.
A sizeable number of foreign students came to study
in India from China, Korea, Japan, Indonesia and
West Asia. While the most famous names are Fa-
Hien and Xuanzang, who left behind detailed
accounts, there are scores of others, who made
difficult journeys by foot and on board the ships just
to imbibe knowledge from Indian professors. Many
of the foreign students copied texts and commentaries
to carry back to their countries. The rush for
gaining an education from the Brahmins and
Buddhist scholars of India was similar to today's
rush to study in or be certified by American and
European universities.
There is a curious hesitation among modern
historians to refer to India's multi-disciplinary
centres of traditional learning as universities. This
comes from the excessive importance given to the
written word, to solid buildings with established
pedagogy and rigid systems of certification. Thus,
the talented, but bare-chested and dhoti-clad
engineers and architects of ancient India, who built
incredible irrigation canals, rainwater harvesting
structures, palaces, forts, roads, dams and aqueducts
are barely acknowledged as professionals,
www.aseema.net.in | aseema | February 2017
23

INDOLOGY
who learned from professors in universities.
Similarly, the medical practitioners of yore, who
knew which combination of herbs could help in
healing diseases, where to procure them in forests,
how to conduct complex surgeries and who
additionally possessed spiritual insights are often
regarded as quacks or witch doctors.
Learning was a sacred, important duty
Ancient Indians were obsessed with gaining
perspectives about “the material and the moral, the
physical and the spiritual, the perishable and the
permanent”. During the process of gaining these
perspectives, they made important discoveries in
the sciences, mathematics and applied medicine.
The sacredness of learning is evident from the large
number of Sanskrit shlokas that deify the guru such
as “Acharya devobhava” (Taittiriya Upanishad).
Initiation of children (both male and female) into
the alphabets for the first time was done ceremonially
in most parts of India.
Even today, the ceremony survives in the
Haathekhori in Bengal (performed during
Saraswati Puja) and the Vidyarambham in Southern
India (when children are asked to trace alphabets on
rice). The sacred thread ceremony or the
Upanayanam ceremony performed for Dwija
children between the ages of eight and 12 customarily
marked the beginning of education. It was
considered terrible to barter knowledge for money.
Gurus usually took a token gift (Guru Dakshina) in
return for the long years of knowledge they
imparted.
The forest universities of Ancient India
The Mahabharata gives examples of famous
ashramas such as Naimisha, which was a forest
university headed by Saunaka. Other hermitages
mentioned in the epic are those of Vyasa, Vasishtha
and Visvamitra. One hermitage near Kurukshetra
even mentions two female rishis. Among Vyasa's
famous disciples were Sumantra, Vaisampayana,
Jamini, Paila and Suka.
Rishi Kanva's hermitage is not mentioned as a
solitary unit, but as an assemblage of numerous
hermitages around the central one presided by Rishi
Kanva. There were specialists in every branch of
learning cultivated in that age; in each of the four
Vedas; in Yagna-related literature and art; Kalpa-
Sutras; in the Chhanda (Metrics), Sabda (or
Vidyarambham or Aksharabhyasa is an important Hindu
ceremony marking the initiation of young boys and
girls into the writing of alphabets.
Just a thousand years ago, India was dotted with universities across
its length and breadth where international students flocked to gain
credentials in advanced education. But in the last 200 years, the
connection with age-old knowledge streams has been severely
disrupted. In the first part of this new series, Sahana Singh will
examine the pedagogy of ancient Indian universities, and in
subsequent parts will trace their demise.
24
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ANCIENT INDIAN EDUCATION
Vyakarana), and Nirukta. There were also
Logicians, knowing the principles of Nyaya, and of
Dialectics. Specialists in physical sciences and art
also taught their skills. The art of constructing altars
of various dimensions and shapes for conducting
yagna was regarded as significant and this required
the teaching of Solid Geometry. There were no
artificial demarcations between religion and
science and often, one led to the other. Other topics
that were taught included properties of matter
(dravyaguna) and physical processes. Zoology was
also a subject. Thus, the forest universities laid out
an entire spread of subjects that imparted a holistic
view of the world as it was then known.
The citadels of learning distributed across India
There were a staggering number of universities
spread across the length and breadth of India. The
oldest excavated so far is Takshashila, which is
dated to the 6th century BCE, but could be much
older. It is located in today's Pakistan in the
Rawalpindi District of Punjab. Others were
Nalanda, Valabhi, Vikramshila, Pushpagiri,
Jagaddala, Odantapuri, Somapura, Bikrampur,
Ratnagiri, Mithila, Ujjaini and Kanchipuram,
though this is only a partial list. Even today,
archaeologists are coming across the remains of
ancient universities close to the already excavated
ones.
It is possible that both the forest universities and the
brick and mortar universities existed side by side.
There is an instance of Svetaketu, who is a graduate
in the “arts” from Takshashila. He set out to gather
practical arts by wandering all over the country,
when he came across 500 rishis in a cluster of
hermitages, who taught him their arts, texts and
practices.
Traditionally, it is believed that the Mahabharata
was first recited at Takshashila by Vaishampayana,
student of Vyasa. Takshshila is described as a centre
of great learning in the Buddhist Jātaka tales,
written around the 5th century CE. The Chinese
traveller Fa-Hien mentioned it in his account of his
visit to Takshshila in 405 CE. Xuanzang (Hieun
Tsang), another Chinese monk, visited Takshshila
in 630 and 643CE. The city was overrun by the Huns
in 455 CE so it was in ruins by the time Xuanzang
visited.
Takshashila made great contributions to world
culture and Sanskrit language. It is associated with
Acharya Chanakya, also known as Kautilya. His
famous Arthashastra is said to have been composed
in Takshashila itself. The renowned physician
Charaka to whom Ayurveda owes a huge debt, also
studied at Takshshila. He later became a professor
in the same institute. Jivaka, another famous
physician and surgeon studied here, according to
Pali texts. The ancient grammarian Pāṇini, who
codified the rules that would define Classical
Sanskrit, was also a part of the Takshshila alumni.
Clearly, Takshshila produced some formidable
scholars.
According to the Jatakas, the students went to
Takshshila for higher education, and they were
trained in the Vedas. Apart from this, there were 18
Sippas or Arts that were taught. The Sippas include
scientific and technical education. Takshshila also
had special schools teaching Medicine, Law and
Military Sciences. There was a demand for its
archery courses, and there is a mention of 104
princes studying there at the same time. Not
everyone came from affluent families.
It is said that Jivaka, a Takshashila alumnus cured
Emperor Bimbisara of fistula and, as a result, was
appointed as the physician to the King and to the
Buddhist sangha. He is also credited with curing
King Pradyota of Ujjaini of jaundice. Jivaka was
noted to be a skilled surgeon. A case has been
described where a merchant, who was suffering
from a head disease, was treated by Jivaka by tying
the patient to his bed, cutting through the skin of his
head, drawing apart the flesh on each side of the
incision, pulling two worms out of the wound, then
closing up the sides of the wound, stitching up the
skin on the head and anointing it with salve. He is
also said to have successfully cured cases of twisted
intestines. (To be continued…)
(The author is a writer/editor who specializes in environmental
issues, current affairs and Indian history. She is a member of
Indian History Awareness and Research (IHAR), a think tank
headquartered in Houston. She tweets at @singhsahana. This
article was first published on www.indiafacts.org to whom it
belongs)
www.aseema.net.in | aseema | February 2017
25

