Dec/15/2011

Let's build on Mauryan inspiration, says Kalam

“The Dancing Girl: A History of Early India,” a book by Balaji Sadasivan, former Singapore Minister, was released at a function organised by The Hindu and SRM University in Chennai on Wednesday. On the occasion, the former President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, presents a cheque for Rs. 5 lakh to V. Shanta, Chairperson, Adyar Cancer Institute. The former Singapore President, S.R. Nathan (second from left), and SRM University Chancellor T.R. Pachamuthu are in the picture. In the second photograph Ma Swan Hoo, wife of Balaji Sadasivan, displays a copy of the book. At far right, is a section of the audience at the function. Photos: S.R. Raghunathan

“Chandragupta built an empire based on a strong central government and a large, powerful army. Ours is akin to it.”

That modern India has been inspired by the Mauryan concepts of statecraft and governance is one of the significant insights provided in “The Dancing Girl: A History of Early India,” by Balaji Sadasivan (1955-2010), a neurosurgeon and Singapore's former Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.

Capturing this facet of the author's findings, the former President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who launched the book at a function organised by The Hindu and SRM University here on Wednesday, said Chandragupta Maurya had built an empire based on a strong central government and a large, powerful army. “This model is virtually akin to the model being followed after our Independence.”

Another contribution of the Mauryas during the reign of Asoka, the former President noted, was the provision of moral and ethical dimension. “He defined that the primary purpose of the government was to provide peace, prosperity and welfare to all the citizens. The author rightly brings out that modern India looks to the Mauryan Empire for inspiration and has taken Mauryan Lion as the state emblem.”

Attributing the attainment of Independence to the phase of the freedom struggle which was led by Mahatma Gandhi, Mr. Kalam said people had to cherish and nurture Independence with the ethics and value system of the era of Chandragupta Maurya.

Quoting the author, Mr. Kalam said the Bhakti movement in India developed from Tamil-speaking south to Sanskrit-speaking north. The spiritual development of Hinduism was based on devotional songs, expressing ecstatic love for God. The compositions were mainly in Tamil, though the numbers of popular hymns were in Sanskrit. The Bhakti movement, encompassing Saivites and Vaishnavites, made Hinduism accessible to Indians of all States in both Sanskrit and regional languages, the former President pointed out.

S.R. Nathan, former President of Singapore, who presented copies of the book to donors, said it was labour of love written by an author who was captivated by the history of his ancestral homeland.

Pointing out that the rise of South Asia, like East Asia, was a civilisational one — though attention has been focussed on the economic potential — and the history of civilisations provided profound insights into their contemporary standing and the possible road ahead, Mr. Nathan said that from this perspective, the book offers much not only for the Diaspora but also for those who are in India itself.

Ma Swan Hoo, wife of Balaji Sadasivan, who accompanied him on numerous visits to historic sites across India, provided the rationale for naming the book ‘The Dancing Girl', which refers to a bronze statuette excavated from Mohenjodaro and a showpiece in the National Museum in Delhi. This 10.8-cm statue, a symbol of an advanced civilisation that existed about 4,500 years ago, was important to the history of India, she said.

Balaji Sadasivan, whose roots were in Arcot of Tamil Nadu, was a great lover of the history and civilisation of many countries. He chose to write on the history of India, a country he was so much in love with. He had originally planned to cover the history from ancient times to the present period over five volumes. This book is a combination of the first two volumes of 30 chapters and covers the ancient period up to the start of the decline of the Mughal reign in the 17 century.

Addressing the gathering, N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, praised Balaji Sadasivan's approach to history, and said the author regarded himself as an amateur but he was a gifted amateur. He instinctively realised that history was not an “unending catalogue of dull facts.”

By reading “The Dancing Girl,” one could learn a good deal about the mind and interests of the neurosurgeon and professional politician-turned historian. “He selects; draws out facts of significance, ignoring the dross and the trivial, and invests them with meaning. He provides interpretation. All interpretation is disputable but the historian must venture out to recreate, even trans-create, the historical picture. This is what this gifted amateur does in an engaging, accessible, enjoyable manner,” Mr. Ram added.

He appealed to Mr. Kalam to provide a push and use his moral influence for the Nalanda University revival project as there were reports of slow release of funds by the Union government to the project although the Bihar government had been very supportive.

Dr. V. Shanta, Chairperson, Adyar Cancer Institute, received a cheque for Rs. 5 lakh for the Institute from Mr. Kalam and Mr. Nathan. K. Kesavapany, Singapore's Ambassador to Jordan and Director, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, and T. R. Pachamuthu, SRM University Chancellor, spoke.