FORGOTTEN INDIAN SCIENCES
Alien Curriculum!
Missing Ancient Indian Science in our school syllabus
• Subhash Kak
he best universities in the
TWest prepare intellectual
leaders of tomorrow using
a classics-based curriculum
which includes the earliest texts of
the western tradition. Educators
in India have also begun to speak
of a similar classics-based
curriculum for India.
Such an emulation of the western
liberal studies curriculum must
include scientific classics. This
will help the student get a sense of
the historical changes associated
with the Indian sciences and
understand the relationship of
these sciences to other aspects of
culture.
But there is general ignorance
about India's scientific tradition. It
is granted that Indians had
philosophy and religion,
Ayurveda, mathematics and the
symbol zero, but it is believed that
there was little hard science.
Nothing could be farther from the
truth. India had many sciences
that were based on fundamental
principles, axioms, logical
inference and empirical observations.
These sciences, in which
there is no mention of gods or
anything that a modern scientist
will consider unreasonable, were
generally written down in texts
that were called śāstras and sūtras.
A śāstra is a discipline that is
obtained using the instrument
(śastra) of logic. The word sūtra,
Sanskrit for thread, is cognate
with the Latin sutura (or English,
suture), which is the silken thread
that was used to hold the seam
together after surgery. A sūtra is a
pithy representation of a key
element of the knowledge basis.
Taken in totality, the sutras,
together with a commentary,
provide a full representation of the
science.
There are some sutras that are
primarily philosophical, description
of practices, and discursive.
Some of the more famous
mathematical treatises before the
astronomical siddhāntas of
Āryabhaṭa, Brahmagupta and
their successors are the Śulbasūtra
(SS) of Baudhāyana, the
Chandaḥ-sūtra (CS) of Piṅgala,
and the Nyāya-sūtra(NS) of
Gotama.
SS is the subject of geometry and
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SCHOOLING &EDUCATION
The attraction of a piece of iron to a magnet is mentioned
in the epic poem Kumārasambhava by the poet Kālidāsa.
it includes the Pythagoras
theorem several centuries prior to
its later discovery in Greece; CS is
the mathematics of meters and it
includes the earliest description of
binary numbers, which now are at
the basis of computers; and NS is
the first formal description of
logic, which predates the logic of
Aristotle. Combinatorics is also to
be found in the Nāṭya Śāstra of
Bharata Muni.
magnet is mentioned in the epic
poem Kumārasambhava by the
poet Kālidāsa.
There are accounts of temples
with levitating images as in
Somnath, which was destroyed by
Mahmud of Ghazni in 1025-1026.
When the temple fell, “the king
directed a person to go and feel it
There were many
sciences based on
fundamental
principles and
empirical
observations, and
without any mention
of gods. There are
some sutras that are
primarily
philosophical,
description of
practices, and
discursive. Students
would only benefit
from studying these
texts and would surely
aid in further research
of the present
scientific disciplines.
Indians were not only into theory
and abstract speculation. Apart
from the careful study of motion,
vibratory phenomena, acoustics
and transforming power of fire
were studied. It was known that
lightning bolts had electricity.
Magnetism, which was also
known and the Suśruta Saṃhitā,
speaks of how a loose unbarbed
arrow lodged in a wound with a
broad mouth can be withdrawn by
the use of a magnet. A compass
consisting of an iron fish floating
in a pan of oil is described. The
attraction of a piece of iron to a
www.aseema.net.in | aseema | February 2017
27

FORGOTTEN INDIAN SCIENCES
all around with a spear, which he
did but met with no obstacles. One
of the attendants then stated his
opinion that the canopy was made
of loadstone (a magnetised rock),
and that the idol was iron and that
the ingenious builder had
skillfully contrived that the
magnet should not exercise a
greater force on any one side —
hence the idol was suspended in
the middle. When two stones were
removed from the summit the idol
swerved on one side, when more
were taken away, it inclined still
further, until it rested on the
ground".
I want to speak now of one of the
greatest early classics of Indian
science which was not discussed
in the Encyclopedia of India
edited by Stanley Wolpert. This is
the Vaiśeṣika-sūtra (VS) of
Kaṇāda. This is physics which
includes laws of motion as well as
general principles to describe the
physical reality. I recently
translated and analysed VS under
the title Matter and Mind: The
Vaiśeṣika Sūtra of Kaṇāda.
Kaṇāda in his sutras enumerates
real entities irrespective of
whether they can be perceived
through the sense organs or not.
These are the building blocks of
Kaṇāda's world described
through their attributes and
motion.
The Vaiśeṣika system has
categories not only for spacetime-matter
but also for attributes
related to perception of matter. It
starts with six categories that are
nameable and knowable. Nothing
beyond these six fundamentals is
necessary, because they are
sufficient to describe everything
in the universe from concrete
matter to the abstract atom. The
six categories are: substance,
quality, motion, universal,
particularity, and inherence. Of
the six categories, the basic one is
that of substance and the other five
categories are qualities associated
with the substance.
There are nine classes of substances,
some of which are nonatomic,
and some atomic. Every
Some of the more famous mathematical treatises before the
astronomical siddhāntas of Āryabhaṭa, Brahmagupta and their
successors are the Śulba-sūtra (SS) of Baudhāyana, the Chandaḥ-sūtra
(CS) of Piṅgala, and the Nyāya-sūtra(NS) of Gotama.The Vaiśeṣika
system has categories not only for space-time-matter but also for
attributes related to perception of matter.
substance was taken to be
composed of four different kinds
of atoms, two of which had mass
and two did not.
Kaṇāda in the VS presents laws of
motion and two of them almost
read identical to Newton's laws of
motion. It also deals with laws and
symmetries, atoms and molecules,
transformations and
evolution. It argues that molecules
can inter-transform and
amongst the effects it describes is
that of electricity and magnetism.
It was presumed that the atom
underlying fire and light was at the
basis of the electric and magnetic
phenomena.
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UNETHICAL CELEBRATIONS
Bangalore's Night of Shame
• Krantiveer
A huge crowd gathered for New Year celebrations in Bangalore
angalore, touted as
BSilicon Valley of India
and a nerve center of the
country's cosmopolitan culture,
showed its dark side on the New
Year. Dozens of women,
gathered to celebrate New Year
the country's prestigious MG
Road, were molested.
It didn't matter what type of
outfits they were wearing, it
didn't matter if there were alone
or with their friends and family.
Our collective decency was
molested; our proud culture that
worships women was disrobed.
The last day of the year is usually
a sight of frantic activities on
places like M.G. Road and
Brigade Road. Anarchy prevailed
on the streets after 11 pm
as revelers gathered to welcome
the New Year. Despite “elaborate”
security arrangements,
women found unknown males
coming to hug them, while male
friends and relatives had a tough
time protecting them from
unruly men. And all this happened
despite the presence of
1,500 policemen in the area.
Thousands of people, on bikes,
cars and on foot had converged
here for the revelry. Though
police had initially claimed to
take all precautions to ensure an
'incident-free' New Year, it
seemed they underestimated the
attitude of the mob.
It's easy to blame the policemen
for incident. But they were
outnumbered by scores of
'leeches' scattered all around the
area, looking for an easy prey.
Following the incident, someone
blamed the kind of dresses the
women were wearing. But there
is a saying in Kannada: “Lust has
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29

WOMEN & SAFETY
What did Police Do?
It's not as if the police didn't do anything. In fact, they took a lot of precautionary
measures this year in view of untoward incidents in the last few years. Here are the few
measures taken by police this year:
In the wake of New Year celebrations, a contingent of 16,000-plus policemen were
assisted by 3,000 home guards in the bandobust across the city .There was a special
focus on central business district areas like MG Road, Brigade Road and Church
Street that drew thousands of revellers.
CCTV cameras were installed at vantage points on MG Road and in surrounding
areas. Over 100 cameras had been taken on rent for the purpose and around 10 highrise
platforms were constructed on MG Road and Brigade Road to keep a hawk's eye
on mischief mongers. Explosive detection squads along with sniffer dog squads were
put into service from Friday itself and a decision on restricting vehicular movement on
MG Road and Brigade Road on Sunday was also made.
Special police teams along with intelligence wing were active and were keeping an eye
on bus stands, railway station, air port and hotels. Hotels with lodging facility had been
directed to maintain register on guests, fix CCTV cameras at manager's room, cashier
chambers and main lobbies of the hotel. There was no specific intelligence input on any
untoward incidents, but the police made all efforts to tackle any situation.
At least on paper.
no eyes.” When it comes to
groping, the age, attire or the
attitude of the woman don't
matter. Eve-teasing has long
present in colleges, and it did not
change when women came in
full gowns.
Although pictures of molestation
kicked off debates on social
media and television channels,
police claimed that they had not
received a single complaint.
Well, they would not, because
the women who were attacked
were probably too traumatized to
go to a police station and lodge a
complaint. And maybe, they
knew it was futile to lodge a
complaint, as they simply
couldn't remember the faces of
molesters.
This is not the first time such
incidents have taken place in
Namma Bengaluru. Such
shameful incidents have
occurred during the New Year
eve earlier also, especially on
Brigade road and M. G. Road. In
fact, this was the very reason the
government had deployed 1,500
policemen on those places this
year.
On the light of such incidents,
many have even questioned the
logic behind women going to
those places in party wear. This
society will continue to point
fingers at women, blaming them
about their choice of dress and
the way they have chosen to
celebrate.
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UNETHICAL CELEBRATIONS
If women cannot safely and securely be part of celebration an
event like New Year in a public place, it is not the problem with
women but the society in general. We still need to realize that
women are just as human as men. Until we don't stop looking at
women merely as 'objects of desire', incidents of this kind will
repeat.
The celebration soon turned into a nightmare for many women
But instead of blaming women
for such incidents, we as a
society will have to look inwards
and see why we tend to brush
such incidents under the carpets
as 'one off incidents in an
otherwise peaceful city.'
Ours is a society that blames
women even when they are the
victims. Why did you go out so
late? Why did you dress like
that? Why there wasn't a male
companion with you? Why did
you go out with so many males?
A woman has to face endless.
But maybe, the molesters are
only a part of the problem. It's
our system which has created a
'conducive' environment for
these molesters and gropers and
rapists, wherein they are let off
without any penalty. It's our
system where a senior politician
just shrugs off these incidents
saying that 'such things happen.'
It's our collective attitude which
sneers at the molested women,
saying “see, you dared to venture
out in the night, so you invited
trouble”.
No, not all Indian men are
molesters. But somewhere down
the line, we will have to take
collective responsibility of
whatever happened. Because,
we as a society failed to protect
our womenfolk; we as a system
failed to create an atmosphere
which prevented the molesters
from fearlessly attacking our
sisters and mothers. And
somewhere down the line, when
all this happened, we still have
the shamelessness to look at the
dresses of the women and say
maybe they deserved it.
www.aseema.net.in | aseema | February 2017
31