High Court suspends two Vizag judges

The A.P. High Court has temporarily suspended two Additional District Judges of Visakhapatnam, on the ground of suspicion expressed in the judgments passed by them in the past.

Principal District Judge Ch. Manavendranath Roy on Wednesday served the suspension orders on Fourth Additional District Judge A. Radhakrishna and Chairman of the Industrial Tribunal M. Ramadas after receiving instructions from High Court.

The suspicion was expressed by High Court judges on the judgments delivered by the two judges in separate civil cases while hearing appeals and these were referred to the Committee No. 1 of the High Court, consisting of seven senior judges. The two were suspended on recommendation of the committee.

Mr. Roy will be in-charge of the Industrial Tribunal and Judge of Mahila Court N. Raja Prasad Baba, is made in-charge of the Fourth Additional District Court.

“It's a considered decision on pentavalent vaccine”

The government on Wednesday said non-availability of the pentavalent vaccine in the public health programme had equity implications for the poor who could not afford the vaccine in the private sector.

Seeking to put at rest doubts raised by a section of society over the utility of the pentavalent vaccine in the universal immunisation programme — launched in Kerala — the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said pentavalent was available in the private market for over a decade now with three Indian manufacturers producing it.

“The pentavalent vaccine is already available in the private market at a very high cost. When it comes in the public health system, it is free of cost and hence available to those who otherwise cannot afford it,” Anuradha Gupta, Joint Secretary in the Ministry, told The Hindu here.

The pentavalent vaccine contains five antigens — Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Hepatitis B and Hib—with Hib being the new addition to the immunisation programme. The Hib vaccine is available in both monovalent and combined formulations. India becomes the 171st country to introduce vaccination against Hib with the United States and Finland starting it in the early 1990s.

The pentavalent formulation has several programmatic advantages as it halves the number of injections per child and reduces the requirement of cold chain storage space, besides the ease of management of logistics and data. Hib infection causes pneumonia and meningitis that kill close to 5 lakh children every year in India. Meningitis can also result in crippling disabilities.

Dismissing criticism over the introduction of the pentavalent vaccine, Vinod Paul, Head of the Paediatrics Department at the AIIMS — who was also part of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) that took the final call on introducing the vaccine — said the decision was taken after due and intense process of discussion and had a strong scientific backing. “In fact, there should be an immediate scaling up of the vaccine in Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, where immunisation is low,” he said. The NTAGI heard the government, independent researchers, civil society groups and researchers.

Chavan announces Rs. 2,000-crore relief package for farmers

“Decision keeping in mind lower production and falling prices”

Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday announced the much-awaited Rs.2,000-crore relief package for cotton, soyabean and paddy farmers in the Vidarbha, Marathwada and North Maharashtra regions of the State, amid protests from the Opposition that it was a pittance.

Mr. Chavan, replying to a debate on the price issue in both Houses of the Legislature, said the decision was taken after much discussion with leaders of all parties and keeping in mind the crisis faced by farmers in the backdrop of lower production this year and the falling prices.

While stating that all cotton farmers in the three regions would be paid compensation per hectare, Mr. Chavan clarified that as far as soyabean and paddy were concerned, the Agriculture Department would work out the yields taluka-wise, and wherever the production was lower than last year by more than 25 per cent the farmers would get compensation per hectare.

He said it was for the first time that such a package had been announced for specific regions and crops in the State.

Since it was not possible to pay per quintal, the government decided to pay per hectare, he said. Cotton is grown on 41-lakh hectares in the State, while soyabean occupies 30-lakh hectares and paddy 15-lakh hectares. Uneven rainfall had affected production and in the case of soyabean it was 26 per cent less than last year, while for cotton it was 15 per lesser than last year, he said.

There are 1.5-crore farmers in the State, of whom 60 lakh are in need of assistance, he said.

Mr. Chavan said there was a huge backlog in irrigation, with only 14 per cent of the cultivated area being covered. The situation was critical in Marathwada, Vidarbha and North Maharashtra regions, where irrigation ranged from 5.5 per cent to 14 per cent.

He refuted allegations that the sugarcane farmers were being favoured by the government and said the sugar industry earned a revenue of Rs.4,571 crore last year and the packages for cane farmers were very small in comparison. Last year it was Rs.122 crore.

The State has about 20-lakh cotton farmers, according to Minister for Cooperation and Parliamentary Affairs Harshvardhan Patil, who would benefit.

Mr. Chavan announced the restructuring of the State unit of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices, and the formation of a technical committee with experts from concerned sectors to look into earlier reports on the agrarian crisis and suggest improvements to the situation in dry land farming areas. He said like sugarcane, cotton must also have value addition and he proposed a new textile policy to improve the value of raw cotton.