REFINING BCCI
Cleansing Indian Cricket
SC Shows the way
• Raju Shanbhag
BCCI has been defiant in implementing Justice Lodha Committee's report
India's premier sports body is in
tatters. Supreme Court, not
willing to bow down to the
audacity of BCCI anymore, has
cracked the whip. The apex court
has removed BCCI board
president Anurag Thakur and
Secretary Ajay Shirke for being
defiant and stalling the reforms
recommended by Lodha panel.
But, as cricket commentator
Navjot Singh Sidhu put it, the
“writing was on the wall” for the
BCCI. For more than a year, the
cricket body defied the orders
from the highest court of the land,
offered lame excuses and
threatened to disrupt the sports
itself if its wishes were not
granted. It was the battle of wits
between BCCI and the Supreme
Court, and there was no doubt
who would win the end.
Since Jagmohan Damliya paved
the way for BCCI to become the
richest cricketing body in the
world with his sweeping commercialization
of the game. BCCI
has had one aim in the mind: to get
rich further. Ironically, when
questions were raised about
BCCI selling off broadcast rights
to private channels back in 1995,
it was the same Supreme Court
that came to the BCCI's rescue
and ruled that it had the right to
sell the rights to the highest
bidder.
This ruling allowed BCCI to get a
stranglehold on the financial
It seems the Supreme
Court is cleansing the
BCCI much the same
way as Modi
government is
cleaning the country's
economy with
demonitisation. The
SC is insisting that the
BCCI should appoint a
working committee
made of former
players and a
nominee from the
Comptroller and
Auditor General of
India.
aspects of the most popular game
in the country and thereby control
its administration. With loads of
money came oodles of corruption.
Major politicians fought
bitter battles to gain control of the
premier sporting body. The list
included prominent politicians
like Madhav Rao Sindhia and
Sharad Pawar.
Like the officials, the money
corrupted the players too. The
darkest period of Indian cricket,
the match fixing scandals
surfaced in 2000 and the board
dropped senior players like
Azaruddin to regain public faith
in cricket. But the seeds of decay
had already been sown and they
were threatening to overtake the
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SPORTS AND ADMINISTRATION
very sport on which BCCI
thrived.
Despite corruption and highhandedness,
BCCI still enjoyed a
considerable clout in the international
circuit because of the
popularity of cricket in India and
the financial power that carried.
The agency's utter disregard to
the rules was evident in 2008
when it allowed then secretary, N
Srinivasan, to buy an IPL team
(Chennai Super Kings).
The rule barred BCCI officebearers
from having such
commercial interests. It said: “no
administrator of BCCI could
have had, directly or indirectly,
any commercial interest in the
matches or events conducted by
the cricket board”.
Apart from its tussles with local
administrations, the BCCI was
not far behind in locking horns
with the international community
too. From introducing new
technical aspects in the game to
refusing to accept the whereabouts
clause of the World Antidoping
Agency (WADA), saying
giving out such information
could jeopardise the security of
its high-profile players, BCCI has
always been pain the neck for
International Cricketing
Community.
But it was IPL, which opened the
Pandora's box. The IPL spotfixing
scandal erupted in May
with the arrests of four Rajasthan
Royals players, including Test
paceman S Sreesanth, for
underperforming in return for
Over the past few years, BCCI has been in the
news for all the wrong reasons
money. Lalit Modi's corruption
cases came to the fore, as
skeleton's tumbling out of the
closet.
Gurunath Meiyappan, senior
CSK official and board president
N Srinivasan's son-in-law was
arrested by the Mumbai Police on
charges of illegal betting and
insider deals. The Supreme Court
forced a reluctant Srinivasan to
'step aside' from the post until the
inquiry was completed on
Meiyappan. A probe report into
the IPL spot-fixing by former
high court judge, Justice Mukul
Mudgal, held Meiyappan guilty
and CSK flouting the franchise
agreement. The SC asked
Srinivasan, who had been
allowed to resume office, to step
down as BCCI chief.
With all this corruption of
highhandedness of BCCI, it was
only a matter of time the government
and the courts of the country
took matters into their hands. The
Supreme Court appointed the
Lodha committee in January
2015 to look into the functioning
of the Indian board and suggest
changes to its constitution.
The Lodha committee has
suggested a number of changes to
the way BCCI functions. The
committee has recommended a
complete overhaul of Indian
cricket, from the very top down to
the grassroots level, affecting
every stakeholder. Its report
covers every aspect of the game
with special focus on the BCCI's
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33

HERO OF IPKF
Who is Justice Lodha?
Justice R. M. Lodha (born 28 September 1949) was the 41st Chief Justice of Supreme Court of India.
Before being elevated to the Supreme Court of India, Lodha served as the Chief Justice of Patna High
Court. He has also served as a judge in Rajasthan High Court and Bombay High Court.
In February 1973, he got enrolled with the Bar Council of Rajasthan at Jodhpur. He shifted to Jaipur in
1977 on formation of Jaipur Bench of the Rajasthan High Court. He was appointed as Central
Government standing counsel at the Rajasthan High Court in 1990. On 31 January 1994, Lodha was
elevated as a permanent judge of Rajasthan High Court at Jodhpur. On 16 February 1994, he was
transferred to Bombay High Court and served till 2007. He assumed office as a judge of Rajasthan
High Court on 2 February 2007. On 13 May 2008, he was elevated as the Chief Justice of Patna High
Court. On 17 December 2008, Justice Lodha was sworn in as a judge of the Supreme Court of India.
Lodha was appointed as the Chief Justice of India succeeding P Sathasivam on 11 April and assumed
charge on 27 April 2014. Justice Lodha said that infusing greater transparency in the appointment of
judges and initiating steps to bring down the staggering backlog of 3.3 crore cases will be among his
priorities. He retired on 27 September 2014 and was succeeded by H L Dattu.
administrative and governance
structures and the issue of
transparency.
The most important set of
recommendations aims at
transforming the entire power
structure in the board. It has
changed the BCCI's electorate to
one association per state - some
states have three - and removed
the vote from associations
without territorial definitions
(e.g., Railways and Services).
The most important point, which
has irked the current bosses of
BCCI, is the point which proposes
stringent eligibility criteria
for the board's office-bearers and
set limits to their time in office.
Ministers and bureaucrats will
not be allowed to hold positions
on the board, nor will those
holding positions in their state
associations or those above 70
years of age. That could rule out a
host of current office-bearers.
Dealing another deathly blow,
Justice Lodha's report has called
for replacing current Working
Committee, the BCCI's highest
decision-making body, with a
nine-member Apex Council,
which will include representatives
from the players' community
- including one woman.
There will also be a nominee of
the Comptroller and Auditor
General, presumably to keep an
eye on how the board's vast
resources are being utilized.
There's also a big push for
transparency, with the recommended
appointment of three
independent officials - an
ombudsman, an ethics officer and
an election officer - to look into
the three contentious areas within
the BCCI: conflict of interest,
dispute resolution and election
processes. It also set high
eligibility criteria for each, to
ensure their independence.
In spite of defiance shown by
BCCI in last few weeks, it is clear
that it has no option but to simply
implement the changes
demanded by the Lodha panel.
They can beat around the bush,
delay the implementation for a
while, but there is simply no way
they can escape the Supreme
Court's verdict.
Finally, it seems that the muchawaited
reform in governing the
country's biggest game has begun
in its full earnest.
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CATERING TO RADICALS
Appeasement or institutional disease?
Mamata's indulgence of radical Islamists is drowning Bengal
• P Ghose
Mamata-banerjee has been engaged
in Muslim appeasement for a long time now
Appeasing Muslims has long been a strategy to
win votes for political parties in this country, but
Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West
Bengal, has taken appeasing to a new highs. Like,
everyone else, she doesn't do it out of her love for
Muslims, she is eying their votes.
Come what may, she wants power. Whether it is
the endless influx of illegal immigrants from
Bangladesh or the increasing attack on Hindus,
Mamta looks the other way every time people
question her policies. Repeatedly, she has demonstrated
that she can go to length to secure her votes.
In her blind attempt to safeguard her vote banks,
she has even undermined national policies. Her
government recently cancelled an event scheduled
to place in the Calcutta Club, where author
and political commentator Tarek Fatah was to
speak on the topic of Balochistan and its struggle
for 'freedom' from Pakistan.
The Calcutta Club cited “unavoidable circumstances”
for cancelling the event at the last minute,
according to a Facebook post of Tarek Fatah. The
unfavorable circumference was none other than
Mamata Banerjee, looking to settle a score with
Tarek Fatah for being pro Modi
Tarek Fatah has been supporting the Narendra
Modi-led BJP government for a while now. Fatah
has been a vocal supporter of Modi's plan to
expose Pakistani government and its army's
atrocities in Balochistan. For Mamata, personal
grudge against Modi is far superior to the country's
policy against Pakistan.
Therefore, this is really no surprise at all. Mamata
Banerjee's government has been curbing on
freedom of speech for a long time now. It has also
been looking the other way whenever Muslim
miscreants has been targeting Hindus in West
Bengal. The most recent example is the riots in
Dhulagarh, a town 25 kilometres west of Kolkata,
which became platform for communal clashes that
saw Hindu's houses and shops being targeted and
set on fire.
. Despite the heavy presence of police and armed
forces in the area, things didn't return to normalcy.
Recently, in Dhulagarh, a town 25 KMs west of Kolkata, riots broke
out, with a Muslim mob ransacking Hindu houses and setting them
on fire. Mamata blocked reporters and opposition party leaders
from visiting the town. She even brought lawsuits against those
journalists who reported the incident.
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35

WEST BENGAL
A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation —
comprising party leaders Jagdambika Pal, Satpal
Singh, state president Dilip Ghosh and national
secretary Rahul Sinha, and several volunteers —
was stopped at Ekabbarapur Road, about one KM
away from the spot where the clashes had taken
place a few days ago.
Clearly, the Mamata Banerjee government had
lots of things to keep under the wraps. This was
evident from the way it blocked media from doing
its job in this whole episode. It slapped a nonbailable
offence against three employees of the TV
channel Zee News, including editor Sudhir
Chaudhary, West Bengal correspondent Pooja
Mehta and cameraperson Tanmay Mukherjee
under Section 153A (promoting enmity) of the
Indian Penal Code.
Had this been done by the Modi government, the
alleged thinkers, free-spirited actors and their ilk
would have cried foul and have kicked up “intolerance”
debates. But it was not a Modi government
scam. It was a Didi's scam, and it was neither wise
nor beneficial to raise a voice. So they kept quiet.
Mamata Banerjee's Muslim appeasement theory
is not just the imagination of a few writers or right
wing Hindu activists. Even Calcutta High Court
has accused Mamata Banerjee government of
trying to appease Muslims for the sake of votes. In
a order passed on October 6, 2016, the High Court
accused the Mamata Banerjee of indulging in
minority appeasement by ordering organisers to
immerse their idols by 4 pm on Doshomi, the final
day of West Bengal's largest festival, Durga Puja.
The government had put in time limits to the idol
immersion given that Moharram processions the
next day could cause, it argued, a law-and-order
issue. The order struck this down by proceeding to
argue that these processions are not an “inseparable”
part of Moharram and that this "is also not the
Mamata's Madness
Not surprisingly, Mamata Banerjee has always been ranting against Narendra Modi on
every possible issue. She, along with Arvind Kejriwal, has been providing some relief to
the people tired of waiting in long queues in ATMs. Here are some of the Mamata;s
antics to your reading pleasure.
On December 1, Banerjee sent shockwaves across West Bengal by claiming the Centre
was plotting a coup against her government by amassing army in Kolkata without
permission. She decided not to go home and remain at the state secretariat, Nabanna,
to what she called “guard the democracy”.
Banerjee even asked: “Is this a military coup?”. Later it emerged that the army was
carrying out a routine exercise and the West Bengal administration was already aware of
it. Logic doesn't explain as to how a state government can think that centre would ever
need military to stage a coup. In a federal system like ours, the Centre can do it simply by
imposing President rule.
On the same day, Mamata had made another bogus claim that Centre had conspired to
kill her by not allowing her flight to land on the airport. From January 1, Mamata has
launched a “Modi hatao, Desh Bachao” campaign across West Bengal. The campaign
again defies logic as to how can one overthrow the Centre by protesting only in a single
state. What Mamata's campaign has been successful in doing is in increasing the 'hate-
Modi' sentiments of her party workers and dragging West Bengal into a season of
violence and tensions.
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CATERING TO RADICALS
The government remained a mute spectator when Hindu's were being attacked in Dhulagarh riots
most important festival of people having faith in
Islam”. The court also held that immersion is a
vital ritual for “puritan Hindus” and those who
“worship Maa Durga with a pure and clean mind”.
Did you ever wonder why Mamata Banerjee had
been so vocal against demonitization? Now, no
one in their right mind would believe that a Chief
Minister who would let innocent children die to
secure minority votes would be concerned about
people standing in queues to get their money. The
real reason for Mamata's outburst against
demonitization is that her friend's business is hit
hard by Modi's bold move.
Government's decision to scrap Rs 500 and Rs
1000 notes has caused the maximum damage in
West Bengal's Malda. The minority-dominated
district of West Bengal shares a 223 km border
with Bangladesh. It is regarded as gateway to
counterfeit currency in India. Much of the fake
currency seized across the nation are traced back
to Malda. In 2015, nearly Rs 2.6 crores of seized
counterfeit noted were traced back to Malda. In
2016, Rs 1.6 crores of seized fake money (till
October) has been traced to Malda.
Mamata Banerjee has been relying on the power of
Muslims, whose number is rising like never
before in the past decade. Infiltration from
Bangladesh and non-existence of family planning
are the two important reasons resulting in the
growth of the Muslim population in West Bengal.
As per the latest census data of 2011, three districts
- Murshidabad, Major Somnath Uttar Sharma Dinajpur and Malda - of
West Bengal have already become Muslim
dominated. Besides these three districts, Muslims
have significant presence in other districts like
North and South 24 Parganas, Nadia, Hooghly,
Howrah and Birbhum. Out of 294 Assembly seats
of West Bengal, more than 100 seats are such
where Muslim vote is the major factor to determine
the outcome of poll.
Mamata Banerjee is repeatedly testing the
patience of Hindus in West Bengal. Time again,
she has proved that the only that matters for her is
vote. She wouldn't mind sacrificing scores of
Hindus, just to be at the helm.
Wonder how long Hindus in West Bengal will
tolerate these atrocities.
www.aseema.net.in | aseema | February 2017
37