A task that's remained unfinished for 40 years

The completion of the war crimes trial will bring a painful episode in Bangladesh's history to a close. It will establish the rule of law, and make young citizens understand how religion was abused to justify murder and rape.

For Bangladesh, December 2011 is a landmark; the country celebrates its 40th independence anniversary. It also faces the gigantic challenge of moving ahead with the historic trial of the local agents of the Pakistani army who killed, raped and maimed hundreds of thousands during the liberation war of 1971 — an uphill task in the face of organised resistance by the main Opposition party.

According to official and non-government accounts, nearly three million people were killed and thousands of women raped in nine months of unprecedented violence as the marauding Pakistani soldiers and their local loyalists tried to suppress the mass awakening against the religio-political subjugation of the majority population in the former East Pakistan.

The trial was long overdue. After a shocking delay in reckoning with the atrocities of 1971 — much of which was due to Bangladesh's about-turn following the 1975 bloody coup — the present government led by Sheikh Hasina initiated the move towards justice.

But the trial has faced hostile propaganda. Motivated campaigners argue that with the 195 ‘war criminals' — military officers who led the round-ups and summary executions of Bengalis — slipping away to Pakistan, there is no logic in trying the local collaborators. But the argument lacks substance because even after 40 years, almost every household in Bangladesh bears the wounds of 1971. The trial is being held in an open court under a domestic law, and the accused are getting adequate opportunities to defend themselves.

It is true that evidence to convict a suspect may be difficult to get as the events are 40 years old. Much of the key evidence was destroyed by the perpetrators when they, or their allied political forces, were in power. The atrocities carried out during the nine months of the liberation war were abetted in by local collaborators, who were leaders and activists of the fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami and the Muslim League and part of the killer gangs formed by the raiding army. A total of seven accused, widely known as the key perpetrators, are presently in the dock. Some others are to be tried in the coming weeks.

‘Suspects directly involved'

The investigative and prosecution teams of the Crimes Tribunal, which worked for over a year to collect evidence from home and abroad, said they were successful in justifying their cases. They also found that in most cases, the suspects were directly involved in murder, abduction and rape

Sydney Schanberg, Pulitzer Prize winning correspondent of The New York Times, described the Pakistan military crackdown of 1971 as “a pogrom on a vast scale” in a land where “vultures grow fat.” Well-known researcher R.J. Rummel stated: “In East Pakistan [General Agha Mohammed Yahya Khan and his top generals] also planned to murder its Bengali intellectual, cultural, and political elite. They also planned to indiscriminately murder hundreds of thousands of its Hindus and drive the rest to India. And they planned to destroy its economic base to ensure that it would be subordinate to West Pakistan for at least a generation to come. This despicable and cutthroat plan was outright genocide.”

However, the horror unleashed by the army did not succeed. India opened its borders and sheltered 10 million refugees, and helped the Bengali freedom fighters. Under Indira Gandhi, India intervened militarily in the decisive weeks after it was attacked on the western front.

For Bangladesh, December has been a month of joy and tragedy. On the eve of the unconditional surrender of 90,000 Pakistani army personnel to the Joint India-Bangladesh Command, the local abettors of the raiding army, under a well thought-out plan, eliminated hundreds of leading Bengali intellectuals. Philosophers, professors, writers, poets, journalists, doctors, engineers, and social thinkers were among those picked up from their houses, blindfolded and taken to various desolate pits in Dhaka's suburbs, to be tortured and slaughtered. The bodies were lying around for days until they were discovered after the Pakistan army's surrender in Dhaka. Many Bengali women were made sex slaves. Thousands were gang-raped and dumped in mass graves.

But the tragedy of Bangladesh is that while the 195 Pakistani war criminals reached their homes safe, thanks to the 1974 Delhi tripartite agreement, none of the local perpetrators was brought to justice. Pakistan “condemned and deeply regretted” the crimes committed by its army but did not prosecute a single perpetrator as promised. And when a Bangladesh government moved decisively to prosecute the collaborators on its soil under a law passed by Parliament, the main Opposition, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, came out with an astonishing defence of the war criminals.

The party, led by the former premier, Khaleda Zia, has demanded that the Crimes Tribunal proceedings be stopped immediately because of what it believes is a violation of the rights of the accused. The BNP, which has a political alliance with the Jamaat-e-Islami — whose six top leaders and a key BNP leader are now detained — has also called upon the international community to pressure Bangladesh into abandoning the trial.

The BNP stand is seen as a desperate attempt to foil the trial when it is progressing well. It is also seen as a blatant disrespect for the law of the land and rejection of the country's history. According to many independent analysts, the party's open patronisation of the accused will certainly not endear it to the vast majority. It appears to have formally acknowledged what its detractors have long suspected it of.