HONORING NATIONAL ICONS
Shivaji Statue
Source of Inspiration &
a Catalyst for Patriotism
• Ganashyam
Work has already begun for the statue with the PM inaugurating the work
aharashtra is excited about building a
Mlife-size statue of Maratha warrior
Chhatrapati Shivaji. The construction
work is expected to pick up in February, because
9th of February is the king's birthday.
The 192-metre statue, expected to be completed by
2019, is estimated to cost Rs. 3600 crores. But the
government is hopeful of recouping the money it is
spending, as the statue will turn out to be one of the
popular tourist hotspots.
Considering its master plan, this is going to be the
tallest statues in the world, with analysts estimating
it to grow twice the size of New York's Statue of
Liberty and five times taller than that of Christ the
Redeemer in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro.
To minimize the potential damage could be caused
to the local environment, Maharshtra government
will use the rubble generated from the construction
of the underground Metro line between Colaba and
Seepz.
The rock islet where the memorial is being built
submerges during the high tide. To build the
memorial and set up allied facilities, tonnes of sand
would be needed. So instead of sand dredged from
other parts, the PWD felt that it would be environmentally
and economically sound to reuse the
excavated sand from the Metro project.
Some of the arrangements for transportation of the
rubble to the memorial site are already in place. Six
months ago, the chief minister had permitted the
MMRC to make use of a jetty near the Bandra end
of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. This could be used
for the transportation of the muck in barrages to the
memorial site. The agency is also in talks with
JNPT authorities for allowing a similar operation
for another jetty (Kerosene jetty) in Sewri.
Ram Sutar, the 92 year old acclaimed artist, will be
the sculptor for this statue. The project management
consultancy service is given to the Egis India,
a part of a French construction group that provided
consultancy service for building five flood-
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CULTURE & HISTORY
Shivaji Memorial will be the tallest statue in the world
Our cultural and civilizational icons need to be revered and celebrated. Places,
memorials and statues of our national icons are not merely pieces of concrete
but a reminder to recall their sacrifices and live the path they showed us. Some
suggest that the government should rather invest in alleviating property than
spend money on building statues. But this will not end up being a mere statue
but a tourist hotspot, generating hundreds of crores for the state's exchequer. It
is therefore an investment in tourism too.
protection dams in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The Egis
group is also looking after a container terminal at
Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust at Raigad. This group
also looks after the maintenace of Eiffel Tower.
Apart from the statue, the project will also encompass
an amphitheatre and auditorium with a
capacity to hold between 500 and 2000 people.
Also part of the project is an exhibition gallery.
There will be an art museum spread over in an area
of 4000 sq. meter and a world class aquarium. The
project will also house a library which will include
literature about Shivaji's life. You can view the
statue from varying levels. It will also have
helipads, jetties, sea wall and breakwaters.
Mammoth statues of this kind are popular tourist
sites elsewhere in the world. Both the Statue of
Liberty and the Jesus Christ statue in Brazil, for
example, draw scores of travelers from around the
world, generating millions of dollars for local
governments.
Therefore, the government is optimistic that the
area in and around the statue may be able to
generate a lot of jobs once the statue is built. It will
also bring in more tourists to other nearby tourist
spots in Maharshtra.
Since this project was announced, many fishermen
in the surrounding area have been protesting
against the project. They said that the road constructed
to the Shivaji memorial will take away
their fishing areas and subsequently snatch their
livelihood.
But this is not the case, as the Maharshtra government
has clearly stated that there will be no roads
built to the Shivaji Memorial. This means the
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39

HONORING NATIONAL ICONS
The Monetary Aspect
The project includes not just the statue of a historical ruler but it also includes other facilities
such as an amphitheatre.
Once the statue is complete, and open to the public, Rs 100 is incurred to reach the island by
boat, and Rs 50 spent on entry fee, and, if on an average a 1,000 people visit in a day, it would
yield nearly Rs 5.5 crore a year.
While this is a small figure, it merely gives us a glimpse of the revenue potential. Further, with
an amphitheatre also being proposed, more revenue can be netted by renting out the
premises to major events and even performances.
The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) currently acts as an aggregator
for ferries and catamarans connecting the Gateway of India to Gharapuri Island, where the
Elephanta Caves are located with a fare of Rs 160 for a return trip. The same model can be
applied for the Shiv Smarak, thereby giving the water transport industry a boost.
Mumbai's much talked about Water Transport programme, has not taken off, despite a
massive push from Nitin Gadkari for shipping, inland waterways and ship-building.
While many have argued that the money can be “better spent” on social welfare, or
education, feeding people, or irrigation, what one must remember is that the government
spending is never a zero-sum game. When the government spends on a statue of Shivaji as
an investment in tourism, it doesn't mean there is a compromise on other important sectors.
visitors will have to get there by boat, which will in
turn help boatmen earn livelihood by ferrying
people between the statue and the coastline.
It is estimated that 5–6 million cubic meter of hard
rock will be received from the tunnel activity and
building stations. When this would be crushed, it
will provide 10–12 million cubic meter of sand.
There will be two points from where visitors would
take a boat to the Shivaji memorial. These points
are Nariman point and Gateway of India. BMC will
build multilevel car parks where the visitors can
park their cars. This will generate revenue for the
BMC, which can be used for productive work like
good maintenance of the drainage system of the
city.
In Indian context, Rs. 3600 crore project would be a
huge cost even for the government. Many protestors
are claiming that such huge cost could have
been used to fund numerous developmental works,
which the country badly needs. Going by that logic,
various other entertainment options like cricket
matches and malls in the country should be banned
because they use too much electricity and cricket
brings whole nation to a standstill for several hours.
The electricity spent in day-and-night cricket
matches and malls and other places of entertainment
like cinema theatres could light up homes of
millions of poor families for free.
Not everything can be measured in cost-profit ratio.
Shivaji Memorial is definitely a pride of the nation,
and being the tallest statue in the world, it will bring
in lots of visitors and create earning opportunities
for the people around the area.
40
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TACKLING TERRORIST
Countering Fidayeen Attacks
• Vivek Chadha
There has been an upsurge in violence in Jammu
and Kashmir (J&K) in recent years. This has been
accompanied by increasing cross-border
violations by Pakistan and heavy retaliation by
India. The Uri terrorist attack on September 18,
2016 — directed, equipped and supported by
Pakistan, led to the surgical strike by India across
the Line of Control (LoC), which caught Pakistan
off-guard. These were followed by repeated
attempts by Islamabad to disrupt the 2003
ceasefire along the LoC and hit at targets inside
J&K through orchestrated terrorist strikes. The
brief analyses fidayeen attacks that have taken
place during the last three years by Pakistan
sponsored terrorist groups. It then delineates
steps the security forces could take to counter
such attacks effectively.
Understanding the Numbers
According to a portal that tracks terrorism-related
violence in South Asia, 2016 has witnessed the
highest number of security forces casualties
during the last eight years in J&K.'1 The data
suggests that 77 security personnel have lost their
lives, even as 153 terrorists were eliminated until
November 27, 2016. It also indicates that civilian
casualties have come down to the least number
since the beginning of insurgency. However, it
would be useful to view these numbers in the right
context, as the security situation in Kashmir
reflects a change in strategy on part of Pakistan,
which must be discerned with care.
The high numbers indicated by the media in the
recent past do not take into account certain
variables that impact the increasing violence in
the recent past. As an illustration, it has been
stated that the army's combat death toll in J&K is
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41

NATIONAL SECURITY
the highest this year. The figures are indeed high
in comparison with previous years. The reasons
accounting for the high figures are delineated
below. First, cross-LoC violations have been
unusually high this year and have led to a large
number of casualties, especially of the Pakistani
regular forces.2 These figures do not reflect
Pakistan Army casualties, which when included,
could take the ratio of casualties to similar levels
as previous years. Second, the increase in
casualties also indicates an upswing in the
number of violent incidents and the corresponding
increase in the intensity of security forces
operations. As compared to 208 incidents in
2015, 283 incidents have already taken place till
November 6, 2016 in J&K.3 This is a reflection of
Pakistan's desperate attempt at ensuring continued
instability in the region. The decision of
terrorist handlers to resort to fidayeen attacks
illustrates this change in strategy and therefore
calls for reflection by security forces in India as
well. Third, the low figures of civilian casualties
are indicative of the nature of operations being
conducted in Kashmir. In the recent months,
despite grave provocation, security forces have
ensured minimal collateral damage, often at the
cost of suffering higher casualties themselves.
The Fidayeen Phenomenon
There has been a clear shift on the part of
Pakistani handlers from preserving terrorists
within J&K by avoiding encounters to fidayeen
attacks. The very nature of these attacks — if
successful in their initial attempt to close in with a
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TACKLING TERRORIST
target — can potentially give results far beyond
the number of suicide attackers sacrificed.
Kashmir is not the first or only instance where
such attempts have come to light. The institutionalised
expertise of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (LTTE), followed by those witnessed in
Lebanon, Iraq and closer home in Pakistan and
Afghanistan are telling examples of the efficacy
of these tactics. While even one loss is a loss too
many, yet an objective assessment suggests that
with the exception of the Uri attack on September
18, 2016, security forces have been able to
contain the damage, despite the shift in strategy
as indicated by the series of such attacks. Even as
some of these attacks are contained, fidayeen
attempts, which include surprise and shock as
essential elements, are bound to cause greater
damage when compared to hit and run or standoff
fire assaults. This clearly reflects in the casualty
figures of 2016.
There has also been a carefully calibrated shift in
terms of the nature of the targetsat the receiving
end of fidayeen attacks. Amongst the ten major
attacks that have taken place in the last three years
in the hinterland (refer Table 1 and Sketch 1),
terrorists have struck an active battalion headquarter
in an operational area, police stations,
formation headquarters, peacetime military units
and security establishments. These attacks seem
to have been equally spaced between areas north
and south of the Pir Panjal. However, they were
relatively more successful in areas closer to the
border or the LoC and along major arteries. The
failures have taken place in areas further from the
borders. This may have been due to the inability
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43

NATIONAL SECURITY
of terrorists to maintain their momentum,
motivation and logistical support system. This
can be seen in case of attacks repulsed in Janglot
and Langate.
More importantly, it is also a reflection of the
security forces leadership which ensured a high
degree of preparedness despite the monotony
associated with guard duties at military installations.
The wide spread nature of targets across the
border also indicates a careful selection procedure
possibly based on the need to retain surprise
as well as the potential vulnerability of the chosen
target. This is quite obviously beyond the ability
of terrorists and reflects the expertise of a military
establishment behind it. It also shows careful
planning in each case, wherein, the orchestration
of the operation was undertaken with due
preparation. This included digging of long
tunnels across the border, procuring and wearing
of army fatigues or police uniforms to deflect
attention, carrying of operation specific weapons,
equipment and stores.'''''4
The raising casualties of the Pakistani Army, both
in men and material, could not have remained a
one-sided phenomenon, with an expected
backlash on the Indian side in terms of casualties.
A look at the incidents post Uri clearly reflects
this reality. Even as India extracted a heavy cost
on Pakistan in terms of fatalities, morale and loss
of face, the targeting of two military establishments
by fidayeens in quick succession thereafter
could have been the only low cost option available
to Pakistan as a face saving measure. Given
this desperation, fidayeen attacks can be reduced
over a period of time with better procedures and
preparedness. However, these cannot be eliminated
completely and that is a reality that security
planners and the population at large must
acknowledge.
This analysis clearly establishes that Pakistan
stung by the humiliating cross-LoC surgical
strike will continue to focus its attention on
military, police and central armed police establishments
which are seen as vulnerable targets for
fidayeen attacks. This leads to the operative part
of the policy brief, which attempts to concentrate
attention on requisite means to reduce casualties
in this regard.
Countering the Fidayeen
It is important to outline that suicide attacks are
possibly the most difficult and challenging form
of terrorist strikes for security agencies attempting
to neutralise them. These attacks, despite their
tactical nature of conduct, have the potential of
giving strategic gains if the targets are carefully
chosen and the attack is executed with impeccable
precision, as seen in case of LTTE in the past
and terrorist strikes targeting the Pakistan Navy
establishment in 2011 which led to the destruction
of three P 3C Orion surveillance aircraft.''5
Stopping terrorists infiltrating from Pakistan into
India remains the best way of avoiding and
neutralising a fidayeen attack. This effort
involving a section of about 10 soldiers on the
LoC/International Border (IB) at the point of
insertion saves the future effort of a division in an
attempt to locate and neutralise the same terrorists
at a later date and often at a heavy cost of own
casualties. The dynamic nature of the deployment
along the LoC, including the efficacy added
by the fence, must be built upon and potential
gaps plugged through multiple layers of deployment.
The lower threshold of violence in the
hinterland does open the possibility of redeploying
Rashtriya Rifles in vicinity of the LoC for
such a task. The situation is more complex along
the IB sector. Here the limited numbers of the
BSF do not allow a multi-tiered deployment like
the LoC sector. This relatively low density
deployment, despite the advantage of terrain
when compared to the LoC, has led to infiltration
in the past.
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TACKLING TERRORIST
The second criticality for avoiding casualties
relates to enhancing the intelligence network and
capacity that feeds into the security apparatus.
Almost every terrorist strike is immediately
followed by a report that suggests the dissemination
of suitable warnings. Having served in J&K
on more occasions than one and being in receipt
on similar warnings, one observes that prudence
lies in differentiating between generic warnings
that cover most days of an year and ones that are
target-specific, which are bound to be more
useful for a military commander. In fact, one
reason for complacency to set in is the very nature
of these 'cry wolf' warnings which make it
difficult to differentiate between routine
cautionary indicators and the more serious ones.
A third factor relates to measures required to
strengthen protective measures in respect of
potential targets. A comprehensive study of the
same has been done in the past by a high-level
committee headed by former Vice Chief of Army
Staff Lt. Gen. Philip Campose. The study
illustrates that the challenge is not related as
much to understanding the nature of the threat
existing at the target end, resources needed to
safeguard it, or the procedures that require to be
adopted to safeguard against fidayeen attacks.
Rather, the challenge lies in implementing its
recommendations. From the perspective of this
brief, there is a clear indicator of the kind of
targets that seem to repeatedly figure on the
crosshairs of terrorist handlers. This raises the
obvious question. Why have terrorists succeeded
in causing severe casualties at some establishments,
even as they have been stopped in their
tracks elsewhere?
Units and formations have succeeded or failed
irrespective of their nature and composition.
While some had a stronger periphery, others were
protected merely by a strand of barbed wire.
Despite this, they are able to successfully fend off
terrorist strikes. This relates to the larger issue of
how well is the security apparatus galvanized in a
unit when compared to some others. Soldiers are
mentally and operationally a part of a cohesive
sub-unit which operates as a small body on a daily
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45

NATIONAL SECURITY
basis. In an operational deployed unit, soldiers
carry their weapons on person and are attuned to
using them at short notice. A soldier does not have
to run for cover, since the deployment ensures a
degree of defensibility and interlocking supporting
fire. Quick Reaction Teams (QRT) rehearse
their drills as a routine and are trained to move and
deploy in quick time at short notice. Most
importantly, the focus and mental preparation of
each soldier, sub-unit and the leadership remains
on operations and operations alone, without the
blurring of their orientation by more routine and
at times peacetime duties that can potentially take
the attention of a soldier away from possible
threats. There is therefore no excuse for a unit or
formation in active operations to falter on these
issues.
Despite these attributes, in a peace station, a
group of alert sentries, effective passage of early
warning — as witnessed in case of Janglot, can
still provide the necessary deterrence that can
help eliminate the fidayeen. However, this alone
cannot become the basis for preparing against
terrorist strikes. The answer does not lie in
converting these locations into hard field stations.
However, it certainly does call for a two-fold
initiative to enhance preparedness. One, all such
establishments must be provided greater protection
in line with the Campose committee recommendations.
These include enhancing intelligence
capabilities, isolating establishments from
public passage as in the case of Nagrota, strengthening
the physical infrastructure including
perimeter walls, concertina coils, double or triple
entry barricades, and security lighting among
others. Vulnerable areas can be augmented
further through the employment of training
companies oriented towards countering terrorism,
which will serve the dual purpose of keeping
them oriented and buffer the strength of security
forces in threatened areas. However, this must be
undertaken in coordination with local deployment
to ensure that command and control
remains effective.
It is more important to enhance the capacity of
units and establishments to undertake such
challenges within their own capability rather than
merely relying on erecting physical obstacles.
The experience of the cases listed suggests the
need to balance between equipping at least a third
of the unit strength with weapons and ammunition,
despite drills to the contrary in peace
stations. It also calls for ensuring that the Ghatak
Platoon of every unit or an equal strength in a
formation headquarters be trained and equipped
to react to the kind of contingencies that have
emerged in the past.
The task such elite sub-units are required to
perform to counter fidayeen attacks is specialised
in nature which needs excellent situational
awareness. This demands a degree of stability in
their selection, training and continuity. Day-today
changes in this regard cannot provide the
requisite expertise to deal with the nature of
threats that have to be countered. The inspection
of units must focus more on their operational
readiness against such attacks, including the
efficiency of QRTs. These teams need to be
equipped both in operational areas and peace
stations with night vision devices, helmetmounted
communication systems, micro robots
for room intervention to improve efficiency and
reduce casualties. The establishment of a unified
command centre to coordinate responses remains
critical to a successful counter-terror operation.
This has been a limitation in some cases in the
past. In areas which have the presence of multiple
security forces and lie on formation boundaries, it
is all the more critical to ensure the same.
As a guiding rule, a unit must develop the
capability to neutralise the challenge posed by 3-
4 terrorists within its own resources. The repeated
call for Special Forces to undertake a task which
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TACKLING TERRORIST
is well within the capability of a unit does not
reflect well on its capacity and training. Two, a
unit can only undertake a challenge of the kind
posed by fidayeen attacks if the psychological
and mental orientation of its men is focused
towards it. Military and police establishments
that fall within the vulnerable zone of such
attacks must retain this very orientation and
continue to prepare for such an eventuality. It
requires giving higher priority to training,
enhancing operational drills and procedures,
cutting down on peacetime spit and polish,
especially if it competes for a soldier's time and
professionalism. The principle of 'back to basics'
in terms of basic drills and procedures that are the
strength of a regimental system need to be
strengthened further.
Three, the operational vulnerability witnessed in
formation headquarters and logistics establishments
must be addressed by assessing their
operational role on the basis of counter terrorism
drills and procedures. Lastly, such attacks cannot
and should not create paranoia, especially in the
hinterland. However, creating awareness about
the potential for such attacks as well as ensuring
basic defensibility of units and families is
important. The antidote to fidayeen attacks is a
well-trained and informed soldier, who is clinical
in his task of neutralizing the threat as and when it
arises.
(This article was first published on idsa.in to
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47

48

49

Massive cleanup of the corrupt NGOs as
Home Ministry cancels FCRA licence of 20,000 NGOs
The Ministry of Home Affairs has cancelled
the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act
(FCRA) licence of 20,000 NGOs. Currently
there are about 33,000 NGOs operating with a
valid FCRA licence, which can accept funding
from any foreign source. After the cancellation
of FCRA license, a total of 13,000 NGOs will be
allowed to operate with the license. Earlier in
December, the licenses of these 13,000 NGOs
were renewed through an online system. The
non-renewal of FCRA license to about 20,000
NGOs is a historic step towards a massive
cleanup of the system as a huge number of
NGOs were functioning with foreign funds and
were involved in activities against the interest of
the nation.
In 2014, an Intelligence Bureau report had
suggested that the negative impact of these
NGOs on Indian economy is around 2-3 % of the
GDP.
FCRA act was amended in 2011 and the new law
put a restriction of 50 percent on the amount of
foreign funds that any NGO could use for
administrative expenses. This was a major step
to monitor and regulate the expenses of NGOs
which are receiving funds from foreign sources.
Soon after Narendra Modi became the Prime
Minister, he openly declared a war on the errant
and corrupt NGOs which are in forefront of
activities detrimental to the nation. These NGOs
are involved in derailing infrastructure projects,
sabotaging projects related to electricity &
power generation, construction of dams &
canals for benefits of rural areas and working
against various aspects of development. A large
number of NGOs are also involved in religious
conversion – either by enticement or by force.
Most of the NGOs involved in religious
conversions get their funds from US or Europe
based missionary organizations, or Gulf based
Islamic organizations. Some of the NGOs are
involved in funding terrorism, insurgency and
Maoists in various states of India to achieve
their nefarious aims.
The Home Ministry had already asked the NGOs
to submit their sources of funding, the details
and expenses incurred. Those NGOs which
failed to clear the test and have suspicious
transactions and are involved in activities which
are against the “national interest” and
“economic interests” of the country have been
denied the renewal of licenses under FCRA.
Many NGOs receive hundreds of crores of
foreign funds to derail various infrastructure
projects, encourage religious conversions and
damage the social fabric by indulging in various
unlawful activities. In November, the license of
ZakirNaik's foundation was cancelled. However,
in December, an online error led to renewal of
the organization'slicense. As on now, the FCRA
license of Naik's foundation remains cancelled.
This historic step of cleaning India by getting rid
of the NGOs which are one of the key
perpetrators of anti-India activities, at both
social and economic levels, will definitely lead to
the rise of “intolerance brigade” which are
handsomely paid through the foreign funding of
these NGOs. The attack on the foreign funding
of NGOs is an attack on the soul of all the anti-
India activities going on in the country and will
take the nation to a greater heights.
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